Focus:
kjv@Revelation:14:12 @ Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
(
FaithOfJesus thread begun by r
RandyP )
Today's Verse:
kjv@Mark:15:1-15
kjv@Mark:15:1 @ And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.
kjv@Mark:15:2 @ And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.
kjv@Mark:15:3 @ And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.
kjv@Mark:15:4 @ And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.
kjv@Mark:15:5 @ But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.
kjv@Mark:15:6 @ Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.
kjv@Mark:15:7 @ And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.
kjv@Mark:15:8 @ And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.
kjv@Mark:15:9 @ But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
kjv@Mark:15:10 @ For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.
kjv@Mark:15:11 @ But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.
kjv@Mark:15:12 @ And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?
kjv@Mark:15:13 @ And they cried out again, Crucify him.
kjv@Mark:15:14 @ Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.
kjv@Mark:15:15 @ And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
Today's notes:
Context:
- Before - cock crew
- After - hall called Praetorium
Key Concepts:
What is God's righteousness observed doing?:
- Having Jesus to remain silent in defense of Himself
What does this tell us about God's righteousness?:
- It is man that must defend himself to God and not opposite. On human terms these actions are being performed against an innocent man; unjust and illegal. On spiritual terms these actions are being performed against the Son whom God had sent to be a sacrifice; their actions only prove HIS case. Guilt is extended further in that the prophecies had told them exactly what was going to happen so that they had the choice to not be part, yet they still chose to do exactly that.
- If it were not that Jesus was going to be resurrected, the urgency may have been to speak out here, not in defense per se, but in harsh conviction. Having then been resurrected adds an impossible to counter weight to the balances of eternal justice. Man is what God has long said that he was proved by the schemes and actions intended against Him, just as Jesus is whom He has long said He would be and is and forever will be. Man is not the cause of Jesus dying, He is the reason Jesus is willing to give Himself to death to redeem. Sin is the cause of His death. His death means to suffer all the righteous wrath of God against sin they themselves would have faced without His sacrifice.
- Recall it being said that all have sinned? What is the sin of those who are just this morning becoming aware that this is quickly and overwhelmingly going down? What is the sin of us that are merely reading along in chapter sequence far removed? For that we have to ask God what HE is trying to show us in this display of HIS providence. Jesus is all but alone. Where are we? Where are His many so called supporters? Why has what is so right become so explainable and foreign and threatening and convicting, even offensive? Why is it our incling to reject it and minimize it's importance? Why now is there none to stand alongside with Him? It is because there is none that can stand with Him, no equal nor ally, we are all sinners and know it. There it has been proven! Sin is not just what we do to each other, it is what/where we are without proper connection to Him; it is literally us without Christ. Do you want to become sinless? Then stand alongside with Jesus. The problem is that we cannot stand along with Jesus until He has died to take our sin from us, raised to be the first born of the new life, ascended to become the rightful ruler. Then we can surrender our sins over to him, we can desert our former selves to take on His battle as He would have us take it on, stand along with Him and the armies of His Kingdom in perfect order.
How is man reacting?:
- Remember that the chief priests had been plan something along these lines for several chapters (almost from the beginning) and had worked diligently to turn public perception against Jesus. If by their plan nothing would have happened until after the feast. For all of their planning however, the actual opportunity to capture Jesus did not come until Judas suddenly and in the early evening afforded it to them. In effect it is Judas' plan. Now they are improvising to get the sentence passed before Jesus' supporters can even wake and gather the next morning. Should they gather in protest the city would explode. Having the sentence already in hand would mean that the power of the Temple, Herod and of Rome are behind them and that they are only hours away from the revised plan's successful and complete execution. How did it all fall into their hand's so easily? Answer? It is not in their hands and it is them instead that has fallen so easily.
Notes:
The night time "trials" plural of the counsel by Jewish law and tradition are completely illegal. The gathering that morning after dawn was to hide what had already occurred and give the public illusion of broad counsel and unanimous ratification (yet we know certain favorable elders were either not present or not allowed to speak). Other gospel accounts have an inquiry before Annas, a trial before Caiaphas, at their request an exchange between the Pilate to Herod and back resulting in this final sentencing by Pilate.
Key Messages:
What does this say about our present condition?
- See where a little envy and self righteous indignation will get you? Doing things you would have never once pictured yourself doing, things that you carefully have to cover your footsteps on. See where a lot of envy and indignation will get you? Doing things no one else can believe that you are doing, but for utter shock and embarrassment of the situation you've put them in lack the resolve to stand in your way. And for what? What is the basis of your envy? What is the basis for your indignation? How did that basis swell up into all of this little men? You sought to keep a tight grip on all things only to find out that not a single thing was ever really in your hands; no it cannot be in our hands if God's hand is sovereign. Perhaps you thought that you were God's hands? Well God's hand evidently can speak well enough on IT'S own.
- Masses respond to swift and deliberate displays of force. Even when force becomes immoral or intensely oppressive or murderous; it's all the better. We might ask why didn't word get out? why didn't supporters stand firm or take the offensive? For this time at least what was right simply did not come to together as is often the case (right judged by truthful men). That doesn't mean that later it did not develop. Think of it like this, this not only the beginning of the risen Christ it is the the beginning of the end for Jewish Jerusalem and the Temple. What people will say and come to find out about these select men and these occurrences will help fester the wounds and become the cavernous fractures in the fabric of their society driving Rome to an unimaginable aggression of it's own, the complete dispersion and utter physical destruction of the tiny nation 70AD.
Further Resources:
Comment Board:Mark:15:1-15
index:FAITHOFJESUSDEVOTION - Devotional Index
strkjv@Mark:15:1-15 rwp@Mark:15:1-15 mhcc@Mark:15:1-15
FaithOfJesus2 - Devotion Index
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