Parallel Texts: Matthew 27:11-30; Luke 23:2-25; John 18:28-19:16
As usual, Mark is pithy, and a more complete version is available in the other accounts. The main thing that Mark conveys about this whole situation of Jesus before Pilate might just be the quality of the decision made by Pilate. In the other accounts, particularly in John’s, we can easily see that Pilate struggled with this issue, that he really didn’t want to have Jesus executed. While Mark certainly doesn’t dispute this, his brief account, his ‘just the facts’ version renders a clear picture of the bottom line: Pilate in the end, was concerned with his political best interests, and that meant sending a man he knew to be innocent to a terrible death.
There is an old word that describes the actions of Jesus’ accusers and judges, both Jewish and Gentile, that applies perfectly to this story, even though nobody uses it any more, that word is perfidy. Perfidy means treachery, untrustworthy and duplicitous, and that is exactly what has gone on here. The Pharisees, teachers of the law, high priest… and the Roman governor, all of them are guilty of perfidy. The question is why, and the soldiers give us the answer in their mocking of Jesus.
Read carefully verses 16-20.
At first glance, you might see a bored group of men in a very undesirable foreign post having a bit of rather sick and twisted sport with a condemned man. This man in their custody has obviously done something pretty bad; how often do the Jews and the Romans agree on anything? So here he is condemned to die… why not mess with him, he’s not a Roman, so they can do pretty much whatever they want as long as he doesn’t die just yet.
So, they mock him; “king of the Jews,” eh? Let’s have some fun…
They make him a crown of thorns and jam it on his head; that’s pretty funny. They find a purple robe, so they dress him up like a king with his new crown and beat him some more. Jesus must have made a hilarious sight for them, beaten, flogged, blood all over, blood running down his face dressed like some king!
King of the Jews! Hilarious! They had no use for the Jews, they hated even being there, they wanted a posting somewhere civilized… they kneel before their “king” and have another laugh…
An officer tells them to quit fooling around and march the prisoner off to his execution… they hated this part.
That’s what you might see if you don’t read these verses with a more discerning eye, but look again.
This is done to Jesus every day, sometimes we even join in cursing His name, participating in jokes with others. The comments made by those who are ignorant of who and what Jesus is, the insults against His followers, the jabs at His word, the little cartoons and pictures with clever slogans on them that you can see most days in social media that denigrate and demean Jesus. The people who do these things today are just as ignorant as those Roman soldiers were, and they are doing exactly the same kind of thing, for all of them are acting in open and gross rebellion against Almighty God whether they comprehend it or not, just as the accusers and judges of Jesus were.
Solomon wrote that there is nothing new under the sun. He was right then, and nothing has changed now.
There has been perfidy on a grand scale; politics has won out over righteousness. There has been beating and torture, there has been open mocking of God, and Jesus is led to His death. I’m sure the Sanhedrin was feeling relieved; in a short time this threat will be silenced once and for all and they can enjoy the holiday…
Parallel Texts: Matthew 27:31-44; Luke 23:26-43; John 19:17-27
All those sleepless nights, the opportunities missed, the embarrassments in public, the plots, the cabals, the treachery… all of it had come to fruition for the loving and righteous men of Israel, for today, at this time, at this hour… RIGHT NOW! Jesus of Nazareth is being executed! Finally they had gotten what they wanted…
Mark’s account of the crucifixion is of course brief. Yet, even in his pithiness, Mark includes one little detail that should jolt us out of the haze we might feel at reading a text that is so familiar to us. ‘Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!”’ (vv. 29-30)
Such impatience! Jesus was destroying the temple by being on the cross, if you want to see it raised again, you need to wait a couple of days! Of course, they were clueless about these things.
Even the other two being crucified hurl insults at Him, and of course the Jewish leaders have some choice comments to make, showing just how classy they really are. The powers and authorities of this world were having a field-day, thoroughly enjoying their triumph over God.
Then, something wonderful happens…
Parallel Texts: Matthew 27:45-56; Luke 23:44-49; John 19:28-30
Jesus suddenly cries out, quoting Psalm 22:1, people get excited, maybe Elijah will come… wouldn’t that be something to see? Elijah does not come, and shortly thereafter Jesus dies.
Had God forsaken Him at that moment? Theologians argue about that, but I think that He did, for Jesus had become sin on that cross. No, Jesus didn’t commit sin, but He became sin for us. Isn’t it something… Jesus had become the sin of those who had placed Him on that cross, and for their very insults they were hurling at that moment.
Then Jesus died.
The curtain in the temple was torn in two; the Old Covenant had seen its final sacrifice and passed into history as the temple of Jesus’ body died; history itself had reached its climax.
Matthew tells us about an earthquake and clouds that darkened the sun, things that usually signify God’s judgment. A Roman centurion has a surprising remark, and the opponents of Jesus head for their homes feeling… what? Relief probably. Sorrow was the dominant emotion of those women who remained there, His last followers. They would see to the arraignments.
The story, however, had only just begun.
Life Project Blog 