An exposition of Mark 15:1-20. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, March 30, 2008.
What do you make of Jesus of Nazareth? Is he who he said he was or not?The most plaguing question raised by this passage is why was Jesus rejected of men in the end?
- The Religious Establishment: There are those who want nothing to do with Jesus because he makes them uncomfortable,;he reveals the sinfulness of their hearts. He makes them see themselves as they really are. Jesus very presence, his life, revealed the shallowness of the Pharisees and the wickedness of their heart.
- The Ambitious: In Pilate we see those who bow to social pressure, turning their back on Jesus, because identity with Jesus might ruin their own personal agenda.
- The Self-Seeking Masses: Many rejected Jesus because he didn’t fit their preconceived notions of what a Messiah should be, namely, a physical deliverer from oppression.
- The Soldiers: There are those who are simply unaware of their own desperate need, so they openly mock and ridicule Jesus.
What do you mean when you say you believe in Jesus? Is he the unique one-and-only savior of the world, or not? What do you think of Jesus? This is a question you will one day give an account for.