Scripture
Four years ago I began what I planned to be a seven-year series of messages. It is based on the book by James Montgomery Boice and Philip Graham Ryken that is titled, Jesus on Trial. My goal is to teach on seven important aspects of the trial of Jesus Christ: the diabolical conspiracy to kill him (which I covered four years ago); his night-time arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane (which I covered three years ago); the short resistance that the disciples mounted in his defense (which I covered two years ago); the witnesses who accused him of blasphemy during his ecclesiastical trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin (which I covered last year); the verdict reached in his civil trial by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate (which I plan to cover this evening); the sentence of death that his enemies demanded; and his execution by crucifixion.
Let us read Mark 15:1-15:
1 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.
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. 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, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. (Mark 15:1-15)
Introduction
A verdict is defined as follows: “The finding or decision of a Jury, duly sworn and impaneled, after careful consideration, reported to and accepted by the Court.”
Review
If you had been privy to what was going on behind the scenes regarding the trial of Jesus, you would have been aware that it all began with a conspiracy. The religious leaders and the political leaders had conspired together to get rid of Jesus. But they were having great difficulty doing so because of Jesus’ immense popularity with the people. However, a stunning development took place when one of Jesus’ own inner circle of friends stepped forward to betray him to the authorities. Judas Iscariot volunteered to betray Jesus for some unknown reason.
Then, on the evening of 14 Nissan, 30 AD Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. A large band of soldiers had managed to arrest Jesus without too much trouble.
The brief resistance from Jesus’ disciples did not amount to much. Jesus was quickly taken into custody, and a hasty trial was convened. Actually, there were two trials on the night of Jesus’ arrest. The religious leaders tried to find a way to accuse Jesus of some offense of which he would be guilty, for as Mark said, “Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death” (Mark 14:55).
Most of the testimony presented at the ecclesiastical trial was vain testimony. Many bore false witness against Jesus, and their testimony did not agree (Mark 14:56). The high priest must have been beside himself because he could not get two witnesses to agree on their testimony. So, he did something that was entirely improper in a capital trial: he himself intervened. He asked Jesus if he was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed. Jesus said he was, and the Sanhedrin accused Jesus of blasphemy.
Because the Jewish Sanhedrin could not put someone to death, they therefore sent Jesus to the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, for a civil trial.
Lesson
Tonight, I would like to examine the verdict reached in his civil trial by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.
I. The Conspiracy (15:1)
First, notice the conspiracy.
Jesus was put on trial not once but twice. The Jewish trial, which was a church trial, was held – illegally – in the middle of the night. As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council (15:1a). They conspired together and as soon as they agreed on the charges against Jesus, they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate (15:1b) for the civil trial.
II. The Confusion (15:2)
Second, observe the confusion.
Now, remember that at the church trial Jesus was accused of being the Christ, the Son of the Blessed. But, by the time he got to Pilate somehow Pilate understood that Jesus was being charged with being the King of the Jews. So, Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And Jesus answered him, “You have said so” (15:2). Jesus did not directly answer Pilate’s question.
III. The Charges (15:3-5)
Third, look at the charges.
Pilate must have looked to the chief priests for something more substantial than a claim to Jewish kingship. Pilate of course did not want to get mixed up in internal Jewish affairs.
So the chief priests accused Jesus of many things (15:3). The charges no doubt included claims to Jewish kingship as well as blasphemy against God. But Pilate had no interest in Jewish affairs. Then, the chief priests played their trump card. They accused Jesus of treason against Rome, saying, “He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar” (Luke 23:2). The chief priests believed that non-payment of taxes would surely get Pilate’s attention.
Curious now, Pilate again asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed (15:4-5).
The reason Pilate was amazed is because under Roman law, silence signified consent. If an accused person refused to defend himself, he was assumed to be guilty.
The truth, however, is that Jesus was innocent. Jesus did pay taxes. Jesus never committed any sin, and that was why everyone had such a hard time coming up with a chargeable offense.
So, why did Jesus make no further answer? You see, in order to be the Savior of sinners, Jesus had to die for sinners. By standing there in silence, Jesus was in essence guaranteeing his own execution. But he knew that was necessary for the salvation of sinners like you and me. He had to die to save sinners.
IV. The Custom (15:6)
Fourth, observe the custom.
Pilate really did not want to execute Jesus. He knew that he was innocent. He knew that Jesus had committed no crime. So, he tried to have Jesus released, as Mark said, “Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked” (15:6).
V. The Choice (15:7-14)
Fifth, notice the choice.
Mark noted that among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them (15:7-8). Seeing an opportunity to release Jesus, Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up (15:9-10). Pilate knew that the chief priests wanted to get rid of Jesus. And he also knew that Jesus was popular with the crowds. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead (15:11).
Pilate was probably surprised at their response. So he tried one more time to get Jesus released. Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?”
And they cried out again, “Crucify him.”
And Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?”
But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him” (15:12-14).
VI. The Chastening (15:15)
And finally, look at the chastening.
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified (15:15). Pilate was culpable for Jesus’ crucifixion because he knew that Jesus was innocent and did not deserve to die. He had Jesus crucified because he gave in to peer pressure, for “wishing to satisfy the crowd.”
Conclusion
Jesus was not found guilty of anything. Jesus was condemned to die because Pilate did not reach the right verdict.
Boice and Ryken ask,
What is your verdict? There is a famous nineteenth-century painting by Ciseri called Ecco Homo. The painting, which hangs in the Palazzo Pitti Gallery in Florence, is based on Jesus’ trial before Pilate. It takes its title from Pilate’s words to the crowd, “Behold the man!” (John 19:5, KJV) or in Latin, Ecco Homo! In the painting, Jesus stands on the terrace, stripped to the waist, his hands bound behind him; Pilate stands in the middle of the painting, with his back to the viewer. He is leaning forward, head bent over the railing, appealing to the masses gathered below him in the streets. With one hand he gestures toward Jesus, as if to ask, “What will you do with him?”
It is a question every person must answer. Here is the man – the God-Man – Jesus Christ. He is the most perfect, the most innocent man who ever lived. The Bible claims that he offered his life as a perfect sacrifice for sin and that everyone who believes in him will receive eternal life. You can try to send him away, pushing him out of your thoughts, but he will always come back to your mind. You will never be able to wash your hands of him. God will always hold you responsible for your decision about Jesus Christ.
So, this Good Friday, what will you do with Jesus? Amen.
