The Substitute by Stephen Davey

The Substitute
Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?” So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber. John 18:38-40 In Charles Dickens’ literary classic, A Tale of Two Cities, a young Frenchman named Charles Darnay is condemned to death and awaits his fate at the infamous guillotine. However, an hour before his scheduled execution, a close friend named Sydney pays him an unexpected visit. The striking thing about Sydney is that he looks almost exactly like Charles and could pass for his twin. Because of this, Sydney decides to do the unthinkable: switch places with Charles.  Knowing that Charles would never approve of this extreme act of mercy, Sydney comes up with a plan. Armed with a strong anesthetic in his pocket and self-sacrificing humility in his heart, he waits for the jailer to leave him alone with his friend.  As soon as the jailer leaves, Sydney overpowers Charles with the anesthetic and then undresses his unconscious body, replacing Charles’ clothes with his own. Once the guise is complete, he calls for the jailer to return.  Telling the jailer that Sydney (really Charles) was emotionally distraught and thus fainted because of it, he then asks the jailer to see to it that Sydney (Charles) is led back to his wife and son at home.  The ruse worked. On his way to the guillotine, Sydney speaks these final, unforgettable words which still stand as some of the most memorable in English literature: “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done. Truly, the motif of substitutionary death is at the forefront of so many timeless stories throughout history. Even true biographies of soldiers who threw themselves on landmines to save their comrades, or of mothers who gave their lives for the sake of their children, are made more heroic because of it.  This isn’t surprising given Jesus’ words in John 15:13 that “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” Depictions of self-sacrificing, substitutionary deaths undoubtedly mark the pinnacle of human art and literature. Nevertheless, God’s love goes even further. As Paul says, God demonstrates His deeper, unfathomable, particular love in that “while we were yet sinners (or enemies), Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus didn’t merely substitute His life for a friend or a comrade or a child; He substituted His life for His own enemies. What we find in John 18 is higher than the love we find in A Tale of Two Cities, or The Giving Tree, or Romeo and Juliet, or so many other classic works throughout history.  And imagine this scene through Barabbas’ eyes. He is an insurgent; a thief. There is guilt on his hands. More than any other person at the scene of Calvary, it is Barabbas who can truly say, “I have a substitute in my place. It should be me on that cross and not this innocent man.”. We should say the same as well. Are you still amazed by the gospel today? Are you still moved to tears when imagining the Son of God willingly taking the punishment for your sins?  There is no greater love in all the world, and I pray we don’t take it lightly.