Mark 15
I.
Introduction (2Cor 5:21; Rom 8:3; Gal 3:13; Eph 5:2; 1Pet 3:18)
A. The art of learning life principles comes from watching others as they face dilemmas – how they handle problems
B. Pilate faced such a dilemma that he probably for the first time in his life, just didn’t know what to do. In his confusion, he ended up placing an innocent man on the middle cross, and a guilty man went free
II.
Message
A.
The
Introduction
1.
Bible
Distinctive Concepts - Words that end in ‘tion’
a.
Justification
–act of God declaring a sinner is now made righteous
b.
Imputation
–transfer of sins to Christ, and His righteousness to you
c.
Reconciliation
– the destruction of all barriers between God and man
d.
Salvation
– God retrieving a sinner’s soul from Satan’s dominion
e.
Sanctification
– the process of cleaning up a Christian’s heart and life
2.
Background
a.
Jesus
has eaten the Passover with disciples (Mark 14:17-25)
b.
They
all journey to the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:26-41)
c.
It is
there that Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus (Mark 14:42-45)
d.
Jesus
is brought before the High Priest (Mark 14:53-65)
e.
Peter
denies Christ just outside the house (Mark 14:66-72)
f.
Jesus
is formally brought before Pilate, Roman governor of Judea
B.
The
Indictment (Mark 15:1-15)
1.
The
Quality of Jesus Christ
(Mark 15:1-5)
a.
He
was Innocent of any wrong doing (15:1)
1)
Claimed
to be the Son of God, King of the Jews, and the Messiah. To prove it
a)
He
healed all who came to Him,
b)
He
even raised the dead from the grave!
2)
QUESTION:
Where is His evil deeds that would warrant him being brought before a
high court as a evil man?
b.
He
was thoroughly Inquired of by Pilate (15:2)
1)
Required
by law to make a thorough inquiry
2)
Could
not just “dismiss” the case when someone is being pointed to as having done
something worthy of execution.
c.
He
was constantly Indicted by the Chief Religious Priests
(15:3)
1)
We
will look at all their “evidences” in a moment
2)
Suffice
it to say, their indictment was as follows:
a)
He
implied that the Temple should be destroyed so He could rebuild it in three days
– a destructive, and impossible feat
b)
Blasphemy
– that He claimed to be the Son of God
c)
High
Treason – that he claimed to be the Messiah – King of the Jews, in spite of
the Romans being in charge!
d.
He
showed Incredible Restraint (15:4,5)
1)
How
would YOU react to false accusations that might end in you being killed?
2)
Jesus
ALLOWED these men to rant and rave – shows His greatness folks – GOD GIVE US
MEN WHO FOLLOW JESUS
a)
Christians
talk way too much – tends to griping/complaining
b)
This
world needs to see us temperate – retrained from anger
2.
The
Quantity of Barabbas’ Sins
(Mark 15:6-14)
a.
Barnabas
is Pilate’s Answer to His Dilemma (15:6). Barnabas was Pilate’s easy way out
1)
A
yearly custom at the Passover by the Roman governor
2)
The
release and pardoning of a harmless political prisoner
3)
Make
the choice fixed so that people would have to choose Jesus
4)
Forget
the chief priests. Let the people
decide.
b.
Barabbas’
Abundant List of Sins (15:7)
1)
His
very name means bar (son of) abba (daddy) “a son
of his father” as in “he is just like his father, and his father’s father,
and so on” (See Romans 3:10)
2)
A
leader of a deadly rebellion against the government
3)
Caused
many to follow him
4)
Committed
murder during the insurrection
5)
Obviously
Barabbas is a danger to society
6)
Obviously
therefore he is the worst possible candidate for pardoning by anybody.
c.
The
People’s Attitude Toward Justice (15:8-14)
1)
The
people remind Pilate of his usual custom as he appears
2)
Pilate
makes one last chance effort to save Jesus
3)
These
same people were moved by their religious leaders against the one who had only
loved and helped them.
4)
The
people ask for Barabbas! Why? With all that Jesus did, and taught:
a)
People
trust their priests more than Jesus
b)
People
do not know the Scriptures that are active even today
c)
People
have been burned so many times, that it is always easier to believe that someone
is really NOT who they claim to be, than to give them the benefit of the doubt!
5)
Pilate
now has an innocent man on his hands. He asks what to do with him. And they
cried out, Crucify him! Not just scourge him
3.
The
Qualifications of Barabbas’ Release (Mark 15:15). What clinched it for Pilate
to decide to crucify a thoroughly innocent man?
a.
Fear
- Fear of another riot and challenge to his authority. In other words, he wanted
PEACE at any cost!
b.
Incompetence
– unable to make right decisions under pressure – EX: of giving a car
to a person – must be competent under pressure!
c.
Beauty
- Someone better than Barabbas was taking his place! Someone HAD to take the
place of Barabbas – someone had to die that day on that middle cross, and the
best man stood quietly right in front of a raging crowd!
C.
Let’s
Investigate
1.
By
Developing Some Principles
a.
Biblical
concepts of:
1)
Imputation
(Romans 4:21-24) – the transfer of God’s righteousness to a sinner’s
account, on behalf of Jesus
2)
Justification
(Romans 4:25) – doesn’t “just happen” – God’s conditions of
righteousness have to be met – Jesus meets them!
3)
Substitution
(1 Peter 3:18) – Somebody took the sinner’s place!
4)
All
part of a process called, Salvation
b.
Barabbas
is the greatest picture of the justification/ imputation/ salvation of a sinner
1)
We are
sinners, therefore duly condemned (John 3:18-21)
2)
Sin
must be paid for by somebody (Romans 6:23)
3)
When
the sin has been paid in full, the sinner can go free – and so, Barabbas walks
away a FREE man, completely PARDONED, and JUSTIFIED! Walks, while Jesus dies!
c.
Jesus
is the only substitute acceptable to God in our place.
1)
Jesus
was turned over to the prison guards who had just lost Barabbas.
Everything was set for Barabbas’ crucifixion, but now, Barabbas was
gone. Jesus had now been put in his
place, and was put into the process that led to death by crucifixion.
2)
How
should a sinner die? Just ask a sinner! Does anybody want to know what we ALL
deserve? Listen to the cross!
The prisoner was stripped of His clothing and
His hands tied to a post above His head. The Roman legionnaire stepped forward
with a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small
balls of lead attached near the ends of each. The heavy whip was brought down
with full force again and again across Jesus’ shoulders, back, and legs. At
first the weighted thongs cut through the skin only. Then, as the blows
continued, they cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an
oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin and finally spurting
arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles. Finally, the skin of
the back was hanging in long ribbons, and the entire area was an unrecognizable
mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it was determined by the centurion in charge
that the prisoner was near death, the beating was finally stopped.
The half-fainting Jesus was then untied and
allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with his own blood. The Roman
soldiers saw a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be a king. They
threw a robe across His shoulders and placed a stick in His hand for a scepter.
They still needed a crown to make their travesty complete. Small flexible
branches covered with long thorns, commonly used for kindling fires were plaited
into the shape of a crude crown. The crown was pressed into his scalp and again
there was copious bleeding as the thorns pierced the tender vascular tissue.
After mocking Him and striking Him across the face, the soldiers took the stick
from His hand and struck Him across the head, driving the thorns ever deeper
into His scalp.
Finally, they tired of their sadistic sport and
tore the robe from His back. The
robe had already become adherent to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds,
and its removal, just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage, caused
excruciating pain. The wounds again began to bleed. Jesus was handed his clothes
again, and put on His own robe.
The heavy beam of the cross was tied across His
shoulders. The procession of the condemned Jesus, two thieves, and company of
Roman soldiers headed by a centurion began its slow journey along the route
which we know today as the Via Dolorosa (the way to the cross).
For 650 yards Jesus journeyed from the Fortress
Antonia to Golgotha. The prisoner was again stripped of His clothing except for
a loin cloth which was allowed the Jews.
And then, the crucifixion began. Jesus was
offered wine mixed with myrrh, a mild pain-relieving mixture. He refused the
drink. Jesus was quickly thrown backward, with His raw shoulders against the
wood. A Roman legionnaire grabbed the wrist of Jesus and felt for the depression
at the front of the wrist. He drove a heavy, square, 5 inch wrought-iron nail
through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly, he moved to the other side
and repeated the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to
allow some flexion and movement. The title “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the
Jews” was nailed into place just above Jesus.
The left foot was pressed backward against the
right foot. With both feet extended, toes down, a nail was driven through the
arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed. It is at this point, that the
entire structure was raised at an angle into a square whole almost 2 feet deep,
when the victim, on his cross was dropped. The victim was now crucified.
As Jesus sagged down, the weight on the nails in
the wrists was excruciating. Fiery pain shot along the fingers and up the arms
to explode in the brain. In order to pushed himself upward to avoid this
stretching torment in His wrists, He placed His full weight on the nail through
His feet. Again there was searing agony as the nail tore through the nerves
between the bones of this feet.
At this point, another phenomenon occurred. As
the arms fatigued, great waves of cramps swept over the muscles, knotting them
in deep relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps came the inability to push
Himself upward. Hanging by the
arms, the pectoral muscles, the large muscles of the chest, were paralyzed and
the small muscles between the ribs, were unable to act. Air could be drawn into
the lungs, but could not be exhaled. Jesus fought to raise Himself in order to
get even one short breath. Finally, the carbon dioxide level increased in the
lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subsided.
This would continue for hours, and sometimes
DAYS! But in Jesus’ case, He stayed on the cross until EVERY sin was paid for.
And then He shouted IT IS FINISHED!
2.
Now.
We all need to Decide Who Was More Important to God: His Son Jesus, or some
filthy, rebel named Barabbas? I’ll give you ONE GUESS
D.
An
Invitation (1Pet
2:21-24)
1.
Do you
know what a Christian is? A “Barabbas” who has been MADE FREE! Lots of
people are “set” free, but not free indeed!
2.
A
person who does not accept Jesus as their substitute, must pay for their sin
alone! And for all eternity! Only Jesus could get back up! EX: AC/DC
3.
What
Jesus says is “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed” (John 8:36). When He says free, He means FREE!!!
4.
Our
responsibility, our deepest need is to accept Christ as our substitute, and
allow Him to save you and make you really FREE (Romans 10:13)!
5.
Once
free, we are not free to sin again – NO – but rather free to follow this
risen Saviour in right living!
III.
Conclusion
A.
Don’t
wait another day. Allow Jesus to be YOUR Saviour!
B.
We
don’t know what happened to Barabbas, but we know this, you have the very same
chance to be saved as he did. What are you going to do with Jesus?
1.
Walk
away from it?
2.
Or,
Fall at the feet of He who hung on YOUR cross so lovingly?!
C.
I
came, on June 15th, 1980
D.
Why
don’t you make today, YOUR DAY for salvation!