Jesus or Barabbas | Deric Bartlett | 03-29-2026
March 30, 2026
This past Sunday, Pastor Deric Bartlett preached from Matthew 27:15–26 in a message titled “Jesus or Barabbas.”
Through the account of Jesus before Pilate, we were reminded of the striking contrast between the innocent Christ and the guilty Barabbas. As the crowd cries out and chooses according to their own desires, Jesus is rejected and condemned, though He alone is righteous. Yet in this exchange, we see a clear picture of the gospel. The guilty is released, and the innocent is handed over to suffer, all according to the sovereign plan of God. What appears to be injustice becomes the means by which redemption is accomplished.
This passage not only reveals the blindness of the crowd, but also confronts each of us with the same question: who will we choose?
Sermon Notes:
The Historical Context – Jesus Before Rome
The Religious Context – Jesus Before Religion
The Public Context – Jesus Before the Angry Mob
The Individual Context – Jesus or Barabbas
The Public Context – Jesus Before the Angry Mob
The Individual Context – Jesus or Barabbas