Series Introduction: 

Every Sunday in the forty days leading up to Easter, we have been focusing on some of the significant events that occurred during what is commonly referred to as “Holy Week.” Today we pick up where we left off last week. It is Friday morning following the false trial of Jesus by the religious leaders of Jerusalem. Jesus boldly declared himself to be the Messiah and the Son of God, and the religious leaders decided to turn him over to Pilate, the procurator of Judea.

Scripture Reading:

Mark 15:1-20 – And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

Phil. 2:5-8 – Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Opening Prayer:

Father God, we thank you for the honor and privilege to gather here to sing your praises and hear your word preached. As we enter this time of preaching, I pray that you will open hearts and minds to receive your word. I pray that you will give me words to speak and that you will lead us to respond to your word in ways that bring you the honor and glory you deserve. Amen. 

Introduction:

Here in the last leg of the journey to the cross as recorded in the Gospel of Mark, we are introduced to a new figure; Pilate, the procurator of Judea – a role similar to a modern-day governor. He had served in this role for ten years, a long term by Roman standards. While the Romans favored Pilate, he was not particularly popular among the Jews he ruled over. 

On one of his earliest visits to Jerusalem, he paraded through the city preceded by the Roman standard (a golden statue of an eagle lifted high on a pole), which upset the Jewish citizens because it too closely resembled an idol and had requested that it not be a part of the parade. Previous governors had removed the Roman standard out of respect. However, Pilate ignored their requests to remove the golden eagle and chose to parade bearing the Roman Standard against the people’s wishes. 

Another infamous incident occurred when Pilate decided to build a new water supply for Jerusalem. This would not have been an issue, but Pilate took money out of the Temple treasury to fund the project. When Jewish citizens gathered for a peaceful protest, Pilate had them beaten with clubs and dispersed. Unfortunately, multiple Jewish people died due to the beatings they received from Pilate’s soldiers. 

These moments, recorded by historians like Josephus and Philo, give us a glimpse into the tense relationship between the Roman government and the Jewish people who inhabited Jerusalem. Accounts like these also provide us a taste of the type of man that Pilate was and why so many people of the Jewish faith were hoping that the Messiah would come and liberate them from Roman occupation. With this in mind, think of how strange it must have seemed to see Jesus, who was paraded through the city as the Messiah mere days ago, now being turned over to Pilate by the very people he came to save. The religious leaders who claimed to serve God were delivering their savior over into the hands of their oppressors. 

The Trial Before Pilate

Our passage this morning begins; 

And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. – Mark 15:1 

As soon as the morning dawned, the religious leaders took Jesus to Pilate. The image of Jesus bound, led away, and delivered to be killed resembles that of a sacrificial lamb being led to the slaughter, a reminder that Jesus came to be “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29, ESV). 

Just as one of Jesus’ disciples would deliver him to his enemies, so too would the leaders of his people turn him over to the Gentiles. Jesus had prophesied that this very moment would occur: 

“See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles.” – Mark 10:33, ESV

When Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” (Mark 15:2, ESV), it becomes clear what charge they had accused Jesus of before the Roman official. Jesus had affirmed that he was the Messiah, which the Roman authorities would likely have dismissed as a meaningless religious title, except that this title also came with the understanding of a king who would establish and rule over a never-ending kingdom. The idea that Jesus was claiming to be a king was a problem because the Roman Senate had appointed Herod to be the “King of the Jews” some thirty years before Jesus was born. Herod’s son Herod Antipas was now the recognized ruler of the region, according to Caesar Augustus. To claim kingship would be a challenge, not just to Herod but to the Roman Empire who put Herod in power. 

Jesus is undoubtedly King; he is “King of kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16). Still, he was not a king in the way that Pilate, the religious leaders, or the crowds that would soon condemn him thought of a king. His kingdom would be an eternal kingdom in which he would reign in the hearts and souls of men. When asked by Pilate, “are you the king of the Jews?”  he was using a Roman title. “King of the Jews” was a title given to Herod by the Roman Empire, but no man gave Jesus his kingship, and no man can take his kingship from him. The kingship of Jesus comes from God in heaven, a throne that no worldly empire can threaten.

Jesus responds, “You have said so” (Mark 15:2). Jesus is essentially saying, “If that is what you choose to call me.” In other words, Jesus is King and certainly King of the Jews, but not in the way that he is being accused. Jesus was not coming for Herod’s throne or even Caesar’s throne. Jesus had come to defeat the powers of sin and death and to redeem all of creation. He does not deny that he is “King of the Jews,” but Jesus also does not limit himself to an earthly title granted by any temporal, earthly ruler. 

The chief priests accused Jesus of many things, but just as he had done in the trial before Caiaphas, the high priest, Jesus remained silent. He refused to defend himself against the lies and twisted accusations coming from the lips of the religious leaders. Again fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah, written some five hundred years before:

“The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” – Isaiah 53:6b-7, ESV

Pilate was perplexed why Jesus was making no effort to defend himself. “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you” (Mark 15:4, ESV). Even so, Jesus remained silent, to the amazement of Pilate. 

What Pilate could not have known, and what the religious leaders refused to see, is that Jesus willingly endured these indignities because they were necessary steps on the journey to the cross. We must never forget that Jesus’ silence was not a result of weakness. Jesus remained silent and endured the indignity of false religious leaders and worldly governing authorities out of love for you and me. He did so in order that he would be able to pay the penalty of our sins and give us the gift of his righteousness. 

We must also remember that while he was silent during these earthly trials, Jesus is silent no more. As one of the early church fathers so eloquently wrote: 

“He is the One who, although he was silent in his passion, will not be silent finally in the day of reckoning. He is our God, even if unrecognized. He is already known among the faithful and all who believe. When he comes manifesting himself in his second coming, he will not be silent. For although he was formerly hidden in humility, he will come manifesting in power.” – Cyprian, The God of Patience 23.

The Sentence of Death 

I imagine that Pilate was more than a little bit confused by all of this. I doubt he expected to be presiding over a Jewish insurrection trial first thing in the morning, especially during the celebration of Passover. We get indications that Pilate saw no real threat in Jesus. Pilate probably saw Jesus as an up-and-coming religious teacher who got on the wrong side of the religious establishment, but he was not a man who deserved to die. Still, the religious leaders were out for blood and would not let this matter go until Pilate announced a verdict. If he condemned Jesus, he would send an innocent man to die. If he pronounced him innocent, the religious leaders would complain and protest, resulting in religious unrest in Jerusalem, which had already proven to be a major headache for him in the past. 

Remember that Pilate was, first and foremost, a politician. He knew how to wiggle his way out of a difficult situation. We are told, “at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked” (Mark 15:6, ESV). This annual pardoning of a prisoner was probably a peacekeeping tradition that Pilate started to earn back some of the goodwill of the Jewish people in Jerusalem. Among the prisoners was a man named Barabbas, a murderer and an insurrectionist. Pilate saw this as a golden opportunity to escape a sticky situation. 

Jesus was an innocent man falsely accused of plotting an insurrection. Barabbas was a guilty man who had been caught literally red-handed, committing the very crime that the religious leaders were now trying to convict Jesus of. If given a choice, surely the people would prefer Jesus over Barabbas. 

And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. – Mark 15:9-11, ESV

Pilate’s plan backfired because the religious leaders convinced the crowd of onlookers to demand Barabbas be released. Jesus silently watches as the crowd chooses to save a violent rebel and condemn him, the Son of God who came to seek and save the lost. 

Again Pilate tries to find a way to avoid passing judgment. Instead of announcing a sentence, he turns to the crowd and asks them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” (Mark 15:12, ESV). The crowd had chosen not to free Jesus, but maybe they would settle for a lighter sentence. The religious leaders were out for blood, but perhaps the common person would be more sensible. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The crowd repeatedly cried, “Crucify him!” (Mark 15:13, ESV). 

The people did not want to see Jesus imprisoned. They wanted Jesus dead. More than dead, they wanted Jesus to suffer as he died. Both pagan and Jewish historians from this time noted that crucifixion was the worst form of execution. There were much faster and less painful ways for someone to be executed in the ancient world. Crucifixion was a punishment reserved for those the Roman Empire wanted to see humiliated and suffering. Not only was crucifixion a long and tortuous way to die but it was also done in public places so that the crucified would not die with dignity and the witnesses would learn to fear Rome’s power. 

Pilate, who believes Jesus has done nothing wrong, is horrified by this demand. He asks the people, “Why? What evil has he done?” (Mark 15:14). The crowd does not answer Pilate but continues to demand that Jesus be turned over for death by crucifixion. 

This passage shows the dangers that can come from compromise and always choosing the path of least resistance. Pilate could have said what he knew in his head to be true. He could have used his authority to announce Jesus’ innocent and let him go free, even if it meant losing the favor of a few influential people. He could have chosen to do what was right. Instead, we read that “Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified” (Mark 15:15, ESV). When you compromise with evil and refuse to do what is right, you will be shocked by how much wickedness you will learn to tolerate. Much of the evil we see in the world begins when people are given the opportunity to speak the truth, to do the right thing, but they instead choose to cower and allow evil to get its way.

In a way, each of us shares something in common with Pilate. We all must render a verdict on Jesus. The author C.S. Lewis once famously said: 

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”

• C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

So who is Jesus? Is he a liar and a servant of the enemy, confusing people and leading them away from God? This is what some of the religious leaders said of Jesus. Is he a lunatic, a delusional man who heard voices in his head and somehow convinced people to believe in his delusions? Or is he telling the truth? Is Jesus the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah, the savior of the world? 

You cannot choose the path of Pilate and avoid making a judgment. You have to make a decision, and the decision you make will impact every aspect of your life. 

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? – Matthew 16:24-26, ESV

The Mocking By Soldiers

After Pilate turned Jesus over to scourging, a brutal process of being whipped with cords designed to rip and tear the flesh, he was delivered to roman soldiers for crucifixion. These soldiers seemed to take a perverse pleasure in mocking Jesus. The purple cloak and crown of thorns were meant to mock his kingship, dressing him up like a parody of a king or a caesar. They gave him a mocking salute and shouted, “Hail, King of the Jews!” (Mark 15:18, ESV) just like they would salute and cry “Hail Caesar” in the presence of the emperor. The reed they used to strike his head was a mockery of the scepter that would be given to a ruler to symbolize their power. They even kneeled before him after spitting on him, before putting his old clothes back on him and leading him out to be crucified. 

Just as Pilate shows us the dangers of compromise and indecision, these sadistic soldiers reveal the dangers of following the crowd. We are told that the soldiers who were commanded to crucify Christ went and “called together the whole battalion” (Mark 15:16, ESV). A battalion could be anywhere from two to six hundred soldiers, far more than needed to escort a single man to his death. Jesus had already been scoured with whips, but these men chose to torture and mock him further, and they called others to join in their fun. 

No soldier is recorded as opposed to the mockery and cruelty shown to Christ. They enjoyed seeing a man like Jesus brought low, so they beat and laughed at him while he was down. While today Christ sits on his throne in glory, many still would make light of Christ and the sacrificial love he shows to us. Whether joking or not, many today spit in the face of Christ and do all they can to rob him of the glory he is due. I know people will try to defend this by saying they are joking or that it is just satire, but so were the actions of these soldiers. Attacking something under the guise of a joke does not make it any less of an attack, and every one of us will give an account for our words. As the Apostle Paul warned the church in Galatia: 

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. – Galatians 6:7, ESV

God always gets the last laugh. In their mockery, these soldiers thought they were taking away Jesus’ power, but in reality, they were acknowledging a truth they refused to believe. Before all is said and done, a centurion appointed to stand by Jesus during his crucifixion would confess, “Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39, ESV). Indeed a day is coming when:

 “… at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:10-11, ESV

When that day comes, I pray that we will not be counted among those who, like Pilate, tried to avoid taking a stand. I pray that we would not be found among the crowd of scoffers who, like the soldiers, refused to take Christ seriously and were quick to join in the mockery of things that God’s Word calls holy. I pray that we will stand for Christ even if the world stands against us. I pray that we would be willing to stand, to turn from the crowd, even if we stand alone, and declare with boldness that Jesus Christ, the man the world rejected, truly is the Son of God. 

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father, as we conclude our time together, help us respond in a way that honors you. Help us to make any commitments that we need to make this morning. If we realize that we sinned against you this morning, may we confess our sins and receive your forgiveness. If we need to rededicate ourselves to you or surrender our lives to you for the first time, I pray that you will help us to make that decision today. In whatever ways we need to respond this morning, I pray that you will give us the courage and the strength to respond. To you belongs all glory, honor, and praise. Amen.