What's Jesus Doing Up on the Cross? He's Substituting for You.

What's Jesus Doing Up on the Cross? He's Substituting

Jesus lived His life on earth at a time of revolution and unrest in the nation of Israel. The Romans had conquered and dominated the land and every day, Hebrew insurgents battled in the streets. They didn't need TV; they watched drama right in front of them as their hometown boys were captured as resistance fighters and injured, killed, or carted off to prison. They were definitely the underdogs compared to the forces of Rome. You can imagine how the families and communities suffered every day in the aftershock of such conflict.

So, with that background, we enter the Easter story "at the time of the Passover." This is Jewish culture's most celebrated time of year. They were commanded in the Old Testament to remember the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12:43) and they called it Passover. Over the centuries it became bigger than their Christmas and New Year's celebrations combined.

The "Passover party" culminated in the People's Choice Awards when the governor released any one prisoner they wanted. The governor traded that one criminal for a little relief from their anger and frustration with the Roman occupation. Matthew 27:15 reports that at "the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted." This was Pilate's perfect opportunity to avert the murderous demands for Jesus' death by offering either Jesus or the most "notorious prisoner called Barabbas." Pilate tried his best to position Jesus as the favorite. He said, you choose. Do you want this mad revolutionary or Jesus?, believing their sense of self-preservation would force them to choose Jesus. Verse 17 says, "So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, 'Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?'" In effect, Pilate was offering, "do you want Jeffrey Dahmer or Jesus? The BTK murderer or Jesus?" Surely they would want Jesus. But Pilate "knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered Jesus up." While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream" (v. 18-19). Even Pilate's pagan wife was disturbed by the injustice being done to Christ.

But the crowd was irrationally determined to see Christ die.

"Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus." Destroy, a very strong word, actually means "annihilate him," to erase not only His person, but the memory of Him. Wipe Him out so He never existed. Verse 21 records the question again, "The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" And they answered, "let him be crucified!" Pilate was stunned. Everyone knew Barabbas' evil reputation but "Why, what evil has Jesus done?"

Jesus was crucified between "two thieves," verse 30 says. Other translations say, robbers. In the original language, robbers weren't burglar types who combed neighborhoods looking for homes where the owner forgot to lock their patio doors. The two men crucified on either side of Jesus were rebels. Barabbas was famous for his notorious ways. It was his cross on which Jesus died in between the other two revolutionaries. It's not stretching it at all to say that Jesus physically took the cross that had been reserved for Barabbas. Jesus died in Barabbas' place.

You can't understand the Gospel until you understand this idea of substitution. First, Jesus died in place of Barabbas. His death then was in the place of every other member of the human race who has ever lived. Barabbas was the first in the line, but behind him stands every person in history. I am in that line. You are too. Each of us deserves to die in payment for our own sin, but Jesus stepped in and took that penalty for each of us. I deserve to die that death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. That's substitution. Jesus took my place on the cross. This is the central tenet of the historic gospel; without this there is nothing else to say. Jesus in my place.

Picture Christ on the cross and ask yourself: What's He doing up there? Answer: He's subbing for you. He's taking God's wrath for your sin. He's satisfying the just demands of a holy God. He's paying the price that God's holiness requires so that you and I can be forgiven.

Romans 6:23 says, "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ" and 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

What's Jesus doing up there on the cross? He's substituting: Jesus in my place. My heart overflows with gratitude when I think of Jesus Christ taking upon Himself the penalty that was mine to bear! God demonstrated such love that "while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).