Mark 15:21-39 - Recognize Jesus is the Son of God
Mark: The Road to the Empty Tomb • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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I grew up a huge WWE fan.
April 2007, WrestleMania 23, Donald Trump had a special appearance in the Battle of the Billionaires match, where Stone Cold Steve Austin special guest referee’d.
At the end of the match, Stone Cold would always hit someone with the Stone Cold Stunner when they weren’t really expecting it.
Picture
Donald Trump took a Stone Cold Stunner at WrestleMania 23.
Who would’ve thought that in 9 years, he’d become the president of the United States!
Looking back now, there’s no way that would ever happen again.
No one would dare to do something like that to a US President, because they recognize the weight and the honor that comes from that office!
Sermon Graphic
Context:
In our text, Jesus has been unjustly accused and condemned by the chief priests because they don’t believe that He is the Son of God.
They brought Him to Pilate, claiming that He’s a blasphemer, but Pilate knows He’s innocent.
Pilate tries to set Jesus free, but the crowds begin crying “crucify Him!”
Pilate caves to their chants and gives Jesus up to the soldiers, who also don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
If they truly knew who this was, they would’ve worshipped Him instead of murdering Him.
So what Mark is going to call us to is:
Big Idea: Recognize Jesus is the Son of God
Big Idea: Recognize Jesus is the Son of God
Stand to read
21 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. 22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.
Leader: This is God’s Word
Everyone: Thanks be to God.
It was standard practice for a condemned criminal to carry their own cross.
We see where Simon is brought in to carry the cross for Jesus.
This is to show us that the beating Jesus received was so severe that He was physically unable to carry His cross.
They had pummeled Jesus to a pulp.
He’s brought to the place of the Skull, outside the city of Jerusalem
Popular place of execution.
They offer Him a cup of wine mixed with myrrh, to further the shame.
They hung an inscription above His head that would communicate His charges.
Some said “Thief” or “Murderer”——Jesus’ said, “King”
A king would’ve been offered a cup of wine, but they made the wine sour.
They stripped His clothes from Him and gambled for them.
Mark is painting a picture for us to understand the incredibly painful and extraordinarily shameful conditions that Jesus died in.
Jesus has been shamed to the fullest extent that the soldiers could achieve.
The people involved can’t see the larger picture or the story.
They can’t see that this is the Son of God that came to save us!
They jeer at Him
29 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, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 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.
The bystanders, the chief priests, and the scribes see Jesus’s inability to save Himself as validation that He isn’t the Son of God.
They will only believe it if they see proof.
This has been a theme for them.
They demanded a sign in Mark 8:11-13, and Jesus didn’t give it to them
They’re making the same demand here.
This is a sign of their unbelief.
They don’t understand that He isn’t here to save Himself, He’s hanging there to save them.
If He were to come down from the cross, there would be no gospel.
They fail to understand that it isn’t the nails holding Jesus to the cross, it’s the very promise of God.
Faith isn’t compelled by sight.
Mark is leading us to faith in the person of Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross.
Jesus doesn’t argue back, try to get the last word, or even try to preserve His own dignity.
Jesus surrenders in total vulnerability knowing that this is the only way He can save us from our sins—If He takes our guilt and shame onto Himself.
33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
The scene changes at noon.
Turn the lights off
It’s supposed to be the brightest part of the day, yet the world is covered with an unnatural darkness.
Years ago, I was able to go to America’s largest underground lake.
It’s in Sweetwater, TN in a cave that you have to climb down into.
Tour guides put you in a boat and take you out onto the lake, then shut off all the lights.
0% light gets down there. The guide said that if you put your hand in front of your face, you don’t actually see it. It’s just your brain telling you that your hand should be there.
That’s DARK!
This is a different kind of dark.
This isn’t just bad weather, this is a sign of divine judgement.
Amos 8:9–10 “9 “And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. 10 I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.”
This was a darkness you could feel.
This darkness was God’s own grief over the death of His only Son.
God’s divine judgement was overshadowing as His Son hung on the cross.
turn lights on
Jesus was becoming the curse of our sin.
He was taking our sin from us, and God could not look upon it.
His eyes are too pure to look upon sin.
From the darkness comes a cry from the Son of God.
34 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?”
This was the deepest possible pain.
The Father places the sin of the world upon His Son as the Lamb of God.
The Son of God was given as a sacrifice for our sin so that we could be forgiven.
Now, for the first time, Jesus is experiencing abandonment from His Father.
This was far worse than mocking, scourging, and crucifixion.
This is separation from God.
The full weight of the wrath of God was being poured out on the Son of God.
Jesus took the full punishment for your sin.
Not only was His physical blood shed, but the anger of God toward sin was poured out on Him.
Gospel presentation
The only way we could be forgiven is if a sacrifice is made!
Through the blood of Jesus, our sin has been paid for!
God provided His Son to die in our place so that you and I could be reconciled to God through faith!
The Son of God hung on the cross so that you could be forgiven by believing in Him!
37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
In the Temple, there was a massive curtain that separated the worship area from the Holy of Holies.
A place only the High priest entered once a year on the day of atonement.
It was the sacred space of the very presence of God.
When Jesus died, the curtain was torn in two, giving access into the presence of God.
This shows us that,
Jesus was abandoned by God so that we can be accepted and have access to God.
Jesus was abandoned by God so that we can be accepted and have access to God.
Jesus’s death breaks down the dividing wall from God and mankind.
Our sin kept us from a relationship with God
But now, we are able to go into the Holiest place.
We are invited into God’s presence, not by the high priest’s sacrifice on the Day of Atonement, but by the atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Through faith in Jesus, we have unfettered access to God through the Holy Spirit who lives in the believer!
No longer do we have to go to a geographical location, like the Temple.
Now, we have God Himself dwelling within us through faith!
If you’re not a Christian, you can come to God through Jesus Christ.
Repent of your sins and draw near to Him in faith!
It’s not because of who you are/what you’ve done, but because of what Jesus did on the cross on your behalf!
Look at what happens next!
39 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!”
The Roman centurions were the least likely to see the cross of Christ a victory for the Son of God.
He had likely seen hundreds of executions, showing the victory of Rome.
This one was different.
He “say that in this way Jesus breathed His last.”
In what way?
37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.
Was that a battle cry of victory??
Crucified criminals did not sound victorious in their dying breaths.
Jesus exhibited some major physical strength to give out this loud cry.
This soldier watched as Jesus conquered sin and death by dying on the cross!
Jesus laid His life down, it wasn’t taken (John 10)
This challenged everything this Roman soldier believed.
He’d likely participated in wars, where the only way to win is to kill everyone who opposed you.
Yet, he sees and hears this victorious declaration.
What just happened was that Jesus used sin and death as a tool to destroy sin and death!
He was going to conquer death by dying!
He laid down HIS life, and HE will take it up again in 3 days!
With this last shout, Jesus died declaring that He had taken our sin and shame and murdered it on the cross!
Jesus gave up His Spirit to the Father as our sacrifice so that we could be set free from our sins!
Jesus accomplished what He set out to do!
Salvation was purchased through the blood of Jesus on the cross!
This can only be the Son of God! (v. 39)
The soldier so overwhelmed by this sight that He can’t help but shout out who Jesus is!
This is the cry of every believer!
Do you recognize Jesus as the Son of God?!
Church,
We must profess Jesus as the Son of God.
We must profess Jesus as the Son of God.
We don’t look at Jesus and throw away the parts that we don’t want!
The cry of our hearts is that we see Jesus as the Son of God who came to die for our sins!
If you do not know Jesus as the Son of God, turn from your sins and come to the cross of Jesus and receive forgiveness!
The cross is where God meets humanity.
Becoming a Christian is not predicated on prior knowledge, morality, or privilege.
It’s an act of faith that is given to us by the Holy Spirit.
It’s through faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross that we can be saved.
It’s through the cross that we might acknowledge Him to be the Son of God and with Him, share in free and joyful access to the Father.
If you want to become a Christian, believe in Jesus as the Son of God who died for your sins. I’d love to have that conversation and help you take the next step.
