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Son Of The Father

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SON OF THE FATHER

Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. ‘Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?’ asked Pilate, knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.

‘What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?’ Pilate asked them. ‘Crucify Him!’ they shouted. Why? What crime has He committed?’ asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify Him!’ Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified. (Mark 15: 6-15)

King of the Jews? Pilate had obviously not bought that one. From his point of view, Jesus was no more a threat to Rome than his pet puppy.

But the chief priests and religious leaders were adamant. Jesus must die! If Pilate did not find Him guilty, there was another way to get Him sentenced to death. The exchange! This was their trump card. They were play Barabbas against Jesus and Pilate could not wriggle out of that one.

According to the custom that the Roman governor release a prisoner during the Passover Festival, they demanded the release of one, Barabbas, an insurrectionist and a murderer. Can you credit their hypocrisy? They accused Jesus of treason when He was clearly not guilty. On top of it, He was a man who healed the sick and gave life to the dead. Instead they demanded the release of a man who had taken life and who was among those who rebelled against Rome. How devious could they be?

But Pilate was not stupid. He knew the reason why they had condemned Jesus. He was too good for their liking. They preferred the company of those who were like them, wicked to the core but covered with a veneer of religious “righteousness” which Jesus had seen through and exposed, time and again to their discomfort. The quicker they got rid of Him, the better, and they would not hesitate to stoop to murder, just like the one they chose for release.

Who was this Barabbas anyway? This is the only time his name appears in history, and what a record! Bar-abbas. His parents gave him the name “son of the father”. Was that prophetic? Was he destined to become just like his father?  Was he the offspring of a criminal like he had turned out to be? He certainly was the offspring of Adam, father of the human race, flawed from birth. All he had to do was to live up to his nature and he would be a replica of his father.

Who was his father? Jesus put his finger on the core problem during a debate with the religious leaders. They were adamant that they were the children of Abraham. “How can that be?” Jesus demanded, “when you are plotting to murder me? Your real father is the devil because that’s who you resemble.”

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8: 44)

Yes, according to the Scriptures, Barabbas was a true son of his father, the devil, and that’s the one they chose for release. How true is the proverb, “Birds of a feather flock together.” These men had shown themselves up for who they were.

But what about Jesus? This was their accusation – that He had claimed to be “the Son of the Father”. His nature and actions, like Barabbas, were evidence of the identity of His Father. Just as Barabbas mirrored his father, the devil, so Jesus was the image of His Father, God.

And they chose Barabbas because they were of the same family.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

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The Beast Is Dead!

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THE BEAST IS DEAD!

“So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work in me.

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” Romans 7:21-25.

Despair! Was there ever despair like this?

Trapped by a power much stronger than himself, Paul felt as though he were caught in the claws of an enraged beast which was destroying his life and he was powerless to overcome it. Have you ever felt like that?

Years ago I was in a relationship that produced ongoing cycles of anger, resentment and bitterness which lasted until I was able to forgive, only to begin the cycle all over again when the same provocation happened. In despair I cried out to God, “How will I ever get free from my old nature?” I, who am not given to seeing visions, had a vision that morning on my knees.

I found myself in a walled garden. It was springtime and the garden was full of new growth. There were trees and flowers everywhere; new plants were coming up and the garden promised to be very beautiful. But there was also a huge black beast in the garden. It was pacing up and down, trampling the plants, and causing destruction wherever it walked. I cried out to God, “O God, how can I get rid of the beast?”

I heard a voice say, “Turn around.” As I did so, my vision changed. I was inside an ancient tomb. The tomb was empty, but there were signs that a body had been there; bloodied grave clothes lay on the stone slab. Again the voice said, “Turn around.” As my eyes became used to the gloom, I saw the beast lying dead on the floor of the tomb. My heart leapt for joy.

Once again my vision changed; I was back in the garden but this time there was no beast to destroy. The trees were heavy with luscious fruit and the flowers were in full bloom. There were no weeds and the paths were neatly laid out. Jesus, the gardener, was walking with me in the garden. “This is my garden,” He said. “The fruit belongs to me. You may walk in my garden but you may not pick the fruit.”

When the vision faded, I felt light-hearted and free. I understood that God had given me a vivid picture of Romans 7 and 8. The beast in my vision was my old nature, ruthlessly destroying everything wherever it walked and I had not power to control it. But…Jesus put the beast to death when He died on the cross. When He rose from the dead, the beast was left lying in the tomb. It no longer had the power to destroy in my life.

The garden represents my life, and Jesus, the gardener is in control. By His death He has put to death the power of my old nature to control me and to destroy what He is cultivating in me. As long as I allow Him to take care of my garden, my life will bear fruit for Him because the beast is dead and no longer has any power to destroy what He is growing in me.

Despair has been changed to hope. I am no longer a slave of sin. My old nature remains but it lies dead in the tomb. Its only power to influence me depends on whether I allow it to do so by believing that it can still hurt me. As long as I believe the truth that Jesus has set me free from the power of my sin nature, I can choose to obey God and allow the Holy Spirit in me to strengthen me to obey.

Once again, it’s a partnership of faith between me and God. I believe what God has said; I make the choice to obey Him; by His grace He enables me to do what I have chosen and He gets the praise!

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.