Gospel reading: Mark 15:1-20
1 And as soon as it was morning the chief priests, with the elders and
scribes, and the whole council held a consultation; and they bound Jesus
and led him away and delivered him 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 wondered. 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 Barab'bas. 8 And the crowd came up and began to
ask Pilate to do as he was wont to do for them. 9 And he answered them,
"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 Barab'bas instead. 12 And Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall
I do with the man whom 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 Barab'bas; and having scourged
Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. 16 And the soldiers led him away
inside the palace (that is, the praetorium); and they called together the
whole battalion. 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and plaiting
a crown of thorns they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him,
"Hail, King of the Jews!" 19 And they struck his head with a reed, and
spat upon him, and they knelt down in homage to him. 20 And when they had
mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes
on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
Meditation: The religious leaders charged Jesus with blasphemy because he called himself the Son of God. But since they did not have the power to put him to death, they brought him to the Roman authorities to have him tried and executed. The charge they brought before Pilate, however, was political rather than religious. Luke tells us that three false accusations were leveled against Jesus (Luke 23:1-2): First, that Jesus agitated sedition. Second, they said that he encouraged people to not pay taxes to Caesar. And third, he assumed the title king. We know from the gospel accounts that Pilate made no less than four attempts to avoid condemning Jesus. He told the Jewish leaders to take Jesus and settle the matter themselves (John 19:6-7). He tried to refer the case to Herod. He tried to get the Jewish leaders to receive Jesus as a prisoner who was granted release at Passover time (Mark 15:6). And then he tried to compromise by offering to scourge Jesus and then release him. The Romans were noted for their impartial justice.
Why did the crowd want Barabbas released rather than Jesus? This was not likely the same crowd, who a week earlier, had hailed Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. Barabbas was a bandit known for violence. Jerusalem was filled with insurrectionists. That's why there were so many Roman forces in Jerusalem at this time of high tension and religious fervor. He was probably part of a nationalist's group known for murder and assassination. This crowd was very likely supporters of Barabbas who came on this occasion because they believed that Pilate would offer his release at the feast.
What finally coerced Pilate to sentence a just man to death? Blackmail! John's gospel records that the Jewish leaders told Pilate: "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend; everyone who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar." The last thing Pilate wanted was a report back to Rome that he supported a dangerous man who was inciting the people to accept him as their king and to revolt against Roman authority. The last thing Rome would accept was civil disorder. So Pilate relented to avoid having a charge brought against him to Rome. Pilate was a ruthless leader, but he lacked one important quality, the courage to do the right thing. He sacrificed justice to save his face and his job. Are you willing to sacrifice reputation and position for truth and justice?
The Romans treated condemned prisoners with great cruelty. They were first scourged and then had to carry their cross to the place of execution. The prisoner was bound and bent so his back was exposed. Long leather whips tied with pieces of sharp iron and bones were used for ripping apart a man's back. Some died from the whipping alone, some were made unconscious, and some went mad. Pilate had Jesus scourged in the typical Roman fashion. Jesus was led into the Praetorium, a large hall where the whole company of soldiers could gather and watch. After they scourged him, they robed him in purple, the color for kingly garb, crowned him with thorns, beat him with a reed, and mocked him for his claim to kingship. This scourging, crowning with thorns, and beating greatly weakened Jesus and made it difficult for him to carry his cross to the place of execution. While crucified men have been known to have lasted for several days on a cross before expiring, Jesus died within three hours on the cross, no doubt because he had been nearly scourged to death beforehand. The prophet Isaiah foretold what the 'Suffering Servant" would undergo for our sake: "Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5) Jesus' suffering and death freed us from slavery to sin and won for us pardon and the hope of eternal life. Are you ready to suffer for your faith and to carry your cross for Jesus' sake?
"Lord Jesus, you suffered injustice and abuse for our sake. By
your cross you have redeemed the world and won for us pardon and reconciliation.
Give me courage to always choose what is right and to avoid what is evil."