Jesus’ Sentence

Jacob Winters

Easter 2024 • Sermon • Submitted 9 months ago • Presented 9 months ago

Mark 15:1–20

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Transcript

Introduction

Scripture

Father God, we thank You for Who You are. A great Big God who sees each and every one of us here and cares deeply about us. We ask this day, as we are continuing in this time of worship to You, reading Your Word and hearing Your Word, that You refine us with it. Mold us, make us, shape us, rearrange us so that we can more like You, and more made into the image of Christ. Help us be a people who love You and love others so much, that we are moved into action by whatever it is You are going to show us about Yourself today and what that means in our lives. Help us do this, because all to often our selfish and sinless flesh war against our will to follow Yours. As we are doing this, and as we are coming into Your Word today, we ask that You take away any distraction that we may have, and make it go as far away as it possible can, because we want to see and we want to know You better. It’s in these things that I ask and in Jesus Christ’s Holy and precious name that I pray, Amen.

15 As soon as it was morning, having held a meeting with the elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin, the chief priests tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.2 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”He answered him, “You say so.”3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 Pilate questioned him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many things they are accusing you of!” 5 But Jesus still did not answer, and so Pilate was amazed.

6 At the festival Pilate used to release for the people a prisoner whom they requested. 7 There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion. 8 The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them as was his custom. 9 Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release the king of the Jews for you?” 10 For he knew it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed him over. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. 12 Pilate asked them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?”13 Again they shouted, “Crucify him!”14 Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!”15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them; and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.

16 The soldiers led him away into the palace (that is, the governor’s residence) and called the whole company together. 17 They dressed him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 They were hitting him on the head with a stick and spitting on him. Getting down on their knees, they were paying him homage. 20 After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple robe and put his clothes on him. They led him out to crucify him.

Context

We are nearing the end here. The end of the road before Jesus meets His death on the cross and His following resurrection 3 days later, thus proving once and for all that He is the Messiah, the savior, that the world had been waiting on for so long.

In last week’s text, we saw what happened in the night just after His betrayal by Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples or students. This night of betrayal, of course was not just limited to Judas alone, as all of His followers abandoned Him. All save Peter, who tried to follow Him secretly at a distance, who still despite the fact that He loved Jesus enough to find out what was going on, did not love Him enough at this time to be associated with Him; as Peter denied that He knew the Christ 3 times. Peter here is a great example of what believers, followers of Christ can be like. We can say with our mouths that we would never deny Him, yet when push comes to shove and things get difficult, we too turn our backs on Him when we sin and live in that sin. As true as this is, we can’t forget that none of us here or any Christian ever has ever had a perfect and complete faith, that’s because we grow and grow in our faith as we go through our lives and learn about Him and apply what we have learned to our lives. So, God’s not done with you yet, you should be growing in your love and trust in God more and more all throughout your life.

In today’s text, we finally reach morning, when the sun came up and what happened to Jesus just afterwards, as He is going through more sham trials that were all destined to lead to His death, to His sacrifice for our sins. Remember, that all throughout the mix in these times, Satan (the deceiver and accuser of mankind) and sin was in the hearts of those doing the evils and trying to manipulate the situation where he would hope to have a great victory of God (which we know to be actually be a great loss for satan). It’s important for us as believers, just like last week, to not look at those evil doers and not think that we are not capable and do not do like they did. In fact, we do it all the time when we have unrepented sins. This sin of course separates ourselves from God, and is one of the ways that Satan tries to mock and/or blaspheme God in His rebellion, so we must recognize that Satan and Sin are always around and know that The sin in our hearts and deeds makes for disrespectful mockery of God. As followers of Christ, as children of God it is each of our personal missions to remove this mockery or blaspheme of God and instead remove it, replace it, with instead something that brings Him glory. So, to equip you for this, this week let’s look at some truths that sin and the accuser tried. So, let’s jump in and From the text, I want you to see these truths about sin and the accuser in Jesus’ sentence to be crucified.

Message

The first truth is that : Sin and the accuser tell lies (1-5)

There are some interesting things going on here when you put all 4 of the gospel’s account of what was going on. First, remember how Jesus was on trial as soon as he was captured in the night? Notice what had happened here and what time it is. The text says as soon as it was morning, meaning as soon as the sun come up, meaning it was to early for the majority of people to be up yet, the elders, scribes, Sanhedrin, and chief priests made a decision on what they were going to do with Jesus. Now, according to Jewish law, trials and sentences were not to happen at night, but rather in the light of day. So, they schemed to make the whole Sharad have a hint of legitimacy (though it did not) by waiting to pass a sentence at the crack of dawn.

Notice what they do then, they take Him to Pilot (the roman governor, the supreme government authority in the region who had the power to execute) and make accusations about Jesus. Notice, they did not accuse Him of what they were trying to in their trials (which was blaspheme) now they accuse Him of treason against Rome, that He was saying he was a king. This would of course require a trial of sorts, as for Rome their were no legitimate kings except for those appointed by Ceasor himself, so Jesus claiming to be a King of the Jews would have been an act of treason and rebellion (which happened in the area at the time). Pilate questioned Jesus on this, to which Jesus says, “You have said so.” Jesus seems to be saying, “Yes, I am the king of the Jews; but your concept of what that means and mine are poles apart.”[1] Meanwhile the Jews were spewing out many other accusations, to which Pilate was amazed at His silence, again harkening back to the Prophecy of Jesus’ silence before His accusers in Isiah 53. This silence of course, to Pilate was a proof that Jesus was innocent of His accusations. Through all of this, we the sin, rebellion, and Satan working in the people, breathing out lie after lie after lie.

Believers, we have to be aware that sin and the accuser tells us lies. They do this often and frequently. We can try to point at the people in this trial and blame shift, but as the old saying goes, every time you point a finger at someone, remember there are 3 others pointing back at you. We have to watch out and be aware that Satan and Sin are trying to deceive you, and they are really good at doing it, so good that most our sins that away glory and honor from God can go unnoticed for a long time. In fact, as we live in this world of flesh, those particular sins can “make sense” in our wisdom and God’s wisdom can seem foolish. This is a position that the Christian can find themselves in often, trusting the way that seems right to you because (just for example) it makes financial sense, or it feel safer, or it’s just easier or more convenient. We have to remember, sin is from Satan, the father of lies and deception. Why trust Him over the Father of truth and light in God? A God worthy of worship, love, respect, devotion, who gives you the very air that you breath and everything you have. We have to know that The sin in our hearts and deeds makes for disrespectful mockery of God. And as believers, as Children of God, as followers of Christ is our job and duty to not mock God as Satan does, but to honor Him. Sin and the accuser tell lies, but you are to know about this and be aware of it and respond in a way that doesn’t fall for them.

The next truth is that: Sin and the accuser wants what’s wrong (6-15)

It was customary of Pilate, as an act of good will to the Jews he ruled over, to release one of the prisoners he had during this time of feasting and celebration for the Passover. The crowd in the town, as you would expect, came to him to do this for them. Two of the prisoners at the time, included Jesus but also Barabbas, who was a rebellion leader who was emphamus in his deeds and actions. Pilate, knowing what was going on, that Jesus was not really guilty of anything but was being accused of everything because they were jealous and envious of the following He had, asked the crowd if they wanted Jesus back to them. The chief priests in the crowd, of course did not want this. They asked for Barabbas, stirring up the crowed with their influence which led to the crowd calling out for the murder Barabbas instead of the peace loving king of the world Jesus. Instead of calling for Jesus, they called out for His death in the most brutal way possible, calling for Him to be crucified. Pilate, asks, why do you not want Him (Jesus), I have not found Him guilty of any wrong. Pilate, not being a worshiper of God or follower of Jesus, was mor concerned about his political state here. He could have and had the right and authority to free Jesus, but chose politics over justice (which he was charged with keeping on behalf of Rome), releasing Barabbas and sending Jesus away to be crucified after He was flogged (or beaten).

Wanting what’s wrong is Satan and Sin’s MO, what they want most. You will recall how in the book of Job; Satan very much wanted to accuse Job of not being a lover of God. He wanted what God had already declared in His word, that Job was upright to be wrong, so Satan would try time and time again to show that Job was not a lover a God, but a lover of what God had given him. Look at Satan in the garden as well, deceiving Adam and Eve, trying to make them believe (and succeeding) that God was holding out on them. The heeding of this first temptation, by taking the forbidden fruit, of course led to the curse of sin (which as you have heard me call it before, is rebellion against God) being on all of mankind.

How interesting is it here, that the crowd chose a rebellion leader to be freed of the righteous and innocent Jesus. As they always have, Satan and Sin want what’s wrong. They want to run in stark contrast against God’s will, little did they know that here they were playing right into God’s hand for all of mankind’s benefit, their evil, God would turn into a great big good. Again, Satan and sin were trying to make a mockery and disrespect God, just as we do when we hold onto sin in our hearts, deeds, thoughts, and actions. So believer, I invite you, as you regularly examine yourself; look at where your sins are, if you are like me they are many and notice how you holding onto them wrongs not only others, but Jesus as well; because Sin and the accuser want’s what’s wrong, and we see this here in Jesus’ unjust and wrong sentence to be crucified.

Another truth is that: Sin and the accuser desire blasphemy (16-20)

After receiving the punishment of flogging, or beating, which other gospel accounts tell us was so brutal that it would have left Jesus unrecognizable, He was led away from the governor’s palace. The soldiers in a mocking Blasphemy against Him, put on a purple (the color of royalty) robe and fashioned a cruel crown of thorns and put it on His head, which of course would have been painstaking to Christ, if He could feel pain at all any more from the extreme beating he just received. While beating and strikeing Him, they gave false worship to Him, blaspheming Him and bringing as much dishonor as they possibly could. After doing this for a time, they took the robes off of Him, put His old clothes back on and led Him to the place of His execution. These soldiers, the whole time, were reveling in their Sin, totally turned over to and were acting on Satan (the accuser’s) behalf, thinking they (Satan and Sin) were having a sort of victory lap over God.

Blasphemy, is a very serious matter. In fact, so serious is that even still in some states in our nation today, it is an offence punishable, though never enforced, by law. So, what then is Blasphemy? On commentator says of it that it is, “In English “blasphemy” denotes any utterance that insults God or Christ and gives deeply felt offense to their followers.”[2] Another says it is, ““An act or expression that slanders or disrespects God or sacred things, whether verbally or through some profane action.” I would put it simply, any word, deed, action, or even thought, that seeks to bring down any part of the God head or His Holy Church with the intent to destroy or to offend any follower of God. So, it is speaking or acting against God. In our culture today, especially in Millennials (my age) and younger, this is an extremely common and acceptable (though it shouldn’t be) action. This just goes to show, that Satan and the power of Sin have infiltrated the culture and our very minds so deeply, that blasphemy isn’t even batted an eye at. This is a sad and sorrowful thing for every believer.

What does this mean for us? What does this mean for members of The Universal (meaning all) Christian Church today? Well, for starters, it means we messed up somewhere, at least in the American Church. This mess up, is of course a multi-generational problem. As an act of blame shifting, I often here believers say something like, “We messed up when we took prayer out of school.” My borrowed response from a much wiser pastor than myself is that, “We messed up when we took prayer out of the churches.” The American Church messed up when it stopped relying on God and started relying on themselves, their American sense of ingenuity and self sufficiency, and our wealth as a people. Let me state further, if you think the problem is that we took prayer out of schools, you better be going to your churches prayer meetings. Furthermore, what business does the school system have with teaching children how to pray, is that not their parents, their pastor’s, and their church’s job? If we truly want God to not be blasphemed, then we have to recognize as believes, as followers of Christ that we do it to, more often then we care to admit. We do it when we let Satan and Sin influence us over the path that God has put before us. In response, we each must be on a personal mission to remove the very sin that we hold onto that is part of the reason Jesus went to the cross. We to must seek God’s empowerment through prayer and devotion to Him both individually and collectively. Sin and the accuser desire Blasphemy against God and The sin in our hearts and deeds makes for disrespectful mockery of God.

Conclusion

So, let’s put all of that aside in our hearts, minds, deeds, and actions. And instead submit ourselves to and rely on a very great God, a God who because of was sentenced to death, a death that would be the perfect and loving sacrifice that we need. Remember, beloved. Satan and Sin do many things to try to influence you, Sin and the accuser tell lies (1-3), why? Because Sin and the accuser wants what’s wrong (6-15) because ultimately Sin and the accuser desire blasphemy (16-20). Be on guard, be on the look out believer. Don’t be the kind of Christian that points at others and says, “look how bad they are.” Don’t be the kind of Christian that says, “look how good we are.” Instead, be the kind of Christian that points at God, that points to Christ on the cross and says, “Look how great God is.” How do we do this? You know what I’m about to say, it has to do with, “Loving God, Loving Others, and Making Disciples.”

With all of that being said, I would be remised if I didn’t share the Gospel (or the Good News) of Jesus Christ with you today, for the benefit of both believer and non-believer in the room. This begins all the way back at the beginning, God created everything, and he created all things good. He gave His most treasured creation (us, mankind) the ability of free will, the ability to choose Him or rebellion. Man was deceived by Satan and desired to be like God and sinned (or rebelled against God). This brought the curse of sin and death into the world and it remains with us to this day; which separates us from God. God though, loved His creation (mankind) so much that He worked through history to redeem all mankind that would turn to Him from sin so that we can experience a full and perfect relationship with Him again. This was through the perfect and final sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the pay for sins. Accepting this free gift from God, makes you new and forgiven. All you have to do accept this free gift by repenting and believing in the Lord Jesus and you will get to experience the good side of God’s justice forever. So, now that you know this, you can no longer plead ignorance. I invite and urge you to respond today non-believer and apply this to every part of your life believers in the audience today.

With that, Let’s conclude. Brothers and Sisters, I love you all. During our last song together, if you need prayer, or want to talk more about Jesus, or have something you want to talk about, I’ll be here, don’t be afraid to come on down. Let’s pray. Father God, we thank You for who You are and what You are doing to us here in this place. May whatever it is that You are doing in each of heart here, continue as we leave go out into the world this week. Change us, mold us, make us, re-arrange us, that we can be both better lovers of You and better showers of You. It’s in these things that I ask and in Jesus Christ’s Holy and precious name that I pray, Amen.

Pastor’s Wives Appreciation Month

[1]Wessel, Walter W., and Mark L. Strauss. “Mark.” The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew–Mark (Revised Edition), edited by Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland, vol. 9, Zondervan, 2010, pp. 965–66. [2]Motyer, Stephen. “Blasphemy.” Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Electronic ed., Baker Book House, 1996, p. 67.

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