Is Jesus Christ Really the Savior of the World? (Good Friday)

The First Palm Sunday & Triumphant Entry

Imagine you’re a Jewish woman living in Jerusalem during ancient, biblical times. It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, and you’re carrying a basket full of laundry on your way to the river.

You hear the excitement before you see it. People are talking, their voices are getting louder and louder with anticipation.

“It’s the Messiah.” You hear the news whisper its way through the crowd. “Jesus of Nazareth. He is here! It’s Him! Our King!”

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord —the King of Israel!” (John 12:13,CSB).

But before you have time to react, the crowd has grown so large that you are swept along with the excitement.

As you hurriedly walk—getting jostled and jangled—you stretch up on your toes hoping to get even a glimpse of the Jesus—the one they say is the long-awaited Messiah.

Look, over there! Sticking out about the heads of the other onlookers, you see His head bobbing up and down as if he is riding into the city, victoriously astride a stallion of white. You feel as if you might burst with joy!

As you continue to watch, you notice that people are taking off their outer robes and laying them down on the dusty road. Others are placing down and waving palm branches. You feel compelled to join them, so you take a robe from the top of your basket and send it forward to be placed among the others. You stand there cheeks aching from the bubble of joy you feel at being part of this momentous occasion.

Moments later, Jesus rides by! His disciples are following close behind and one is leading the donkey that He sits upon.

Wait…a donkey? You take a look again, thinking your eyes have betrayed you...but no, they haven't.

Jesus, the Messiah, the one to overthrow the oppressive Roman rule is riding into Jerusalem on a donkey?!

You cannot believe your own eyes. Wasn't a conquering warrior king supposed to arrive on something more…majestic than a donkey??

As the Jewish crowds welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem at the beginning of Passover week, they were calling out to a king to save them from the oppression of Rome.

This is why the crowd was so welcoming to Jesus when He arrived in Jerusalem, but yet so hostile towards Him at the end of the week. By then, they realized that Jesus was not going to start an uprising against Rome—something another Jewish man had made an attempt to accomplish.. This was what they expected from the Messiah.

And yet, what the people did not understand, was that God’s plan was for the promised Messiah to save all people from their sins—from spiritual oppression and death.

With this context in mind, let’s look at how this Jewish crowd went from praising the triumphant arrival of Jesus on Sunday, to condemning Him to death on Friday.

The First Good Friday

After spending an intimate Passover meal and teaching time with His disciples (John 13-17), Jesus was arrested and taken into custody by Jewish and Roman officials. Jesus willingly found Himself on trial in the presence of Pilate—the Roman governor of that area (John 18-19).

After many back-and-forth inquisitions, Pilate concluded that Jesus was without guilt: “[Pilate] went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no grounds for charging him [Jesus]” (John 18:38, CSB).

Pilate went on to say, “You [Jews] have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at the Passover. So, do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” (John 18:39, CSB)

The crowd of Jews—the same people who had shouted “Hosanna” (meaning ‘save us’) earlier in the week—shouted in rage, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” (John 18:40, CSB).

Barabbas, in the words of the author of John’s Gospel, “was a revolutionary” or a robber (John 18:40, CSB). And according to Luke, Barabbas “had been thrown into prison for a rebellion that had taken place in the city, and for murder” (Luke 23:19, CSB).

The Jews had chosen to save a murderous revolutionary over a compassionate rabbi.

Why save Barabbas instead of Jesus?

This question hit me after listening, once again, to the song “Citizens” by John Guerra. In that song, Guerra sings,

There is a wolf who is ranting
All of the sheep they are clapping
Promising power and protection
Claiming the Christ who was killed
Killed by a common consensus
Everyone screaming “Barabbas”
Trading their God for a hero
Forfeiting Heaven for Rome
~ from “Citizens” by John Guerra (emphasis added)

The Jews screamed for the release of Barabbas and shouted for the crucifixion of Jesus. They chose to free Barabbas over Jesus because, in their minds, Barabbas acted a lot more like the Messiah they wanted than Jesus did.

Jesus was a humble rabbi—a teacher—who traveled the countryside speaking about God, performing miracles, and loving sinners. Jesus even dared to challenge the Jewish leaders when, in the minds of many people, He should have been speaking out against Rome. This was not exactly the image the Jews had of a hero coming to save an oppressed people group.

Barabbas, on the other hand, was an insurrectionist. He was a man who openly rebelled against Rome intending to free the Jewish people from Roman rule and oppression. The very image of a savior that could save them from that what they hated.

The Jews were looking for a Messiah that would free them from earthly oppression. This was something Barabbas had shown he was willing to do, even though it had been a failure–he had been arrested after all. But even if he had been successful in his coup against Rome, the Jews would still be lost spiritually.

The Jews “forfeit[ed] Heaven for Rome” because they were blind to the reality that the Messiah came to save them, not from their earthly trials, but from spiritual oppression and death (Guerra).

The Jews who screamed for the death of Jesus—the Son of God, the Messiah—gave up eternal life in Heaven for the fleeting hope of momentary freedom on Earth under the leadership of an unsuccessful insurrectionist.

What does this mean for us today?

Put yourself again in the shoes of that Jewish woman living in ancient Jerusalem.

You saw Jesus ride triumphantly into the city on Sunday. And although He wasn’t the Messiah that you were imagining, you’ve been considering all week if He truly could be God's promised Messiah.

It is Friday and the crowd that pushed you along with joy and ecstasy at the arrival of Jesus earlier in the week is now screaming for His the death:

“Crucify! Crucify him!” (Luke 23:21, CSB). “We want Barabbas! Crucify Jesus!"

You stand in disbelief at their sudden shift of loyalty. What do you think? Should you join in the cries of condemnation? Or do you defend the honor of this man?

Friend, this is a question that you and I need to consider.

Are you looking for salvation from your earthly problems? Or your spiritual problems?

Are you going to put your faith and hope in human leaders who spout out empty promises of salvation? Or will you place your faith and hope in the outstretched arms of the humble Son of God who died to save you from your sins?

Earlier in His ministry, Jesus shared with His disciples this profound truth. He told them, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, CSB).

Much later, after the death, resurrection, and accession of Jesus, Peter—a disciple of Jesus and leader of the early Church—echoed this truth in his famous sermon at Pentecost: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12, CSB).

Jesus Christ—the Messiah and Son of God—came to save all who would believe. This is why the events of the first Good Friday had to take place. This is why Easter Sunday is a miracle worth celebrating!

Happy Easter sweet friend!