Mark 15:1-5 King of the Jews?
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: April 24, 2018, Mark 15:1-5
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
As soon as it was morning, the high priests convened a meeting with the elders and scribes and the whole Council. They bound Jesus with chains, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “You say so.” The high priests kept accusing him of many things. So Pilate asked him again, “Don’t you have any answer? Look how many accusations they’re bringing against you!” But since Jesus no longer answered, Pilate was astonished.
(Understanding the Text) This passage confirms that the initial meeting was not the whole council. The initial trial was somewhere between 3-5:30 in the morning. Thus, when Peter was crying, it was still dark. One reason that he may have thought that no one would recognize him was because it was dark and people were using lamps and torches to see. When the soldiers were hitting Jesus, it was still dark.
When it was morning, the council held their trial, so that would be anywhere from 6:00-9:00 a.m. probably. Guzik’s commentary says that it would have been closer to 6:00. “i. This trial was held immediately, in the morning for good reason. ‘The detail that Jesus was delivered to Pilate’s forum early in the morning is a significant index of the historical accuracy of the tradition. It was necessary for the Sanhedrin to bring its business to Pilate as soon after dawn as possible because the working day of a Roman official began at the earliest hour of daylight. Legal trials in the Roman forum were customarily held shortly after sunrise.’ (Lane)” However, since the initial trial had already given a verdict, this trial was simply form. Jesus was not bound with chains before this, but now they chained his arms and legs (I think). They took him to Pilate. They must have sent messengers beforehand informing Pilate of the charges and probably trying to influence Pilate’s decision. Pilate asked Jesus about the charge that the Jews had brought against Him which was that He was leading a rebellion against Caesar by claiming to be the king of the Jews. Thus, Pilate asked Jesus if He was the king of the Jews. Jesus answered, “You say this.” I’m not sure what the implications of this answer are. The Cambridge Bible Commentary says “This was a private investigation within the prætorium, after the Jews, carefully suppressing the religious grounds on which they had condemned our Lord, had advanced against Him a triple accusation of (i) seditious agitation, (ii) prohibition of the payment of the tribute money, and (iii) the assumption of the suspicious title of ‘King of the Jews.’ This was a political charge, and one which Pilate could not overlook. Having no quæstor to conduct the examination, he was obliged to hear the case in person.” “St Mark does not mention here what we know from St John, (a) the inquiry of our Lord of Pilate why he asked the question, and (b) His explanation of the real nature of His kingdom (Joh_18:37-38). He brings out our Lord’s acknowledgment of His regal dignity, though Pilate could not understand His meaning.” Thus, this commentary puts the conversation about the earthly kingdom at this time also. In addition, the commentary brings in the various charges that the high priest was accusing Jesus of: agitating the crowds against Rome, advocating against taxes, and claiming to be the King of the Jews. Pilate asked Jesus about all the accusations and asked Him to defend Himself, but Jesus only answered the question about whether He was the King of the Jews. He did not respond to the other questions.
(Application) My application for myself is that it is okay to ignore extraneous accusations. It is okay to not respond to people’s silly beliefs. The only answer needs to be to clarify the central truth of identity. I don’t need to defend God in extraneous situations like every questionable Facebook post. I need to pick and choose my battles. The key theme is that in everything I do and say, I need to represent God’s character. I need to reflect His glory.
(Revelation of God) On the other hand, Jesus’ decision to only answer the “king” question and no others may have been so that Pilate would have a chance to not have the guilt of killing the Savior of the world. It seems to me that God went to extra lengths to give Pilate a chance to be innocent of Jesus’ blood. Jesus answered the one question that Pilate had to react to in his position as Rome’s representative. All the other questions could be ignored. In addition, God sent a dream to Pilate’s wife, and she sent a warning to him. In the end, Pilate chose his own destiny even though God tried to protect him.
(Prayer) Give me wisdom to know when to speak and when to stay quiet. Give me the words that will best represent who You are to others. Open my heart to hear You and to see You clearly. Don’t let me get caught up in the politics and debates of this world that have no relevance to the reality of Your kingdom. Instead, help me to always see the difference between what is truly important and what is simply a distraction of the devil.