1 And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it. 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing. 4 And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. 5 But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled. (Mark 15:1-5 KJV)
Jesus Delivered to Pilate
Here we have a consultation held by the great Sanhedrin for the effective prosecution of our Lord Jesus. They met early in the morning and formed a council to find ways to have him put to death. They lost no time but pressed forward earnestly, fearing an uproar among the people. The relentless efforts of wicked people to do evil should put us to shame for our laziness in doing good. Those who fight against Christ and your soul rise early; how long then will you sleep, O sluggard?
They delivered him as a prisoner to Pilate; they bound him (Mark 15:1). He was to be the great sacrifice, and sacrifices must be bound with cords (Psalm 118:27). Christ was bound to make our bonds easier and enable us, like Paul and Silas, to sing in chains. We should often remember the bonds of the Lord Jesus, bound for us. They led him through the streets of Jerusalem to expose him to contempt—he who, just days earlier, had been honored while teaching in the temple. After such a night of abuse—beaten, spat on, and mocked—he must have looked miserable.
Their handing him over to Roman power symbolized the judgment on their nation and church, which they brought on themselves. By handing over their king, they effectively handed over the kingdom of God, which was therefore, by their own act, taken from them and given to another nation. If they had delivered up Christ to satisfy Roman concerns, it would have been one thing, but they voluntarily betrayed the crown of Israel to those who were Israel’s oppressors.
Pilate examined him by asking, “Are you the King of the Jews?” (Mark 15:2). In other words, “Do you claim to be the Messiah, the king the Jews expect as a temporal ruler?” Jesus answered, “Yes, it is as you say. I am that Messiah, but not the kind they expect.” He is the King who rules and protects his spiritual Israel—those who are Jews inwardly, by the circumcision of the heart—and who will judge the unbelieving and carnal Jews.
The charges brought against him and his silence under accusation followed. The chief priests degraded their office by turning informers and personally accusing Christ of many things (Mark 15:3). Many Old Testament prophets condemned the priests of their times for wickedness (Ezekiel 22:26; Hosea 5:1; 6:9; Micah 3:11; Zephaniah 3:4; Malachi 1:6; 2:8). The fall of Jerusalem to the Chaldeans is said to be for the sins of the priests who shed innocent blood (Lamentations 4:13). Wicked priests are often the worst of men. The better a thing is, the worse it is when it’s corrupted.
Secular persecutors have often been more compassionate than religious ones. These priests were loud and aggressive in their accusations, but Jesus answered nothing (Mark 15:3). When Pilate urged him to respond and wanted him to defend himself (Mark 15:4), he remained silent (Mark 15:5), which Pilate found astonishing. Jesus answered Pilate plainly (Mark 15:2), but didn’t respond to the false witnesses because their accusations were obviously untrue, and he knew Pilate saw that. Christ spoke with wisdom and kept silent with the same.