Awakened Imagination Barabbas or Jesus

Barabbas Or Jesus

Neville Goddard 4-5-1963

Tonight’s subject is “Barabbas or Jesus.” This is the greatest trial that ever took place in eternity. You have read of trials in countries where billions are involved. It means nothing compared to this trial. This is the greatest of all trials. When we read the scriptures we find things like the raising of Lazarus, which is the most fantastic thing you can imagine. A man who was dead for four days and his sister said: “By this time there is an odor” and he raises Lazarus, and yet only one Evangelist records it – only John tells the story. Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not mention the story of Lazarus. How could you tell the story of a man in this world who could raise someone who had decayed and bring him back to life, as we understand life, and not tell it as part of his biography? I could take you through the many stories and show you that one story is told by two, and sometimes three, and only by one, but here, in this story of the trial, all mention it. It has tremendous significance. The story of the greatest trial that ever took place in eternity.

May I tell you: it is taking place here tonight and you are the witnesses. You are the ones who will either cry out for the release of one or the other. It is entirely up to you, for this is the story; it must take place in this manner. The supreme effort of God to reveal himself in the present tense was the coming of Jesus. Jesus came to reveal God as the eternal contemporary. That is the trial. One believes it or they disbelieve it. But here is this supreme effort to reveal himself in the present tense – for the present tense is “I AM,” – that is my name forever. I have no other name.

Let us turn to John 18:38-40. Here a man is on trial. He knows who he is, for he has had all the experiences to reveal the being he is – sent into the world to tell the world who he is and to tell them who they are, for they are one. He is brought to trial and Pilate – the arm of Caesar – is trying him. And Pilate said to him: “What is truth?” but he does not reply – he does not answer. Pilate said to the crowd: “‘I find no crime in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover; will you have me release for you the King of the Jews’? They cried out again, ‘Not this man, but Barabbas!’ Now Barabbas was a robber.”

“Barabbas was a robber.” That is all it states. “Not this man, release Barabbas.” Well, here is the trial. Who is Barabbas? He is only mentioned in one little statement, but in the four gospels. It is very significant.

To find out who Barabbas was, let us find out who the thief and the robber is in scripture. We go back to John 10:1: “’Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.‘” They did not understand it. He said to them: “I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:7) There is no other way in to this sheepfold.

Now you present the case to the world. Will you believe it? Will you believe as you are seated here tonight, regardless of your present limitations, that the only door in to your success, in to your future as you would conceive it or desire it to be, there is only one door, and that door is “I AM”? There is no other door into that sheepfold? And if you go through that only door the sheep will hear your voice, they will recognize your voice as the shepherd and will respond and come out? I would like to be healthy if I am unwell at the moment. I would like to be gainfully employed if I am unemployed. I would like to be – – – and you name it –to be happily married. I name all the things that I think would constitute a lovely life in your world. Do I really believe there is only one door into that sheepfold where I could bring all these unseen things out into my world? And these things could only respond to the voice of the shepherd – and the shepherd is “I AM”?