Taking Our Place

Jesus did not die while we were loving Him!
Jesus did not subject Himself to be nailed on the cross whilst we were all on our knees worshiping and praying for Him.
Jesus did not have a prayer team, or a group of people who sent Him Bible verses and encouraging notes to keep Him going.

Jesus was rejected. He was beaten, detested, hated, despised.
People wanted Jesus dead!

And yet it says in God's Word, "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 NIV)

Jesus was not welcomed into this world on a flush bed of silk and cotton.
Jesus was not "blessed" in the eyes of men, though He is blessing.
He entered into this world through an outcast and was laid in a barn!
Jesus was on the run for the beginning of His life-time
He was not welcome!
And yet He came.

God illustrates the depth of His love even before Christ dies with the story of Barabbas.
This thief, this murderer, this child of the world and sin, was with Jesus as He was brought before the rulers of the land.
And Jesus was the one who was taken and killed. Not the sinner, not the cheat, not the killer, but Jesus.
God set Barabbas free in a foreshadowing of what He would later do for all of humanity. 
Knowing very well that Barabbas would not thank Jesus, but would continue in his sin, God had Jesus take his place.

That is love! We don't know if Barabbas ever came to Christ or got saved, but God loved and set him free all the same.

Don't think that God hates you. That is the opposite of the truth.
Do not convince yourself that God doesn't want you. For that is false!
God sent His Son, His only child, His baby, people! He sent Him to earth to be beat and briused and killed, because He loves you!

God will never forsake you. He is not looking to see how many times you can mess up or turn away.
He is not a god of Greek mythology. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.
And He loves you!

God is relentlessly seeking after you and He will not stop until He has every last bit of you.
He wants to bless you, to bring life into you.

Don't ever imagine that He would do anything bad to you.
Accept Him as He accepted Barabbas and just as He has accepted you. 

Largly based off Judah Smith's Video Sermon, "Jesus Is Loving Barabbas"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwX_EpNR4CA
https://open.spotify.com/track/4i6stINijO5T8kPQ7PwqxP