Mark 15:1-15

Sermon Brief

A. Foundational Elements

1. Sermon Title: Jesus Barrabas or Jesus the one called Christ?

2. Text: Mark 15:1-15

3. Subject: Jesus and Barrabas

4. ETS: Jesus was brought to Pilate as if he was a criminal but Pilate found him innocent and had Jesus crucified.

5. ESS:  Believers should affirm Christ’s Penal substitutionary atonement.

6. OSS: Hearers will see the importance penal substitutionary atonement.

Introduction:

1. This week we are back to Jesus’ trial because if you remember last week’s message Mark gave us a bit of a sandwich and intterupted the scene of Jesus on trial with Peter Denying Jesus three times and how peter even received forgiveness and was reconciled back to God so can we be reconciled back to God. This week Mark picks back up on Jesus trial and while this Gospel is rather short on what took place at Jesus trial it is still true and it still happened. Mark does not go into all of the details that some of the other Gospel writers did. So before we read this if you are like wait what about herod? what about this detail and that detail, don’t write out Mark’s Gospel or anything like that and PLEASE I BEG YOU PLEASE DO NOT GET YOU THEOLOGY FROM THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST OR FROM THE CHOSEN!!!! Use scripture to interpret other scripture but do so correctly.

PRAY            

READ

Body:               

I. Who is this Jesus and what has he done?(Verses 1-5)

EXP: Jesus is brought to Pilate by the Sanhedrin now again we know from the other Gospels like Matthew and Luke that there are other events that take place in between what Mark has so if we wanted to put together a timeline or series of events to get exactly what happened we could do that but Mark doesn’t give us every detail here and that is okay. It does not discredit what he is trying to tell us about his account of what happened to Jesus.

But he is brought to Pilate and Pilate is in this weird spot honestly. Because does he really want to do anything with Jesus? Probably not, he just wants there to be “peace” pax romana peace if you will, he doesn’t want any uproars and he seems to be at times a people pleaser and was known for giving the people a prisoner of release after the passover. Pilate asks Jesus essentially who are you? are you the king of the jews, Jesus responds with “It is as you say” Jesus was silent after that, and the are hurling charges and accusations against Jesus left and right so much so that Pilate is amazed that Jesus is not saying anything about these accusations.

Jesus is innocent, he has done nothing wrong, he has no sin in him, there is nothing wrong with Jesus or nothing he has done to be arrested, betrayed, denied, or anything like that he is innocent. Just like the passover lamb that was to be sacrificed according to the law and for the passover meal, Jesus is the spotless lamb. “Jesus is silent and sees to it that he is going to the cross.”

II. Who is this Barabbas and what has he done? (Verses 6-9)

EXP: Barrabas was in prison with murderers, he was a insurrectionist meaning he pretty much was taking action to oppose the roman rule taking place. He was a murderer so he most likely murdered someone while trying to oppose the roman government. Some also called him a rebel. He was a man that was in prison rightfully so. One who had committed murder, and was just a bad man. He deserved to be in prison without a doubt.

III. Jesus is sent to be crucified as if he was a criminal while Barabbas is set free as if he was innocent (Verse 10-15)

EXP: Who has ever heard of Penal substitutionary atonement? Anybody know what it is?

“Penal substitution is the view that Jesus’s death on the cross was a sacrifice in which Jesus was a substitute for sinners and, by his death, propitiated God’s wrath and paid the penalty due to sinners” - Dr. Adam Harwood

“Christ’s sacrifice unto God was his offering of himself in the place of his people under God’s law and judgment.” -Dr. Joel Beeke

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Matthew 27:17

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition Chapter 27

Ἰησοῦν τὸν Βαραββᾶν

Ἰησοῦν τὸν λεγόμενον χριστόν

Jesus the Barabbas (son of abba or son of the father)

Jesus called the Christ

Exalting Jesus in Mark Our Great King’s Substitution: The Injustice and Insult (Mark 15:6–14)

The true Son of the Father, sinless and innocent, will be beaten and crucified. The other “son of the Father,” Barabbas, sinful and guilty, will be set free because Jesus became his substitute! The sovereign providence and plan of God could not be more clearly on display.

Exalting Jesus in Mark Our Great King’s Substitution: The Injustice and Insult (Mark 15:6–14)

Jesus was innocent but declared to be guilty. Barabbas was guilty but was treated as though he were innocent. Jesus died in his place. He also died in our place, that in an amazing reversal we might truly become sons and daughters of the heavenly Father. Sinclair Ferguson says,

Without knowing it, the religious leaders and Pilate and Barabbas were all part of a tapestry of grace which God was weaving for sinners. Their actions spoke louder than their words, louder than the cries of the crowds for Jesus’ blood. Jesus was not dying for His own crimes, but for the crimes of others; not for His own sins, but the sins of others. He did not die for Himself, he died for us!

Conclusion:            

APP: God took it upon himself to come and to take our punishment that we rightly deserve according to his law, so that those who believe in the Gospel will take his place and be considered righteous so that when everything comes to an end and we meet God face to face we won’t be cast away out of his presence but instead we will be welcomed into his kingdom and we will be part of his family. If we believe the Gospel we are saved and when God looks at us he sees his righteous blood covered over us and he sees himself.

Exalting Jesus in Mark Our Great King’s Substitution: The Injustice and Insult (Mark 15:6–14)

Ferguson then asks a most important question: “Have you ever seen what they were all too blind to notice?” (Mark, 257).

What happened in the passage?

Why do you think Jesus remained silent and did nothing?

Penal substitutionary atonement is a major doctrine in Christianity, if you had to explain it to someone what would you say?

Obviously we are not in Easter season if you will, but how can we remember the death of Jesus and live our lives accordingly?