This is inspired from a story told, and I think that it was from South America somewhere, and it goes somewhat like this. There was a delightful family, and the son was the splitting image of his father, and as he grew, his hair, bushy moustache, the way he was, was just like his father, except the son fell in with the bad crowd, crime and violence was his passion, and he was good at it, and he became feared right across the whole country. Well one day the Authorities finally caught up with him, he was arrested on charge after charge after charge, the list was very long, and the prison cell held him securely, but somehow, a few days before his trial, he escaped, and he ran, he ran far, and ran even further still, far away, he ended up in a remove village, but that made him fearful, so he secreted himself in the forest, coming out only at night to forage for a little to eat, and then back to his hiding place. The country was in an uproar, everybody was searching for him, police, military, the public, everybody was searching, but to no avail. Then he was spotted and arrested once more, but as he was such a high-profile criminal, it was decided to dust off the ancient legislation, and to execute him in the public square, behead him, with many witnesses, so that all could be assured that the problem was never ever going to come back, to cause any more trouble.
The final day dawned, the prisoner was shacked and led to the raised platform in the middle of the square, the square was packed, and just before the axe fell, the prisoner looked up into the Lense of the newspaper photographer, and that was the end. The newspaper printed a special copy, front page was a large rendering of this final photograph, and as the newspaper was circulated, cheering, adulation and celebration broke out in all the towns and villages across the land. Our fugitive, having changed his appearance, grew a full beard, hair different, crept from his hideaway, and hardly had he got into a clearing when a jubilant local pressed a newspaper into his face, yelling, he’s gone, he’s gone, never more to be, we are finally safe. He turned the newspaper over, and starred into his own face, well his old one, horrified he turned away, but had to look again, he flinched, he rubbed his face, checked that his neck was still attached to his head, looked again, yes that was his face. But then again something was not quite right, he looked again and his eyes stared back at him from the page, no, he was here, but who, then he looked again, much more closely now, there were slight wrinkles around his eyes, no, he did not have wrinkles, and then the dam broke, Daddy, and there he was, he had dyed his moustache and hair, had hung around the wrong place at the right time, and had paid the penalty for his son’s indiscretions. The son was free, nobody would ever be looking for him ever again, his past was gone, paid in full, he was free to start life again, he had a New-Life, a new clean slate, as his father had paid it all for him.
Ones mind wanders to another similar story, this transpired in Jerusalem about 2000years ago where a career criminal and two of his associates were arrested, tried, and condemned to death, the most brutal and humiliating death available, was the Roman Crucifixion. Barabas was his name, and historians believe his actual name was ‘Jesus,’ ‘Jesus – Barabas,’ so Jesus was condemned, and on the morning of his execution, the religious leaders decided to swap out Jesus for Jesus, the paperwork was made out for Jesus, so they just wanted to swap out Jesus, for Jesus – Barabas. Then Jesus, the son of Mary and Joseph, could no longer point out their sin and crimes and corruption, by silencing the voice that condemned them, Luke 23:15-25 “No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him. (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.) And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.”
So here the righteous died for the ungodly, Jesus Christ carried the cross of Jesus Barabas, he died and paid the penalty for his sins and crimes, sins and crimes he had no part of committing, but then that middle cross also has my name written upon it, it even has your name written upon it, we are guilty as charged, we deserve this and probably way much more, but then Jesus Christ has paid it all, there is therefore no more condemnation over us, the past indiscretions have been fully paid for, we are free, a clean slate, all because of what our “Father,” has done for us in sending his son into the world, and to die in my very place. The Statler Brothers sing a catchy bouncy song called, “I believe he died for me so I believe I’ll live for him.” Lyrics; “I believe He died for me
So I believe I’ll live for Him, I may not do it right, But I’m gonna try, wherever He would take me, is better than where I’ve been, I believe He died for me, so I believe I’ll live for Him.” Jesus died for me, actually in my very place, “He Died for Me, so I believe I’ll live for him,” but then will you commit to living for him right now??
