Songs In The Night

“But they all cried out together, ‘Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas.'” – Luke 23:18

Death Row

Death row.  Guilty. The cross is looming.  It is your just punishment.   While time is carrying you towards your cross, your memory is going back in time.  How simple things seemed as a child.  Your parents instructed you.  You were taught the difference between right and wrong.  You knew the consequences of each.  The daily sacrifices were a reminder.  How many lambs did you see sacrificed?  Too many.  For emphasis, you had to help carry the lamb.  The images are still vivid. Blood is never easy to forget, especially when you are the cause.  As a child, you would try to shut out the bleating by covering your ears, but you couldn’t cover the blood.  When the lamb was dead, the shed blood still spoke to you.  Guilty.

Where did you go wrong?  Parental instruction melted under the heat of peer pressure.  Wisdom wasn’t as exciting as foolishness.  The world swayed you.  Your sins were encouraged.  Your sins grew and multiplied. With each sin, your heart became a little harder.  From a young child stealing an “insignificant” item and telling a “little” lie, to an adult, taking part in a rebellion, stealing and committing murder. Murder. How do you wash the blood from your hands?  The blood you have shed speaks out like the blood of Abel.  Now your heart is hard as stone and your hands are stained red.  Your conscience gives you no rest. Guilty.

Alone

Alone.  No parents to comfort you.  The world has abandoned you.  The cell is as cold as your heart.  Death row reminds you that you are responsible for your actions.  Your actions have consequences.   Is this really how it ends?  The grains of sand are falling.  Your crimes demand punishment.  Execution is approaching.  You can already feel the nails and hear the hammers.  If only you could go back and undo your wrongs. But you can’t.  Time is a one-way street.  Yours is heading towards a dead end. Guilty.

The forbidden fruit is full of worms.  The lustful look has birthed heartache.  The harsh words have triggered rebellion.  The stolen money has been wasted.  The cheated friend is now an enemy.  The deceitful kiss has led to death.  You succumbed to the serpent’s whispers, now you must listen to your conscience.  It’s not so subtle.  Your actions don’t make you a sinner, they just expose you for what you are.  Sinful. Guilty.

As the the memories of your past begin to drown in the reality of the present, your hands begin to sweat and your hard heart begins to race. You hear approaching footsteps.  The hour has come.  No more sand in the glass.  Too late for what ifs.  You hear the rattle of keys.  You have one more flashback of your childhood.  The devil is speaking.  You are tempted.  The lamb is bleating.  The key is in the door now.  You cover your ears with your chained hands, but you can’t stop your memory.  More bleating.  The knife is unsheathed, it glistens in the sun.  As it is about to meet the throat the door swings open.  It is finished.  You lift your eyes.  There stands the Lamb.  Innocent.

Decision Time

So Barabbas, what are you going to do now?  The crowds called out for you.  Pilate released you.  But they can’t forgive you.  The blood of Jesus is on your hands.  Your sins put Him on the cross.  He paid the punishment for your “crimes”.  He put an off ramp on your one-way street.  The release was merely a speed bump.  The choice that is before you is forgiveness or punishment.  You can listen to the devil, or embrace the cross.  You can’t go back in time, but you can secure your eternity.  The Lamb is speaking. Don’t cover your ears.

“Because I couldn’t bear my burden and have come to throw it on another:  you suffer too, and I shall feel better!  And can you love such a mean wretch?”  Fyodor Dostoyevsky – Crime and Punishment

“He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5