Mark 15:1
He Paid More
I believe that we are still on the Jewish Thursday. It started at
sunset the evening before, but now as the sun rises, it is also the
Gentile Thursday. That makes it the Passover.
Mark 15:1 And straightway in the morning the
chief priests held a consultation with the elders
and scribes and the whole council, and bound
Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to
Pilate.
We are now starting the section that describes Jesus’ examination
before Pilate. I have mentioned several facts that still apply.
1. Everything from the arrest of Jesus (probably somewhere around
midnight to the crucifixion, happened in around 9 hours.
a. We don’t know what time Jesus was arrested, but we do know
He was on the cross by 9 AM the next morning
\\#Mark 15:25\\.
b. A lot happened in those 9 to 10 hours.
2. Some would count these as seven trials.
a. Three of them were Jewish or religious trials to answer
the question, "Are you the Son of God?"
b. Three of them were Gentile or civil trials to answer the
question "Are you the King of the Jews?"
c. And one public trial to answer the question, "What do you
want to do with Him?"
d. Two things are true about these trials.
(1) None of them are examples of good jurisprudence. If
you want to find out how to operate a just
courtroom, don’t look here!
(2) These trials overlap.
(a) For example, before Pilate made his ruling on
Jesus, he sent him to King Herod, hoping Herod
would make the ruling so he would not have.
Then Herod sent Jesus back.
(b) And again, before Pilate made his ruling on
Jesus, he asked the people to make their
ruling.
(c) And the Jews pushed their agenda no matter who
Jesus was standing before.
3. Mark gave us a summarized account of the crucifixion.
a. Like always, Mark’s writing is fast paced and condensed
covering only the material the Holy Spirit lead him to
write.
b. And like always, to get the best picture of all that
happened, we would need to read all four gospels.
But we are not going to do that, Instead, my outline (as far as we
will get) will be the main points that Mark chose to give us.
I. \\#1-5\\ The Innocent Was Condemned - Note two things in these
verses:
A. The TWO most direct and powerful confessions by Jesus
concerning Jesus are recorded in Mark’s gospel.
1. Mark is the summarizer.
a. He used the least amount of words to convey the
message so he translated some of Jesus’ longer
statements into shorter, more condensed statements.
b. However, Mark did CHANGE the meaning of the
statements.
c. If the meaning in one gospel sounds different to us,
we missed the message.
2. \\#Mark 14:61-62\
a. \\#61\\The high priest asked Jesus if He were the Son
of the Blessed (God).
b. Jesus’ simplified answer is, "I am."
(1) Jesus was asked if He were God’s Son, and Jesus
answered "YES."
(2) Is that a contradiction in the longer answer that
Matthew recorded?
(a) No.
i. That is a condensation.
ii. Mark condensed it to the shortest
amount possible.
(b) That is what Jesus said there too, just not
as plain.
(c) Mark, the summarizer, is just opting for
fewer words.
3. \\#Mark 15:2\\
Mark 15:2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the
King of the Jews? And he answering said unto
him, Thou sayest it.
a. Pilate asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jewish
nation; to which, Jesus answer, "You said it."
(1) That is also an affirmative answer.
(2) The question the high priest asked was more
religious in nature.
(3) The question Pilate asked is more political in
nature.
(4) With both, Mark gave us the direct answer.
b. John recorded a much longer answer \\#John 18:37\\,
and it does sound more vague; SO Mark made sure we
got the correct meaning.
c. Jesus told Pilate that what HE had said was absolutely
true!
(1) He was the King of the Jews, but He was not here
to TAKE that position with weapons and soldiers.
(2) At least He would not take it that way at THAT
time.
(3) The next time Jesus comes, He most definitely
will.
B. Jesus made no defense.
1. Three times Mark referred to that fact that Jesus would
not answer Pilate.
Mark 15:3 And the chief priests accused him of
many things: but he answered nothing.
4 And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest
thou nothing? behold how many things they witness
against thee.
5 But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate
marvelled.
2. Mark did not record Pilate’s statement at this time; but
John did, and it was absolutely true.
John 19:10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest
thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have
power to crucify thee, and have power to release
thee?
3. By saying nothing, Jesus fulfilled the Scripture…
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was
afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is
brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a
sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth
not his mouth.
4. And by saying nothing it is obvious that it was never
Jesus’ goal to go free.
II. \\#6-15\\ The Guilty Was Freed
A. Whereas Jesus was innocent, Barabbas was not.
Mark 15:7 And there was one named Barabbas,
which lay bound with them that had made
insurrection with him, who had committed murder
in the insurrection.
1. \\#7\\ Barabbas was guilty of insurrection and murder.
2. I believe Pilate looked over his list of executions for
the coming day, and picked out the worst criminal in
the lot, Barabbas.
a. We know Jesus was crucified on a third cross.
b. Three were meant to die the day the Jews barged into
Pilates’ court and demanded that he add a Fourth
to the list.
c. Already on the docket were three cases; two thieve
and one murderer, then the Jews added Jesus, calling
Him insurrectionist.
d. So Pilate pulled out one who was an insurrectionist
and a murderer, and let the people decide which to
execute and which to release.
3. It seemed to Pilate, as it does to me, that the choice
would have been obvious.
a. Jesus was a Jew. Barabbas a Gentile. The crowd was
Jewish. Just on the nationalities alone, Jesus had an
advantage.
b. Jesus was innocent. Everyone knew that. Barabbas was
guilty. Everyone knew that.
c. Jesus was at the least a Healer, a Prophet, a Helper,
perhaps even the Messiah. Barabbas was a murderer.
d. The choice seemed open and shut.
4. But the people went the other way!
Mark 15:11 But the chief priests moved the
people, that he should rather release Barabbas
unto them.
5. And even more so…
Mark 15:12 And Pilate answered and said again
unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto
him whom ye call the King of the Jews?
13 And they cried out again, Crucify him.
14 Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil
hath he done? And they cried out the more
exceedingly, Crucify him.
B. So that Pilate AND the PEOPLE made a joint ruling:
Mark 15:15 And so Pilate, willing to content
the people, released Barabbas unto them, and
delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to
be crucified.
1. You and I are reading the most obvious miscarriage of
justice the world has ever seen.
2. The Innocent was condemned, and the guilty was released.
3. Yet, we dare not condemn Barabbas for accepting his pardon,
for if you are saved, you and I have done the same thing!
III. \\#16-32\\ The Lamb Was Tortured
A. This is part of the crucifixion that I do not understand, and
the reason I don’t understand it is because it was not
necessary.
B. The Bible makes it clear that for Jesus to become our
substitute, He had to pay the price of death, but that price
is DEATH not TORTUE.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death….
C. Never, not once, did God ever demand torture from an Old
Testament sacrifice.
1. The priests were skillful.
2. The knife was sharp.
3. And the means was as merciful as it could be.
4. I am sure there were incidents where the death of a
sacrifice did not go as quickly as it was intended, but
it was never in the plan of God that the animal suffer
needlessly.
5. But Jesus was beaten, mocked, humiliated, and then hung
upon a cross to die one of the most violent deaths man
has ever imagined.
a. That was actually AGAINST the type of the sacrifices!
b. Why did God allow mankind not only to judge God, but
to also inflict pain, immense pain and suffering, upon
God?
c. Why did God break the type of a swift death given in
the sacrifices?
6. We can’t know what the Bible does not say but there had to
a reason?
D. Why?
1. First, we can say it was the plan of God.
a. It was God’s will that…
(1) Jesus come.
(2) Jesus die.
(3) Jesus die at that time.
b. The cross was not the Jewish means of death, but the
the Greeks and Romans developed and perfected it.
c. God could have allowed Jesus to come at another time,
a time when this Gentile means of execution was not
in place; but God did not.
d. So, yes, it was God’s will; but why?
2. Perhaps it can be summed up in the phrase that Jesus paid
more, more than just for our sins.
a. Perhaps Jesus paid for our health and healing as well.
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was
upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
(1) Jesus paid for more than our salvation.
(2) He paid for the miraculous health and healing
that He gives, both the physical and mental
healing He gives.
(3) The verse doesn’t say God will heal our every
disease, but when we pray and God does heal us,
it is because He paid for it with the suffering
He took at Calvary.
b. Perhaps Jesus paid so that every mouth will be shut.
(1) As every mouth will be shut when God judges man
because man first judged God, so every mouth
will be shut when the pains of damnation are
inflicted upon mankind for mankind first
inflicted the pains of the cross upon God.
(2) Hell will be painful. Some might complain God
was excessive.
(3) But as Abraham answered the rich man, reminding
him of the good he had in his lifetime and the
bad Lazarus had, so Jesus will speak from heaven
and remind the damned…
(a) When they complain of thirst how He thirsted
and no man did give Him drink…
(b) When they complain of pain how His back was
laid bare by the Roman cat-of-nine tails…
(c) When they complain of their unanswered cries
for help how He hung, guiltless and mocked
by the people.
(4) I don’t know that to be the case, but I wonder if
Jesus paid the price to shut every mouth!
c. Perhaps Jesus paid so that He might be the Captain of
the saved.
(1) \\#Heb 2:10\\ Jesus is referred to as the Captain
of our salvation.
(2) I used to think that the rank of captain did not
seem high enough in speaking of our Savior, but
then I understood that once you move above the
rank of captain, you seldom lead your soldiers
into battle, but you send your soldiers into
battle.
(a) Jesus does not "send" us.
(b) Jesus "leads" us, not only into battle but
into the Valley of the Shadow of Death,
even when we must travel the highway of
torture and abuse to get there.
(3) Perhaps Jesus paid the price of suffering a most
horrible death so that He would never send a
servant to face a death worse than He faced.
I know our Savior paid for our sins. We preach that truth every
service, but I am wondering did He pay for more than our sins. I
think maybe He did.
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