· The meaning of the 30 pieces of silver
o Temple money was used to purchase sacrifices. When the Leaders paid Judas 30 pieces of silver for his betrayal of Jesus, they were, unknowingly, purchasing a sacrifice for sin
o Exo 21:32 defines it as the legal price of a dead slave. So, if your ox gored another person's slave (employee), you were required to pay 30 pieces of silver. Jesus' value was defined as that of a slave. But also, it fulfilled Zech 11:12
· The need for Judas
o Everyone knew who Jesus was, they didn't need Judas to pick him out. What they didn't know was how to find him when the crowds weren't around
o Also, Roman law required someone to bring forward and initial formal indictment
o Also, a civil trial required a prosecuting witness
· The outline of the events
o The arrest
o The religious trial
· Trial before Annas (original high priest deposed by the Roman Governor)
· Trial before Caiphas
· Hall of Judgement in the temple compound
o The death of Judas
· In Matt 27 it says he hanged himself and in Acts 1, he fell onto the ground and his insides burst out. He probably did a self-hanging, and the rope did not hold for the whole time, resulting in the bursting of his intestines when he hit the ground
o The civil trial
· First trial before Pilate (also John 18:28-32)
Mark 15:1-5 (NIV) Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.
“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.
3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”
5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
· What is missing is the discussion in John where the Jews stumble around with the indictment, because Judas is now dead
· What is Pilate's conclusion (not seen here but in the other gospels)? He has done nothing wrong deserving death (#1)
· What is Pilate's decision (not seen here but in the other gospels)? He finds out he is from Galilee, and passes him off to Herod
· The outline of the events (continued)
o Jesus faces Herod Antipas (Luke 23:6-12)
o Second trial before Pilate
· Pilate argues that Herod has found him innocent (Luke 23:13-15) (#2)
· Pilate concludes that He agrees that Jesus is innocent (#3)
Mark 15:6-10 (NIV) Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9 "Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him.
· The outline of the events (continued)
o In the middle of the proceedings, Pilate receives a message from his wife (Matt 27:17-19)
Mark 15:11-15 (NIV) But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
12 "What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.
13 "Crucify him!" they shouted.
14 "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"
15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
· How can a crowd composed of many of the same people who shouted "Hosanna in the Highest; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Father," earlier in the week, now shout "Crucify Him," later in the week?
o The Jewish people knew who he was
o The Jewish people reject Jesus, just as the leaders had
· Verse 15 shortens the story significantly. It is not wrong, it just leaves out a lot of details
· The outline of the events (continued)
o Jews demand Jesus be crucified (first time)
o Pilate has him flogged
o Pilate returns him again to the crowd (#4) (possibly hoping that the crowd would pity him) for release (John 19:1-6). The crowd again demands for Jesus to be crucified (second time)
o Pilate realizes that the reason is not sedition but that he claims to be God (John 19:7)
· There is no denying from this verse that the Jewish people did not understand Jesus' claim
o Pilate now interviews Jesus again (John 19:8-11)
o Pilate brings Jesus out a third time (John 19:12-16) (#5 and #6)
· The Jews demand his crucifixion a third time
· The Jews claim Caesar as their king
Mark 15:25-32 (NIV) It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27 They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!"
31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! 32 Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
· The Passover lamb was taken to the Temple for four days for a specific purpose: it was to be kept under close observation. Why? The Passover lamb had to be a spotless lamb. Around 50 separate tests were performed to insure the lamb's purity. On the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan, after the lamb was officially declared to be pure and free from defect, it was placed upon the altar at 9:00 AM. The lamb remained until 3:00 PM in the afternoon. At that time, the High Priest took a knife and slit the throat of the lamb and said "IT IS FINISHED". After the death of the lamb, it was taken and then thrust on a vertical pole. A horizontal pole was transfixed on this pole and the lamb was layed out on it so that its skin could be flayed. The skin on its back was removed to ensure one thing: that it was as pure on the inside as it was on the outside. The heart of the lamb was removed and all the blood was drained from it. In all of this exercise, not one bone of the lamb was broken. (Pasted from <http://www.threemacs.org/themes/jewish/passover.htm> )
o The third hour is 9am
· I think Bertrand Russell's answer to the question, "what if when you die, you find out that God exists, what will you say to him?" was "you didn't give me enough evidence." How are the response of the people around the cross and the religious leaders similar?
o They wanted a sign
o They refused to believe the sign when it was given
· Is it really about a sign or evidence?
o People choose to believe or to choose to refuse to believe. Both positions require faith
Mark 15:33-39 (NIV) At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"-which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."
36 One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.
37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
· The ninth hour is 3pm
o The blood is drained
o Not one bone is broken
· The sayings of Jesus on the cross:
1) “Father, forgive them”
2) “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise”
3) “Woman, behold thy son”
4) “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani”
5) “I thirst”
6) “It is finished”
7) “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit”
· Again, Mark does not include all the sayings, and shortens the story considerably. This does not change its veracity, it just abridges things
Mark 15:40-47 (NIV) Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
· In John, Nicodemus goes secretly to Jesus. In Mark, Joseph goes bodly to Pilate
· Jesus is buried in a rich man's grave hours before the sabbath starts
Mark 16:1-8 (NIV) When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6 "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"
8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
· The ladies buy spices Saturday evening, when the sabbath is over
· Sunday morning, the go to the tomb
· The large stone is rolled away, the tomb is empty, and angel announces the good news: He is risen
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