Mark the final Chapter

Ending our Walk Through Mark

Thank you guys, and thank you Kristi & Eloise for that wonderful music, but before we continue in our study of the Easter story in the gospel of Mark, please if you would:

“Join me in a word of prayer.”

Wow! Man, Easter is here. I’m so excited, aren’t you? You know, I was thinking to myself after our time together last week, man, how I really love the Easter season. Always getting to think about and celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Then it dawned on me that we should be celebrating Easter everyday of our lives. If it wasn’t for Easter there would be no Christianity and we would have nothing to have faith in and place our hopes on. Have you ever thought about that? I am so thankful for Easter. We ought to be focused on the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus everyday.

Last week in Mark chapter 14, we discussed Jesus being anointed with perfume by the lady at Bethany. We talked about the last supper Jesus had with His disciples and Jesus praying and then being arrested at the Garden of Gethsemane. And then we talked about how Jesus was interrogated by the Jewish leaders and how Peter denied knowing Jesus three times while standing in the courtyard of the High Priest. A lot of things leading up to the climax of the story.

Tonight we are going to conclude the Easter story by discussing Jesus’ trial before Pilate the Roman Governor, His crucifixion, His death, His burial, and how God the Father resurrected Him from the dead.

Judas has already betrayed Him, and Jesus has just been arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. and Peter has already denied Him three times, and the rest of His disciples and friends have deserted Him also. That was the treatment He received from His own people. Now He has the Romans to deal with. We will start out by Eloise reading the first 15 verses of chapter 15 for us. (read text)

Mark makes regular notations about the time in this chapter. Chapter 15 is divided into four periods of three hours each: “very early in the morning” in verse 1, “the third hour” in verse 25, “the sixth hour … until the ninth hour” in verse 33, and “evening” in verse 42.

As soon as it’s morning, the chief priests meet with the scribes, elders, and the entire council to present the conclusion of their findings—that Jesus had declared He was God and therefore should be handed over to the Roman government for execution.

The Roman ruler back in that time was Pontius Pilate. Pilate was the governor from approximately AD 26–36. Both the ancient scholars Josephus and Philo described him as being cruel and without any sensitivity for Jewish religious beliefs. One of his cruel acts is briefly mentioned in Luke 13:1 (“1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.”) By the time of Mark’s writing, Pilate was so well known in the Jewish circles that he needed no detailed description.

Pilate’s first question to Jesus in verse 2, “are you the king of the Jews?” gets right to the heart of the charge. The phrase king of the Jews doesn’t appear in Mark until this point, yet it is used six times in chapter 15. By doing so, Mark calls attention to the fact that Jesus died as the king of the Jews.

Jesus’ affirmative response was quick and direct. “You have said so” Jesus replied. Pilate wasn’t too concerned if Jesus was only a religious leader. But if Jesus saw Himself as someone seeking to overthrow the Roman government, He would surely be executed.

Mark doesn’t specify what other charges the Jewish leaders bring against Jesus in verse 3, but whatever they are, Jesus again remains silent. Pilate is amazed, probably because he has never seen anyone refuse to defend himself as Jesus did in this situation.

The custom of releasing a prisoner in verse 6 is probably unique just to Pilate. No records exist to suggest this was an official Roman practice. Most likely, it was just a ploy for popularity.

Mark records another irony with his account of Barabbas. After showing how the religious leaders have gone to such lengths to position Jesus as a threat to Rome, Pilate then places Him up against an already convicted insurrectionist. It seems that Pilate is attempting, to see to it, that Jesus is set free.

Pilate’s attempt to release Jesus is probably based less on motives of morality than it is his contempt for the Jews. It surely wasn’t hard for Pilate to see that the Jewish leadership was envious of Jesus and that the entire procedure was a sham. Just as clear for him to see, would have been Jesus’ pure and moral character. Indeed, if Jesus had been opposed to Roman rule, it is highly unlikely that the Jewish leaders would have turned Him in at all. But we all know now that was God’s plan all along.

The crowd’s defense of Barabbas in verse 11 is influenced by the chief priests. Pilate has unconditional power of amnesty and can release both prisoners if he wishes to. But Mark suggests that Pilate sees the potential for a riot here and makes the politically correct decision.

As the momentum shifts and the people turn against Jesus, they begin to demand His crucifixion. Yet when Pilate presses the point and asks what crimes Jesus has committed, they have no answer. As a result, Jesus is falsely accused by the Jews and condemned to death by Pilate for the very offense for which Barabbas was guilty of whom he released.

The “whole company of soldiers” in verse 16, was a cohort—a Roman force of around 300 men. It was typical of Roman soldiers to humiliate as well as torture condemned prisoners. Purple cloth was very expensive, so the color of the robe in verse 17 is associated with royalty. The “crown” of thorns was a way of mocking the emperor’s laurel wreath that Cesar always wore. The soldiers shouting, “Hail, king of the Jews,” is an imitation of their salute, like “Hail, Caesar the Emperor.”

During all this time of mocking, Jesus is also being beaten and spit on. All that happened was prophesied in the Old Testament. Jesus had also foretold these very things back in Mark 10:33–34 (“33 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; 34 and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”) but back in chapter 10 the disciples had no idea what Jesus was talking about.

Flogging was a severe punishment in itself, yet was also used as a prelim to crucifixion, perhaps to hasten ones death.

The usual Roman procedure was to strip the convicted person and flog him along the way to the place of execution. But Jesus had already been flogged in verse 15 and couldn’t bear anymore. He even needed help along the way to carry His cross. (Read 15:21-41)

The plot to have Jesus put to death is finally implemented. After a number of debates, disagreements, and outright conflicts with Jesus, the Jewish leaders finally get what they want. Yet even in His death, there is additional evidence that Jesus is who He claimed to be—the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God.

We know that Jesus started toward Golgotha bearing His own cross according to John 19:17 (“17 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,”) But the fact that Simon is recruited to help Him carry it in verse 21 indicates that Jesus must have been very weak at this point.

None of the Gospel writers provide an exact location or description of the place Jesus was crucified, but the Romans customarily executed people in public places, but outside the city gates.

Crucifixion was one of the most horrifying forms of execution ever thought of. After being stripped and flogged, the victim was nailed or tied to a wooden pole. Death usually came slowly as a result of exposure and plain exhaustion. Because none of the vital organs were damaged, it often took two or three days for the subject to die, although death could be hastened by breaking the legs of the victim, making breathing much more difficult, as they did with the two thieves.

Some ancient writings record a tradition of the women of Jerusalem providing those condemned to die with a type of narcotic drink—possibly based on Proverbs 31:6–7 (“6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart. 7 Let him drink and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more.”) The “wine mixed with myrrh” offered to Jesus in verse 23 may have had this purpose, but He refused it. Jesus faces death in complete control of His senses. He endures the fullness of His suffering and death so we would never need too. Because He has faced the worst, we can totally trust that He will see us through any future sufferings that we may face in this world today.

Roman custom allotted the clothing of the victim to go to the executioner. Clothing held much more value back in the first century than it does today. Casting lots for Jesus’ clothing fulfills the prophesy recorded by David in Psalm 22:18 (“18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.”)

The “third hour” as stated in verse 25 was 9:00 a.m. The written inscription in verse 26 was usually a placard containing the condemned man’s charges that he wore around his neck to the execution site, where it was then taken off and affixed to the cross. However, we learn from the other Gospel accounts that Pilate himself was responsible for the sign designating Jesus as “King of the Jews.” What he surely meant as something to aggravate the Jewish leaders, unwittingly proclaimed the very truth about Jesus.

While on the cross, Jesus is mocked yet again in verses 29–32. The repeated taunts for Jesus to save Himself reveals that the Jews had no idea the significance of Jesus’ death much like His own disciples before He opened up the scriptures to them after His resurrection. Only by dying on the cross could Jesus give His life as a ransom for all mankind.

Mark records two apocalyptic signs that accompany the death of Jesus. The first is the darkness for three hours stated in verse 33 (noon until 3:00 p.m.). Jesus’ cry out to God in verse 34 reveals His mental state. All throughout His horrible ordeal, He’s been quiet. But here, while He bears the sins of the world, God would not be with Him. Jesus has to experience the abandonment that sin creates in order for the wrath and justice of God to be fulfilled. His quotation of Psalm 22:1 . expresses His feeling of aloneness. (“1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?) Not only has all His friends deserted Him while His enemies have crucified Him, but now, even His heavenly Father seems distant.

As Jesus hung on the cross, many different attributes of God were displayed all at once. His love and mercy for sinners is clearly evident, as is His justice and wrath against sin is shown, by His willingness to make His own son suffer and die for the reconciliation and justification of the whole world.

The observers’ mistaken belief that Jesus was calling for Elijah in verses 35–36 is understandable. The Jews believed not only that Elijah would return, but also that one of his tasks would be to help those in need. The offer of the wine vinegar fulfilled the prophesy in Psalm 69:21 (“21 They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”) Most people who were crucified grew gradually weaker over a long period of time and gradually and quietly died. But Mark’s account suggests that Jesus’ death was purposely and sudden, that He voluntarily and deliberately gave up His life with a forceful shout of a victory.

The second of Mark’s recorded apocalyptic signs occurs at the moment of Jesus’ death. The tearing of the temple curtain in verse 38, represents the barrier between man and God being removed. The death of Jesus removes this barrier, opening the door for an individual and personal relationship with God.

Jesus’ death has an immediate effect on one of the Roman guards standing near the foot of the cross. Although the crowds mocked and taunted Him while He was on the cross, the guard saw the way Jesus died and was convinced of His deity in verse 39 (“39 So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”)

The fact that a Gentile is the first to recognize that Jesus’ status as the Son of God is confirmed through His suffering is quite significant. In fact, it foreshadows the spread of the gospel beyond the Jews to the Gentiles that was later revealed only to the apostle Paul in Acts chapter 9.

Mark also introduces a group of women that were there, who are observing Jesus’ death “from a distance” in verse 40. Members of their group will also be at His burial and later at the empty tomb. Although Jesus has been forsaken by His disciples, these women displayed great strength and courage.

“Preparation Day” was the Friday prior to the Saturday Sabbath. Since sunset on Friday was the starting point, Jesus’ body needed quick attention to prevent breaking the Sabbath law and to comply with Jewish burial instructions given in the book of Deuteronomy 21:22–23.

It was unusual to release a body to someone not a relative, but a high-ranking Jewish leader steps forward. Joseph of Arimathea is a secret disciple of Jesus according to John 19:38. who volunteers to see to Jesus’ burial, at the risk to his own reputation, if not his own life.

Pilate’s surprise that Jesus is already dead in verse 44 is not unusual. But the fact that he releases the body of one charged with treason may further indicate that he recognizes Jesus’ innocence.

Burial in caves or in rock chambers was much more common among ancient Jews than burial in the ground. Such tombs were sealed with large rocks to keep out animals and grave robbers. But upscale tombs often had a disk-shaped rock similar to a millstone that rolled back and forth in a channel. The channel sloped down toward the opening so that it was easy to seal the tomb, but very difficult to remove the stone and uncover it.

As Joseph wraps Jesus’ body and places it in his own tomb (Matthew 27:60), he is seen by two of the women who followed Jesus. They note the location and plan to return to anoint Jesus’ body, but their plans will be surprisingly changed.

We are accustomed to moving quickly from any consideration of Jesus’ death, to the joy and certainty of His resurrection. But for His first-century disciples, the emotions following the death of their leader are really dark and confusing. It’s these emotions that help to put the significance of His resurrection into a clearer perspective.

(Read 16:1-8)

Due to the onset of the Sabbath, the women who have followed Jesus’ ministry have not been able to attend to His body after His death as they wished. But they are already set to go at sunrise on Sunday morning to anoint Jesus’ body with oils and spices.

The devotion these women feel for Jesus is evident in their purchasing of the spices and even more so in their willingness to anoint a body already dead for a day and a half. Also evident is the fact that they are certainly not anticipating a resurrection. They are prepared to see Jesus dead, in the grave, and already beginning to decompose. Mark shows his readers that not even Jesus’ disciples and closest friends truly understood what He had come to do, even when this great miracle of God was taking place right before their very eyes.

In addition, the women are worried about how they might be able to remove the stone that covered the grave. And in Jesus’ case, as we learn from Matthew’s Gospel, the tomb even had the seal of Rome and two guards stationed outside to prevent anyone from stealing the body and creating a story that Jesus had risen from the dead.

The 11 disciples are still in hiding, so the women are on their own. It’s natural for them to be worried, and they are definitely not expecting anything supernatural. But soon their worry will turn to alarm.

On arriving at the tomb, they discover they had worried for no reason. The stone is already rolled away—not to make their access easier, but to reveal that Jesus is no longer there. The young man wearing a white robe in verse 5 is an angel who confirms that Jesus has indeed risen from the dead. This unexpected event fills them with alarm. They are not only startled, but afraid as well.

The angel tries to comfort them by assuring them they will see Jesus again and by giving them directions on what to do. Mark makes it clear in this passage that Jesus has risen. His body has not been stolen or misplaced. He has been resurrected and is alive again forevermore.

And as miraculous and hard-to-comprehend as this event was, it rings true largely because of the presence of the women. Since women in the first century weren’t even allowed to testify in court, no one would have made up a story where the primary witnesses were all female. The truth of this account is unusually verifiable because the story is too countercultural not to be the absolute truth.

The angel has attempted to comfort the women, and his instructions to them are intended to comfort others as well. The news is almost too good to believe: They will see Jesus again, “just as He told you.” This message was to be delivered immediately to the disciples because they were still in hiding and specifically to Peter because he had denied Jesus. The angel’s message implies forgiveness and eventual restoration to fellowship with their Lord. Jesus had previously shared this very plan with them in Chapter 14 and it was still intact.

This should have been terrific news, yet the women flee from the tomb just as the disciples had fled from Jesus’ arrest. They run out “trembling and bewildered,” and “said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid” but the other Gospel accounts report that the women also experienced great joy.

According to Mark the women and the disciples did not fully understand the full extent of the cross until later after Jesus’ resurrected appearances according to the other gospel accounts and thus fear overcame their hearts. Aren’t you glad that today we can fully understand and know the significance of Jesus’ finished work on the cross. There is no reason for fear. Joy and peace should be overflowing in our hearts every time we think of Jesus, the very way God intended it to be. All we have to do is believe it.

Lets pray together !

As Kristi and Eloise are getting us ready to sing our last hymn tonight, and as we’re reflecting on the significance of Easter and Jesus’ finished work of the cross, and if you’ve never honored God before by asking His Son, Jesus, to come into your heart and be your personal Lord and savior, this would be the perfect time to do just that. God has made that so easy for us to do. The Bible says that anyone, and I do mean anyone, who calls on the name of the Lord WILL BE SAVED. It doesn’t matter what your past might look like. Remember the apostle Paul, before the Lord saved him on that road to Damascus, how he persecuted the church, and had the Lord’s people put in prison and even executed. And remember King David who commited adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah killed in battle. Those two “Great men of God” commited terrible sins, and the Lord forgave them, and even chose them to do great things for Him. The Lord doesn’t care about our past, He just cares about our future. And He wants everyone to spend that future with Him in eternity, in that place He calls heaven. Don’t wait another second. If you have any doubt at all about your eternal security, or what’s going to happen to you when you die physically, I beg you to get it settled right now. Don’t wait another second. Get it taken care of right this minute, right here,--- just quietly, with your eyes closed, heads bowed, and your heart’s toward God, just pray a little prayer like this..............Just pray......

Please, as we’re singing our last hymn, if you need to, just pray that little prayer I mentioned as we sing. And God will save you !!