"Do You Really Want Bar-abbas?"

Bar-abbas. Barabbas. Translated "son of fathers". Of course we are talking about more than the historical Barabbas this morning.

"Son of fathers" (which is what prostitutes named their illegitimate children), versus "The Son of The Father", Jesus Christ.

It's always been a choice, hasn't it?

Who do we want set free.

Mark 15:15 (AMP) - "So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, set Barabbas free for them; and after having Jesus whipped, he handed [Him] over to be crucified."

Jesus often loses out to the satisfaction of carnal desire. After all, Barabbas is the happy go lucky party animal fun guy. Isn't he?

Can we fathom a crowd clamoring for the likes of Barabbas over our sweet Jesus?

Just open your eyes and look around you. Bad decisions being made moment by moment. The love and peace and truth of Jesus being traded on the open market of daily living. Even the devil is caught by surprise at times (do you really want me to crucify Him?). Are you really going to pick that beautiful blond over Jesus? That handsome hunk of muscle? I often perceive the devil as looming in the background thinking, "Wow. That was so easy."

Choices. Good Son/Bad son. It is staggering how many choose the wrong son. Yes, Barabbas is still popular. It's no longer flesh and blood. Barabbas is simply the ugly choice. Murder over life. Filth over purity. Weakness over power.

The spirit of Barabbas is alive and well and is overwhelmingly popular. Insurrection over Resurrection.

This carnal (flesh centered) church moves and operates on the waves of one religious holiday after the next. Even today some folks are celebrating something called "Maundy Thursday" (from the Latin "mandatum"). A feast type celebration concerning Jesus giving a command (mandate) to His disciples on the eve of His impending crucifixion. All Jesus said was "Love one another."  Should we turn that into some sort of yearly celebration of self-exalting piety? Or should we just love one another the other 364 days as well? I'm not a fan of feast days of religious holidays. They bring out the (best?) of a person one day a year and slowly declines incrementally every day after. Stop smoking or eating chocolate for 40 days a year and you too can be just like Jesus battling the devil in the desert! Really.

Sometimes you just have to go "arghh!"

I'll say this. Barabbas will always be a bad choice. He will stink up your home (inner Spirit dwelling place) and soil your sheets. He never showers and he will eat all your food. My dry humorous way of saying HE (IT) WILL CONSUME YOU!

Jesus is the literal breath of fresh air. He will do your inner home so good that it will show up on the outside.

The death of self and the crucifixion of the flesh is the deposing of Barabbas and the seating of King Jesus on His throne.

Once you do that it will make you wonder how you ever allowed it any other way.

Contrary to what you might be thinking or feeling of late, we win this thing. 

Give us Jesus!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><