The Lamb and the Throne
Mark 15:1-15
Introduction.: Dr.
Buck Parsons said in an article in TableTalk magazine,
One of my greatest fears for the
church today is that we will become bored with the Cross of Christ. I am
concerned that any mention of Christ and Him crucified is leading many
professing Christians to say to themselves: “Yeah, I know all about Jesus dying
on the cross for my sins—let’s move on to something else. Let’s get past the
basics and let’s deal with bigger theological issues.” I firmly believe that
Satan is set on trying to destroy us, but he’ll settle with just getting us to
lose our astonishment of Christ and Him crucified.
The Cross is at the heart of the
message of Mark, and he too wants us to be astonished with Jesus Christ, and
Him crucified. This is why Jesus came. We took our time going through
Mark 14… 8 weeks! This chapter will be quicker, but we are not going to rush. This
is the heart of the Gospel message, according to the apostle Paul, as “…Christ died for our sins in accordance with
the Scriptures, was buried, and was raised on the third day in accordance with
the Scriptures…” (I Cor 15:3,4). Though Jesus had told them precisely what
would happen, the disciples, it seems, began to lose hope as their teacher is
arrested and tortured and crucified. What does it all mean?
As Chapter 15 opens, it is already Friday morning. We’ll see Jesus
revealed as both sovereign and
sacrifice… Oh the irony! Jesus is standing before men who would judge Him
– The King of the Universe! But who is really on trial here? One day,
every one of them must stand, or better, kneel, before Him. One day, “…every knee will bow, and every tongue
confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord…” Who is Jesus? Why did He come?
Chapter 14 began, telling us that
Passover was approaching, and “…the chief
priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill
him, 2 for they said,
"Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people." Their
intentions were clear, but the time wasn’t right from their perspective. But
they were not in control. Christ, our Passover, would be sacrificed for us—during
the Feast, as God had ordained. He
came, after all, as the Passover-King, His sovereignty extended even to
over-rule the evil intentions of men. That brings us to…
I. The Silent Sovereign: The Passover-King was rejected by the leaders… (1-5). Who
was really on trial here, Jesus, or Pilate and the leaders?
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. 2 And Pilate asked
him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And he answered him,
"You have said so." 3
And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him,
"Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against
you." 5 But Jesus made
no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
“…as soon as it was morning…” the leaders bring Jesus, bound, and deliver
Him to Pilate. Jesus had used that same word, “deliver” earlier in this
Gospel, predicting what would happen in
Jerusalem. He said in…
Mark 9:31 - "The
Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will
kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise." And
again, twice in…
Mark 10:33 - "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.”
Phase one of that prediction happened in Gethsemane when, as we read in
14:41, “…behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed
into the hands of sinners.” The same word [paradidomi] is used here, translated “betrayed,” that was rendered
“deliver” in the earlier verses. The second use of “deliver” in 10:33 refers
to Jesus being handed over to the gentiles. That is fulfilled here in Mark
15. The leaders were determined to see Jesus die, but the crowds were too big
and the possible repercussions too serious for them to risk going against the
Roman restrictions and putting Jesus to death themselves. They no doubt felt
confident that they could manipulate Pilate to carry out their dirty work.
Notice Pilate’s first
question, which Jesus does answer: “Are
you the King of the Jews?” Why does he ask that? The other gospels
give us more details about how the leaders of the Jews tried to twist that
charge into a threat to the Roman authorities. They were trying to make a case
that Jesus was a threat to Roman rule, that in claiming to be a King, He was
fomenting rebellion against Caesar, and besides, he taught the people not to
pay taxes! Both charges of course were untrue. John reports a lengthier dialog
between Jesus and Pilate over the nature and source of His claim to be King,
and Pilate sees no threat... He concludes that Jesus may be deluded, but he is
not dangerous. He also had the discernment to recognize the jealousy of the
leaders as their motive (see 15:10). Even so, he didn’t have the character to
stand up to them!
…the chief priests accused Him
of many things… - More false charges! And so, Pilate says to
Jesus in v.4, “Have you not answer to
make? See how many charges they bring against you…” In this “civil” trial
before Pilate, we are told that there were other charges brought against Jesus,
but we are not given any details. The only charge that is specifically
mentioned, the one that is at the center of the whole story, and Mark want us
to see that ultimately it is the charge for which Jesus is condemned, that is
even written and nailed to the Cross: that Jesus is, “The King of the Jews.”
The story is unfolding on two levels. We are struck by the injustice of the
whole thing. A legal fiasco: trumped
up charges, false accusations, lies and treachery directed against Jesus by
fallen, sinful humans. One the other hand, God has a plan, and He is in
control, guiding this story. The Apostle John tells us Jesus had said,
…I lay down my life that I may take
it up again. 18 No one takes
it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it
down, and I have authority to take it up again… (John 10:17-18).
Jesus would indeed suffer, the Just
for the unjust, so that we could be reconciled to God. That is why He came. Paul
put it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:19
and 21,
…in Christ God was reconciling the
world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 21 For our sake he made him to be
sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
He drank the Cup of God’s wrath so
that we could drink the cup of blessing. So, according to plan, the
Passover-King is handed over during the feast. But He is no victim. He is
guiding the story according to God’s predetermined purpose and foreknowledge. As
a sheep led to the slaughter, He did not open His mouth. *Jesus didn’t defend
himself before men, but did affirm His kingship, and, as the
Passover-King, He continued on the path to carry out His plan to lay down His
life for us.
II. The Suffering Servant-King: As the Passover-King, Jesus would not be
released, but would willingly suffer, the Just for the unjust (6-11).
6 Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they
asked. 7 And among the rebels
in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called
Barabbas. 8 And the crowd
came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. 9 And he answered them, saying,
"Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" 10 For he perceived that it was
out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. 11 But the chief priests stirred
up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead.
In verse 5 we read that Pilate was amazed, it seems, because Jesus wasn’t
doing everything possible to save himself. He probably thought that though Jesus
might be delusional, thinking of himself as a king, He was not threat to Rome
and had done nothing worthy of death. A custom had developed that, at the
Passover season, Pilate would release one prisoner at the request of the people,
probably to curry their favor I haven’t found any information on when that
tradition started. Pilate no doubt
viewed this as a way for him to end this matter, and to avoid offending the
many who had just been praising Jesus during the week before. But it was
Passover, and the Passover-King would not be released. God was
guiding the story to its necessary conclusion.
Mark says in verse 7, “…among the
rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man
called Barabbas…” His name meant “son of the father,” was a murderer
and insurrectionist. What irony! The leaders were charging Jesus with
inciting rebellion against Rome, Barabbas had in fact done that. Jesus was
innocent. He only spoke the truth. So, since He was not the kind of messiah
the people anticipated, they handed Him over, charging Him with inciting
rebellion, and asked instead that an insurrectionist, a murderer, be set free!
Pilate recognized that the leaders were driven by jealousy, and so he
asks the crowd that is beginning to grow, and that had begun to ask about the
traditional release of a prisoner (8), "Do
you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" (9). That
would resolve Pilate’s dilemma! But the reader knows better! The predictions by
Jesus, the Passover feast, the transformation of the Passover table as Jesus
gave new significance to the bread and the cup… the Passover-King, the Lamb on
the Throne of heaven! He had come for this very purpose!
He was the eternal Son of the Father, God, incarnate. His kingship and
His kingdom were not of this world. He was a King, but His kingdom was not of
this world—it was not a reign like that of the nations around them. And so, God the Son, the King of kings,
did not defend himself before men, but He did affirm His kingship, and, as the
Passover-King, He continued on the path to carry out His plan to lay down His
life for us.
III. The Sovereign who would be our Substitute and Sacrifice: The Passover King, The
Righteous-Sufferer, would lay down His life to set sinners free (12-15). First
we read…
12 And Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man you
call the King of the Jews?" 13
And they cried out again, "Crucify him." 14 And Pilate said to them,
"Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more,
"Crucify him." 15
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas…
I find it interesting that Peter had just denied three times that he
knew Jesus. Now in these fifteen verses, Pilate calls Jesus “King of the Jews”
three times! Of course, Mark is only giving us a part of the interaction
between Jesus and Pilate, but as he tells the story a few things become clear:
1) Pilate knows the leaders have no case against Jesus; 2) The leaders,
without evidence of a capital crime, are still pushing for Jesus to be executed;
and 3) Jesus ultimately is executed because He is the King of the Jews,
in accordance with the Scriptures.
Notice Pilates objection, “What
evil has He done?” (14). The answer is clear—NONE! That is the point. He was without sin. And now
as He is “tried” before the Roman authority, again the Jews could produce no
evidence and no witnesses that Jesus had done anything worthy of death. They
had not made their case, they had no answer to Pilate’s questions, yet they
cried, “Crucify Him!” That is the point, the One who was without sin was
condemned, so that sinners could be set free. The Father (God) spared not
the Son (of God)… and Barabbas, literally “son of the father,” is set free. Know
this: we are Barabbas. Sinners, condemned, worthy of judgement, set free
because of Jesus. And so, we see that *Jesus
did not defend himself, but affirmed His kingship, and, as the Passover-King,
He continued on the path to carry out His plan to lay down His life for us.
As our substitute, He would be sacrificed!
And the hour was at hand!
“…and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be
crucified” (Mk 15:15b).
If you saw the movie called “The Passion of Christ,” you have an idea of
the brutality of the Roman torture called scourging and the agonizing
form of execution called crucifixion. The Bible does not go into any of
the detail that you often will hear in sermons and teaching on the gospels, why?
In a world under the authority of Rome in which the New Testament was written,
no explanations were necessary. People knew well what scourging and crucifixion
were – no details needed! Their minds would immediately go to scenes that they
had seen, at least in part, when men were so brutally whipped with a devise
that was designed to rip into the flesh, that some would die as the result of
it. And crucifixion was a shameful and tortuous form of execution.
Few details, no gory description… “Let the reader understand.”
But I also think there is another motive. As God inspired the biblical writers
to record this story, He does not want to give the impression that the physical
torture Jesus endured was the worst part of the passion. Far worse was the
spiritual weight that began crushing Him in the Garden, and which would
culminate when He cried out on the cross, “My
God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” God’s holiness, his perfect
justice, had to be satisfied. He could not, in accordance with His nature, be
just and simply pardon sinners (see Rom 3:21-26). Jesus took the Divine wrath that justice
required.
“…having
scourged Jesus…” The picture
of what that was would immediately crystalize in the minds of Mark’s readers.
The prisoner was stripped and tied to a post, and beat with the scourge, a whip
with leather straps with bits of bone and metal imbedded in it, which would rip
open the flesh of the victim. This was so brutal that the flesh would sometimes
be torn open to the bone, and reportedly, those being scourged would sometimes
die from blood loss and shock. It was horrible torture in itself, but Pilate had
condescended to the request of the leaders, and so that was not the end. Again,
Mark reports it simply…
“…He delivered Him over to be crucified…” Humiliating, excruciating, tortuous death. The bleeding victims,
spikes through their hands and feet, would struggle for each breath. Exhaustion,
shock, loss of blood, suffocation, would all combine to bring death. And if the
victims lingered, their legs would be broken. All who lived under the rule of
Rome knew too well what crucifixion meant. He endured it for us.
What is God sating to me in this passage? I hope you are not getting bored
with the message of the Cross. Without it, we would have no Gospel! *Jesus did
not defend himself before men, but affirmed His kingship, and, as the
Passover-King, He continued on the path to carry out His plan to lay down His
life for us.
What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Three
questions again surface which Mark is answering for us…
1) Who is Jesus? The sinless, holy, Son of God. The Promised Messiah, the
Rescuer who came as promised in the Scriptures. But He came in humility, as the
Lamb of God.
2) Why did He come? To
give His life, so that we could have life, reconciled to God. We see here the
unbelief of the leaders, and the people-pleasing expediency of Pilate. We need
to remember that in a sense, we are Barabbas. He took our place. We were guilty
and condemned, without hope, no basis for expecting deliverance from the penalty
we deserved. And through no merit of my own, Jesus silently, willingly, became
our substitute, and took the punishment we deserved.
Greater love has no man than this, that he
lay down his life for his friends… God
commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us… He spared not the Son, but
delivered Him up for us all… Sinclair Ferguson wrote that,
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 crowd for Jesus’ blood. Jesus was not dying for His own
crimes, but for the crimes of others; not for His own sins, but for the sins of
others. He did not die for Himself, He died for us!” (Mark, p.257).
3) What does it mean to
follow Him? Do you believe? Have you put your trust in Him alone? In view
of the love He has shown you, how then, must you live? Are you still
astonished by the message of the Cross? Do you remember Jesus’ call to
discipleship in Mark 8:34, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny
himself, take up his cross, and follow me…” It means putting Jesus and His mission first,
loving Jesus more than life. Will we follow Him? AMEN.
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