Are You the King of the Jews?

Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and they bound Jesus, led him away, and delivered him to Pilate. Then Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" He answered and said to him, "It is as you say."

And the chief priests accused him of many things, but he answered nothing. Then Pilate asked him again, saying, "Do you answer nothing? See how many things they testify against you!" But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.

Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion. Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them. But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" For he knew that the chief priests had handed him over because of envy. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. Pilate answered and said to them again, "What then do you want me to do with him whom you call the King of the Jews?" So they cried out again, "Crucify him!" Then Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they cried out all the more, "Crucify him!" So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged him, to be crucified."

- Mark 15:1-15

In today's reading, Jesus goes before Pilate. He is taken from the Sanhedrin, in the assembly of which he has been condemned for blasphemy - which is punishable by death. But this charge will not be brought up before Pilate. Instead, he will be accused by the chief priests on different grounds.

Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and they bound Jesus, led him away, and delivered him to Pilate. My study bible notes as follows: "The Sanhedrin waits to reach the official decision in the morning, probably because by law sessions at night were not allowed. Pilate: the Roman procurator of Judea, A.D. 26-36. The council is greatly deluded. They think they are going to take away the life of the Son of God! Jesus said, 'Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again' (John 10:17)." The fact that night sessions of the Sanhedrin were not allowed is very interesting; it implies that the condemnation of Jesus was taken outside the guidance of the law itself. We read of the conflicting testimony of witnesses, and how the charge of blasphemy was imposed as "self-evident" according to the high priest, and needed no further witness.

Then Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" He answered and said to him, "It is as you say." My study bible notes, "Are you the King of the Jews? is a political question, to which a positive answer would be tantamount to treason against Rome. Jesus answers indirectly, It is as you say." Actually, this can be understood as an ambiguous answer in the original Greek, translated as "You say so" or "You are saying so." To my ears, it could almost be construed that Jesus is telling him, "That is the charge." Jesus has refused to be made king at various times in his ministry, repeatedly indicating that he was not to be the expected political messiah. When he answers the Sanhedrin affirmatively, declaring himself to be "Son of God" he is referring to scripture about the expected Messiah (Psalm 110 and the Book of Daniel).

And the chief priests accused him of many things, but he answered nothing. Then Pilate asked him again, saying, "Do you answer nothing? See how many things they testify against you!" But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled. Again, a note from my study bible is helpful here: "It is not that Jesus answered nothing to any of the charges. He does indirectly acknowledge being, 'the King of the Jews' and he affirms that he is 'the Christ, the Son of the Blessed' [see Tuesday's reading]. But against false charges he makes no defense." So the picture that we have here of Jesus is one of submission, and also characteristic of his behavior before the Sanhedrin, the same element of surprising quietude and lack of defense. Jesus is before those who are not interested in the truth, not interested in his message of spiritual redemption, not interested in his true identity and its true substance at all. Where hearts are hardened, there is no need to speak. It is his hour, his choice, and he submits to the time and the Father's will for what is to come and what must be for the spiritual redemption of all.

Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion. Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them. My study bible notes, "Barabbas as his fellow rebels are Jewish nationalists who have already participated in some local insurrection against the Romans. Barabbas means 'son of Abba' or, literally, 'son of the father.' A variant reading in Matthew 27:16 ... and a patristic tradition also attribute the name Jesus to him, thus underscoring the bitter irony that the false 'savior' and 'son of the father' is released, whereas the true Savior and Son of the Father is condemned to death." And again, "This multitude, stirred up by the Jewish leaders, is quite likely a crowd of their own supporters hastily gathered in the early morning. It is probably not the same crowd which welcomed Jesus at his Triumphal Entry [of Palm Sunday], nor the general populace feared by the Jewish leaders [such as those who listened to Jesus preach in the temple]. However, just days before on Palm Sunday, no doubt some of these same people had praised him. The multitudes were always interested in Christ. Now they turn against him. Why? The multitude is fickle. The crowd follows the crowd. It loves good teaching and prophetic insight, but avoids discipleship, suffering and perseverance." I find these notes quite helpful, as they reflect tradition from earliest sources and as widely accepted across denominations. What do you think? What is your experience of "the crowd?" As we read in the gospels, we understand this repeated perspective that the crowds rarely have it right; and its opinion is not reliable (such as the multitude who wished to make Jesus king because they were fed with the loaves and fishes).

But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" For he knew that the chief priests had handed him over because of envy. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. Pilate answered and said to them again, "What then do you want me to do with him whom you call the King of the Jews?" So they cried out again, "Crucify him!" Then Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they cried out all the more, "Crucify him!" So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged him, to be crucified. Again, I will repeat a helpful note: "The envy of the Jews [that is, the powerful leadership in the temple] brought Jesus to Pilate. the cowardice of Pilate allows envy to have its way. How pathetic is Pilate: known in history by billions of people for his complicity, perhaps the greatest coward of all time. Scourged means flogged with a roman whip consisting of several leather strips with small pieces of bone and lead at the tips."

And so, Jesus' condemnation is final. There is nothing else to do but to be led away for scourging, humiliation and crucifixion. What do we think of the crowds? Of how easily people are stirred up and manipulated by false leadership? Of the cowardice of those in positions of power, always balancing political considerations one against the other, with no regard for truth or the death of innocents who are always a form of "collateral damage" or perhaps a "necessary evil?" The avoidance of truth is paramount here, for truth in all its weight is what is missing. There is no truth in the sentencing of the Sanhedrin -- for its aim was not with that goal in mind at all, it was not an honest inquiry but a search for a means to get rid of the charismatic Jesus who had openly confronted and condemned the practices of the leadership in the temple, and gained a popular following among the crowds. He spoke for the poor, and against the hypocrisy that penalized the poor in the name of religion and in practices of worship, the ways of dealing with money. Where is the truth here? In the emotional persuasion of the crowds and their fickleness, we get another lesson - as discussed in the subject of yesterday's reading and commentary - about our reliance on emotion and zeal. "Hard-heartedness" is the word Jesus has used for a heart that is not open to truth, and here we see several examples of what forms that can take: the envy of the Sanhedrin (the leadership - although we know from other readings in Mark's gospel that not all the leadership of the temple is in agreement about Jesus), the political expediency and hence cowardice of Pilate, the zeal of the crowds. These are all ways to avoid a centered inquiry, an open heart, a search for spiritual truth and relatedness to the Lord.

So, what does this mean for us? I feel that it teaches us so much about ourselves. If we look around at our world, it teaches us as a kind of warning about what things distract us from what is important. It also teaches something else far more powerful, and that is how we come to spiritual truth. The crowds won't get us there. Political expediency -- balancing one interest against another simply for the sake of a position of some sort of power, whatever it is -- will not get us there either, but rather makes pathetic cowards of us. And envy, the root, in an archetypal sense, of evil in the world, will always lead to self-deception and personal destruction if carried too far, unchecked by balance and a search for truth in our hearts. For each example, we understand that faith relies on our capacity as individuals to open our hearts to what is real, in a centered place of prayer, to sincerely inquire after love and spiritual truth, and guidance. This is how we find what is of true weight and importance, midst the various things we must consider in our lives. We come to the Lord as individuals, even if we worship in community, and that is what leads to right-relatedness. Once again, we return to the question posed by the scribe in the temple, which Jesus answered even to the scribe's satisfaction. What is the greatest commandment? You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind and all your strength; and your neighbor as yourself. In these are all of the law and prophets. As the scribe said, "more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." To follow the crowd, to retain power at all costs, to simply operate by balancing interests without regard for truth, are all forms of idolatry, following a false appearance which substitutes for a true depth of the search for spiritual truth in one's heart, and relationship to Creator. Let us take that lesson with us from this scene, and remember to apply it to us today. We are in the midst of this world beset with the same problems. This is not a story that happened far away and long ago, but it's rather a story about ourselves and what it means to be human, and to live in our world with the same problems we face in different form today. Jesus also told us to "Watch!" and not to let ourselves be deceived. We must do our work of discipleship, to be the rational sheep, and make this honest search for ourselves. We don't just follow the crowd, chase after position or expediency, or make a defense where there is no case. We open our hearts, we love the truth, we seek wisdom as best we can in relationship to spiritual reality. On this hangs all, on this rests our faith.