Mark 14:53– 15:15 (Week 25) Study Notes and Questions
Key Theme
Not being ashamed of the gospel, gospel grace.
During the personal study time, have people compare Peter's behavior with Jesus' behavior.
The Trial (14:53-14:65)
What picture do you get of Peter? What's he feeling?
Follows Jesus at a distance. Scared, but bold enough to go right into the courtyard (it's no small thing for a Galilean fisherman to trespass on the private property of the High Priest). Doesn't want to leave Jesus, but doesn't want to suffer either. Torn, upset.
Who are the various groups of religious people? What do we know about them?
Sanhedrin: Council composed of 70 members and the ruling High Priest who presided over its deliberations. According to the Mishnah, the presence of 23 members constituted a quorum. The High Priest at this time was Joseph, surnamed Caiaphas. His ability as a diplomat and administrator is suggested by his tenure of office over a period of 19 years in an era when the average term of office was only 4 years.
Elders: The most influential lay families in Jerusalem, primarily wealthy landowners.
Chief Priests and elders: The Chief Priests are in charge of the Temple. Together with the elders, they constituted the old ruling class in Jerusalem, with Sadducean leanings – they held most of the power in the Sanhedrin.
Scribes: Consisted primarily of lawyers drawn from the middle classes who tended to be Pharisaic in their convictions.
What's going on? Why in the night?
An illegal trial, held at night, presumably to avoid the crowds. But note that the practice of Jewish law was often to hold a trial straight after arresting the prisoner.
What is the Biblical way of trying criminals?
See Deuteronomy 19:15-21: at least 2 witnesses in agreement, treat false witnesses harshly.
Exodus 23:1: "Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness. Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd...."
Background on Jewish legal process in capital cases:
A conviction required the unanimous evidence of at least 2 witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15; Numbers 35:30). In Jewish judicial procedure, witnesses functioned as the prosecution – they gave their evidence individually and verbally in the presence of the judges and accused. If their respective depositions differed from one another even in trivial details, they were inadmissible as evidence.
What charges are brought against Jesus?
Charged that he was planning to destroy the Temple (which may well have been a crime deserving the death penalty, if true), but witnesses didn't agree. Charged with impersonating the Christ. Note that under Jewish law, the false witnesses should have been severely punished. The fact that the case just goes on without discipline shows a high degree of bias.
What is the High Priest trying to get Jesus to do in v.60?
Wants Jesus to incriminate himself or confess. But Jesus stays silent. Didn't have anything to answer to. He didn't give credence to their trumped up charges by even responding.
What are Jesus' options in response to the High Priest's question in v.61?
Could continue to stay silent or deny the charge, in which case they would have had no grounds to put him to death. But he couldn't deny who he was. Doesn't shrink back from the truth – not ashamed of his words or the truth.
What kind of response does Jesus give? Why is his answer blasphemy to them?
An unequivocal response: I AM (Exodus 3:14 – the name of God), Son of Man (Daniel 7:13), sitting at the right hand of power (Psalm 110:1). This response is so obviously blasphemous – every phrase is a claim to divinity. Blasphemous, unless he's telling the truth
In their minds, it can't be true (whoever heard of a messiah chained up with no power and all his supporters gone?), so he is signing his own death warrant. The Council was prepared to regard Jesus' open and unequivocal claim to be the messiah a capital crime.
What were they seeking? What weren't they seeking?
They were looking for testimony against Jesus, some legal way to put him to death. They weren't seeking truth, justice. They already knew their desired verdict and sentence, they merely lacked evidence.
Why did Caiaphas tear his garments?
This was a traditional gesture of sorrow and indignation, required if one heard the sacred name blasphemed.
What convicted Jesus?
His own true claims that he was God. He is not killed because of the false witnesses, but because of his own true testimony.
What is their verdict and sentence?
Blasphemy, punishable by death ("anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death": Leviticus 24:15-16). Their verdict and sentence will be overturned by God when Jesus is resurrected (not blasphemy, not deserving of death).
What does the mocking involve?
Spitting at him, hitting him (see Jesus' prediction in 10:34). These conventional gestures of rejection and repudiation are all contrary to Jewish law. They also cover his face – an old interpretation of Isaiah 11:2-4 suggested that the Messiah could judge without the need for sight ("he will not judge by what he sees with his eyes"). So covering the eyes was a traditional test of messianic status, to which Jesus declined to submit.
What is the irony of the guards' command to Jesus to prophesy?
· His prophesy about the guards mocking him (10:34) has come true.
· His prophesy about Peter's denial is coming true.
· Jesus has just prophesied "You will see the Son of Man...", and for this he was condemned.
Peter in the Courtyard (14:66-14:72)
What's happening to Peter? Where is he? Why is he here?
He's in the High Priest's courtyard -- wants to see what will happen to Jesus. Loyal.
Galileans were unable to distinguish between several gutteral sounds important in Semitic languages. Peter's speech showed him to be a Galilean, and his presence among the Judeans invited deduction that he was with Jesus.
Why does Peter deny Jesus?
He's scared. He uses the common form in rabbinical law for a formal, legal denial: "I do not know what you are saying". The curse he began to invoke would not have been swear words – he vows that he does not know Jesus and invokes curses on himself if he's lying. The avoidance of the name Jesus ("this man of whom you speak") is deliberate and exposes Jesus to the contempt prophesied – "ashamed of me and my words" (8:38).
What is happening to Jesus up above? What is happening to Peter in the courtyard?
Jesus is on trial, Peter is also on trial, both being questioned.
Compare and contrast what's happening to Jesus and Peter.
· Jesus accused falsely; Peter accused truly.
· Jesus faces false witnesses, Peter is a false witness.
· Jesus faces a Council who have power to put him to death, Peter faces a powerless maid.
· Peter lies, Jesus does not.
How has Peter denied Jesus 3 times?
He rebukes Jesus 3 times (8:32, 14:29, 14:31), he falls asleep 3 times, and now he denies Jesus 3 times with his own words.
How does Peter's story speak to the persecuted Christians in Rome receiving this gospel?
The Judgment of Pilate (15:1-15:15)
What happens in the morning?
After the official proceedings, they delivered Jesus to Pilate.
Why do they send Jesus to Pilate?
The Jews were under Roman rule – they did not have the right to carry out death sentences. They needed to convince Rome to condemn Jesus to death.
What is the charge they make?
They couldn't come to Pilate and condemn Jesus of blasphemy against Yahweh (the Romans wouldn't care). They needed a charge that would be of concern to the Romans, so they charged him with insurrection – the "King of the Jews", or so he claims.
How does Jesus deal with the political charges?
He's silent. See Isaish 53:7: "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth".
Why did Pilate wonder (v.5)?
· Jesus didn't look like a threat to Roman authority and domination.
· The religious leaders are against Roman oppression – if he really was what they claimed, why would they want him killed?
· Pilate perceived that it was out of envy that the priests had delivered him up (v.10).
Describe Pilate. What do you learn about him from this scene? Who does he remind you of?
He is sensitive to what's going on and wants to release Jesus because of his sense of justice – but he's also more controlled by his desire to please the crowd than by compassion or justice. Pilate, like Herod and the religious leaders, is not in control but instead is controlled by the crowd. Pilate, like Herod, saw a righteous man condemned to death due to his own inability to stand up to the pressures of the crowd.
Who is Barabbas?
A rebel, an insurrectionist, a murderer. He is an unsuccessful version of what people wanted Jesus to be like – one who would endeavor to throw off the yoke of Roman rule. If Jesus had been more like Barabbas, he wouldn't have been turned over by the religious leaders or rejected by the people.
On whose cross does Jesus die?
On Barabbas' cross, the cross meant for him.
What does Barabbas' name mean?
Remember that "Bar" means "son of" (see 10:46). Abba means "father" (14:36). So Barabbas = son of the father. Jesus, the only true Son of the Father dies on the cross of the son of the father. Two sons of the father – the one who is guilty goes free, and the innocent one dies.
What is Barabbas a symbol for?
Everyone is a child of their parents. Barabbas was a rebel, the son of a father. We are all rebels, children of our fathers. Jesus died on the cross that belonged to each of us. Barabbas is Mark's parable of the substitutionary atonement, as spoken of in Isaiah 53. Jesus, the sinless one, died on the cross for all rebels – who, like Barabbas, children of their parents, deserve the death penalty for their actions.
Pilate asks "Why, what evil has he done?". The question goes unanswered.
Application Questions
· How did Barabbas feel that day? How aware are we that we live under a deserved death sentence and that its God's pure grace that sets us free through the cross of Christ?
· Jesus didn't die because of trumped up charges – he died because he wasn't ashamed of the truth of the gospel. How are we tempted to be like Peter instead, ashamed of Jesus and his words, to save our lives? What are our cock crows (warning signs of disobedience)?
Mark 15:16 – 16:8 (Week 26) Study Notes and Questions
Key Theme
Believing and joining in the gospel story.
The Road to the Cross (15:16-15:24)
What do the Roman soldiers do to Jesus?
Scourge him: strip him, bind him to a post and beat him until his flesh hung in bleeding strips. Scourging was done with a flagellum – leather thongs plaited with bone or lead to form a chain.
Dress him with royal imagery: purple cloak, reed (=sceptre), crown, homage, salute.
Led Jesus: he is passive, the verbs are all against him.
How did the Jews mock Jesus? How do the Romans mock him? What's the irony?
They mocked him as a prophet, the Romans mock him as a king. The irony is that he's both – he has prophesied and he is in control.
Who was Simon of Cyrene?
Cyrene was in North Africa, so Simon was probably a black African – his conscription is perhaps a sign of racial oppresion. It sounds like his sons were known in Rome at the time of Mark's writing (a Rufus is greeted by Paul in Romans 16:13).
Why did they offer Jesus myrrh? Why did he refuse it?
It's a narcotic, a pain killer. Jewish women had petitioned Rome to be able to offer this to crucified men. Jesus wanted to "watch" (14:38) – remain alert and not fall into temptation. He also said that he wouldn't taste wine again until he entered into the kingdom (14:25).
What do you know about crucifixion?
It's one of the cruelest and most degrading forms of punishment. (See Deuteronomy 21:23 – "anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse"). It's customary for the prisoner to carry the transverse beam of the cross to the crucifixion site (the fact that Jesus was not required to do this suggests that his ill-treatment so far had left him in a very bad state). Crucifixion involves death by exhaustion – one became too weary to keep ones frame upright, the diaphragm was increasingly strained, and it became impossible to breathe. This sometimes took several days. The nails increased the pain but hastened the death through loss of blood. Men were usually crucified naked, though Jewish sensitivities often required that they not be totally naked.
On the Cross (15:25-15:33)
What are the ironies here?
· The charge "King of the Jews" is true.
· Two robbers were crucified on his right and left – James & John should have been there (10:37).
· "Those who passed by derided him" – the Greek word for "derided" is literally "blasphemed".
· "Save yourself and come down from the cross" – but if he'd tried to save his life, he would've lost it (8:35).
· "He saved others, he cannot save himself" – he is saving others by dying, and he is saving his own life by losing it for the gospel.
· "The Christ, the King of Israel" – again, truth in the form of mockery.
· "That we may see and believe" – they have seen, and they haven't believed.