Luke 23:25 “And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.”

I have often wondered what Barabbas thought of his release. He knew he was guilty of insurrection and murder, but he was released by Pilate. Did he ever realize just Who took his place that day? Did Barabbas ever acknowledge Christ as his Messiah? The Scriptures are silent on this, so we assume he never did. It would seem that if he had, that would have been big news and would have been recorded somewhere in one of the Gospels or another book.

We are just as guilty as Barabbas. We are known sinners. There is nothing we could have done to ever demand our release from the grips of sin. We were doomed for eternal punishment. But…..the One Who is able secured our release from death. We have acknowledged Him as our Messiah. We have accepted Him as our Savior and Lord.

Your children are guilty too! They may not appear as a “Barabbas” but they are sinners from birth. Now, you may think little Gertrude or Elrod are just too precious to be a sinner. Just wait! Their true flesh will reveal itself. But there is hope for the vilest of sinners. Our job is to point them to the One who can free them from the power of sin.

Wow! This is a little heavy, isn’t it? I guess I have just heard too little lately about sin. We can never forget just how powerful the forgiving power of God is in our lives. He didn’t just cover our shame! He covered our sin – with the precious blood of His Son. Jesus died for us! Jesus even died for Barabbas, whether he ever claimed that or not.

Please don’t water down the Gospel to try to make it more palatable for your little ones. They need to know that without Jesus in their lives, they are no better than Barabbas. But through Jesus they are released and are free in Christ. Amen? Amen!!