The Road to The Cross (3)

The Tragedy of The Cross: The Ultimate Sacrifice.

Bible Passage: Mark 15:6–47

Summary: In this passage, we witness the tragic irony of the trial of Jesus, a man without guilt who is condemned to die, while a notorious criminal is set free. The crowd’s choice to free Barabbas highlights the powerful theme of injustice and the reversal of moral order, shedding light on society's blindness to truth and righteousness. It is a profound commentary on how people often choose comfort and familiarity over truth and justice, leading to dire consequences.

Application: This sermon calls believers to confront the choices they make and the values they uphold in their lives. By reflecting on the crowd’s choice, Christians are challenged to examine their own responses to Jesus and consider whether they are aligning with His truth or conforming to societal standards. It encourages them to stand firm in their faith and to uphold justice and righteousness in a world that often chooses the easy way out.

Teaching: The teaching focuses on the shocking reversal of justice in the crucifixion of Christ, encouraging believers to recognize the danger of conforming to popular opinion over divine truth. It serves as a lesson on the importance of discernment in our personal choices and the impact of those choices on the community around us, ultimately driving home the need for a personal, reflective faith.

How this passage could point to Christ: The crucifixion of Jesus is portrayed as the culmination of God’s redemptive plan, where innocence is sacrificed for the sake of the guilty. This theme resonates throughout Scripture, from the sacrificial lambs in the Old Testament to Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice in the New Testament, demonstrating how God providentially uses human injustice to bring about His greater purpose of salvation for all humanity.

Big Idea: In a world that often chooses comfort over truth, God’s ultimate act of justice and mercy through the cross reminds us to seek righteousness and integrity above the crowd’s demands.

Recommended Study: For a deeper understanding of the themes of justice and inversion in Mark 15:6-47, consider exploring academic discussions surrounding the concept of scapegoating in your Logos library. Engaging with commentaries that analyze the socio-political dynamics between the Jewish leaders and Roman authorities can provide insight into the historical context of the trial. Additionally, investigating parallels between this passage and Old Testament sacrificial laws will deepen your grasp of Christ's fulfillment of the law and His role as the sin-bearing servant.

Introduction:

He who abandons himself to God will never be abandoned by God.

Anonymous

It is when God appears to have abandoned us that we must abandon ourselves most wholly to God.

François Fénelon

When men persistently abandon God, God will abandon them.

John F. MacArthur

1. Choosing what’s right over Preference.

Mark 15:6–15 ESV

Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Illustration:

Mark 10:45 ESV

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

You could examine how the crowd chose to release Barabbas, a known criminal, over Jesus, highlighting how their decision reflected a preference for maintaining the status quo rather than embracing the radical change that Jesus represented. This decision exemplifies the human tendency to favor comfort over righteousness, offering a poignant reflection on how we often make similar choices in our lives. This point challenges the congregation to consider the choices they make and to ensure they align with divine truth rather than societal pressure.

2. Choosing the cloak, the crown and the crucifixion.

Mark 15:16–20 ESV

And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

Illustration:

Matthew 5:10–12 ESV

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

John 15:20 ESV

Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

Maybe you reflect on the mockery and humiliation Jesus suffered at the hands of Roman soldiers, emphasizing the theme of societal blindness to truth and righteousness. This section reveals the moral inversion present when power is used for ridicule rather than justice, inviting the congregation to contemplate times they might ignore injustices in their own contexts. It’s a call to recognize the value and truth of Christ even in the face of mockery and to stand boldly against the crowd-led outlooks that distort and devalue righteousness.

3. Choosing to carry the Cross.

Mark 15:21–32 ESV

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.

Illustration:

Luke 9:23 ESV

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

You could explore how Jesus’ crucifixion fulfilled the sacrificial role portrayed throughout Scripture, marking the ultimate reversal where the innocent bears the guilt of the sinful. The text draws a parallel to sacrificial traditions and highlights how Jesus, the Lamb of God, purposefully takes on this role for humanity. This point can encourage believers to appreciate the depth of God’s plan for redemption and reflect on how this divine reversal calls them to live lives of gratitude and sacrifice informed by Christ's example.

4. Promise in the Piercing

Mark 15:33–47 ESV

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. 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.

Perhaps you ponder the significance of Jesus’ death and the temple curtain tearing, symbolizing the removal of barriers between God and humanity. This profound moment of divine justice and mercy illustrates God's ultimate act of reconciliation and calls believers to recognize the access they now have to a personal relationship with God. The congregation is encouraged to live out this freedom by embracing truth and justice, rejecting societal misconceptions that aim to replace divine revelation with cultural norms.

Conclusion:

Oneness with Christ means to be identified with Christ, identified with Him in crucifixion. But we must go on to be identified with Him in resurrection as well, for beyond the cross is resurrection and the manifestation of His Presence.4

A. W. Tozer

Consider…

What does Jesus' crucifixion teach us about the nature of sacrifice and God's redemptive plan?

2. How can you practically stand firm in your faith against societal pressure, similar to Jesus during His trial?

3. What significance does the tearing of the temple curtain hold in relation to our access to God?