Give us Barabbas!

Jesus was on trial. The people took him to Pilate, the Roman Governor at the time. After Pilate found him innocent, he presented him to the people saying 'This man is not guilty of any crime, would you like me to release him? But they shouted back, No! Not this man. Give us Barabbas! Give us Barabbas! ... & so Pilate released Barabbas, the robber & Jesus, the saviour of the world was condemned to die a shameful death on the cross. Today, the shame belongs to the Devil. He lost the battle the moment Christ laid down his life. It was God's master plan. No wonder the bible says in 1 Corinthians 2 verse 7-8 '... If the princes of this world knew, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory'. Barabbas could not have paid the price for our salvation, it had to be Jesus. Some things happen to us that we never fully understand until much later, when we see the fuller picture. When Joseph was on a slave march to Egypt, after his brothers sold him, he never knew what God's master plan was for him in Egypt until Pharaoh put him in charge of the whole of Egypt. Haters of God conspired against Daniel and it landed him in the lions den but he came out alive because it was God's master plan. His accusers were thrown in the same den together with their wives and children and none of them was spared. David was overlooked by his father as a Shepard boy in the fields but God sought him out and made him king over the nation. Haman wanted to have Mordecai killed but in the end, he hung in the same gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Some astrologers wanted Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego dead because they would not worship idols. They were thrown into the flaming furnace, came out alive and in the end, the king promoted them. The lesson is this, once we stay plugged into God's will, even our enemies will be working for us unknowingly. They will mean things for evil, it will turn out to be for our good because the bible says 'all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8 verse 28)'. Sometimes, when things don't go according to your plan, it is because what you have in your plan is not in God's master plan for you. If you understand what this means, the next time the people demand for Barabbas, you will be glad, knowing it is God's master plan.