#197: The Father's Son

But they all cried out together, "Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas" Luke 23:18

Many years ago, a Jewish crowd was presented with 2 choices: Barabbas and Jesus. Surprisingly, they both had a lot in common than we realise on the surface. Barabbas, when translated from Hebrew means Son of the Father. Coincidentally, throughout Jesus’ short ministry, He proclaimed Himself to be the Son of the Father (Son of God). So, it was, therefore, a choice of “which Son of the Father would the crowd choose?” And they rejected Jesus and condemned Him to be crucified (Matthew 27:15-23). The Jews, even those close to Jesus had a form of Messiah they would have loved Jesus to come in or operate in (Luke 24:19-24).

This is not just typical of the first century Jews. When we are presented with the same choice that faced the Jewish crowd, how often do we choose the true Son of the Father; how often do we choose rather, a Son of the Father of our own making? How true are the sacred prophecies of Isaiah:

For He grew up before Him like a young plant, and like a root out of the dry ground; He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him and no beauty that we should desire Him…He was despised and we esteemed Him not…; we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted (Isaiah 53:2-4). 

However, our disposition does not determine God’s action nor choice; for

the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone; the LORD’s doing, and it is marvellous. Psalm 118:22-23

Throughout the biblical narrative of human history, man has consistently rejected God for our self created god or desire

•  In the garden of Eden:

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate (Gen 3:6)

In this singular act, for all generations man rejected God's rulership and instead seized autonomy by wishing to know good and evil by ourselves.

• Abraham's adultery

...And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai...And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived... (Gen 16:2&4)

God later explained to Abraham his folly for choosing Hagar over Sarai (by so doing he had rejected God's method) Genesis 17:15-21

• In the wilderness

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, "Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him"...So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron, And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a craving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" Exodus 32:1,3-5

Fresh from seeing the hand of God at work, Israel quickly rejected God and gave the glory to a graven image

• Requesting for a King

And the LORD said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them." (I Sam 8:7).

The very request for a king was an outright rejection of God's rulership.

• The pattern continues

For although they knew God, they did not honour Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lust of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonouring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Romans 1:21-25

This is very typical of society today. We conveniently push and keep pushing God out of everything we do. We have created a new humanity. We esteem ourselves wiser, but it has only led to destruction. Today, everyone gets to decide what gender they wish to be referred to.

Is it the true son of the Father that we celebrate? Or one of our own making? When we are before these choices that have always plagued mankind, will we choose God?

Happy Easter