There’s a reason they released Barrabas.

Gather around the campfire, and let me tell you a story:

Mark 15:6-15 NLT
[6] Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner-anyone the people requested. [7] One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, a revolutionary who had committed murder in an uprising. [8] The crowd went to Pilate and asked him to release a prisoner as usual. [9] “Would you like me to release to you this ‘King of the Jews’?” Pilate asked. [10] (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.) [11] But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. [12] Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?” [13] They shouted back, “Crucify him!” [14] “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?” But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!” [15] 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. …

Why would the crowd deliberately choose to release a murderer when Jesus was clearly innocent?

I submit to you, three readers, that the people wanted Jesus gone because he made them uncomfortable. Here was this ordinary man performing miracles and speaking with the authority of God, even going so far as to say he and the Father were one. He challenged the religious leaders and hung out with a ragtag group of misfits. He was not what they thought the Messiah should be, and they were tired of their toes being stepped on (sandals don’t provide much protection).

So Barrabas goes free and they crucify the One who loves them so much that he asks God to forgive them even as his arms are painfully outstretched, nailed to the cross by their unyielding hatred and contempt.

His body was taken down from that instrument of torture, dead as dead can be. And then on the third day, the Savior of the world proved he was who he said he was and walked out of his own tomb.

And yet…

We still reject him, because he still makes people uncomfortable.

We want to do what we want to do, and we resent any authority that challenges our own.

We will find any excuse not to call Jesus “Lord” if it means we need to live a different way.

Intellectually, the arguments against Jesus and his teachings don’t hold water. Science backs up the Scriptures. The human experience and logical thinking testify to the truth found in the Bible. It is only our desire to sin and rule our own lives that make us deny what is so obviously true.

So we back the murderer and tell Jesus to literally go die. We’re fine on our own, thank you very much.

There’s just one problem with this scenario. He is actually God, and we are actually not. And we will stand in front of him one day.

So there’s that.

Romans 1:19-22 NLT
[19] They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. [20] For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. [21] Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. [22] Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. …

Don’t let pride keep you from accepting the forgiveness still available to you. You know deep down your arguments against God are just flimsy excuses. Right now, at this very moment, God longs to save you and give you a new life. You won’t get to be God anymore, but you never really were.

Your story isn’t over. Choose wisely.

Angela