Explanatory Notes -- Mark 15:1-15 (Friday morning)

Explanatory Notes on Passion Week:

• Palm Sunday (Mark 11:1-11)
• Monday Money Changers (Mark 11:12-19)
• Tuesday Debates I (Mark 11:20-33)
• Prophecy on Destruction (Mark 13:1-23)
• The Last Supper (Mark 14:12-26)

It's Friday.
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15:1 And immediately, the high priests and the whole Sanhedrin, having taken council early with the elders and scribes, having bound Jesus, they brought him and delivered [him] to Pilate. 2. And Pilate asked him, “Are you King of the Jews?”

And he, answering, says to him, “You say.”

The picture is quite remarkable. An entire Sanhedrin of 71 men assembling in the middle of the night. John 18 tells of private meetings first with Annas (18:13) and then Caiaphas (18:24), the official high priest at the time. Then Jesus goes to Pilate (18:28). In either case, a strong majority of the Sanhedrin would have agreed or have already agreed with the trajectory of Annas and Caiaphas.

Pontius Pilate was the procurator of Judea from AD26-36. He was not particularly liked by the Judeans but, then again, what Roman ruler was? Herod Antipas was ruling at this time but in Galilee and the east. It is possible that the "Herodians" wanted to see him or some Herod as ruler of all Palestine, as Herod the Great was (Mark 3:6).

Pilate is known to have done at least two objectionable things as governor. One of the first things he did was let the Roman soldiers bring their standards (the poles with an image of the emperor) into Jerusalem under the cover of night. It was forbidden for any such image to be in Jerusalem, and the Jews petitioned him at risk of their own life to have them removed. The Jewish thinker Philo mentions an incident with shields that is either his misunderstanding of the same story or a different but similar event.

Then Luke 13:1 mentions him mixing the blood of some Galileans with their sacrifices. This event is not recorded elsewhere unless Luke is referring to the event that ended Pilate’s time as governor. In that incident, Pilate had some Samaritans killed who were gathering at Mt. Gerazim in Samaria.

The Sanhedrin apparently did not have the authority to sentence someone to death. For this reason, they needed Pilate to order it. Their charge against him is that he is “King of the Jews.” Of course, they don’t believe it, but they are accusing him of being a traitor to Rome, a messianic pretender. They do not actually believe that he is.

15:3 And the chief priests were accusing him of many things. 4. And Pilate again was asking him saying, “You do not answer anything? See of what sort of things they accuse you?” 5. But Jesus no longer answered anything, with the result that Pilate was amazed.

Although the Greek says, “high priests,” the context suggests that “chief priests” is more accurate. There was only one official high priest at a time—at this point Caiaphas. Nevertheless, there were others of high priestly status, often Sadducees.

They accuse him, but Jesus does not respond. This amazes Pilate. No doubt he is used to the accused vigorously defending themselves and begging for mercy. Did some of the guilty get angry in protest of their innocence? Pilate is probably able to sum up this situation easily enough. The Jewish leaders want him dead, while Jesus is no threat.

Barabbas
15:6 Now at the feast he was releasing to them one prisoner whom they were requesting. 7. And there was one being called Barabbas having been bound with revolutionaries, who had committed murder in his revolt.

From everything we can see, Pilate seems inclined to release Jesus. He has a way in mind. He will offer the crowds Jesus as part of the festival. He will put him up against a real criminal, someone named Barabbas who had actually participated in revolt and had actually murdered someone. Surely the crowd would ask for Jesus to be released instead.

The existence of Barabbas is a reminder that revolt was never far away. There probably was not any organized group like the Zealots and Sicarii (dagger men) that we know of from the time of the Jewish revolt (AD66). But there were always violent men around who hated the Romans and wanted to overthrow them.

15:8 And the crowd, having gone up, began to ask [Pilate] as he was doing to them [normally]. 9. And Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you wish that I release to you the King of the Jews?” 10. For he knew that because of jealousy the high priests had handed him over.

Pilate gives the crowds the opportunity to release Jesus. Pilate does not believe Jesus is the King of the Jews, so such a comment is a jab at the chief priests, and perhaps the crowds and Jesus. The epithet suggests that Jesus was arrested as a messiah figure claiming to be or purported to be the king of Israel.

Pilate thinks that the chief priests are jealous of Jesus' popularity. The people like him better than they like them. He has beat their surrogates in debate. The people are interested in his teaching and not theirs.

15:11 But the high priests stirred up the crowd so that he might release to them rather Barabbas. 12. But Pilate, again answering, was saying to them, “What therefore do you wish that I do with the one whom you call, ‘King of the Jews’?”

13. And they cried again, “Crucify him!”

14. And Pilate was saying to them, “For what evil [that] he did?

But they cried out even more, “Crucify him!”

No doubt the more sane elements of society were not present at such an event. Those in the crowd who might want Jesus to be released no doubt feared that harm might come to them if they said something. The leaders had also stoked the crowd. It brought shame and humiliation on them for the Romans to parade a purported king in front of them like that. 

"If Jesus was a real king, he wouldn't just stand there silent." "Barabbas is the real deal. At least he'll go down fighting." "Jesus duped us into thinking he had some special connection with God." "He's made us look like a fool." "Look at him just standing there."

Mob mentality is irrational. It can't be reasoned with. It is especially susceptible to simple slogans that can be repeated over and over again.

15. And Pilate, wishing to make the crowd satisfied, released Barabbas to them. And, having scourged [him], he delivered Jesus so that he might be crucified.

It's no skin off Pilate's nose. He couldn't care less whether another Jew dies. People like Barabbas do more damage to his own people than to the Romans. And perhaps they can make him quietly disappear.

The decision is made. Jesus will be crucified.