Class Notes: 5/27/2015

Mark 15:11-15; Jesus before Pilate part 3

In our study of Mark we are in Mark 15:11; where last time we took a side trip to John 18:38 and 1John 1:6; to examine Pilate's question "What is truth."

We saw that one's ability to discern the lie depends upon the availability of truth that is an absolute standard to compare it with. That absolute standard is God's Word that is comprised of the thinking of God, the ultimate judge.

When we learn God's Word we acquire God's thoughts (1Cor 2:16b) that are truth (John 17:17;) so we are not only able to recognize the lie but to also avoid falling for the propaganda of satan and his "angels of light" and be deceived.

Pilate's problem was that as an unbelieving politician he only had the relative standards of an unbeliever and his standards were always changing based on the way the political wind was blowing at the time just like almost every politician.

In the arrogance of his ignorance, Pilate was actually looking right at absolute Truth when he asked the question. "what is truth" but he didn't have any capacity to recognize truth because he was so deceived by satan's lie.

This is the same situation that we face in this world today. People who once had the truth have rejected it and as a result have become so deceived by the lie that they can no longer recognize truth when they see it. Rom 1:21-22;

They are so deceived by the lie that they now believe that the truth is a lie just like the Jews did when they "convicted" Jesus who is God of blasphemy and condemned Him to death. Mark 14:64;

We see from Pilate's short dialogue with Jesus that Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent and that the Jewish mob bosses were railroading Him because of their envy but in the final analysis Pilate is unwilling to challenge the mob because it is not politically expedient for him to have a riot.

John 19:10; Pilate continues to press Jesus for answers but Jesus refuses to respond because He recognizes Pilate's political weakness.

Pilate then attempts to scare Jesus about the consequences of his silence but Jesus is unshaken because He knows that there is nothing that Pilate can do and that the Divine Decree of God puts Him on the cross.

John 19:11; Jesus response to causes Pilate to almost pee his pants. Believers who understand their place in the Divine Decree have this same power of discernment and can face any situation with perfect tranquility of soul. 2Cor 12:9;

John 19:12; Pilate kept on making efforts to release Him but the Jews kept on screaming out at him, "If you release this Man you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.

We see that the implacable envious chief priests who are the Jewish political leaders are the ones who are inciting the mob to riot. In so doing they have lowered themselves to becoming political mob bosses who are ruling the people by the propaganda, lies and deceit rather than the immutable truth of divine establishment principles.

Principle: The rulers of any people must rule through divine establishment law and never through the irrational emotion of a mob. If they do not God will wage war on them all. James 4:6;

I have noted that the political leaders of our country are doing this same thing by inciting the irrational envious jealous emotional mobs to attack and riot against the rational immutable truth of divine establishment that is the historical basis of established law in the constitution of the USA.

Because of this evil arrogance, God is waging war against our nation and we are moving from the 3rd into the 4th cycle of discipline.

Lev 26:23-26. "If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me, I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over.

And I will bring the sword upon you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands.

When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied."

This is the cycle of civil war. In the ancient world, civil war normally started in the countryside that surrounds the city or town where the rulers of the nation lived.

Without the logistical support from the farms food became scarce. In addition to food shortages, being trapped in close quarters in the cities brought the potential for infectious disease to break out.

The 4th cycle of discipline brings desperate times but the under God's grace the nation still has a chance to respond to God through repentance. 2Chron 7:14;

Pilate falsely assumed that the mob would be rational so he failed to consider the probability that in their irrationality the mob would side with their evil leaders and their lies and deceit rather than for truth and justice.

Mark 15:12-13; Since they have chosen Barabbas Pilate asked " so what then what should I do with Jesus?" and the mob shouted back, "crucify Him," aorist active imperative of "staroo"

This is a sudden reversal of attitude because four days earlier on what has become known as "Palm Sunday" this same crowd had followed Jesus from Bethany and the crowd that came out from Jerusalem to meet Him shouted to Him: "Hosanna, Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord."

Now the same irrational mob shouts: "Crucify Him." Mobs are always fickle; the mob does not have brains, it only has emotion, and you must remember that emotion is just as fickle in individuals as it is in a mob.

Emotion is designed for appreciating the things of life but often the things that are appreciated today are not appreciated tomorrow.

This is true of all mobs. Mobs are always emotional, they are never rational they are always fickle and ultimately irrational and therefore uncontrollable.

Mark 15:14; And Pilate responded, "Why." This is unusual because it is beneath the dignity of a Roman governor to argue with the mob, but Pilate is weak so he does it anyway.

And notice, his question was never answered. A mob is not rational, a mob is emotional and it doesn't need a reason because to them it doesn't matter what is right and wrong, it doesn't matter what is the law, or what is just and what is unjust.

The evil satanic political mob bosses have incited them and they are determined to kill Him; Pilate goes on to ask "what evil has he done? But they shouted out all the more, saying, "Crucify Him." So they shout Pilate down.

Mark 15:15a; The first phrase in this verse tells us the root of Pilate's problem. He would never be able to quiet the mob until he agreed with them or forcibly dispersed them.

Pilate is neutered by the mob because he was unwilling to use his legitimate force to quell the mob just like the political leaders of our country often are today. They appease the mob rather than quelling it.

Pilate is the Roman governor and he has an armed Roman guard at the Praetorium so he is in no personal danger. It truth that is being destroyed.

This was the last opportunity to bring reason to the mob but the only way reason can be brought to a mob is for the mob's evil illegitimate violence to be met with greater righteous legitimate violence.

The Roman guard could have dispersed the mob instantly. But Pilate did not order the mob to be dispersed. He was weak so instead he catered to the mob.

Under Roman law this was illegal but Pilate does not have the strength of character to resist the mob's bullying because he does not want to antagonize the Jewish mob bosses and have the incipient riot turn into a real one.

A normal Roman justice would have said, "This man is innocent and he is now under Caesar's protection and anyone who tries to touch Him will suffer the consequences." In other words, He is under the protection of the Roman army and if you try to touch Him you will be arrested and prosecuted.

The parallel passage in Matt 27:24-25; tells us that Pilate declares Jesus innocent and ceremonially washes his hands of His blood but the mob says "His blood shall be on us and on our children."

History shows us that that was exactly what happened. The phrase "On our children" brings up the principle of culpability. Under God's justice the children are not responsible for their fathers' sins apart from their own personal culpability but if they repeat the parents' sins they become culpable. Deut 24:16;

God will show mercy to the children who obey and trust the Lord, to the thousandth generation. Deut 7:9;

So the fact that the next generation of Jews are going to be dispersed and the Jewish race set aside for thousands of years means they repeated the negative volition and apostasy of their fathers.

The shout that came from the mob that called for Jesus' crucifixion has two fulfillments. Thirty years later the Romans took 3,600 of these same Jewish noblemen to that very same Praetorium.

Another Roman governor stood on the balcony and when the Roman mob came he ordered all 3,600 of them to be hauled out, publicly scourged, and crucified.

Many of the people who stood in the mob calling for Jesus to be crucified that day were themselves crucified under the principle of what goes around comes around. Hosea 8:7;

The final judgment occurs on that very same spot after Titus and his Roman army broke through the walls of Jerusalem in August of 70 AD and moved up to the Praetorium toward the temple they engaged the Jews in battle and the Jews' blood completely covered the cobblestones of that courtyard.

The very people who said, "Crucify Him, His blood be on us and our children." had asked for it and they got it. Under God's system of justice no one gets away with anything, and no mob ever gains even temporary control without resulting in people dying.

The same thing will happen in our country if the community organizer in chief and his minions continue to permit the mobs to drive the nations agenda as they presently do. It will be interesting to see just how God drops the hammer on their negative volition.

Mark 15:15b The Greek word translated "scourge" in the NASB is "pharagelloo" that means to be whipped, scourged or flogged.

A Roman scourging was a brutal beating that could be a separate punishment but it always preceded the execution of a capital sentence on male offenders.

The prisoner was stripped, often tied to a post, and beaten on the back by several guards using short leather whips studded with sharp pieces of bone or metal. No limit was set on the number of blows and it was often fatal. Net note 18

Since Pilate knew Jesus was innocent it is possible that he had Jesus scourged in hopes that the mob would be satisfied with His punishment and ask for His release.

But because of the rabble rousing of the mob bosses they remained irrationally implacable and it failed to satisfy them and they continued to insist that Jesus be crucified.

Of course the real reason that He is going to be crucified was that it was in the Divine Decree. Rev 13:8; KJV His crucifixion was God's will and plan for His life. Gen 50:20; Rom 5:8; John 15:13;

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