Mark 15:1-5, Jesus Delivered to Pilate

Pilate

¹ 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. [Now the leaders have to find a way to get the death penalty implemented, and with Pilate they must have a good plan to out govern the governor! They go after a charge of treason rather than blasphemy. Pilate governed Judea from AD 26 to 36 with residence in Caesarea. In Jerusalem he stayed in the Praetorium that Herrod the Great built. This is where Jesus’ trial takes place. The working day for Roman officials began at sunrise.] ² And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” [Another sarcastic question but a title Jesus has come to fulfill.] And he answered him, “You have said so.” [Yes.] ³ And the chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴ And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” [Pilate, the prefect of Judaea, had the sole authority to acquit or condemn a person and to sentence him. If Jesus made no answer, Pilate would have to find him guilty according to Roman law.]  ⁵ But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. [Jesus’s silence would have been embarrassing for Pilate as Roman judges disliked sentencing an undefended man. Who is in control in this scene?]