Princeton Presbyterian Church

Princeton Presbyterian Church (EPC) Sermon # 1705

October 26, 2025

Mark 15.1-15           Click here for audio worship.

Dr. Ed Pettus

(This is an extended outline, not a verbatim transcript.)

 

“Jesus – Kings of Kings”

 

And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

 

Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

 

 

• Jesus Before Pilate

 

When we look at a typical church year, there is a time and a season for certain topics. Advent means preaching the coming of Christ. Christmas, the birth of Christ. Pentecost takes us to Acts 2 and so forth. But we are moving into the final chapters in our series in Mark’s gospel. That brings us to the passion of Christ in the next three sermons and the resurrection of Christ in the last chapter of Mark. But, it is never a bad time to read about Christ’s suffering. He suffered for our sake, for our forgiveness, for the sake of God’s salvation purpose. We tend to overlook this portion of Scripture. There is often not enough time, not enough Sundays in the run up to Easter to read all that Jesus endured. Plus, it is also not the most pleasant part of the gospel narrative. But it is a crucial part, as is every part of the Good News of Jesus Christ. So, today as we come to the final two chapters of Mark’s gospel, we come to the trial of Jesus in Mark 15.

Even here we have skipped over some of the suffering of Christ: the religious leaders plotted to have Jesus killed, Judas betrayed Jesus identifying Him for arrest. Jesus is then brought before the council of elders and scribes and Peter denies that he knew Jesus.

We pick up the next major event as Jesus is brought before Pilate, the civil authority. Pilate was the Roman governor over the region of Judea. In his position he had authority over financial issues for Judea as well as administrative needs. His position gave him power to use the military to keep order among the population. Mark’s gospel indicates that Pilate was reluctant to preside over the trial of Jesus and he was sympathetic to Jesus’ innocence. Unfortunately he has also gone down in history in the church creeds and confessions as the authority under which Jesus suffered. The apostles’ creed states, “He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried…” In the Nicene Creed, we read, “For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.” Pilate’s name lives on as a part of the confession we make to Christ’s suffering and death.

When we examine Mark 15 and the details of Pilate’s interaction with Jesus, we see a governor reluctant to put Jesus to death. He is actually amazed by Jesus’ silence before His accusers. It is possible Pilate respected Jesus more than he did the religious leadership who brought Jesus to him.

 

 

• Jesus Before the Mob

 

But Pilate can also be perceived as a coward who refused to take any responsibility for his part in the crucifixion of Jesus. Pilate took advantage of the custom during the Jewish feast to release a prisoner at the request of the people. So Jesus is brought before a mob. We know something about mob mentality as we have seen people gather to protest anything and everything about a social justice issue or, most recently, gathering for No Kings Day. This scene in Mark 15 reminds me of the no kings protests. People gathered for reasons none of them understood. The crowd in Mark 15 was stirred up by the priests to have Pilate release Barabbas instead of Jesus.

The passion of Christ began with Jesus coming into Jerusalem in triumph. People shouting his praises as they waved and placed palm branches before him singing “hosanna”, “He saves”. Now the crowds, hopefully not the same people, are calling for His crucifixion. Jesus is in the custody of the elders and scribes, the religious leadership of the day. They bind Jesus and take Him to Pilate. By the time Pilate is finished with Him, the crowds have called for His crucifixion and pleaded for the release of Barabbas. It is hard to imagine going from the “Hosannas” of the triumphal entry just a few days before to the shout of “crucify him” on this day.

 

• Jesus – King of Kings

 

Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” That was the question that mattered to both Jew and Roman. The Jews believed it to be blasphemy to claim this role and the Romans could have called it treason to have any claim other than Caesar as king. Jesus claims that Pilate has made it so in the question itself! In one possible interpretation Jesus may have had a tone of sarcasm in His response to Pilate. “Are you the King of the Jews?” “Now you get it! You have said so.” Wink! Wink! But I think from Pilate’s position, the title King of the Jews was little to no threat to the Roman Empire. It really did not matter to Pilate because he believed the Jewish leaders were aiming to get rid of Jesus no matter the cost.

Before the crowd Pilate refers to Jesus as the King of the Jews two times.

“Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” (9)

“Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” (12)

 

I laughed out loud when I copied those two lines into my sermon because for a moment I imagined the look on the faces of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes as Pilate kept referring to Jesus as the King of the Jews. I would imagine they were thinking, “Stop saying that!” It infuriated them even more to the point of stirring the crowd to release Barabbas. Many times those in power are threatened when their power is at risk. We see it in political and religious power quite often. People with power will stop at nothing to keep that power.

Jesus reveals something here about true power, a power that was demonstrated, not in utilizing every weapon of power, but in the power of humility. Jesus said very little during His trial, even impressed Pilate in His silence before His accusers. Jesus knew they had no real power over Him. He knew the sovereignty of God, the purposes of God, and He humbled Himself before the earthly powers who were, in reality, powerless to thwart God’s will.

This is the irony of the title used in this narrative, King of the Jews – a possible threat to Caesar, blasphemy in the eyes of Jewish leadership, a threat to the overall status quo. And yet, this is the King of kings, Lord of Lords, and at the same time, the sacrificial lamb, the Savior of the world, and when all His enemies thought this was the end, it was just another step in the direction of God’s plan of redemption. Paul uses this story in 1 Timothy 6.13-16, I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

 

Paul may be referring to more that Jesus said in His testimony before Pilate. Other gospels report more to Jesus’ testimony, but even if we just took Mark’s account, it is enough to be impressed with Jesus’ testimony. “You have said so!” Then, silence.

 

In the letter to Timothy, Paul charges Timothy to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach in the presence of God, who gives life, and Christ, who made the good confession. Then Paul reveals the truth of kingship, not just that Jesus is King of the Jews, but that God is King of kings and Lord of Lords. That means that Jesus is also King of kings and Lord of Lords. We read in Revelation 17.14, “They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” And in Revelation 19.16 at the appearance of Jesus, “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” The irony of it all, that Jesus is persecuted and sent to the cross with the title of “King of the Jews” and yet He is so much more than that. King of kings, Lord of lords. There are none above Him! There will come a day when all will see, when the revelation will be made clear and as Paul writes of Jesus in Philippians 2.9-11, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

 

Mark 15, when read for the first time, can be a quite alarming scene and troubling read. But we know the rest of the story. We know what is to come in the narrative and what has come in Christ risen from the tomb. We know the revelation of the book of Revelation. We know the King of the Jews and the King of kings. We know the Christ, the Messiah, Savior, who gave His life, suffered so deeply for our sake and salvation. We know what He went through for us. We know the power of the passage that reads “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5.6-8).

 

Jesus on trial reminds us of His willingness to suffer and die for us. For that we are deeply thankful, abundantly humbled, and filled with wonder and love. Give thanks today for Christ, who suffered and died that we might be set free for life and obedience, for faith and love, for life eternal. All because Jesus suffered on our behalf. In Him alone we have peace. Give thanks and follow Jesus every day and every moment. Amen.