Special Note: Although all questions are based out of Mark, you may find it helpful to read the mirroring accounts of this trial in the other gospels. Also, there are some historical/cultural context questions that will likely require a study bible or commentary to answer.
- What type of power and position did Pilate hold in the Roman government?
- What was Pilate’s question and how was it answered by Jesus?
- What similarities and differences do you see between Jesus’s religious trial with the Sanhedrin and his political trial with Pilate?
- What was the only capital crime the religious leaders could come up with that Pilate would entertain?
- What do you think amazed Pilate about Jesus refusing to defend himself?
- What are followers of Jesus to learn from the way Jesus handled himself throughout both trials? (Consider 1 Peter 2:21-24)
- Why was there a custom at the festival to release a prisoner?
- What crimes had Barabbas been convicted of?
- How could Pilate see that the chief priests were not really interested in justice?
- What motivations did Pilate, the crowd and the chief priests each have that led them to treat Jesus so unjustly?
- How was Jesus’s interaction with the soldiers a picture of God’s curse on sinful humanity being thrust on Jesus?
Application:
1.How does Jesus’ willingness to suffer for others challenge the way I respond to suffering, both my own and that of others?
2.Human justice towards Jesus was grossly unfair and yet God justly allowed it to accomplish His will. How should I respond when divine justice seems to contradict my sense or understanding of fairness?
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