Mark 15:1-15

Please do grab your Bibles and turn back to Mark chapter 15.

Mark 15 · chapter mention

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Would you help us to receive your word and faith?

Help us to know the Lord Jesus better, not just to know him, but would we love him?

Would we know what he has done for us?

And we pray this in his name. Amen.

This is a courtroom drama.

We are in a courtroom drama tonight.

So did you see all the characters that we read about earlier?

There is the accused, Jesus.

There's questioning, testimony, a cross-examination.

Pilate, the crowds, the cross.

That's the judge, the jury, the execution.

This is a legal trial.

This is a courtroom in front of us.

And that is precisely why the chief priests, did we see it in verse 1?

That's why the chief priests bind Jesus and take him here to Pilate, the judge.

Before, Jesus was taken in front of the Jewish courts, the Sanhedrin.

And he was in front of the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

And he was questioned to see if he was the Christ.

And he said he was, and they charged him with blasphemy.

But they couldn't really do anything about it.

But it wasn't a legal court.

They didn't have the authority to sentence him to death.

But they wanted to.

So they delivered him to Pilate.

Which is where we are tonight.

We're in a courtroom.

But actually, we need to see tonight that there are two courtrooms in this passage.

There are two trials going on here.

There are two judges in two courtrooms.

In this passage, there is the earthly courtroom.

But there's also the heavenly courtroom.

This earthly courtroom with Pilate and the priests and Jesus and the crowds.

All this is a reflection, a picture, an earthly version of the heavenly courtroom of God's justice.

So just like the events of Peter last week, Peter's denial, just like that was a red carpet moment,

showing us what's going to happen at the main event on the cross,

well, we're still on the red carpet.

And we see a courtroom.

And this earthly courtroom tells us what's going to happen on the cross.

This courtroom shows us what's going on in the heavenly courtroom as Jesus dies on the cross.

So have you ever wondered, when Jesus was crucified, what was going on in heaven at the crucifixion?

As God looked down on his son being slain, as the salvation of the world took place,

what was going on in heaven?

What was going on in the divine courtroom of God's justice as God looked down on the cross?

Well, as we look at this earthly courtroom, we can see what's going on in heaven.

As we look at this passage, we're actually peering into the legal courtroom of heaven.

And as we peer into it, we see something.

And this is the first thing to see.

We see that Jesus was an innocent sacrifice.

Jesus was an innocent sacrifice.

So if this is a courtroom, what is the charge?

What is Jesus being accused of?

Well, look at verse 2.

Pilate asked him, are you the king of the Jews?

Here's the accusation.

The chief priests, they've clearly set this charge up.

They've said to Pilate, take this man, he's claiming to be the king of the Jews.

And that would have been a dangerous claim at this point.

Any threat to Roman rule, like another king, that would have meant the death penalty.

So the Jews know what they're doing.

But Jesus never actually said that.

He said he's the Christ, which does then mean he's the king of the Jews.

But he never actually said the king of the Jews.

This is a setup.

And so how does Jesus respond?

Well, look at verse 2.

He answered, Pilate, you have said so.

Jesus doesn't deny it.

But he doesn't affirm it either.

He kind of just lets it happen.

This is kind of a yes but no answer.

It's a way of saying, yes, I am king of the Jews, but not in the way that you think.

I'm the king of the Jews in a way that you can't quite grasp.

And so the charge doesn't really stick.

And so in verse 3, the chief priest accused him of many things.

The accusations just keep flying at Jesus.

They're doing all that they can to condemn him.

You can imagine them saying, well, Jesus said this and he did this as well.

Pilate, just hear us.

Take your pick.

Just do something with this man.

But nothing is really sticking.

Pilate isn't convinced.

Look at verse 10.

He perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priest had delivered him up.

He knows something isn't adding up here.

So Pilate probes further.

He tries to expose the true Jesus in verse 4.

Have you no answer to make?

See how many charges they bring against you.

But Jesus made no further answer.

So that Pilate was amazed.

In the face of all these accusations,

Jesus is silent.

No answer.

But why?

All these accusations are untrue.

This is a setup.

This man is innocent.

Even Pilate knows he's innocent.

In verse 14, as the crowds condemned Jesus,

Pilate said to them,

why?

What evil has he done?

He's innocent.

So why is Jesus silent?

Why doesn't he speak up?

Well, Jesus is silent because he knows he must let these events unfold.

He needs to let this happen.

If he speaks, he can defend himself.

And he can stop this trial.

But he can't let this trial end.

He needs to let it happen.

Because if this trial ends, there's no cross.

And if there's no cross, there's no salvation.

Salvation hangs on this silence.

It's interesting.

We often mark history-changing events by important words, don't we?

So what words mark man's exploration into space?

On the moon.

One small step for man, isn't it?

Words can so often signal history-changing events.

I have a dream.

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.

We mark history-changing moments by words,

but we never mark it by silence, do we?

Well, we should.

And this silence changed the world.

This silence saved the world.

Because look when all this takes place.

Look at verse 6.

Now at the feast,

this trial is happening at the feast of the Passover.

The Passover feast, it comes from the Exodus

when the Israelites sacrificed a lamb

and spread its blood on the doorpost of their house.

And this blood, this sacrifice,

it would protect them from God's wrath.

God's wrath would pass over,

pass over their house, avoid it,

and it would land on the Egyptians instead.

And so it's no small thing that this trial

is happening during the feast.

The Passover is in the air of this courtroom.

So as this trial begins,

we should already have a sense

that this courtroom is bigger

than just an earthly courtroom.

There's more going on here.

This is to do with the Passover.

So this isn't just about Roman law

and human legal code.

No, this trial is dealing with divine law

and sin and forgiveness

and God's wrath and redemption.

This is what's really going on

in the heavenly courtroom.

So this isn't just a man going on trial.

This is a lamb going on the altar.

His silence is Jesus offering something.

He's offering a sacrifice.

He's offering himself.

Jesus stands in this courtroom

as a sacrifice.

And not just any sacrifice.

He was an innocent sacrifice.

There was no wrong in him.

He's put on this trial

and he's proven innocent.

He didn't go to the cross

having actually done something wrong.

He didn't fall under true accusations.

No, Jesus is in this room

as an innocent sacrifice.

As God looks down on this trial,

this is what's going on.

He sees a perfectly innocent man,

his beloved son.

And he sees a sacrifice, a lamb.

It's a Passover lamb to deal with sin.

This is what was going on

in heaven at the cross.

Jesus was an innocent sacrifice.

But God sees something else in this trial.

There's something else present

in the heavenly courtroom.

And this is the second thing to see.

In the heavenly courtroom,

there's a sinful people.

Now this trial could have been

a bit of a stalemate.

Going nowhere,

just accusations,

but nothing going on.

But look what happened next

in verse 6.

Now at the feast,

he used to release for them

one prisoner

for whom they asked.

And among the rebels in prison

who had committed murder

in the insurrection,

there was a man called Barabbas.

A criminal, Barabbas is introduced.

He's not just any criminal.

Did you see what he is?

He's a rebel.

A murderer.

Someone who plotted

to overthrow the government

and murdered his way

to get there.

And at the Passover,

Pilate would release for them

one prisoner.

You might ask,

why did he do that?

It's kind of like a political tactic

to keep the Jewish people happy

under Roman rule.

It's kind of a little token

to keep them at bay.

And so,

Pilate asks in verse 9,

do you want me to release for you

the king of the Jews?

And implied in that question is,

what's the other option?

Or do you want me to release for you

the murderer?

Pilate presents before the people

a choice.

A clear choice between two men,

Jesus and Barabbas.

And when faced with Jesus

in this murderer,

look what the people choose

in verse 11.

The chief priest

stirred up the crowd

to have him release

for them Barabbas instead.

They choose the murderer.

This hatred for Jesus,

it escalates

and spreads

to the people.

Maybe the crowds

were a bit undecided before,

but the chief priests

stir everyone up

to hate Jesus

and choose Barabbas.

And all the people

rallied together

and look who they choose.

They loved the murderer

more than Jesus.

And not only that,

when Pilate asked,

then what shall I do

with Jesus?

The crowd don't say,

well, just throw him

out of the city.

They don't say,

put him in prison.

They don't say,

well, just flog him.

No.

They cried out again,

crucify him.

And Pilate said to them,

why, what evil has he done?

But they shouted,

all the more,

crucify him.

Just notice

how sin escalates here.

Jesus' crucifixion

was the greatest sin

committed in all history.

This is the peak

of human sin.

And all the people

just get caught up in it,

don't they?

Swept along.

And this sums up

sin's humanity

against God.

It began with

eating some fruit

and it ends up

with crucifying

the Son of God.

Sin always wants

to escalate.

And just look

at these events.

It wasn't enough

we had to ignore Jesus,

we had to put him

on trial

and question him.

And it wasn't enough

to question him,

we had to lie about him.

And it wasn't enough

we had to lie about him,

we had to protest him.

And it wasn't enough

we had to protest him,

we had to choose

a murderer over him.

And it wasn't enough

to choose the murderer,

we had to crucify

and pierce

and bury him

and seal the tomb

and guard it.

What we have here

is the super concentrated,

summed up picture

of the sinful human race.

So we mustn't think

that we're just seeing

the sin of a crowd

2,000 years ago.

No, we're seeing

all our sin.

The sin of the whole

human race

displayed before us.

This is us.

This is what we did

to God.

We all loved

the murderer

instead of the Son of God.

Jesus says

these words

in John 8.

You are of

your father the devil

and your will

is to do

your father's desires.

He was a murderer

from the beginning.

This is the sin

of the world.

We've loved

the devil.

We've loved

the ultimate murderer.

We've cheered

for the devil

and we've said

God we don't want

you as our king.

That was the sin

in the garden

and that is the sin

of the world right now.

We've loved

the devil

more than Jesus

and it was this

very sin

that sent Jesus

to the cross.

In the earthly courtroom

what sent Jesus

to the cross?

It was a love

of a murderer

Barabbas

more than Jesus

and in the heavenly courtroom

as God looked down

on the cross

what is the spiritual reality?

What sent Jesus

to the cross?

It was the love

of a murderer

Satan

more than Jesus.

God sees the human race

love Satan

more than Jesus

and the heavenly reality is

Jesus is going

to the cross

because of that sin.

But remember

he's doing it willingly

he's silent

to let this happen

he's the sacrifice

and he's offering

himself up

for this sin.

we see here

in his silence

the love of Jesus

for sinners.

He loved the sinner

so much

he offered himself

instead of the sinner.

He was the substitute

for the sinner.

And this is my final point

and the final thing

to see in the heavenly courtroom

Jesus

was our substitute.

Jesus

was our substitute.

All of our sin

can be summed up

in one character

in this earthly courtroom

Barabbas.

We are all

Barabbas

deserving death

and offense

before God

but look how

it ends

for Barabbas

verse 15

so Pilate

released for them

Barabbas

and delivered

Jesus

to be crucified.

Jesus

took the place

of Barabbas.

The innocent

sacrifice

is swapping

places

with the guilty

sinner.

Jesus

is a substitute.

Now a substitute

it just means

a swap

so in football

you have substitutes

don't you?

One player

comes off the pitch

and another one

comes on

and that's the substitute.

Well that's what's

happening with

Barabbas and Jesus.

Jesus

is taking

the place

of Barabbas

taking the punishment

destined for him

and instead

Barabbas

is released

and gets

to go free.

Jesus

is a substitute

here

and you can

think of

Barabbas

as Jesus'

church.

All the

sinners

he came

to save

his bride

it's all

pictured

in this

one man.

This was

what was going

on in the

heavenly courtroom.

As God

looked down

on this

earthly courtroom

where Barabbas

stands

he sees

his church

his people

the bride

of Christ

and what

does that

bride look

like?

It's not

a beautiful

bride.

It's not

a lovely

people.

It is

murderous

rebels

who hated

the son

of God

and just

like Barabbas

there's guilt.

There's

punishment

needing to

be paid

and it's

not the

demands of

Roman law

that hang

over us

it is the

demands of

God's

law needing

to be

paid

and it

is hanging

over all

his people.

It's the

demands of

death

eternal

death

and divine

anger.

So what is

Christ doing

on the

cross?

What is

going on

in the

heavenly

courtroom

of God's

holy

justice?

Jesus

is taking

the place

of sinners

he's

substituting

himself for

them

taking

their

divine

punishment.

This

earthly

courtroom

is showing

us the

heavenly

one

and Jesus

was our

substitute.

And we

see this

in the

judge too.

Pilate knows

Jesus was

innocent.

He knows

that there's

no evil

in him.

In the

mind of

the judge

Jesus is

innocent

but what

is Pilate's

official

judgment?

What is

Jesus declared

publicly?

Guilty.

Condemned.

God

and that's

what's

going on

in heaven

too.

God

looks upon

his son

and God

knows his

son is

perfect,

innocent,

sinless.

But on

the cross

God

declared

Jesus

guilty,

condemned

and all

the demands

of divine

law fall

on him

and the

real

sinners

go free.

We see

here Jesus

is both

sinless

and condemned

at the

same time.

Jesus

was our

substitute

and that

is how

Jesus

saves us.

This is

what the

cross is

all about.

If you're

not a

Christian

here today

and you're

wondering

what is

Christianity

all about

or if you've

ever wondered

why is the

cross so

important?

Why is the

cross on

top of

churches

and above

pulpits?

Well this

is why.

The cross

is where

Jesus

became a

substitute

for sinners.

Where he

takes the

place of

his people

and bears

all their

guilt

and their

punishment

and all

the weight

of divine

wrath on

himself.

So that

what happens

to the

sinner?

They go

free.

That is

what happened

to all

those in

Christ

here today.

All your

guilt

and sin

has been

laid on

Christ.

And just

like Barabbas

you are

now free.

There is

no condemnation

there is

no guilt

there is

no wrath

you stand

before a

holy God

free.

Released

from the

burden of

your sin

Christ has

completely

set you

free.

And if

you're not

trusting in

Christ today

please don't

ignore the

heavenly courtroom

in this

scene.

The demands

of God's

justice

those demands

still hang

over you

and your

guilt before

God needs

to be dealt

with.

And there

are only

two ways

two options

either you

can try to

deal with

your guilt

on judgment

day as you

stand before

the judgment

seat of

Christ

but that

will not

go well

or your

guilt

can be

laid on

Jesus.

The demands

of justice

can be

dealt with

on the

cross

and if

you come

to Christ

today and

bow before

the king

your guilt

will be

no more.

There will be

no judgment

for you

you need a

substitute

and Christ

is the only

one that

can set

you free.

as we

watch this

trial unfold

there's an

overwhelming

sense of

injustice

and unfairness

isn't there?

Why is the

innocent one

going through

all of this

and the

murderer

is free?

There's

definitely that

feeling in the

air isn't

there?

But do you

know what

that unfair

feeling actually

is?

That's grace.

As we

look at our

salvation we

can sometimes

ask ourselves

why me?

Why did

Christ suffer

and I go

free?

Why me?

And there's

one answer

grace.

Why did

Jesus stay

silent and

take the

place of

Barabbas?

Why did

he take

our

judgment?

It's

grace.

In this

earthly

courtroom we

see this

substitute

and we

see unfairness

but what is

the reality

in the

heavenly

courtroom?

It's

grace.

It's the

grace of

God.

Christ

loving

unworthy

sinners and

being their

substitute

reconciling us

to God's.

So as we

see this

earthly

courtroom

it looks

like justice

is being

abused here

but do you

know what's

really going

on?

Justice

is being

satisfied.

justified.

He's

ending the

guilt of

his people.

When Jesus

took his

last breath

the heavenly

judge gave

his final

verdict.

The wrath

of God

has fallen

on this

man and

now there

is no

condemnation

for those

in Christ

Jesus.

And this

is your

verdict

brothers and

sisters

and this

verdict will

never change

for you.

This verdict

stands for

all

eternity.

We confessed

the Nicene

Creed earlier

and of all

the things

you could

confess about

the fundamentals

of the

Christian faith

it's interesting

what's included.

For our

sake he was

crucified under

Pontius Pilate.

Well can you

see why that's

so important

now?

The judgment

of God

it just

wasn't hidden

up in heaven

up there

up in the

heavenly

courtroom

and we

don't really

know what

happened up

there

what's

going on

no it

played out

in this

earthly

courtroom

that Jesus

was so

condemned

by God

in heaven

that he

was condemned

by man

on earth

and it

was public

for all

to see

to see

his innocence

to see

our sin

to see

our

substitutes

and what

did we

confess?

It was all

for our

sake

it was all

for you

brothers and

sisters

that he

did this

he stood

condemned

and now

we are

free

let me

pray

to see

a

ending

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a

a

ending

a

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