Suffered Under Pontius Pilate
Mark 15:1-15
Introduction
This morning we confessed the Apostles’ Creed together as a church. If you’re visiting with us, I’ll let you know we confess the Apostles’ Creed often here at Christ Community Church. We do so because the Apostles’ Creed is the oldest and most venerated of all Christian creeds. Christians in local churches have recited it on Sunday mornings for 2,000 years. The only thing that may be recited more by Christians over the last two millennia would be the Lord’s Prayer, but they would be similar because most Christians throughout church history have recited both the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday together.
The Apostles’ Creed is structured around the Holy Trinity: we confess that we believe in God the Father almighty, we believe in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, and that we believe in the Holy Spirit. There are two people mentioned in the creed. The first is the Virgin Mary. Anyone with common sense would understand why Mary is part of the creed. Mary is the woman chosen by God to give birth to the Christ. The Holy Spirit conception and virgin birth of Jesus Christ is an indispensible element of orthodox Christianity; to deny the virgin birth is to embrace heresy. So we understand why Mary is included in the creed.
The historical figure that is less obvious in the Apostles’ Creed resides in the line: “suffered under Pontius Pilate.” Why did the early Christians find it so important to include Pilate in the creed? In his commentary on the Gospel of Mark, R.C. Sproul asks, “They could have noted that Jesus was ‘betrayed by Judas Iscariot,’ ‘denied by Simon Peter,’ or ‘delivered by the High Priest Caiaphas.’ Why was a third-rate Roman politician enshrined in one of the most important creeds of the church?”[1]
I think there are at least three reasons why we confess that Jesus Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate. The first reason is historical. Pilate is the actual historical man who pronounced the death sentence on Jesus of Nazareth. A second reason is political. Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom of God. When he did so he not only pronounced judgment on the nation Israel but also on all of the other nations. We read in our call to worship from Psalm 2 where the nations rage against the Kingdom of God. Augustine said there are only two cities in which we find our citizenship: the city of man or the city of God. Whether it is Israel, Rome, or the United States of America, every nation stands in contrast to the Kingdom of Christ. The only nation that is God’s nation is the holy nation – the church (1st Pet 2.9).
The third reason is theological and that’s what this sermon is about. We confess that Jesus Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate because this narrative reveals to us who Jesus is and what Jesus did. We don’t need to spend too much time reminding ourselves where we have come from in Mark’s Gospel because we read the entire book this week in our church Scripture reading challenge. But there are two things to keep in mind: (1) last week Pastor Kevin preached on Peter’s denial. This was following the condemnation of Jesus by the Sanhedrin. The reason Jesus is brought to Pontius Pilate is because the Jewish nation wants him executed.
(2) Tim Keller helpfully described the Gospel of Mark using the world-famous train station King’s Cross. Mark 1-8 reveals to us that Jesus is the long-awaited king. He is the King of Israel and the King of the world. The book of Mark turns on Peter’s confession in chapter 8 and then chapters 9-16 are about how the King is going to the cross. Let’s keep these two things in mind as we walk through this pericope on Pontius Pilate.
Who Jesus Christ Is
The first truth we see in this narrative is who Jesus Christ is. We must, once again, take note of Mark’s vocabulary choices. Verse 1 begins and as soon as it was morning. The Greek text literally reads, “immediately early in the morning.” Mark uses the word εὐθὺς as he has throughout his book. Mark’s Gospel has been running furiously toward Good Friday and Easter Sunday and here we finally find ourselves early in the morning of Good Friday.
On this very first Good Friday Jesus of Nazareth stood trial before Pontius Pilate. Pilate questioned Jesus and Mark only tells us one answer Jesus gave, otherwise he remained silent. Notice Pilate’s response to Jesus in verse 5: Pilate was amazed. Mark has been developing a theme of amazement throughout his book. In Mark 1.22 the people are astonished, or amazed at Jesus’ teaching. In Mark 2.12 the people are amazed when Jesus heals the paralyzed man.
When Christ calmed the storm in Mark 4.41 the disciples were filled with fear. The people marveled in Mark 5.20 after Jesus exorcized the legion of demons. In Mark 6.2 the people of Nazareth are astonished at his teaching. In Mark 6.51 the disciples are utterly astonished when Christ walks on the water. In Mark 7.37 the people are astonished beyond measure when he heals the deaf man. And here Pilate is amazed. This will not be last we see of this theme in Mark but lest we’re tempted to get too comfortable with Jesus, Mark reminds us how amazing he is. He is good but he is not tame.
And the question Pontius Pilate asks Jesus of Nazareth in verse 2 reveals what Mark has been telling us all along: and Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” In Greek it’s written as a statement with a question mark: “You are the King of the Jews?” In fact, three times in these fifteen verses Jesus is referred to as King of the Jews. Mark has been showing us that Jesus is the King and now it is out in the open.
I always tell my kids, “In our house Jesus is King and momma is the queen. We have the Queen B at our house. And then the kids always want to fight over who is the prince and who is the princess. Pilate may be calling Jesus, “King” in sarcasm, he may be saying it to anger the Jews, but as post-Easter Christians we know the truth. Jesus is the King.
When Pilate asks Jesus, “are you the King of the Jews,” Jesus responds, “You have said so.” You can read 100 commentaries on the Gospel of Mark and find 100 interpretations of Jesus’ words. One commentator says, “Jesus says to him, ‘you don’t even know what you’re asking.’” Jesus is saying, “Pilate, you don’t fully understand this, the Jews don’t fully understand this, but yes I am the King.” No truer statement has ever been made than Jesus of Nazareth is the King. Jesus is the King standing before this mere man.
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the covenant made with King David. In the month of August our Elders are going to preach through the covenants and Pastor Brett is going to preach on the covenant with David. I’m not going to preach that now because he will preach it then, but Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of that promise. But the promise of a King goes further than that.
Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise Jacob made to Judah about the throne to be filled by his son. Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah. Jesus is the fulfillment of Melchizedek, the priest-king who blessed Abraham. Ultimately Jesus is the last Adam. Adam was the King of God’s creation, the federal head of humanity, God’s image bearer. But Adam fell. Jesus is the last Adam, the image of the invisible God. Jesus is the fulfillment of every Old Testament promise.
Jesus Christ reigns right now as the King of the world. He has been for 2,000 years and he will forever. And so it’s imperative that you submit to his kingship. You can bend the knee now or you can do it when he returns to raise the dead, judge the world, and make all things new.
It’s also important that we, as Christians, view our citizenship in the Kingdom of Christ as primary. It is infinitely more important that you are a citizen of Christ’s Kingdom than you are a citizen of the United States of America. As Christians we ought to identify more with a Christian in Mexico, or China, or Iraq, than we do our unbelieving neighbor who shares our political views. If you feel more kinship with an unbeliever who voted for the same President you did than you do a believer in Uganda then you do not understand the Kingdom of Christ.
The Kingship of Jesus also alleviates our anxiety. Regardless of what is going on in the world, Jesus sovereignly reigns as King. There is nothing out of his control. Nothing. As the great Reformed theologian Abraham Kuyper said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”
What Jesus Christ Did
Not only does this passage reveal who Jesus Christ is, it also reveals what Jesus Christ did. Through his death on the cross Jesus is the final scapegoat and the final sacrifice. On Day of Atonement an animal would be slaughtered for the sins of the people. Another animal would be the scapegoat. The sin of the people would figuratively be placed on the animal and then it was released into the wild of darkness and the gentiles. This is what is happening to Jesus. His trial has moved from an in house discussion with Israel and they’ve given their Messiah over to the gentiles. Jesus is dying outside the camp. Jesus is the scapegoat
Jesus is also the sacrificial lamb. Mark tells us that Pilate had a custom of releasing a prisoner every year for the Jews at Passover. There was a man who had been sentenced to death because he had tried to lead an insurrection against Rome. His name was Barabbas. That was actually his last name. We know from Matthew that his name was Jesus Barabbas.
There’s more irony here because Barabbas in Aramaic means, “son of the father.” Mark already prepared us to translate this in two prior passages: in Mark 10.46 he told us of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus and in Mark 14.36 Jesus calls the Father, “Abba” when he’s praying in Gethsemane. Bar means, “son” and Abba means, “father.” So the rebel insurrectionist is Jesus “son of the father,” and the innocent man is Jesus the true Son of the Father.
Now is as good a time as any to ask, which Jesus do you want? Do you want the real Jesus or do you want a Jesus in your own image? Do you want the sinless and sovereign Son of God or do you want the one who looks like you, the murdering insurrectionist? Do you want the Jesus who approves of your sin or do you want the Jesus who died for your sin? When we conjure up a Jesus that is not the Jesus of the Bible that is what we’re doing. Like the people, we’re choosing the wrong Jesus.
And the people did. Pilate offered the people the two Jesus’ – one is a murderer who rightly deserves to die, the other is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14.6). The people chose Barabbas and Pilate asks, “what then shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And the people shout, “crucify him.”
It’s healthy to remind ourselves how horrifying crucifixion really was. We live in a Western culture so ingrained with Christianity that jewelry and tattoos of crosses don’t even get a second glance. The cross was not sentimental in the first century. Josephus called crucifixion, “the worst of deaths.”[2] Rome used crucifixion for the worst of criminals to remind the world they were in charge. Criminals were beaten and nailed to a cross where they would die of asphyxiation or shock. And this is what the people are calling for; they shout, “Crucify him.”
Here, as much as anywhere in Scripture, we see the clearest picture of what Jesus came to do: die in the place of the guilty sinner. Jesus is innocent and righteous. Barabbas is guilty, rightly deserving of death. And Jesus Christ takes his place. Theologians call this penal substitutionary atonement. Jesus atones for the penalty of sin as a substitute for the sinner.
This is a picture of the great exchange that happens for every sinner who repents and trusts in Christ alone. Jesus takes our death-deserving guilt on himself. And by faith he exchanges our sin for his righteousness. Jesus takes the wrath and death that we deserve for our sin and we get the righteousness and life that Jesus earned on our behalf. Jesus takes our bad upon himself and gives us his good.
Don’t you see, we’re Barabbas. We are the cosmic insurrectionists born in the line of the fruit-stealing rebels. We are the guilty sons of the Father who deserve death. But Jesus the innocent died in our place. There’s a great book on the atonement written by JI Packer and Mark Dever entitled, In My Place Condemned He Stood. That’s exactly what is happening here. If you will trust in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, his righteousness will be counted to you by faith. This is the gospel. This is our only hope in life and death. Look to the sinless Son of God because Scripture says if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8.36).
Conclusion
Jesus’ confrontation with Pilate reveals to us who Jesus is and what Jesus did. Jesus is the King and he is our substitute. Jesus Christ is the King who went to the cross. The only hope we have for eternal life is found in who Jesus is and what Jesus did. And this is why we must confess that Jesus Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate.
[1]Sproul, Mark, 390.
[2]J. W. 7.6.4 [7.203]