Mark 15:1-15
The Silence of THE Lamb
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. Isaiah 53:7
Intro – Jody Foster and Anthony Hopkins star in the movie “The Silence of the Lambs” which explores the dark and depraved parts of the mind. Intense and violent, it reflects the depravity of man at its worst. Here, in this Silence of The Lamb, Jesus has the sin of humanity imputed or placed upon Him in order to remove the barrier between God and man.
In our study today, The Silence of the Lamb explores the sovereignty and royalty of Jesus Christ as He stands trial for crimes He never committed.
1 Immediately, in the morning (between 3 AM and 6 AM; just as the sun was rising to legitimatize their actions), the chief priests held a consultation (they had a sense of urgency for their work) with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.
The Consultation of the Sanhedrin 1
Their discussion
Its early morning and they must finalize their plans for Jesus conviction. Jesus was taken to Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate, Herod Agrippa I and now back to Pilate for a second time. They must have the right accusations against Him for Pilate to crucify Him.
Their determination
They changed their charges from blasphemy (in their Sanhedrin convention) to three other accusations: treachery, tax evasion and treason. Of the three, treason or overthrowing the Roman government was the most serious. They knew that Pilate would have to consider the charges. After all, He was a threat to Rome and must die. Surely, Pilate could see that!
Their decision
Jesus MUST die!
Illustration: Charles Manson was responsible for masterminding the August 9, 1969 murder of the Tate/LaBianca’s. As evil and wicked as Manson was in killing the 8 month pregnant 26 year old Sharon Tate and the other six people, the actions of the Jewish religious leaders were even more reprehensible!
The Jewish leaders were confronted by Jesus for their greed, avarice and legalistic lives. But in their minds, they were justified because they were the “chosen people” of God. Jesus called them white-washed sepulcher or painted tombstones.
2 Then Pilate asked Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" He answered and said to him, "It is as you say." 3 And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing. 4 Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!" 5 But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.
The Investigation of Jesus 2-5
Pilate’s questions, concerns and conclusion
33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" 34 Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?" 35 Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?" 36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." John 18:33-37 (NKJV)
Jesus’ query, silence and suffering
Jesus confronted Pilate by His statement on Truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. John 18:37. Pilate responded but not by faith. He did not hear and was not one chosen by God.
Notice Jesus’ demeanor and stately authority while being questioned in this kangaroo court.
6 Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. 7 And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion. 8 Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them. 9 But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" 10 For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. 12 Pilate answered and said to them again, "What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?" 13 So they cried out again, "Crucify Him!" 14 Then Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they cried out all the more, "Crucify Him!" 15 So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.
The Condition of the Human Heart 6-15
Barabbas’ difficulty
A guilty and conflicted Jew, quite the opposite of Jesus. Name is Semitic.
His name: Aramaic – Bar = son Abbas = Abba father or Abbas = father’s
History says that Barabbas’ full name was “Jesus Bar-Abbas”. This name means “Jesus the Son of the Fathers”. On this day the crowds had a choice between “Jesus the Son of the Fathers” or “Jesus the Son of God”. Had they been acting in faith, the choice would have gone the other way, but being blinded by unbelief, they chose the way of the world over the Way to God.
His character: Godless: a Thief, Murderer, Treason/Rebellion against man and God (sin of witchcraft) He deserved death! He was popular with the people because He was doing what THEY thought a Messiah would be doing.
His defense: Bad parenting (Affluenza), Societies failure, Educational system broke, No jobs available, Poor choices in friends.
Pilate’s dilemma
Pilate was a man of great pride, power, prosperity & prestige. He was the ultimate political player. There was no pacifying the Jews. He was not willing to stand for Truth so he fell for a lie by compromising what was right. Pilate was a coward of exonerating Jesus of all charges because he might lose everything he worked for in all his years of public office.
“Some reject Jesus because they are afraid they cannot live for Him. Some reject Jesus because they are afraid of what others will say about them. Some reject Jesus because they love their sin more than they love the truth. At the end of the day, all those who reject Jesus do so for the very same reasons Pilate rejected Him. They reject Him because they are cowards. They reject Jesus because they are afraid!
It takes courage to come to Jesus! It takes courage to admit that you are a sinner. It takes courage to admit that you are helpless to save yourself. It takes courage to admit that you need the Lord Jesus Christ. It takes courage to bow before Him and call on Him for salvation. It takes courage to stand against the world and live for Him. It takes courage to be different in a world that demands that everyone behave the same way. It takes great bravery to live for God in a world controlled by the devil!” Source: www.sermonnotebook.org/mark/
I believe Pilate had a serious problem in that he believed that man was inherently good. He thought logic could win them over. Why do I say that? Because he takes a risk to release Jesus through the “Get Out of Jail” free card that he plays between Barabbas and Jesus. This where he finds that man is inherently evil and wicked.
People’s desire
They wanted Barabbas because they identified with him…not Jesus. Why? Man loves darkness rather than light. The Jewish leaders had followers they provoked to cry out for this Messiah’s crucifixion. They wanted Him to die before any of His followers could support His cause. Providentially, God knew that Jesus must die as our substitute on the cross or we could never enter a relationship with Him.
