The Silence of the Lamb: Mark 15:1-15

The Silence of the Lamb

Mark 15:1-15

Introduction.: Dr. Buck Parsons edits TableTalk magazine, a daily devotional guide from Ligonier ministries. In the introduction to the upcoming April issue, he writes,

One of my greatest fears for the church today is that we will become bored with the Cross of Christ. I am concerned that any mention of Christ and Him crucified is leading many professing Christians to say to themselves: “Yeah, I know all about Jesus dying on the cross for my sins—let’s move on to something else. Let’s get past the basics and let’s deal with bigger theological issues.” I firmly believe that Satan is set on trying to destroy us, but he’ll settle with just getting us to lose our astonishment of Christ and Him crucified.

The Cross is at the heart of the message of Mark, and he too wants us to be astonished with Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. During these six weeks leading up to Resurrection Sunday, we are going to work deliberately through Mark’s account of the crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus. God forgive me if I present the Cross in such a way that it starts to get boring! Then, God willing, on Easter, we’ll celebrate the resurrection as we look at Mark’s account of the empty tomb. This is the heart of the Gospel message, according to the apostle Paul, as “…Christ died for our sins according the Scriptures, was buried, and was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…” (I Cor 15:3,4). Though Jesus had told them precisely what would happen, the disciples, it seems, begin to lose hope as their teacher is arrested and tortured and crucified. What does it all mean?

       As Chapter 15 opens, it is already Friday morning in Mark’s account, but Sunday is coming!  As the story unfolds Jesus is revealed as sovereign and sacrifice… The irony in the story is intense. Jesus is standing before men who would judge Him – The Sovereign King of the Universe! But who is really on trial here? One day, every one of them must stand, or better, kneel, before Him, one day “…every knee will bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord…” The key issue on that day will be, what did you do with Jesus?

        Chapter 14 began, telling us that Passover was approaching, and “…the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him,  ² for they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people." There intentions were clear, but the time wasn’t right from their perspective. But they were not in control. Christ, our Passover, would be sacrificed for us—during  the Feast, as God had ordained. He came, after all, as the Passover-King, His sovereignty extended even to over-rule the evil intentions of men. That brings us to…

The Maine* Idea: Jesus did not defend himself before men, but affirmed His kingship, and, as the Passover-King, He continued on the path to carry out His plan to lay down His life for us.

I. The Silent Sovereign: The Passover-King was rejected by the leaders… (1-5). Who was really on trial here, Jesus, or Pilate and the leaders?

And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole Council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.  ² And Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And he answered him, "You have said so."  ³ And the chief priests accused him of many things.  ⁴ And Pilate again asked him, "Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you."  ⁵ But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. 

       “…as soon as it was morning…” the leaders bring Jesus, bound, and deliver Him to Pilate. Jesus had used that same word, “deliver” earlier in this Gospel,  predicting what would happen in Jerusalem. He said in…

Mark 9:31 - "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise." And again, twice in…

Mark 10:33 - "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles.”

       Phase one of that prediction happened in Gethsemane when, as we read in 14:41, “…behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.” The same word [paradidomi] is used here, translated “betrayed,” that was rendered “deliver” in the earlier verses. The second use of “deliver” in 10:33 refers to Jesus being handed over to the gentiles. That is what is happening here in Mark 15. The leaders were determined to see Jesus put to death, but the crowds were too big and the possible repercussions too serious for them to risk going against the Roman restrictions and putting Jesus to death themselves. They no doubt felt confident that they could manipulate Pilate to carry out their dirty work.

       Notice Pilate’s first question, which Jesus answers: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Why does he ask that? The other gospels give us more details about how the leaders of the Jews tried to twist that charge into a threat to the Roman authorities. They were essentially trying to make a case that Jesus was a threat to Roman rule, that in claiming to be a King, He was fomenting rebellion against Caesar, and besides, he taught the people not to pay taxes! Both charges of course were untrue. John reports a lengthier dialog between Jesus and Pilate over the nature and source of His claim to be King, and Pilate sees no threat... Jesus may be deluded, but he is not dangerous in Pilate’s view. He also had the discernment to recognize the jealousy of the leaders as their motive (see 15:10). Unfortunately, as we’ll see, he didn’t have the character to stand up to them!

       …the chief priests accused Him of many things… - More false charges! And so, Pilate says to Jesus in v.4, “Have you not answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you…” In this “civil” trial before Pilate, we are told that there were other charges brought against Jesus, but we are not given any details. The only charge that is specifically mentioned, the one that is at the center of the whole story, and Mark want us to see that ultimately it is the charge for which Jesus is condemned, that is even written and nailed to the Cross: that Jesus is, “The King of the Jews.” The story is unfolding on two levels. We are struck by the injustice of the whole thing. A legal fiasco: trumped up charges, false accusations, lies and treachery directed against Jesus by fallen, sinful humans. One the other hand, God has a plan, and He is in control, guiding this story. The Apostle John tells us Jesus had said,

…I lay down my life that I may take it up again.  ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again… (John 10:17-18).

Jesus would indeed suffer, the Just for the unjust, so that we could be reconciled to God. That is why He came. Paul put it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:19 and 21,  

…in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them...  ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

He drank the Cup of God’s wrath so that we could drink the cup of blessing. So, according to plan, the Passover-King is handed over during the feast. But He is no victim. He is guiding the story according to God’s predetermined purpose and foreknowledge. As a sheep led to the slaughter, He did not open His mouth. Jesus didn’t defend himself before men, but did affirm His kingship, and, as the Passover-King, He continued on the path to carry out His plan to lay down His life for us.

II. The Suffering Servant-King: As the Passover-King, Jesus would not be released, but would willingly suffer, the Just for the unjust (6-11).

⁶ Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked.  ⁷ And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas.  ⁸ And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them.  ⁹ And he answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?"  ¹⁰ For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.  ¹¹ But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. 

      In verse 5 we read that Pilate was amazed, it seems, because Jesus wasn’t doing everything possible to save himself. He probably thought that though Jesus might be delusional, thinking of himself as a king, He was not threat to Rome and had done nothing worthy of death. A custom had developed that, at the Passover season, Pilate would release one prisoner at the request of the people. This was probably a public relations move to curry the favor of the people. I haven’t found any information on how or when that tradition started.  Pilate no doubt viewed this as a way for him to end this matter, and to avoid offending the many who had just been praising Jesus during the week before. But it was Passover, and the Passover-King would not be released. God was guiding the story to its necessary conclusion.

       Mark sets the stage for us in verse 7, “…among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas…” Think about the contrast between Barabbas and Jesus. The former, whose name meant “son of the father,” was a murderer and insurrectionist. He was involved in rebellion against Rome and had killed in the process. What irony! The leaders were charging Jesus with inciting rebellion against Rome, Barabbas had in fact done that. Jesus was innocent. He only spoke the truth. So, since He was not the kind of messiah the people anticipated, they handed Him over, charging Him with inciting rebellion, and ask instead that an actual insurrectionist, a murderer, be set free!

       Pilate recognized that the leaders were driven by jealousy, and so he asks the crowd that is beginning to grow, and that had begun to ask about the traditional release of a prisoner (8), "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" (9). That would resolve Pilate’s dilemma! But the reader knows better! The predictions by Jesus, the Passover feast, the transformation of the Passover table as Jesus gave new significance to the bread and the cup… the Passover-King, the Lamb on the Throne of heaven! He had come for this very purpose!

       He was the eternal Son of the Father, God, incarnate. His kingship and His kingdom were not of this world. He was a King, but His kingdom was not of this world—it was not a reign like that of the nations around them.  And so, God the Son, the King of kings, did not defend himself before men, but He did affirm His kingship, and, as the Passover-King, He continued on the path to carry out His plan to lay down His life for us.

III. The Sovereign who would be our Substitute: The Passover King, The Righteous-Sufferer, would lay down His life to set sinners free (12-15a).

¹² And Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?"  ¹³ And they cried out again, "Crucify him."  ¹⁴ And Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him."  ¹⁵ So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas…

       I find it interesting that Peter had just denied three times that he knew Jesus. Now in these fifteen verses, Pilate calls Jesus “King of the Jews” three times! Of course, Mark is only giving us a part of the interaction between Jesus and Pilate, but as he tells the story a few things become clear: 1) Pilate knows the leaders have no case against Jesus; 2) The leaders, without evidence of a capital crime, are still pushing for Jesus to be executed; and 3) Jesus ultimately is executed because He is the King of the Jews, in accordance with the Scriptures.

       Notice Pilates objection, “What evil has He done?” (14). The answer is clear—NONE!  That is the point. He was without sin. And now as He is “tried” before the Roman authorities, once again, the Jews could produce no evidence and no witnesses that Jesus had done anything worthy of death. They had not made their case, they had no answer to Pilate’s questions, yet they cried, “Crucify Him!” That is the point, the One who was without sin was condemned, so that sinners could be set free. The Father (God) spared not the Son (of God)… and Barabbas, literally “son of the father,” is set free. Know this: we are Barabbas. Sinners, condemned, worthy of judgement, set free because of Jesus.  And so, we see that Jesus did not defend himself before men, but affirmed His kingship, and, as the Passover-King, He continued on the path to carry out His plan to lay down His life for us.

IV. The Sovereign who would be Sacrifice: The hour was at hand (15b)!

…and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

       If you saw the movie called “The Passion of Christ,” you have an idea of the brutality of the Roman torture called scourging and the agonizing form of execution called crucifixion. The Bible does not go into any of the detail that you often will hear in sermons and teaching on the gospels, why is that? For one thing, in a world under the authority of Rome in which the New Testament was written, no explanations were necessary. People knew well what scourging and crucifixion were – no details needed! Their minds would immediately go to scenes that they had seen, at least in part, when men were so brutally whipped with a devise that was designed to rip into the flesh, that some would die as the result of it. And crucifixion was a shameful and tortuous form of capital punishment.

       Few details, no gory description… “Let the reader understand.” But I also think there is another motive. As God inspired the biblical writers to record this story, He does not want to give the impression that the physical torture Jesus endured was the worst part of the passion. Far worse was the spiritual weight that began crushing Him in the Garden, and which would culminate when He cried out on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” God’s holiness, his perfect justice, had to be satisfied. He could not, in accordance with His nature, be just and simply pardon sinners (see Rom 3:21-26).  He took the wrath that justice required.

      “…having scourged Jesus…” The picture of what that was would immediately crystalize in the minds of Mark’s readers. The prisoner was stripped and tied to a post, and beat with the scourge, a whip with leather straps with bits of bone and metal imbedded in it, which would rip open the flesh of the victim. This was so brutal that the flesh would sometimes be torn open to the bone, and reportedly, those being scourged would sometimes die from blood loss and shock. It was horrible torture in itself, but Pilate had condescended to the request of the leaders, and so that was not the end. Again, Mark reports it simply…

      “…He delivered Him over to be crucified…” Humiliating, excruciating, tortuous death. The bleeding victims, spikes through their hands and feet, would struggle for each breath. Exhaustion, shock, loss of blood, suffocation, would all combine to bring death. And if the victims lingered, their legs would be broken. All who lived under the rule of Rome knew too well what crucifixion meant. He endured it for us.

What is God sating to me in this passage? I hope you are not getting bored with the message of the Cross. Without it, we would have no Gospel! Jesus did not defend himself before men, but affirmed His kingship, and, as the Passover-King, He continued on the path to carry out His plan to lay down His life for us.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? That is who He is, that is why He came. What does it mean to follow Him?  We have seen the negative example of Peter who, the night before, had three times denied knowing Christ. We saw the unbelief of the leaders, and the people-pleasing expediency of Pilate. And I need to remember that I am Barabbas, and so are you, if you know Him. He took our place. Guilty and condemned, without hope, no basis for expecting deliverance from the executioner’s hand, guilty, unclean. And through no merit of my own, Jesus silently, willingly, became our substitute, and took the punishment we deserved.

       Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends… God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us… He spared not the Son, but delivered Him up for us all… Sinclair Ferguson wrote that,

Without knowing it, the religious leaders and Pilate and Barabbas were all part of a tapestry of grace which God was weaving for sinners. Their actions spoke louder than their words, louder than the cries of the crowd for Jesus’ blood. Jesus was not dying for His own crimes, but for the crimes of others; not for His own sins, but for the sins of others. He did not die for Himself, He died for us!” (Mark, p.257).

Jesus did that, for me and you. Are you still astonished by the message of the Cross? Do you believe it? Have you put your trust in Him alone? In view of the love He has shown you, how then, must you live? The apostle John wrote in 1 John 3:23, “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.”  We love Him because He first loved us. What does love look like? An Old, Rugged Cross. And because He so loved us, we ought also to love one another. People will notice that.  AMEN.