Mark 15 - 5.4.26

SCRIPTURE: Mark 15:6-15

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

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

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

“Crucify him!” they shouted.

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

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

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

OBSERVATION

In this passage much symbolism and fulfillment of Scripture was taken place during the trial of Jesus. He was standing before the chief priests, the elders, the teachers of the law, the whole Sanhedrin and Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, being interrogated. Jesus was found blameless because He lived the perfect life, and was the blameless Lamb of God, but the religious leaders wanted to end His life which would place the sins of the world onto His shoulders. Barabbas, who was an insurrectionist, was released due to the traditions, and pardoned for his crime. There are a couple of parallels between Jesus and Barabbas. Jesus is the eternal Son of God, and the Jewish meaning of Barabbas is son of the father. Secondly, in Leviticus 16:6-10 for the Day of Atonement, Aaron was instructed to present two goats before the Lord. One goat was to the slaughtered for an offering, and the other goat was to be released into the wilderness. Both individuals labeled  “Sons of the Father” were presented. Lastly, Jesus represented the lamb that was pure, spotless, and blameless to be offered as a sacrifice for the atonement of everyone. 

APPLICATION

We see the sacrifice that Christ has made for us. He was innocent and lived the life that none of us could live, but through His sacrifice, we now have the power to live holy and sacrificial lives. 1 Peter 15-16 states, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Roman church to “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1). 

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, I thank you for sacrificing and offering Yourself that we may live. What You’ve done for us showed Your unconditional love that You had from the beginning. Lord Jesus, we thank You for revealing Yourself all throughout Scripture and fulfilling the promises of redemption. Lord, I pray that I will live a life that is pleasing to You since have laid down Your life, resurrected from the dead, and gave the same promise that we will be resurrected also.  

- Darrence Hamilton