Mark 15:1-21 (Jesus for President)
Notes
Transcript
Mark 15:1-21 (Jesus for President)
Mark 15:1-21 (Jesus for President)
As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” Then the chief priests accused him of many things. Pilate asked him again, “Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder during the insurrection. So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. Then he answered them, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them, and after flogging Jesus he handed him over to be crucified. Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and after twisting some thorns into a crown they put it on him. And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Jesus is replaying a role played by Israel in the Hebrew Bible.
Israel is led away to Assyria
Judah is led away to Babylon
Jesus is led away to Rome
The religious leadership is handing Jesus to Rome for judgment
They are using an alliance to ‘protect’ themselves
Same thing that has been done in the Hebrew Bible
Israel aligns with Egypt to protect themselves
But it fails
Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” Then the chief priests accused him of many things. Pilate asked him again, “Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you.”
You might wonder where Pilate got the idea that Jesus is the King of the Jews?
The question is a statement with a question implied:
‘You are the king of the Jews?’
It is the exact wording of the high priest:
‘You are the Christ, the Son of Yahweh?’
In Mark…Pilate is the only one who calls Jesus King of the Jews
Judas betrays Jesus to the religious leaders
The religious leaders betray Christ to Rome
But their charge is not necessarily wrong.
The tragedy of the moment is:
The leaders and the ‘whole council’, who are quite familiar with scripture, look to Caesar, not scripture, for justice.
They are not looking to Leviticus to know what to do in this situation
They are going to the Roman authorities
The chief priests, the scribes, and the whole council…they need to go to the Roman authority?
1 Corinthians Paul chastises the church for taking lawsuits outside the church when they should know what to do.
They have scripture, but they submit themselves not to scripture but to an outside authority.
We do this too…
For the chief priests, elders, and scribes (the whole council) the problem is worse:
Pilate is under the authority of Caesar, who is under the authority of Zeus.
So, to whom are the chief priests (of Yahweh), elders of Israel, and scribes of Torah ultimately appealing?
To Zeus
They are seeking guidance from the god(s) of Rome
(And later, Christians replace the god of Rome with Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father)
Then, the ruling god is the correct god
And what emerges is the Holy Roman Catholic (universal) Church
Aligned with Caesar
And eventually Christianity is mandated across the empire
Something interesting happened in 476 CE(AD)
The German tribes came to the western kingdom of Rome and defeated Rome’s king and took over Italy
They were comprised of four groups who worshipped:
God of the bible, (Arian) and did not hold that Jesus was God
A group that still followed Odin and Thor as his son
A group that practiced animalism
A group that practiced paganism
And in 1453 CE(AD), the eastern Roman empire fell
To the Ottoman Turks (Islamic)
In ancient cultures, if you god defeats the god of another land, then your god is stronger.
Eventually though, the Germanic tribes adopted Christianity.
But I think you get the point.
But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.
Jesus remains silent.
Pilate wants him to speak.
Jesus demonstrates that he submits to the greater power
He is CONTROLLING the WHOLE SITUATION and he DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH!
That is good advice for everyone!
Now get this…IMPORTANT…
Jesus is defying the violent Roman authority without lifting a finger or defending himself
Jesus is making no deal with Rome
This is the perfect time to take over the rule of the region
Jesus….is….silent….
Yet…
Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder during the insurrection.
There is a man named bar ABBAS (Son of the Father) is trying to overthrow violent Rome with violence.
Do you see the contrast
Now…who do you think the chief priests, scribes, elders and ultimately the people want?
A man who did miracles and fed them but defied Rome in silence?
Or
A man who was part of a violent insurrection trying to overthrow the authority of Rome?
Do you understand why I am sickened when the ‘Christian Flag’ is used in any kind of protest?
Not one time through this entire event has Jesus protested…
EXCEPT ONE…
He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me, yet not what I want but what you want.”
Jesus, who also is a bar ABBAS, appeals to the only AUTHORITY he recognizes.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead.
The people, and PAY ATTENTION, are incited by the chief priests…
They did not come up with this on their own
Consider the power of the chief priests, elders, and scribes
Life is already miserable under Rome
The religious leaders can make it unbearable
They can divide families against each other
They are doing what they have done in the Hebrew Bible
I heard someone say this week that there was not one Jew no the side of Jesus.
I disagree.
There were many who followed, not in fear of Rome, but in fear of their leaders.
The LEADERS have chosen their man…bar ABBAS the insurrectionist, who is guilty of inciting, just as the leaders are doing to the crowd.
Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
Rome has built the temple, and now they want Rome out.
They expect God to save them through violence
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them, and after flogging Jesus he handed him over to be crucified.
Pilate seems to lean in the right direction, but he submits to the mob.
He has to submit to the people
There is no place for Jesus.
He won’t submit to the rulers
Jewish or Roman
He won’t submit to the crowd
He only submits to the Father
The mob is a different kind of tyrant
The priests are trying to move the mob
Pilate is trying to move the mob
Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole cohort.
One actual criminal with blood on his hands goes free to the wilderness
One actual innocent man who has done no violence is brought to the courtyard
It is like a day of atonement scene…
But it gets worse…
When Caesar would march into a city, there was a large bust of him that led the procession.
He put his own idol out front to signify strength
But here…
And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and after twisting some thorns into a crown they put it on him. And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him.
This is the opposite of what Caesar does
And this is an entirely unnecessary scene.
To be fully shamed, just crucify him!
Again, he is called the King of the Jews
The only other group that got his title correct was Legion, the demons in the man, ‘Son of the Most High.’ (Mark 5)
After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
Why do this?
Why would Mark include this detail?
Here is why…it is a trap for the reader.
How many of you are thinking, at this moment, that...
Jesus is the real king
When he returns they, all of them, will be ashamed
Jesus will get the last word?
How many of you are thinking that?
Be honest…
They you took the bait
You fell into Mark’s trap
If you are looking for Thor coming in glory on the cloud, then you will miss the return of Messiah.
Jesus is not like the gods of the nations.
He comes to gather nations to God.
The gods of the nations press and force people into service…
just as they did to this guy…
They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
This whole section is prophetic and instructive:
Prophetic:
Rome will take Jesus as its god
It will then torchere and abuse the body of Christ (church) who do not bow the knee to the teaching of the human rulers.
It then demands forced labor from you
Instructive:
Without the pressure of Rome on the early church, the church would not thrive
As soon as Jesus was god of Rome, the dark ages emerged
The gospel no longer went out
There was no pressure
You want an example today of how the government puts pressure on you?
You react and go into action when saying, ‘Merry Christmas’ is forbidden by your employer, society, or the government.
In other words, you want a life of luxury, you want the life of Rome with Jesus as its god, because God forbid you are actually pressed into service to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
All of scripture is pressuring you to obey its commands under the pressure of the kingdom of this world.
This is why I am not a Joel Olsteen type of speaker.
Scripture does not…
suggest action
advise you
encourage you
Scripture tells you what to do…
Instructs you
Commands you
No one likes being told what to do
Yet, that is exactly what scripture is doing to you and me
And we will be pressed into service one way or another
Mark 15:1-21 (Jesus for President)
Mark 15:1-21 (Jesus for President)
