As I work through The Gospel of Mark and now come to Mark 15, I am reminded of Mark’s opening words in Mark 1:1 -“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,”- “Gospel” meaning, “Good News” and a good exercise to do if you wish is to place that statement at the top of each chapter and Look for the “GOOD NEWS” about Jesus as you read!
Below are some thoughts I have scribbled down which I hope will encourage you …
The chief priests would rather have a murderer released and have a man murdered -Jesus – so great was their desire to remain in power over the people and reserve their position in society. Their hatred for Jesus had blinded them to all the good He had done, the miracles that testified He was the Son of God and the “good news” of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for all people was bad news for them as it threatened their way of life. Their Sin had blinded them to their own spiritual condition and so their opposition to Jesus was one of resolute hatred to the point of desiring and craving His extinction- murder! They had dug in their heels. Set out their stall. Whatever it took to get rid of Him and roped in the political system of the day Pilate himself, not someone under his authority of lesser importance, statue, power but the most powerful man in their vicinity and pressured him to give them what they desired most- the quieting of the One who went about doing good, whose life testified He was the promised Messiah, but they were indifferent, callous, consumed with their own self-importance and the preservation of their position before the people! Jesus threatened their livelihood and standing in society through exposing their hypocrisy, evil ways and distortion of God’s Word. Instead of feeding God’s flock some were fleecing them among through taking from the widows, and so they desired the murder of Jesus!
It was early in the morning when they came. No laying in bed for them. Their business was too important for delay and so “…immediately in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus. led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate,..” -{Mark 15:1}
They had joined together for the purpose to see the murder of Jesus. And brought Him early in the morning when Legal trials of the working day of the Roman official began. It was customary for legal trials to be held shortly after sunrise. And the religious people were there with the“pain of their life, the thorn in their side, the disruptor, Trouble Maker”– Jesus!
WHY DID THEY TAKE JESUS TO PILATE?
The Jewish leaders took Jesus to Pilate because they did not have the legal right to execute their own criminals. They wanted to do things by “the book,” heaven forbid they would not keep the law of the land.
Though they had no problem breaking the Law of Heaven!
Surely, Pilate, ultimately on the recommendation of the corrupt religious leaders would end things and life could go back to the way things were before this Trouble-Maker came into their lives and upset their “gig” that they had which was unchallenged for so long that they loved as it promoted them and not God. In reality identity with Him was a means for their end, their benefit, prestige, promotion, their gain, even financial, but they burdened the people rather than blessing them, through weighing them down with man-made burdens of corrupt man-made rules and regulations, the perversion of Scriptures as their origin and “authority” for the claims they held over the people to submit to them ultimately rather than lifting the load of the people by pointing them to God their Maker and One who loved them and who not only in times past that history pointed out His great deliverance through the Red Sea and the Passover when the LORD had instructed His people to put blood on the doors of their homes and when He saw the blood would pass over and spare the people from death.
And now it was “PASSOVER” SEASON and thousands upon thousands had gathered in Jerusalem and the overcrowding in the city spilled into the countryside for people to stay.
The keeping of Passover was kept by the children of Israel in Egypt and kept the first Passover which is explained in Exodus 12:21-30, and in verses 31-32 the king released the Israelite slaves. The LORD told the Israelites to “observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever.”-{Exodus 12:24}
They multitudes in Jesus day came to celebrate the Passover and God had provided the FINAL, ALL- SUFFICIENT Lamb of God in their midst,- Jesus the Righteous, the sinless Lamb of God without sin, blemish and His shed blood to not only satisfy the wrath of God as Sin-Bearer and Substitute and as a result to extend forgiveness of all their sins but Passover their eternal death. But the religious were blind and were calling down judgement not only on themselves by murdering innocent blood upon their hands but inciting the crowd to do likewise.
Oh the terrors of all our sin that we would often and openly defy and deny our LORD Jesus by choosing sin over Him to have our own way. Willfully sinning not from ignorance but out of love for our own way …
Herod knew what the religious were doing and by his own admission knew that Jesus was innocent of the trumped up charges but desiring to be a man pleaser offered them a choice. He could easily have declared Jesus innocent and that would have ended the case. But he offered them a choice …Barrabas a known instigator. murderer or this innocent Man- Jesus the Christ?
They chose to have Barrabas set free… so hostile, resenful, was their deep hatred for Jesus. They would not have this Man rule over them!
Hatred blinds the senses and so irrational the choice’s that even Jesus is rejected – to try get Him out of one’s life!
People still reject Him today choosing “Barabbas” of different types. Substituting Jesus for anything and anyone other than Him, rule over them through His rightful claims on their lives as their Creator. And associating with countless numbers of other people to have affirmed their decision of rejecting Him, as the right one!
But as surely as He would at a later date rise from the dead just as He said, just as surely as He will return again and those who have rejected Him will be confronted with the reality of Him who came to do good for them eternally they also will all stand before Him and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess including not only the Pharisees, scribes, Sanhedrin, Pilate, the crowds who joined in calling for His murder, the soldiers who mocked and slapped Him etc. that Jesus Christ is LORD to the glory of God the Father-{Read Philippians 2:9-11} and… so will countless, multitudes down through the generations, people from every society, continent, walk and class of society, gender, and it is only the grace of God that we who have bowed to the LORD Jesu Christ having repented and believed the Gospel will escape the wrath to come!
We will escape God’s judgment as He passes over us who are as it were under the Blood of our LORD Jesus our Passover Lamb, before the world begin to satisfy the righteousness, holiness of God which had been violated because of sin, their sin, my sin, your sin, for “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God!” None are without sin. “BUT GOD…” through the Blood of our LORD Jesus Christ as it were, has caused us to be safe from the wrath of God because this Jesus who was crucified was crucified in our place to bear our sin so we may not die in our sin but be clothed in the righteousness of Christ our Passover Lamb! To us He who once was a Trouble Maker to us … through His Word, Our conscience to know right from wrong and His conviction of sin to our minds where we could not escape “BUT GOD…” in mercy while we were dead in our trespasses and sin made us ALIVE to God, for by grace we are saved through faith and that is not of ourselves but through the gift of God, so no one should boast-{Read Ephesians 2:8-9}.
He who once was our TROUBLEMAKER became our PEACEMAKER between us and God ” Therefore having been justified by faith we have PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH our LORD Jesus Christ!”-{Romans 5:1} GLORY!!!!
JESUS WAS NOT THE PROBLEM, HE WAS THE PEACMAKER;
The religious and government saw him as the troublemaker– He was the “Problem,” when in reality He was the “Peacemaker” between them and the God they had studied, His writings, His Word they had preserved but whom they did not know nor recognize the fulfilment of the Scriptures they had that testified to Jesus as the Messiah, who came to save them from the penalty, power, guilt of their sin against God!
Jesus was not the problem but their Peacemaker– He was the Passover Lamb whom John the Baptist testified to who would take away the sins of the world, He was the Lamb- sinless Lamb whom Peter would later testify to. Jesus was the Lamb whom John in Revelation testified to, who was slin before the foundation of the world and worthy to be worshipped,
“Behold the Lamb of GOD WHO TAKES AWAY the Sins of the world”- God’s provision for mankind’s sin. The Peace-Maker between sinful people and sinless God, and Jesus as the sinless sacrifice to make PEACE WITH GOD!
Jesus was only a troublemaker to those who opposed God! He is always viewed in that light to those who oppose Him! For His exclusivity in His claim that He alone is “THE Way, The truth, The Life and NO ONE COMES to the Father EXCEPT THROUGH HIM,” is troubling to people then and now. And for that reason, people are still troubled today by Jesus and oppose Him and those who hold to that truth in His Word!
In Mark 15 and prior chapters it is easyto see the rage, resenment of the Pharisees, Scribes, council and wag our self righteous finger.
HAUGHTY OR HUMBLE SPIRIT;
Our salvation is not meant to produce a haughty spirit in us where welook down on others but to Produce Humilty in us where we pray for others to God on their behalf, Love them and share His truth to them and that He may grant repentance leading to Himself!
The rage and devotion to the destruction ,death of Jesus is their goal in order to preserve their standing in society and standard of living.
RESTRAINED, RETRAINED;
We are prone to seek our own way rather than His way at times and only by His grace that we are not only RESTRAINED by His Spirit and Word from living a life of sin as our lifestyle, but we are RETRAINED by the RENEWING of our minds through His Spirit using His Word, as evidence of the new birth, to choose to do what is right and pleasing to Him.
- It’s not perfection but a new direction that He is so constantly bringing about. It’s not a sinless life but a new power to live life progressively being changed being conformed to the image of Christ which is a life long work by the Spirit of God through the Word of God!
- We are not perfect in our performance but perfect in our standing because of the Performance of the LORD Jesus Christ –{Read Romans 12:2; Phil 4:13 nlt}
Is Jesus a TROUBLEMAKER or A PECEMAKER to you?
ASSIGNMENT;
Mark 1:1 begins with the Gosoel- good news about Jesus Christ…”
As you read Mark 15. Write down what good news about Jesus Mark 15 reveals about Him!
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CONTEMPLATE JESUS our PEACEMAKER , OUR PASSOVER!
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CELEBRATE JESUS our PEACEMAKER , OUR PASSOVER!
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SHARE about JESUS our PEACEMAKER , OUR PASSOVER!
Hope these thoughts will encourage you to praise Him, enjoy Him and Share Him
God bless, and thanks for the encouragment.d bless, and thanks for the encouragment.
Aidan..