Jesus Accused by Chief Priests and Scribesby CBPepper
15:4Mark 15:4
And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.
Early in the morning Jesus stands bound as a prisoner inside the Roman judgment-hall among soldiers and spectators, while the priests, rulers, elders and mob of the Sanhedrin remain outside lest entering defile them for the Passover, as His trial moves toward condemnation. Pilate confronts Him there with the many things witnessed against Him and urges Him to answer. The confrontation comes amid deafening uproar and noisy denunciations from hostile priests, scribes, rulers and a clamoring mob demanding death, with false, unsubstantiated charges and abuse.
To all of this Jesus answers nothing to His accusers but remains silent. He stands unmoved with calm, dignified, noble bearing that gives evidence of conscious innocence, as fury beats about Him like heavy ocean waves that break around Him without touching Him. His silence shines as light from within in contrast to the fury around Him. Pilate is confused, perplexed, marveling and astonished both by the uproar and by Jesus' silence and bearing without retaliation under insult and mockery, even to raising the question whether He does not care to save His life.
Looking searchingly at Jesus, Pilate sees no guilt, fear, boldness, defiance, sedition or rebellion, but goodness and nobility, the signature of heaven rather than the marks of a criminal. He distrusts the accusations as the plot of hostile accusers, knowing Jesus is innocent and convinced He is not unrighteous and unjust as the clamoring priests claim. Christ's appearance makes a favorable impression that rouses Pilate's better nature and wins his respect. It revives what his wife had told him and what he had heard by rumor of the Galilean prophet who cured the sick and raised the dead, including Lazarus dead four days.
Pilate had been called hastily from his bedchamber determined to act quickly and with magisterial severity toward one the Jewish authorities were anxious to have punished. He resolves not to ratify the Sanhedrin's death sentence on their word alone but to demand their charges against the prisoner and require proof before condemning Him, which is why he presses on with repeated questions. The shift of the crowd from hailing Him as king to hissing at and reviling Him shows the fickleness of public favor, for which Jesus' disciples had been prepared so they did not have to base their faith on the crowd's opinion.
Early in the morning Jesus stands bound as a prisoner inside the Roman judgment-hall among soldiers and spectators, while the priests, rulers, elders and mob of the Sanhedrin remain outside lest entering defile them for the Passover, as His trial moves toward condemnation. Pilate confronts Him there with the many things witnessed against Him and urges Him to answer. The confrontation comes amid deafening uproar and noisy denunciations from hostile priests, scribes, rulers and a clamoring mob demanding death, with false, unsubstantiated charges and abuse.
To all of this Jesus answers nothing to His accusers but remains silent. He stands unmoved with calm, dignified, noble bearing that gives evidence of conscious innocence, as fury beats about Him like heavy ocean waves that break around Him without touching Him. His silence shines as light from within in contrast to the fury around Him. Pilate is confused, perplexed, marveling and astonished both by the uproar and by Jesus' silence and bearing without retaliation under insult and mockery, even to raising the question whether He does not care to save His life.
Looking searchingly at Jesus, Pilate sees no guilt, fear, boldness, defiance, sedition or rebellion, but goodness and nobility, the signature of heaven rather than the marks of a criminal. He distrusts the accusations as the plot of hostile accusers, knowing Jesus is innocent and convinced He is not unrighteous and unjust as the clamoring priests claim. Christ's appearance makes a favorable impression that rouses Pilate's better nature and wins his respect. It revives what his wife had told him and what he had heard by rumor of the Galilean prophet who cured the sick and raised the dead, including Lazarus dead four days.
Pilate had been called hastily from his bedchamber determined to act quickly and with magisterial severity toward one the Jewish authorities were anxious to have punished. He resolves not to ratify the Sanhedrin's death sentence on their word alone but to demand their charges against the prisoner and require proof before condemning Him, which is why he presses on with repeated questions. The shift of the crowd from hailing Him as king to hissing at and reviling Him shows the fickleness of public favor, for which Jesus' disciples had been prepared so they did not have to base their faith on the crowd's opinion.