Mark - Mocked

 

Mocked

Good morning class.  The coffee bar and snacks are open again! It was exciting setting it up yesterday! I hope you enjoy!

Question of the day:  What is a moment or experience in the last week that made you laugh out loud, or even just smile? 

Today we start chapter 15.  It isn't a fun chapter to read.  My heart ached this week thinking about this passage.  

READ: Mark 15:1-20

15 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.

2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”

5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.

12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.

13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.

14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

Once again this passage starts off by letting us know who the players are.  The church leaders, make their plans.

Is it important that we know they made their plans? What does that say?

What about this whole Barabbas story? 

What do we learn about Pilot in this story and the leaders who brought Jesus to Pilot?  

What warning is here for us, when we see how the leaders "stirred up" the crowd? 

What do we know about Barabbas?

Is there anyway in which we ask for Barabbas to be released instead of Jesus? 

I want us now to move onto a part of the story I don't remember.  I guess it is really just part of the story that I hadn't remembered.  When the soldiers take Jesus away, they take him into the palace and just mock and torcher him. This really struck me.  It wasn't for show, because it wasn't in public.  It was just a group of soldiers who seemingly gained pleasure from mocking and torturing Jesus!  

This week I couldn't stop thinking about each and everyone of us and our "private" sins, our thoughts and even our actions that we do our best to keep from others, and how those are mocking or torturing Jesus.  When we are unwilling to surrender even the most unseen parts of our hearts and minds, are we not also participating in this hideous act of mocking? 

Here is the good news.  Jesus, was willing to surrender it all to His Father, so that we can be forgiven!  He endured it all, not just what the Roman soldiers were doing, but what you and I have done and do, so that we can put on the robe of His righteousness and be clean!  

There is also the incredible good news that Jesus doesn't want you to suffer in the grip of sin even now and living a life surrendered to him, will bring change and new life even now.  

This chapter seemed to very loudly highlight us, as Jesus was quiet.  Let's not forget to look at Jesus.  At times in life, everything else seems to be very loud and Jesus seems quiet, but He is there.  He is here.  He is enduring for you and me!