Jesus is Brought Before Pontius Pilate
September 1, 2020
Commentary
The night meeting of the Sanhedrin had been illegal, so as soon as morning came they all got together again to make it legal. From here they bound Jesus and led Him to Pontius Pilate who was then governor of Judea (v. 1). In (Luke 23:1-2) it tells us that their charge became threefold:
They charged Him with perverting the people.They charged Him with saying they should not pay tribute to Caesar.They charged Him with claiming to be a king in competition with Julius Caesar.It is interesting to note that the charge the religious leaders had made to the Jews was blasphemy, but this is not the charge they bring before Pilate. They were smart enough to know that Pilate would not have anything to do with what he considered a religious argument. Instead, they now bring a political charge in which they accuse Jesus of setting Himself up as king in opposition to Caesar. Pilate asked Jesus, “Art thou the king of the Jews” (v. 2). His reply was, “It is you that say that, not I.” It seems that what He really meant was, “I may have claimed to be “King of the Jews,” but you know very well that I was not trying to take over as a political ruler.
The chief priests continue to accuse Him of many things (v. 3) but Jesus didn’t attempt to answer them which is a fulfillment of (Isa. 53:7) “As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” The Jews so bumbled the case that Jesus could have been set free by just a word or two in appropriate places, yet He refused to speak (vv. 4-5). He was in total control in this situation.
Application
Have you ever heard the phrase “Silence is golden?” There is a time when it is better to remain silent than to speak because silence will say things that words could not express. Ask - Can I think of some situations in my life when it would have been better to have remained silent than to have spoken? I always need to remember that angry words only stir up strife.<
Mark 15:1– 5 (NET)
1 Early in the morning, after forming a plan, the chief priests with the elders and the experts in the law and the whole Sanhedrin tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. 2 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He replied, “You say so.” 3 Then the chief priests began to accuse him repeatedly. 4 So Pilate asked him again, “Have you nothing to say? See how many charges they are bringing against you!” 5 But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.
Illustration: Spurgeon Lady With 13 Children Felt Called to The Ministry
Spurgeon had a lady come to him saying that she felt called to the ministry. Hr asked about her family and when he heard she had 13 children he exclaimed, “Well, praise God, not only has he called you to the ministry but he’s given you a congregation as well!” (Source Unknown)