What God Won’t Let Me Forget
“Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.”
Genesis 22:13 (NASB)

Have you seen the guy on YouTube shorts or Facebook reels who says “Here’s something I didn’t know until I was in my 30s” (@sidneyraz)? He shows you something obvious about an item you’ve been using all your life that makes it extraordinarily better. My favorite one is the “lock on the mustard cap“.

I recently had a moment of clarification just like that.

Jesus carried an actual cross(beam) that was not His to carry.

We say the words all the time. “Jesus died for our sins.” It’s one of the foundations of our faith. We parrot it to others and to ourselves sometimes without realizing the weight of it.

There is a real difference in knowing the facts of a story and feeling the effects of a story as if you were one of the main characters. I want to know, understand, and feel more.

Recently, I did a self-study on the Gospel of John (She Reads Truth). Lots of things stand out – this is where the “I Am” statements are – I am the Bread of Life, I am the Light of the World, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Jesus literally carried a cross meant for another man.

Another thing that stood out for me was that John is the only gospel that records Jesus saying “It is finished” on the cross (John 19:30). The Greek word “tetelestai” used here was not a religious word; it was transactional. Its real-world use was like our red “PAID” stamp. “Tetelestai” was stamped or written on bills declaring them “paid in full”. It was stamped on legal papers indicating a sentence had been fully completed.

Over the course of a few days, I found myself moving from a Bible study to a series of videos and films about the crucifixion, including a walk through the modern-day Via Dolorosa. Somewhere in the middle of all that, something finally clicked – like that mustard cap.

I finally understood how quickly Jesus’ trial and execution happened. I also learned something I had never known before. Roman practice suggests that a cross would have already been prepared for Barabbas.

Barabbas’s execution was already scheduled. The wood for his cross had already been cut.

But when the crowd chose Barabbas to be set free, the chief priests and elders rushed to carry out the crucifixion of Jesus for various reasons too voluminous for this blog post.

The Romans likely would not have taken the time to cut a new cross for Jesus.

I have always understood the symbolism of Passover, the sacrificial lamb, the significance of referring to the blood of Jesus. Those connections have been obvious to me for as long as I can remember.

This one was different. This one I missed.

That Jesus literally carried a cross meant for another man.

Barabbas walked free while watching his own death march past him. He benefited from grace that he did not deserve. He did nothing to earn this freedom.

But it wasn’t just one other man’s punishment that Jesus bore. In Barabbas’ name, I can clearly see the word “abba” which I know means “father”, and I know that “bar” is a Jewish family name based on paternal lineage that means “son of”.

So now my brain is cooking. Barabbas means “son of the father”. Scripture never tells us who Barabbas’ father was, so his identity can be read as intentionally generic. That way he represents anyone, all of us, sons and daughters alike, and he walked free that day because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took his place.

That cross was not just Barabbas’ cross. It was our deserved cross. We were the ones who had earned the judgement and sentence. We were the ones who should have been walking the path to crucifixion.

Instead, we are the ones who get to walk away.

Jesus did not take our place so that we would spend our lives trying to repay Him for our salvation. He took our place because the debt was real, and He loved us. He carried the cross for us. He served the sentence for us. And He closed the account.

He said “It is finished”, and He meant it.

Prayer for Perpetual Revelation
Lord, thank You for continuing to open my eyes wider each time I seek You.
Help me live as someone who has been set free.

If you have time for a scroll – click here: Still Waters