Thoughts on Mark 15:1-19...
The account of that Friday morning's events, as given by Mark, is brief, since he omits many incidents that don't bear upon the Passion. His account's characterized by vividness and action.
In the morning, the Sanhedrin had a meeting in the Polished Stone's Hall to ratify a death sentence. The total number of the Sanhedrin's groups is stated to have comprised the chief council.
There was need of their meeting for consultation; for they lacked the right to execute the death sentence. Only the Roman governor had the power over life and death, and before him they couldn't urge the fact that Jesus claimed to be God's Son.
They agreed upon a course of action, and then they delivered Jesus to Pilate, who came up to the feast to prevent disturbances that might arise at such a people's concourse.
Pilate's question of Jesus indicated in what form the Jewish authorities' accusation against him had come before him.
The enemies construed his confession concerning his Messiahship to give it political significance. They implied that Jesus was a rebel against Rome.
That was the meaning of Pilate's question. He thought that he here had a Messianic disturbance case.
Jesus' explanation showed Pilate that the accusation had nothing to do with political affairs and dangers to the government.
The chief priests kept bringing other accusations, their idea being to cause Pilate's assent to their wishes without examining the evidence.
Jesus observed a silence. It was obvious to everyone that these were trumped-up charges, without a foundation.
Jesus knew that Pilate both felt the accusers' weakness and believed Jesus to be innocent.
What a scene. The mob before the Praetorium is reenforced by Jewish councilors' friends. Pilate appears on the platform before them, then disappears, trying to find a way out of the difficulty. The high priests and the Sanhedrin circulate through the mob.
Pilate had introduced the custom of setting free on this feast the prisoner whose release the people desired. The people expected this boon; and both he and they thought of this fact.
Pilate thought that he could save the situation by giving the people the choice between Jesus and Barabbas. For the latter was a murderer. He'd been caught with his accomplices and was now awaiting his punishment, bound in jail.
Hardly had Pilate decided how to manage the affair, when the people began to demand that he grant them that which he'd always given them. Their request was accompanied by the rabble's bellowing. They felt that they had the situation in their hands.
Pilate's proposal confirmed them in their belief, "Is it your wish, shall I release to you the Jews' King?" His choice of names for Christ was a challenge and an insult to the Sanhedrin's members.
This scheme of playing off the people with their champion against the priests might have been successful.
The priests had been successful in exciting the people. There was no longer any resemblance to an orderly trial with cool leads on both sides.
The people were convinced that they preferred to have Barabbas released to them.
Pilate then asked, "Then what do you want me to do with him you call the Jews' King?" The title's repetition was again foolish on Pilate's part. The people yelled "Crucify him!"
Pilate's protest as to any guilt on his part went largely unheard. For with rage the cry rolled out through the streets over the city, "Crucify him!"
The time for sense had passed. The crowd wanted blood, and Pilate knew that the situation was beyond him, for this cry showed him that it was too late for justice.
Pilate was willing to content the people. It was a travesty upon justice. He released to them Barabbas, a sarcasm.
One more murderer more or less in a murderer's nation would make little difference; let the innocent be confined in prison and be adjudged guilty of death, while the murderers enjoy the highest positions!
Jesus, after being scourged, was delivered to be crucified according to the Roman method of dealing with criminals found guilty of death.
The scourging may also be though of as the first part of the crucifixion's agony. It was an introduction to the tortures of the mockery which the soldiers' cruelty invented and which the cross' anguish crowned.
The soldiers led him into the Praetorium. Here they gathered the entire band. Here was a chance for sport. They put purple upon him and placed a thorn's crown about his head.
And then the mockery began. They began to hail him as the Jews' King; for this title they found funny: a king for this people that was hated by the Romans. They now hit him on the head, spat upon him as upon a creature and fell upon their knees in mock worship.
Such was Jesus' experience, for his Passion stands out in the account. He gave his back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. He didn't hide his face from shame.