00:00Today, I want to talk to you about a man who walked out of prison when he had absolutely no
00:08business being free.
00:10And here's the strange part.
00:13Nobody claimed he was innocent.
00:16Nobody discovered new evidence.
00:20Nobody proved that a terrible mistake had been made.
00:25In fact, nobody knew this man had done something wrong.
00:30But one morning, a door opened, and he was allowed to walk away.
00:37No punishment, no explanation that could possibly make sense to him.
00:44And somewhere nearby, another man was being led toward a terrible death.
00:51Now, before I tell you who these two men were, I want to ask you something.
00:58Have you ever watched somebody get something they didn't deserve?
01:02Maybe somebody got the promotion at work when you did all the work.
01:08Maybe somebody hurt you, lied about you, betrayed you, or somehow walked away without consequences.
01:18And you were left standing there wondering, how in the world is this fair?
01:25I think we've all experienced that feeling.
01:29I know I have.
01:30Because deep down, you and I have this understanding that good should be rewarded,
01:37and evil should have consequences.
01:40And that's how justice is supposed to work.
01:44But what I'm about to tell you turns that entire idea upside down.
01:49And it might just change the way you understand Jesus Christ.
01:55So stay with me, because there's something about this story that most people never notice.
02:02Let's imagine we're standing outside a prison thousands of years ago.
02:08Inside is a man with a troubled past.
02:11He's been involved in rebellion and violence.
02:15Scripture tells us his crimes included murder.
02:19This isn't some misunderstood gentleman who accidentally ended up on the wrong side of the law.
02:27He's guilty.
02:29And somewhere outside, a crowd is gathering.
02:33The city is restless.
02:36Religious leaders are angry.
02:39Political tensions?
02:40Well, they're rising.
02:43Something enormous is about to happen.
02:46Now, imagine being that prisoner.
02:49You hear voices outside.
02:52And at first, you can't understand what they're saying.
02:56Then, the voices become louder.
03:00Hundreds of people shouting.
03:02And eventually, you hear your own name.
03:05What would you think?
03:08Would you assume they're demanding your punishment?
03:12Would you believe the end had finally come?
03:17I think I would.
03:19And then, something extraordinary happens.
03:22The decision is made.
03:24You're going free.
03:26Not because you apologized.
03:29Not because you promised to become a different man.
03:33Not because you earned a second chance.
03:36You're simply released.
03:38You're simply released.
03:39And somebody else is handed over to die.
03:43Now, I want you to think about that for a moment.
03:47Imagine walking outside into the sunlight.
03:50Knowing what you've done.
03:52Knowing what you deserve.
03:54And realizing that you're going home.
03:58Would you celebrate?
04:00Would you run?
04:02Or would you turn around and ask one question?
04:06Why me?
04:08Because that's the mystery.
04:10Why would a guilty man be set free while an innocent man was condemned?
04:16And, more importantly, what kind of innocent man would endure that?
04:22Here's where the story gets personal.
04:25Have you ever carried something from your past that you wish you could erase?
04:30Something you said?
04:32A relationship you damaged?
04:34A decision you made when you were not thinking clearly?
04:39Something that still bothers you when the house gets quiet.
04:43And there's nobody around to distract you.
04:47You don't have to tell me what it is.
04:51God, well, God already knows.
04:55And I think sometimes we spend years trying to outrun the person we used to be.
05:00We become successful.
05:02We work harder.
05:04We help people.
05:05We try to live better.
05:07And somewhere inside, there's still that little voice saying,
05:12If people really knew everything about you, would they still love you?
05:18Can I tell you something?
05:20Jesus already knows everything.
05:24And he, well, he still loves you.
05:28Not because your mistakes were insignificant.
05:31Not because sin doesn't matter.
05:33But because his mercy is greater than your worst day.
05:38And that brings us back to our prisoner.
05:43Because there's one detail I haven't told you yet.
05:47One detail that makes this story much more extraordinary than it first appears.
05:52You see, the innocent man who was condemned that day wasn't just another prisoner.
06:00He had healed people.
06:03He had welcomed people everybody else rejected.
06:06He had shown compassion to the sick, the lonely, the forgotten, and the brokenhearted.
06:14He had taught people how to forgive their enemies.
06:18He had told them to love one another.
06:21And now, after all the good he had done,
06:25he was being rejected by the very people he came to save.
06:30You probably recognize him now.
06:34His name was Jesus Christ.
06:36And the guilty man who walked free, his name was Barabbas.
06:42Now, this really happened.
06:45The gospel tells us that Pontius Pilate presented the crowd with a choice.
06:50They could release Jesus or Barabbas.
06:55And the crowd chose Barabbas.
06:58The guilty man walked away.
07:00Jesus was handed over to be crucified.
07:04But here's where the mystery becomes even more remarkable.
07:10Because the name Barabbas contains something fascinating.
07:17In Aramaic, Barabbas means son of the father.
07:24I want you to think about that.
07:26Standing before the crowd were two men.
07:29One was called son of the father.
07:32And the other was Jesus Christ.
07:35The true son of the father.
07:39One had participated in violence.
07:42The other had come to bring peace.
07:45One was guilty.
07:47The other was innocent.
07:49And the guilty son of the father was released while the true son of the father went to the cross.
07:57Now, isn't that extraordinary?
08:00But I'm still not finished.
08:03Because the greatest surprise in this story isn't that Barabbas walked free.
08:09It's that, in a very real spiritual sense, Barabbas represents you and me.
08:19There's a part I want you to hold on to today, my friends.
08:22Because you and I may never have committed the crimes Barabbas committed.
08:29But we've all made mistakes.
08:32We've all fallen short.
08:34We've all needed forgiveness we couldn't earn.
08:37And Jesus didn't go to the cross because humanity had behaved perfectly.
08:43He went because we hadn't.
08:47Romans 5 verse 8 tells us that God demonstrated his love for us while we were still sinners.
08:56Not after we had cleaned everything up.
08:59Not after we had become perfect.
09:03While we were still sinners.
09:06Let that settle in your heart.
09:08You see, I started telling you about a guilty man who walked out of prison.
09:14And maybe you thought this was a story about a terrible injustice.
09:19But now, I want you to see something else.
09:23It's also a picture of astonishing grace.
09:28We don't know what Barabbas did with his freedom.
09:31The Bible doesn't tell us whether he ever followed Jesus.
09:35But we do know what Jesus offered us through his death and resurrection.
09:42Forgiveness.
09:44A new beginning.
09:45A life that doesn't have to be defined by yesterday.
09:49And no, grace doesn't mean our choices don't matter.
09:56It means our failures don't have to be the end of our story.
10:00Maybe you've been carrying guilt for 20 years.
10:04Maybe you're struggling with it right now.
10:08Maybe you've convinced yourself that God could never use somebody with your history.
10:13But what if today is the day you stop running from the one who already knows you and still invites
10:22you home?
10:23You don't have to pretend, my friends.
10:26You can simply come to Jesus and say,
10:41And here's a final thought I want to leave you with, friends.
10:45For most of the story, we've been asking the wrong question.
10:49We've been asking, why did the guilty man get to go free?
10:54But perhaps the more important question is this.
10:58Why was Jesus willing to take his place?
11:02And the answer?
11:04Well, the answer is love.
11:07A love stronger than guilt.
11:09A love greater than failure.
11:12A love that went all the way to the cross and overcame the grave.
11:18So, when you think about Barabbas, don't just see a man from Asian history.
11:24Remember what it means to receive mercy you could never purchase.
11:30The mystery was never simply about why that prison door opened.
11:35It was all about the love of Jesus Christ.
11:39And the door he opened for you.
11:44If this message has spoke to your heart, my friends, tell me in the comments.
11:49What does the second chance mean to you?
11:52And please subscribe to my YouTube channel, our YouTube channel.
11:58Because we're building a community here of 600,000 Christians.
12:02And it's growing every month, every day.
12:05And we're sharing faith, encouragement, and the teachings of Jesus Christ here.
12:11So we can reach people who need hope.
12:15Share this message on your social media, too.
12:18You never know who might be sitting alone today.
12:22Believing their story is already over.
12:25Remind them that because of Jesus Christ, a new chapter is still possible.
12:33My name is Douglas Vandergraaf.
12:36And I believe in Jesus Christ.
12:39God bless every single one of you.
12:43Every single one.
12:45And everyone.
12:47You love.
12:49Bye-bye.
