Substitution means “the act of a person taking the place of another.” Barabbas and Jesus illustrate Substitutionary Death…
” Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner—anyone the people requested. One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, a revolutionary who had committed murder in an uprising. The crowd went to Pilate and asked him to release a prisoner as usual.
“Would you like me to release to you this ‘King of the Jews’?” Pilate asked. (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.) But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”
They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
“Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”
But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”
So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.” -{Mark 15:6-15}
The Soul that sins must DIE… THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH …Scripture teaches we ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God… There is NONE Right, no not one. We are Without Hope, But God… In the fullness of time sent forth His Son Jesus died in our place when He was crucified on the cross. You and I deserve to be the ones placed on that cross to die because we are the ones who live habitual, rebellious sinful lives.
“But God…” Jesus Took our place Voluntarily, willingly and took our place and bore our sin and shame on the cross, paying the penalty for our sin and as our SUBSTITUTE bore the wrath of God that we should not die in our sin but be made right through the righteousness of Christ and be forgiven and accepted into the family of God! He took our punishment upon himself!- He SUBSTITUTED HIMSELF for us and took upon Himself what we rightly deserved for our sin against God!!
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
“ “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18).
These verses teach us about SUBSTITUTE- We all are BARABBAS. We are without excuse. THE SUBSTITUTE OF CHRIST alone was for all who repent towards God and place their faith in Christ alone! Jesus not only our SUBSTITUTE but Our ATONEMENT, meaning Jesus SATISFIED the PAYMENT due for the SINFULNESS of people!
Thank God for The Cross of Jesus Christ. Our Substitute!