Pilate found himself in a precarious place. Early that morning the Jewish Sanhedrin had brought him a prisoner. Mark reports . . .
As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate (Mark 15:1).
Mark, in his keep-it-simple style, gives few details. Between verse 1 and verse 2 presumably the chief priest told Pilate the charge.
Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”(Mark 15:2a). Actually they had found Jesus guilty of blasphemy (Mark 14:64). But, since Pilate wouldn’t have cared, they “upped” his crime to treason.
He answered him, “You say so” (Mark 15:2b).
The original Greek is, “You say.” That’s either a local idiom for “yes” or an ambiguous answer because “king” meant something different to man. Either way, the Sanhedrin is too steamed to stay silent.
Then the chief priests accused him of many things. Pilate asked him again, “Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed (Mark 15:3-5).
What kind of prisoner is this? Why in the world didn’t he defend himself? By now a crowd has gathered. (Pilate held court outside, because the Jews didn’t want to defile themselves by entering Pilate’s headquarters.) Some in the crowd approached Pilate and asked him to keep his Passover-prisoner-switch-custom.
Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. Then he answered them, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over (Mark 15:6-10).
Here’s Pilate’s predicament escape. He knew this “king” wasn’t guilty of treason. He heard jealousy in the priests’ voices. And, if there were any people Pilate hated more than Jews, it was the Jewish authorities. Besides, clearly some in the crowd wanted this “king” dead, while others wanted him freed. Either way they might riot. So, hoping for a peaceful outcome that would spare him trouble with the Emperor, Pilate shouted to the crowd: “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?”
Unbeknownst to Pilate, while he’s holding court, priests are working the crowd. Once cries for crucifixion start, crowd-mentality would rule until the whole mob would want blood.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified (Mark 15:11-15).
Jerusalem was like Jupiter—really far out “nowhere.” When the Emperor appointed Pilate Prefect in Israel, he wanted a wise leader who would keep the repulsive, upstart Jews quiet. Pilate started about the time Jesus began his public ministry. He ruled harshly and the Jews despised him and everything about Rome he represented. If he hoped for a better post or at least to retire with full benefits, he had to make the best of his situation. He headquartered at the seaside city of Caesarea, but as usual he visited overcrowded Jerusalem for Passover to keep the peace.
Now, all he can do to stop a riot is to hand Jesus over to his soldiers for crucifixion. Mark spares us the gory details of the beating that came next, focusing instead on the humiliating mockery Jesus endured . . .
Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him (Mark 15:16-20).
* * * * *
This “trial” leaves me with two thoughts . . .
First, politicians haven’t changed much in 2000 years. Sounds cynical. All politicians aren’t “politicians”. And, strictly speaking, Pilate wasn’t a run-for-office politician. But he was a bureaucrat. And, when it came down to a choice between administering justice and keeping his powerful office, well, you know. Thank the Lord our hope for a better future doesn’t lie in hands like his!
Second, Pilate the politician (and the politician-like Sanhedrin) didn’t win. In fact, they didn’t control the outcome at all. John tells us that when Pilate bragged he had authority to release or crucify Jesus, Jesus replied, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11).
Since God the Father—together with his willingly submissive Son—was in control, why then did Jesus submit to such injustice at the hand of a self-serving politician? Jesus himself had answered the question months earlier. His disciples had been fighting like politicians for the most powerful, prestigious positions in Messiah’s kingdom. Jesus reminded them how Gentile rulers lord it over their subjects. He insisted if they wanted greatness, they would have to be servants. Then he gave the reason why and at the same time told us why he submitted to a selfish bureaucrat . . .
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve,
AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY” (Mark 10:45)
Those who believe him are among the “many”. Are you?
Events like this often make me wonder what would happen if Jesus had been born on earth thirty years ago in our country (or in yours, if you reading this outside the USA). Would our government—whether a democracy, a dictatorship, or some other type—treat Jesus any differently? Would Jesus threaten the nation’s leaders as he threatened Israel’s then? Would government leaders today want Jesus out of the way as they did then? Would politicians, to protect their own power and position, unjustifiably execute Jesus?
I think any government today would treat Jesus essentially the same as Israel’s and Rome’s did then. Why? Because Jesus would be bringing a different kingdom (Mark 1:14,15) that would threaten every government today. They’d have to do away with him.
But here’s what’s incredible: Jesus didn’t die just because the Sanhedrin was envious and Pilate was threatened. ” . . . Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the people of Israel [did] whatever [the Sovereign Lord’s] hand . . . had predestined to take place” (Acts 4:27,28).
or the Mark predictions and ransom—Jesus wins over politicians
Politics played a pivotal part in Jesus’ crucifixion. Clearly ). But the Sovereign Lord used a typical politician to bring about Jesus’ crucifixion.
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