For the past eight months I’ve preached about all that Jesus did leading up to his eventual death. His life and experiences are the things movies are made of. I heard the other day that the movie The Passion of the Christ was one of the largest grossing “R” rated movies of all time. It is rated R because it has been assessed as having material which may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17. There were scenes in that movie that I could not watch. That movie showed us the price Jesus paid for our salvation.

1 Co 6:19, 20

19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.

20 you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.

The religious leaders condemned Jesus to death for blasphemy, because He claimed to be the Messiah. Pilate could care less about Jesus’ claim. To get Pilate concerned enough to act, the Jewish leaders added three more charges, encouraging people not to pay their taxes, claiming he was a king, and that he was causing riots all over the countryside.

Pilate asked Jesus a question, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus responded, “You have said so.” “In reply to Pilate’s question, Jesus’ response was not a direct affirmation, or else Pilate would have immediate grounds for execution. But neither was it a denial. The reply is suggestive, as if to say, “You would do well to consider the question.!”¹

The chief priests accused Jesus of many things, so Pilate asked Jesus basically, to defend himself, to say something. Jesus remained silent, something Peter needed to learn.

Pilate realized that Jesus hadn’t done anything worthy of death, so he tried to release him.

6 Now it was the custom at the Feast 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 envy 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.

If I didn’t know how the story of Jesus ended, and how his death benefitted me, based on all that Jesus had done for so many people, I would request Jesus be released. But knowing the end of the matter, that my salvation was based on his death, I’m glad they said Barabbas.

Pilate wanted to release Jesus, but the chief priests incited the crowd to have Barabbas released. “The release of Barabbas, a guilty man, and the crucifixion of Jesus, the innocent one, is a powerful symbol of the substitutionary atonement in Christianity. It is seen as Jesus taking the place of sinners, bearing the punishment they deserve. It also highlights the rejection of Jesus by his own people, as prophesied.” (AI overview)

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

13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.

I used to think the crowd that hollered Hosanna during Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem was the same crowd that hollered “crucify him” before Pilate. Research tells us the hosanna crowd was composed of Galilean pilgrims and Jesus’ followers, celebrating his arrival in Jerusalem. The “crucify him” crowd was more likely instigated by the religious authorities and their supporters.

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.

Why would the person in authority (Pilate), have an innocent person (Jesus) killed? Pilate did it probably for political expediency and security. “Whatever Pilate’s strategy, the Roman governor becomes the second party implicated in Jesus’ death. The chief priests instigated the plot against Jesus, but the Roman prefect bears responsibility for executing it.”²

To be crucified was to be executed, so why was there a need to flog Jesus?

“Flogging was a legal preliminary to every Roman execution, and only women and Roman senators or soldiers (except in cases of desertion) were exempt.  The usual instrument was a short whip with several single or braided leather thongs of variable lengths, in which small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bones were tied at intervals.  For scourging, the man was stripped of his clothing, and his hands were tied to an upright post.  The back, buttocks, and legs were flogged either by two soldiers (lictors) or by one who alternated positions.  The severity of the scourging depended on the disposition of the lictors and was intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse or death.  As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck the victim’s back with full force, the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and subcutaneous tissues.  Then, as the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh.  Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock.  The extent of blood loss may well have determined how long the victim would survive on the cross.  After the scourging, the soldiers often taunted their victim.”³

This is what was done to Jesus for us. He was flogged, then He was taunted.

Mark 15:16-20

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.

“Every totalitarian regime needs a terror apparatus, and crucifixion

was Rome’s terror apparatus ad horrendum, infamous alike for its infliction of pain and public shame on the victim. Crucifixion was a punishment reserved for non-Roman citizens in which excessive cruelty was unleased on the lowest and most defenseless classes of society – slaves, violent criminals, and prisoners of war.”⁴

Jesus wasn’t a slave, a violent criminal, or a prisoner of war, yet He was crucified for you and me. After all He had been through physically, how was He going to be strong enough to carry his cross? He couldn’t!

Mark 15:21-24

21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.

22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).

23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.

24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

At 9am Jesus was crucified. A notice of the charges against Jesus was attached to the cross, The King of the Jews. Two rebels/robbers were crucified with Jesus, one on his left and one on his right.

If it wasn’t enough to be flogged and crucified, passersby hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” The religious leaders got what they wanted. They thought they had accomplished a great victory. It would appear that that Jesus lost the battle. “While someone may experience a setback or defeat in a specific instance, they ultimately achieve a larger, more important victory in the long run. Jesus won the war because after three days He rose from the dead.

Mark 15:33-39

33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, <“Eloi, Eloi, lama> <sabachthani?>”– which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

36 One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

I once heard a pastor say, “Give me 25 women and I can build a church.” Women play a bigger role in the success of ministry than they are given credit for.

Mark 15:40, 41

40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.

41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

All that was left to do was put the body of Jesus in a tomb and wait for three days.

Mark 15:42-47

42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So, as evening approached,

43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.

44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died.

45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph.

46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

Invitation: I preached about Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 says, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Benediction:

Study Questions

1. The Jewish leaders condemned Jesus for blasphemy. What other charges did they accuse Jesus of before Pilate?
2. Why was Jesus’ response to Pilate’s question, Are you the King of the Jews, a safe response?
3. Why did Jesus remain silent instead of defending himself when questioned by Pilate?
4. What confirmation did we get about Jesus’ purpose when we see Barabbas get released and Jesus get crucified?
5. Had you considered two different crowds saying Hosanna to Jesus and Crucify Him?
6. How did you feel as Pastor Dexter read the description of a Roman flogging?
7. Probably the closest modern-day punishment to crucifixion is capital punishment. Are you for it or against it?
8. Jesus lost a battle but won the war for our souls. Do you agree?
9. What is your opinion about the role of women in the church?