What Old Testament prophecies connect to the events in Luke 23:18? The Crowd’s Cry in Luke 23:18 “ But they all cried out together, ‘Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas!’ ” (Luke 23:18) Prophecy of the Rejected Servant – Isaiah 53 • “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). • “He was numbered with the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12). The mob’s demand fulfills Isaiah’s picture of the Servant who would be scorned, disowned, and treated as a criminal. The Builders Reject the Stone – Psalm 118:22 • “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22). Israel’s leaders (“builders”) discard Jesus, while God establishes Him as the foundation of salvation. Despised Without Cause – Psalm 69:4 • “Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs of my head” (Psalm 69:4). The unjust hatred that drives the crowd echoes David’s prophetic lament, pointing to the Messiah’s innocent suffering. Substitution Foreshadowed – Leviticus 16 & Exodus 12 • Two goats on the Day of Atonement: one slain, one released (Leviticus 16:8-10). • The Passover lamb dies so Israel can go free (Exodus 12:5-13). Barabbas (name meaning “son of the father”) is freed, while the true Son of the Father is sacrificed—an unmistakable picture of substitutionary atonement long embedded in the Law. Raging Against the Anointed – Psalm 2:1-3 • “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? … ‘Let us break Their chains’ ” (Psalm 2:1-3). The gathered crowd, incited by leaders and Rome’s power, embodies the nations’ rebellion foreseen in Psalm 2. Cut Off, Yet Not for Himself – Daniel 9:26 • “After the sixty-two weeks, the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing” (Daniel 9:26). The clamor for crucifixion propels Jesus toward the predicted moment when the Messiah is “cut off” for others’ sins, not His own. Despised by Rulers – Isaiah 49:7 • “Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel … to Him whom the nation despises, to the servant of rulers” (Isaiah 49:7). Political and religious authorities alike count Jesus worthless, corroborating Isaiah’s forecast. Key Takeaways • Multiple prophetic strands converge: rejection, substitution, and unjust hatred. • God foreknew the crowd’s choice; Scripture had mapped it centuries earlier. • Barabbas’ release and Jesus’ condemnation illustrate the heart of the gospel— the guilty go free because the innocent is condemned in their place. |
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