In about half an hour’s time we have reenacted two events in which, in the roles we have played, we have completely contradicted ourselves. We began by shouting “Hosanna,” hailing Jesus as the Messiah, and then we joined with the crowd in calling for his execution.
Many of us here today have done this year after year for decades on Palm Sunday, and that repetition may have caused you not to think much about the extreme contradiction. Or maybe you simply thought you would not actually do that in real life. Or perhaps you were troubled by your inconsistency, and were led to question whether or not you really are one who can bless the Lord of life in one breath and curse him in the next.
The choice between Jesus and Barabbas is at the heart of the story, not only because that choice sealed Jesus’ fate, but also because Barabbas symbolizes every person. So let’s take a look at Barabbas. Matthew calls Barabbas simply a notorious prisoner. John calls him a robber. Mark, however, identifies Barabbas as a rebel who had committed murder in an insurrection. He wasn’t just an average thug; he was probably a zealot. As such, he was a member of that party in Judaism that was determined, by violent means, to overthrow the Romans.
Most all of the Jews at that time expected the Messiah to be a political ruler who would do just that—overthrow the Romans. Apparently Jesus was even tempted to be that kind of Messiah, but when shown all the kingdoms of the world, he rejected them. “My kingdom,” he told Pilate, “is not of this world.”
One of the ironies of the story is that some sources say that Barabbas’s full name was Jesus Barabbas. Furthermore, the name Barabbas—bar abbas—means son of the father. So the choice was between one Jesus, the Christ, who would restore the rule of God over the life of the believer; and the other Jesus, Barabbas, whose aim was always to seize control. That is where he symbolizes humanity. Just as in the Garden of Eden, the choice the people had concerned the Lordship of God. In choosing Barabbas, the crowd was entirely consistent with fallen human nature. “Give us the man who will make us great, put us in control, help us to lord it over others; not the man who acknowledges the greatness of God, who has God in the center of life, and trusts God for his security.
In taking the part of the crowd, we are invited to take a look into ourselves, to see that even though we call Jesus Lord, we still have a long way to go to show in our lives what we confess with our lips. The Gospel is first of all bad news, but the final word is good news, for it is forgiveness. The final word is that “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The passion of our Lord Jesus Christ points first to our sin, and thus our need, so that it might then point us to the only One who can fill that need.
Sermon preached by the Very Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
The Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota, Florida
Palm Sunday
13 April 2014