The Trial of Jesus before Pilate

Mark 15:1-20

After Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, he was taken, during the night, to the Sanhedrin (the Jewish Council). Here, false witnesses were brought before him, and for the first time, in response to a question from the High Priest, Jesus admits to being the Messiah. The Sanhedrin declares this to be blasphemy, and he is taken to the Pilate, early in the morning, for sentence to be passed.

The Trial before Pilate is remembered by the Church as the first of the Stations of the Cross.

Pontius Pilate was the Roman Governor of the province of Judaea. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Pilate was a cruel and stubborn man. Mark portrays him as weak, giving way to the mob.

It is doubtful whether claiming to be the Messiah was blasphemy. Pilate would not have though that this was a crime: he would have seen it purely as a religious matter. To get Pilate to condemn Jesus, the idea of ‘Messiah’ is turned into a claim to be ‘king’, a political leader. Mark makes it clear that Jesus is not. When Pilate asks Jesus if he is King of the Jews, Jesus says ‘The words are yours’. The words could also be translated ‘If you say so’. Some translations use the word ‘Yes’, but Jesus doesn’t actually use that word.

The Passover amnesty is mentioned only in the Gospels. In Mark’s account Pilate tries to use this as a way of getting out of a difficult situation. It is odd that the choice is only between Jesus and Barabbas: weren’t there other prisoners? Couldn’t he release both? Barabbas was a murderer. He was probably a Zealot. Perhaps Pilate put forward Barabbas to make it an easy choice for crowd. If he did, his idea obviously backfired. Whatever really happened, Mark tells the story so that we think it is not really Pilate who is guilty. Many of the people who read the Gospel soon after it was written were Romans: Mark is trying to avoid any idea that Jesus was an anti-Roman revolutionary or that Rome was responsible for his death. For Mark, it is the Jewish leaders who are to blame. He says they are jealous of Jesus.

Jesus is whipped and mocked as a sort of preparation for the crucifixion. The flogging (scourging) was carried out by tying the victim to a stone pillar and lashing with whips which had metals balls in the tails which ripped the flesh. Many prisoners would die under the whipping.

Jesus is clothed in purple (the royal colour) and mocked as a King. The crown of thorns adds pain to Jesus’ indignity.

The Scourging at the Pillar and the Crowing with Thorns are two of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.

In the entire passage, it is the suffering of Jesus which is emphasised, and contrasted very strongly with the charges which are made that he was some kind of political or revolutionary leader. The entire episode is remembered by the Church on Good Friday when the passage from John’s Gospel is read. The story from Mark’s Gospel is read once every three years on Palm Sunday (also called Passion Sunday).

1. What did the Sanhedrin do before handing over Jesus? (v1)
2. What was the first question Pilate asked Jesus? (v2)
3. What did Jesus reply? (v3)
4. At which time of year was it customary to release a prisoner? (v6 and Notes)
5. Who was Barabbas? (v7)
6. What question did Pilate ask the crowd? (v9)
7. Why did the crowd turn against Jesus? (v11)
8. Why did Pilate decide to release Barabbas? (v15)
9. What happened to Jesus before he was handed over to be crucified? (v15)
10. In what ways did the soldiers mock Jesus? (vv17-19)

11. In what ways does the Church remember the Trial of Jesus before Pilate? (clue: Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, Good Friday).
12. In what ways, in Mark’s description of the Trial of Jesus, is the guilt pushed away from the Romans and onto the Jewish leaders?
13. How do the Sanhedrin present the charge against Jesus so that Pilate may condemn him to death? What is the weakness of the charge?
14. What aspects of the mockery of Jesus emphasise the charge that he claimed to be King of the Jews?

15. Write a diary entry for Pontius Pilate, describing the events in this passage. Mention how Pilate felt about the way he was forced into condemning Jesus.

or

16. Amnesty. The decision of the crowd was made on the spur of the moment. Imagine that there was a longer debate. Presents the arguments which might have been advanced at the time for and against both Jesus and Barabbas in the form of a newspaper article. Use a title such as ‘Who gets your vote?’

The following questions require quite detailed answers. It is better to answer one fully, than to answer all of them superficially.

17. The crowd pressed for the release of the man of violence (Barabbas) rather than the man of peace (Jesus). Can you think of circumstances today where violence is prepared to peace? Does the story of Jesus have any relevance to these situations?

17. In its prayers and devotions, the Church often emphasises the way in which Jesus suffered, especially in the Rosary, Stations of the Cross and in Holy Week. What sort of image of Jesus does this give for Christians? Does it - or should it - have any effect on the way Christians lead their lives?
18. Do you think Mark is anti-Jewish and pro-Roman? Give reasons for your answer.