Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, July 14, 2024

Choosing Barabbas Today, Michael is talking about choices. Choices can fall into many categories: really important or seemingly trivial.  Every time we make a choice, it can impact our lives.  And choices shape character and destiny; one choice at a time. In today’s lesson, two men were sentenced to death, and someone got to choose between two men; one got to be freed and one executed.  A group of religious leaders, a crowd of people, and a government official get to choose.  “Choices shape character and destiny; choose Jesus” is our core thought for today. Religious leaders have captured Jesus and put him through a mockery of a trial, but they were not allowed to execute him without the approval of the Romans, which is why they brought him to Pontius Pilate.  Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea during that time, not a super popular fellow, but Pilate at this time was much more interested in keeping the peace.  So the Sanhedrin wanted Pilate’s cooperation, and Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” and Jesus answered, “It is as you say.”    Pilate knew the charges were wrong but could not get Jesus to answer his queries, so he went with another tact.  Pilate asked, “Do you want me to release to you, the king of the Jews?”.  A Roman strategy in those days was to release prisoners to build cooperation with the Jews.  Barabbas, at that time, was a prisoner and a popular hero of the time. This allowed Pilate to offer the crowd and the religious leaders a choice between a popular hero and a suffering servant. But the crowd and the Sanhedrin wanted Jesus crucified and loudly proclaimed it. So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas and delivered Jesus to be crucified.    The religious leaders chose Barabbas because they wanted to keep control.  Do not blindly follow any human leader, ever.  Choose Jesus and follow HIS example! (CSB Bible Notes) 15:2 Pilate focused on whether Jesus claimed to be King of the Jews. Clearly the Sanhedrin’s condemnation based on blasphemy (14:64) had turned into charges of sedition and treason. This is the first use of this title in Mark’s Gospel, but Pilate repeatedly used it (15:2,9,12,26; cp. v. 32). The words recall the quest of the wise men at Jesus’s birth (Mt 2:2). Jesus’s reply, you say so, can be understood as either noncommittal or as an acknowledgment, but not as a denial. Today’s verses can be found in Mark 15: 1 - 15. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.