Pilate and Jesus Mark 15:1-15

When 82-year-old Willie Murphy heard the sound of an intruder breaking into her home, she felt bad. Bad for the intruder, that is. Murphy said to reporters, “He picked the wrong house to break into.”

That’s because Murphy was already a critically acclaimed bodybuilder, having won the World Natural Powerlifting Upstate New York Championship in 2018. After calling police, Murphy used the darkness to lie in wait for the assailant. Then when the moment was right, she struck with all the strength and agility she could muster. Murphy said, “I picked up the table and I went to work on him.” After breaking the table, Murphy briefly poured a bottle of shampoo on his face before continuing to whale on him with a broom handle.

The police who responded were so impressed, said Murphy, that they “wanted to go on my front porch and take selfies with me … I really did a number on that man.”

Isaiah 2:22

[22] Stop regarding man

in whose nostrils is breath,

for of what account is he? (ESV)

- It is impossible to fear man and serve God.

I. Pilate is Amazed by the Courage of Jesus vv. 1-5

As the story of Jesus’s crucifixion continues forward, morning comes.

The chief priests and other leaders bring Jesus to Pilate, the Roman official’s residence

This is important because Pilate is the civil official who has the right to deliver a capital sentence.

We know there are other times that the Jewish leadership took matters like this into their own hands, but in this instance, they involve Pilate as a bit of a safety measure

Interestingly, however, the accusations shift:

A charge of blasphemy would be inconsequential to Pilate

Instead, He is accused of insurrection: He claims to be the “King of the Jews”

The title is absolutely correct

However, the charges are false; Jesus has a kingdom that is not of this world

In the face of all of this, Jesus does not flinch:

His answer is neither yes nor no, but “You have said so”. He puts the onus on Pilate to make a judgment

Jesus demonstrates perfect meekness and courage:

He does not proclaim His innocence or argue

He does not beg for His life

Pilate sees this and is amazed by Jesus

There is no mourning or anger or attempts at justification

This is not how it is supposed to go and it brings out a sense of surprise and admiration from Pilate

We can join Pilate in His amazement and the meekness and courage of Jesus!

Matthew 5:5

[5] “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (ESV)

Those who are meek -- that is, prepared to forego their rights in this world, if that's what God requires of them -- will inherit the earth: they will be made infinitely rich in the future. I think Jesus was referring to the riches of heaven more than to earthly blessings when he spoke, echoing Psalm 37:11, of inheriting the earth. Mercies promised in earthly forms in the Old Testament regularly turn out to have celestial content in the New. 

James Packer, Your Father Loves You,  Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986.

II. Pilate Perceives the Innocence of Jesus vv. 6-10

Pilate responds by trying to negotiate his way through things, because he makes a pretty good judgment of Jesus

He has an easy solution:

The Jews have a tradition in which one prisoner was released each Passover

Jesus should be the easy choice against Barabbas, a man of violent political activity

The contrasts between the two are stark:

Barabbas is a “son of the father”, while Jesus is the Father’s true Son

Barabbas is an actual insurrectionist, while Jesus is only accused of this crime

Barabbas is the first person who experiences the freedom that comes from the sacrifice of Jesus.

Jesus will die so that Barabbas can live

Pilate is not a fool; He recognizes the circumstances

There is an injustice that is taking place here and he wants to rectify it

He sees the envy coming from the priests and the native enmity that is present

He makes a genuine effort to try to free Jesus

Jesus endures every temptation, even this one that might cause Him to seek His own way, because He is the perfect sacrifice for sin

As the Union Pacific Railroad was being constructed, an elaborate trestle bridge was built across a large canyon in the West. Wanting to test the bridge, the builder loaded a train with enough extra cars and equipment to double its normal payload. The train was then driven to the middle of the bridge, where it stayed an entire day. One worker asked, "Are you trying to break this bridge?" "No," the builder replied, "I'm trying to prove that the bridge won't break." In the same way, the temptations Jesus faced weren't designed to see if He would sin, but to prove that He couldn't. 

III. Pilate Chooses to Crucify Jesus vv. 11-15

In the end, none of this matters. The crowd does not take the bait at all. They choose Barabbas

Pilate now calls for a decision:

What do they want him to do to Jesus?

Their answer is horrifying; they want Him crucified

This causes Pilate to question the entire thing:

He pushes them to acknowledge the injustice of the situation

However, they will not be persuaded

Pilate has made a decision

He chooses to satisfy the crowd in spite of all that he has seen and heard

Pilate chooses the will of the people over the servant of the Lord

This danger is still present for each of us today!

If I live to satisfy people, I will never fully obey the Lord

The price and dangers of obedience are definitely high, but the dangers of disobedience are much greater

Lord Kenneth Clark, internationally known for his television series Civilization, lived and died without faith in Jesus Christ. He admitted in his autobiography that while visiting a beautiful church he had what he believed to be an overwhelming religious experience.

“My whole being,” Clark wrote, “was irradiated by a kind of heavenly joy far more intense than anything I had known before.” But the “flood of grace,” as he described it, created a problem. If he allowed himself to be influenced by it, he knew he would have to change, his family might think he had lost his mind, and maybe that intense joy would prove to be an illusion. So he concluded, “I was too deeply embedded in the world to change course.”