Barabbas

Let me sing you a song that answers these questions: What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus Oh, how precious is the flow That makes me white as snow No other fount I know Nothing but the blood of Jesus

We tend to think of this body as our own, "it's mine and I will do with it whatever, whenever I choose." This is echoed by a society that says it OK for one or two consenting people to do (almost) whatever they want in the privacy of their own home, as long as it doesn't affect someone else. If your father gave you an expensive car, sacrificing all of his savings, would you use it to store your junk in? No, you would value it and want to use it for its intended purpose. I must disagree when someone says that "we are not free". Pick a verse of many, "you shall be free indeed" John 8:36; "Christ has made us free" (Gal 5:1) It is a difficult concept, but we are like the freed slaves that choose to stay and serve their master.

A couple of points not yet made re: Jesus and his suffering. Unlike the sacrificial lamb in the OT who died a quick and relatively painless death, Jesus sacrifice was far from that. Most of us know the gory details and have to block them out should just the thought of them be too much for us to bear. Also, yes, he suffered on the cross. But the Suffering Servant's suffering was not limited to the cross. How about 40 days in the desert with wild animals and no food, Satan nipping at his heels? This was just for starters, to prepare Him. He often went hungry, without a place to lay his head, rejected by many, lost close friends to death and on and on. All to prepare Him for His ultimate suffereing. Thank you Lord Jesus. I can only repay you with my love.

It is mercy in that "the wages of sin is death". It should have been our blood, but a merciful God allowed a substitute because of His love for us. I use the screen name Barabbas for that reason. It should have been Barabbas on that cross, not Jesus. He took his place, therefore, "I am Barabbas."

It is like the saying about a rose or a duck. A rose, like the Rose of Bethlehem, by any other name would smell as sweet. Itf it looks and walks and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. Here, the "Lamb" who "takes away sin" has to be referring to sacrifice. It is radical in that in the sacrificial system it was a one-for-one concept, not one-for-all. Like you pay the price for the one new car, it is never intended to be the price that will cover all the cars you will ever need for the rest of your life.