Teaching Sermons For Pastors and Laymen

Teaching Sermons For Pastors and Laymen--Free Bible Study
Pilate presented Barabbas to the crowd as an alternative, which would allow him to escape his responsibility in this ordeal. His training in Roman government made it difficult for him to condemn an innocent man.
Pilate’s offer takes on special significance if both of these men had the same name. Many Bible scholars believe that the full name of Barabbas was Jesus Barabbas. Some manuscript evidence supports this theory. And if this was the case, the crowd had to choose between Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Barabbas.
The face of Barabbas is truly the face of good fortune. Never has a better thing happened to a man on the day of his expected crucifixion. Jesus of Nazareth probably died on the cross that was prepared for Jesus Barabbas.
When the Sabbath came, Jesus was lying in a tomb, and Barabbas was sleeping in his own bed. This graphically sets forth the central truth of the gospel, “CHRIST DIED FOR US.”