Palm Sunday's happy exchange

What happened in the Passion of our Lord was an enormous travesty of justice. Everyone knew Jesus was innocent; it was they who were guilty, handing him over to death. And in this we see another great turnaround, namely that he suffered precisely what we as well as they deserve, the gall was meant for us, but was given to him. So we go free by his suffering, and are able to see ourselves especially in Barabbas who was set free by Pilate in exchange for him. Barabbas means “son of the father,” and so we, by Christ’s exchange with us, become the children of God. Sermon for Palm Sunday.