Give Us Barabbas (Luke 23:13-25)

Are you a Monopoly fan? Do you like to play the classic board game?  While the games popularity may have waned among Baby Boomers it seems to be making a bit of a resurgence among Millennials. Take for example our daughter Haleigh, she simply loves Monopoly. So much so that she has taken to collecting different versions of it. She must have a dozen different Monopoly sets, if not more.

In the game, one can find themselves thrown into jail on any given turn, and once you land there you could stay there for a while, especially if you don’t have the luck to roll doubles or the resources to buy your way out. But, should you have the coveted GOJF card, you can fly the coop scot free! Nothing like that little pardon card to put a smile on your face.

In real life, most people would say that it’s much more difficult to obtain a pardon than it is in the game. Only the President can grant pardons for federal crimes and in most states only the Governor can issue a pardon for state crimes. So, you could say that you only have two “chances” at getting a pardon in real life. But, is that true?

In our focal passage this week, we will be looking at Luke 23:13-25 and if you are familiar with that passage then you know that it deals with a pardon too. But maybe not exactly like you thought and certainly not for the reasons may people receive pardons today. Granted, a hardened criminal was set free at that time, and he was given a full pardon to the shock and dismay of some in that day. But there were others who received pardons that day too. Who were they? When and why were they granted? By whom?

I hope you can join us for our discussion this week. You might be surprised to learn that our focal passage has much broader application that you might have thought or understood before. And, the next time you play that famous board game, I’ll bet you think differently about that little yellow card.

You can find the video on the Doubtless Living YouTube channel and you can also download the Bible study materials for your personal use by following one of these links: PowerPoint SlidesPDF File

In addition, you can download files for other sessions in this series at Doubtless Living: The Gospel of Luke.

Blessings to you all, in Christ!

Eric