They Said So

Read This Week: Mark 15

Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law, and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied. – Mark 15:1-2 NIV

Jesus had been betrayed, arrested, brought before the Sanhedrin, mocked openly, and abandoned by his followers, most notably, Peter. Now he is being brought to his official trial before Pilate early in the morning. Roman leaders began at the earliest hours of the day, and the religious leaders wanted to be there first thing in the morning because their hatred for Jesus emboldened their desire to stop Him. 

The Jewish leaders took Jesus to Pilate because they did not have the legal right to execute their criminals. Jesus stood accused of doing what He refused to do all along, to defy the Roman government and their leaders. He always preached respect for those in authority and to “render unto Caesar what is his.” He had never sought to exert earthly power of the Romans but instead came as the suffering Savior, the lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.

Now He stood before Pilate to answer trumped-up charges about his challenge of Roman rule. Pilate asked about this in verse 2: “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus was the king of the Jews, but not in a political or military sense. He answered Pilate’s question but not in the way he was anticipating. He affirmed his status as God and as supreme but not in a way that would further accusations against Him.

Jesus would not give Pilate the satisfaction of declaring Him guilty of treason yet he answered in such a way that made Pilate think and that required further exploration. He knew that no matter what Pilate declared about Him, that would not change who He was and is.

Who do we say that He is? Do our lives, behavior, actions, and words point to the person of Christ? When asked to testify to the true identity of the Savior, can we say so? The beauty of worshipping and following Jesus is that He never changes. His character, supremacy, and eternal identity cannot be changed or altered by any man, event, circumstance, or skeptical assertion.

The Sanhedrin, Pilate, the angry crowds, or any that came after them, did not and cannot determine who Jesus is. But when people we come in contact with are searching for meaning, answers, and spiritual truth, may they be able to find Jesus, point to us, and say, “They said so.”

7 Comments

  1. heidi on March 7, 2022 at 10:18 am

    Mark 15:39 When the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last [being fully in control], he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

    Mark shares a lot in His book that Jesus is the son of God!
    In verse 39 This man could recognize how Jesus breathed His last breath that He was the son of God.

    John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.“

    Jesus is God in human form and because God is your Father you are a child of God too!
    He loves us so much that Jesus came to save us, He died and carried our sins far away, Jesus died not because he was powerless, but because it was necessary, it was His purpose.
    Jesus was willing to take on our sins, in those moments Jesus took our punishment, the curtain was torn, Jesus made a way for us to be able to have a relationship with God.

    Thank you Jesus for all you did and continue to do for us, we love you so much.

    Father God,
    please help us to have a heart like Yours, please help us to spread the Good news that Jesus died for us, He is alive and we can give our life to you, be saved from our old life and be in relationship with You everyday and for the rest of our life! yay!!!

    • Jason on March 20, 2022 at 11:33 am

      Thank you for sharing this wonderful word, Heidi. This prayer and cry to God should come from our heart every day in some iteration or another:

      Father God, please help us to have a heart like Yours, please help us to spread the Good news that Jesus died for us, He is alive and we can give our life to you, be saved from our old life, and be in a relationship with You every day and for the rest of our life.

      May God continue to renew and refresh our hearts every day by the power of the Holy Spirit so that we may have a heart, attitude, and life that resembles His!

  2. Samuel on March 7, 2022 at 11:08 pm

    Mark 15:18-19 says, And they began to salute Him hail to the King of Jews! And they struck His head with a staff made of a reed. And spat on Him And bowing their knees in Homage of Him.

    God spoke to me and said, “My Son, you can see how people of the world can treat you as a Christian. They become misled by men that do not have me in their hearts. And they will try to beat you down. But you, my son, have me in your heart, And you also have trust in me, that when they try to discourage you and keep you down. I am here with you to pick you up and keep you on the right track.”

    I asked God further about this and he said everything that is going on around you in the world can’t be allowed to distract you. Because you have the trust in me to step up and carry on.

    • Jason on March 20, 2022 at 11:29 am

      I so appreciate this timely and encouraging word, Sam. We all need to hear this every day as followers of Jesus. It reminds me of what a mentor of mine used to say “the enemy doesn’t have to destroy us, he just has to distract us.” May we take God’s word to heart and your words here and not get distracted in spite of all that is going on around us in the world. I pray that we will keep our eyes squarely on Christ and His will.

  3. Alma on March 8, 2022 at 3:40 pm

    This week in Mark 15, God gave me a song called “God’s Plan”:

    Our Lord has a plan, a wonderful plan for all of us
    We are seeking you, seeking you, we are seeking you, our Jesus
    Being humble and being ready while doing our life with you

    No more worries, no more fears, no more anxiety we have you
    No more worries, no more fears, no more anxiety we have you, our Lord
    Your plan is a perfect plan we trust and believe in you, our Lord. Amen.

    We are so blessed to have an amazing Father who wants only the best for us. When life gets tough always remember trust and talk to our heavenly Father he will guide you.

    • Jason on March 20, 2022 at 11:23 am

      I love this song, Alma. There is so much theology and practical truth in your words. May we all embrace the promises and truth of God that He has a plan for us and be obedient to Him while we fulfill His purposes.

      No more worries, no more fears, no more anxiety we have you
      No more worries, no more fears, no more anxiety we have you, our Lord
      Your plan is a perfect plan we trust and believe in you, our Lord.

      In the name of Jesus and in light of God’s truth, peace, power, and confidence, our anxiety, worry, fear, and hopelessness fall away. It has no place in our lives when we trust in the Lord.

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