Mark 15:21—16:8
Notes
Transcript
Handout
The Crucifixion of the Son of God
The Crucifixion of the Son of God
And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.
EXPLAIN
EXPLAIN
Mark does not give a lot of the gory details involved in Jesus’ suffering and death (flogging, crown of thorns, etc.)
— probably because the horror of crucifixion was well known.
What Mark does emphasize is:
the darkness and abandonment of Jesus’ final hours:
Jesus is abandoned by his disciples
Jesus is abandoned by his disciples
He is left to carry his own cross.
Being too badly wounded to do so, they force Simon of Cyrene to carry it for him.
During the darkest season of Jesus’ life, none of his followers are there to comfort him.
Jesus is taunted by his enemies
Jesus is taunted by his enemies
Those who passed by on the road taunted him…
The chief priests and scribes mocked him…
The two criminals crucified with him mocked him as well…
He did nothing to deserve there insults and mockery!
Jesus is forsaken by his Father
Jesus is forsaken by his Father
Mark describes Jesus’ last words as the opening of Psalm 22:1
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
Jesus is experiencing Isaiah 59:1-2
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
But it is not for his own sins that Jesus has been forsaken… He never sinned!
Jesus is forsaken by God because of the sin of the world.
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
Summary
In what seemed like Jesus’ weakest moment,
he fulfills the Father’s plan,
dying as the once-for-all sacrifice for sin!
Questions/Comments?
Questions/Comments?
Did that passage spark any questions you would like to ask, or thoughts you would like to share?
Transition
We have seen:
The Crucifixion of the Son of God…
Next we see…
The Death of the Son of God
The Death of the Son of God
And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem. And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
EXPLAIN
EXPLAIN
We have three significant events told to us by Mark:
First:
Jesus’ purpose accomplished
Jesus’ purpose accomplished
The curtain of the temple was torn in two.
It was torn from top to bottom…
which suggests that God tore it.
This was the curtain in the temple separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.
Only the High Priest could go in, and only once a year, to atone for the sins of Israel before God.
Summary
A few weeks back in Mark 11, we talked about Jesus cursing the fig tree,
and how that related to his cleansing of the temple.
Jesus was foreshadowing the cursing of the temple, which the religious leaders had desecrated.
The tearing of the veil was a sign of God tearing away the temple and it’s sacrifices from the religious leaders.
The second significant event told by Mark is:
Jesus’ identity confirmed
Jesus’ identity confirmed
The Roman Centurion’s confession
And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
We cannot know for certain if the centurion was professing saving faith in Jesus or not.
But we do know that his words were true, and given to him by God.
Bill Cook
“The centurion’s confession is triggered by observing how Jesus died. Neither Jesus’ power over nature, sickness, demons, or death had penetrated the blindness of those around him. But now, in the ultimate weakness of dying, Jesus is recognized as God’s Son.” — William F. Cook III
Summary
This centurion, who had probably witnessed many crucifixions,
recognized how different Jesus’ death was,
and concludes that he truly was the Son of God.
He confirmed Jesus’ identity.
The third significant event told by Mark is:
Jesus’ death validated
Jesus’ death validated
One of the criticisms against the Bible is that Jesus didn’t actually die.
But here Mark records for us those who validated Jesus’ death:
Women
Women
There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.
They were witnesses
They were standing far off, and saw how Jesus died…
Would have watched the whole thing take place:
hanging on the cross… his death…
taking his body down…
following them to the tomb, etc.
They women were witnesses of Jesus’ death.
Joseph of Arimathea
Joseph of Arimathea
A respected member of the council… a discilple of Jesus.
This shows that not all those on the Sanhedrin (who condemned Jesus to death) were against Jesus.
Joseph took Jesus body down, wrapped it, and laid him in a tomb.
He is a witness of Jesus’ death.
Pilate and the centurion
Pilate and the centurion
Pilate was surprised to hear Jesus had died so soon,
but validated it with the centurion,
who confirmed that Jesus was dead.
All of these people would have been able to refute Jesus’ death if he had not actually died.
Even if the women and Joseph had reason to lie,
Pilate and the centurion did not!
Summary
The writer of Hebrews tell us the significance of Jesus’s death:
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
God’s presence is now open to ALL people!
Anyone, no matter what age, race, status, education…
can enter God’s presence through the blood of Christ.
Questions/Comments?
Questions/Comments?
Did that passage spark any questions you would like to ask, or thoughts you would like to share?
Transition
We have seen:
The Crucifixion of the Son of God…
The Death of the Son of God...
Next we see…
The Resurrection of the Son of God
The Resurrection of the Son of God
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
EXPLAIN
EXPLAIN
The same group of women who had witnessed Jesus’ death, now visit the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body.
Spices were used to help with the stench of a dead body.
The fact that they brought spices clearly shows us they were not expecting him to be alive.
There is nothing in the response of these women, or even the disciples for that matter, that lead us to believe they had any hope Jesus was alive.
As they consider who will remove the stone from the tomb,
they arrive to find it has already been moved.
It was “very large”. It would have been around 4-6 feet in diameter,
far too big for a few women to move.
Entering the tomb, they see an angel.
The women were startled, but the angel tells them not to be afraid.
He gently corrects their mistake in coming to look for a dead Jesus.
Bill Cook
The women were looking for the one “who was crucified,” but they should be looking for the one who “has been resurrected.” — William F. Cook III
The angel encourages them to look where his body WAS…
then tells them to go and tell the disciples.
Mark ends his account on a curious note…
And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
We know that these women did go and tell the disciples,
so we should understand that Mark means that didn’t stop to talk to anyone along the way.
Mark may also leave the ending open-ended in this way to put the emphasis on the reader…
It should be our response to go and tell that Jesus is raised from the dead!
Summary
The fact that Jesus rose from the dead was the greatest news to His followers,
and it is the greatest new for us as well…
For then, through faith in Him, we have our sins forgiven!
This is the Good News we ought to share with the world!!!
Questions/Comments?
Questions/Comments?
Did that passage spark any questions you would like to ask, or thoughts you would like to share?
Evidence for Skeptics
Evidence for Skeptics
Dr. Cook’s commentary.
Page 163
The question in the minds of many sceptics is, "Did Jesus really rise from the dead?" The historical evidence for the bodily resurrection of Jesus is overwhelming. I will mention just a few pieces of evidence.
First, something miraculous must have happened on Easter Sunday for Jewish Christians to change their day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. Something monumental had to change for a people that had always worshipped on the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) to begin worshiping on the Lord’s Day (Sunday).
Second, the fact that women are described as the first witnesses to the empty tomb, and later to be the first to encounter the risen Lord, goes against everything in first-century Judaism (Matt. 28:8–10; John 20:11–18). If you were making up a story about the resurrection the last people you would make your most important initial witnesses would be women. Women were often not considered reliable witnesses in a court of law.
Third, nothing can explain the widespread number of people who are reported as having seen Jesus alive — as many as five hundred in different places and at different times — unless he truly was alive. Reports from this many people certainly could not be hallucinations or visions.
Fourth, if his body were decomposing in a tomb, why did the Jewish leaders not present the decomposed body to the masses in Jerusalem? All they had to do was to present Jesus’ corpse in order to silence the apostles preaching of the resurrection.
Fifth, if the disciples stole Jesus’ body, then why would the apostles endure beatings, impoverishment, and martyrdom for something they knew to be a lie? People may suffer and die for something they think to be true, but suffering and dying for some thing they know is not true makes absolutely no sense.
Finally, something dramatic must've happened to transform the disciples from cowards to courageous martyrs. When the day began, they were in hiding. In a matter of a few weeks, they were preaching courageously to those who crucified Jesus.
The final question that must be asked, “Does Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead really matter?" According to the apostle Paul, resurrection certainly mattered. He wrote, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith…. you are still in your sins!…. If we have placed our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone" (1 Cor. 15:14, 17, 19).
Therefore, if Jesus has been raised from the dead — and he has — then the church has a mandate to take the gospel across the street and around the world. To fail to be concerned about the salvation of others is to diminish the importance of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
If one confesses they believe in the resurrection, then they must live a resurrection life. We should build our lives around the things that matter most to God. To say we believe in the resurrection but live a casual form of pseudo-Christianity is to denigrate the person and work of Christ.
If Jesus’ death and resurrection could save and transformed the apostles, and it did, then Jesus’ death and resurrection can save you. To gain the world and not know Jesus is, in the end, to lose everything. But to lose everything for Jesus is, in the end, to gain everything!