Prepare: Do you have a particular goal in mind for your church or business or family? What is your strategy for achieving it? Balance of power The Sanhedrin made their plans (v 1). What were they? Did they plan to surprise Pilate early in the morning and put him on the spot? Did they plan to gather a crowd and manipulate their vote? How sinister! Power in Jerusalem was finely balanced. The Sanhedrin had little official power, but they had power over the people, powers of persuasion and religious law. The Romans had official power, but counted on the religious authorities to keep the peace. Pilate needed their cooperation; as a crowd could mean a riot, he took great care. Submission If he wanted to, Jesus could control the crowd with a word or a look. He had spoken to thousands and kept them listening for days. But he chose not to. Jesus affirmed Pilate’s question, foretelling the words to be inscribed on the cross – and that is all. He chose not to answer the accusations against him (v 5). It was not a fair trial, and he did not treat it as such. Instead he submitted to the will of the Father. The Sanhedrin stirred up the crowd (v 11), using their people like puppets to deliver the verdict of crucifixion. But the Lord had plans above and beyond these. And as Jesus submitted willingly to the plans of the Father, he put in motion a plan to bless and save God’s people. Respond: What part does God play in our plans? Prayerfully submit your plans to the Father. Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied. The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. “Crucify him!” they shouted. “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. (Mark 15:1-15 NIV)
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 11:49:30 +0000
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