The Forgotten JesusSample

The Last Week

Our culture is easily distracted. A thriving entertainment industry gives us endless material to consume, fads go in and out of fashion, and an unlimited amount of information is directly streamed to phones that fit in our pockets. We have to decide every day: Which article do I read? Which game do I play? Which shows do I watch? 

The object of our worship is revealed by the way we invest the majority of our resources—not only money but also time, attention, and effort. Today we read about a time when people had to make a decision between two people named Jesus.

It’s hard to imagine that a crowd of people would reject Jesus to free a murderer. That’s what it appears like on face value. However there is something greater going on here. Barabbas has a first name: Jesus. His last name also means “son of the father.” Thus Barabbas is not just a murdered but also a symbolic stand-in for all of humanity. The crowd chose their own way instead the way God had given them. 

Because their priorities were out of line, they couldn’t recognize the true Son of God. Yet we do the same thing when we act on our misconceptions about who Jesus is or how we should behave instead of using the Word of God as our behavioral compass. If we’re not careful, we will allow the culture to help interpret the Bible.

The world doesn’t go to the Word of God for wisdom. It turns to cultural icons, popular conventions of thought, and arguments that sound good even if they’re not true. If we’re not careful, we can allow cultural perceptions to cloud our biblical perspective.

Even though we regularly miss God’s standard, Jesus still took our place on the cross. We’re rebellious people with rebellious hearts who want to be the lords of our own lives rather than enthroning Jesus. We’re just like Barabbas—slated for death because of our rebellion—but Jesus took our place and paid the price for our sins.