What does Mark 15:3 mean?

When the members of the Sanhedrin take Jesus to Pilate, they claim, "We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king" (Luke 23:2). The first part is a blatant lie. When questioned by the Pharisees and Herodians in the temple courtyard, Jesus clearly stated that if Caesar is the political leader and demands a tax, the Jews must pay it (Mark 12:13–17).

The charge that Jesus claims to be king is closer to the truth. Pilate may have heard of Jesus' initial entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1–10). While Jesus rode in on a donkey colt, other travelers greeted Him like a king, spreading branches and cloaks on the ground and declaring that David's kingdom was coming. God promised David that he would have an heir who would rule over Israel forever (1 Chronicles 17:11–14). Daniel affirmed this promise, describing the Ancient of Days bestowing eternal dominion over the earth to the "son of man" (Daniel 7:13–14). Incidentally, "son of man" is Jesus' favorite way to refer to Himself. Pilate probably knows nothing about the prophecy in Daniel 7, but he's more likely to know that Jesus entered Jerusalem to such a fanfare.

The Sanhedrin also says that Jesus "stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place" (Luke 23:5). This is true, however inadvertent. After Jesus fed the five thousand on the east side of the Sea of Galilee, the people tried to grab Him and make Him king (John 6:15). Jesus knew their zeal was less about God's deliverance of Israel and more about His ability to feed them (John 6:26). Jesus could have been king; Satan offered Him the world (Matthew 4:8–10). But Jesus is more concerned with saving souls than taking His rightful throne before it is time (John 6:27, 40). It makes no sense to take a kingdom of people who are enslaved to sin for eternity. Only by dying can He lead free people.