CROWD CONTROL
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Opening Prayer
Father, open your Word to me with a freshness I cannot ignore—and give me courage to apply it to my life in ways that others will see you in me.
Read MARK 15:1–20
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Jesus Before Pilate
15 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”
5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.
13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.
14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What is the best way for you as a Christian to have your voice heard in light of the political polarization in our nation and world?
For some, it had been a sleepless night. For Pilate it meant an early summons to address a threat to public order. In turbulent Palestine the risk of riot was always just below the surface. The key to peaceful rule was to appeal to the crowd’s immediate interests. The offer to release a terrorist leader, or even Jesus (v. 9), would be a small price to pay. The Sanhedrin also knew that the crowd held the power in this political game. Their cunning plan (v. 1), fueled by spurious allegations, was to whip the crowd into a frenzy (v. 11), forcing Pilate, against his better judgment (vv. 9–10, 14–15), to hand Jesus over to the soldiers for crucifixion.
The chemistry of this crowd is a complex social enigma. Were these the same ones who had welcomed Jesus into the capital, recognizing him as the Messiah? Or had that crowd fearfully melted into the shadows? Did the Sanhedrin ignite a different group into this orgy of hatred, fired by latent nationalistic undercurrents? Was the riot that the Sanhedrin feared1 actually their most potent weapon? Could Pilate, the symbol of Roman occupation, be overcome by people power? One thing is certain. In all this, God’s divine purposes are being fulfilled. It may not appear so, but he was in control.
I find the violence of verses 16–20 unbearable. For anyone to be flogged, beaten, spat upon, and subjected to vicious mockery is beyond my comprehension. It must have been a place of intense loneliness. Yet Jesus, God himself, knowingly followed this route. For me. For you. Don’t shrink from this reality. This is part of what it cost for our salvation.
Apply
Draw together every image of mindless violence you’ve witnessed, both fictional and in real life. See Jesus as the victim. Let it penetrate and reduce you to tears.
Closing prayer
Jesus, really, there in nothing I can remember or imagine that can compare with what you suffered in my place. Help me to respond to your great love for me in ways that bring you glory.
1 Mark 14:2
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