Mark 15-16

Jesus is delivered to Pilate

“And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.” (Mark 15:1–5, ESV)

Are you the king of the Jews? They have translated Jesus’ answer to Pilate — He’s an insurrectionist.

Jesus’ response of “you have said so” seems evasive, but it might also be that the title is far beneath the scope of what Jesus has been saying. I’m not just the king of the Jews, I’m the king of the Romans, too. What you are ascribing to me can fit that title. But I am the Son of Man — the Lord. My kingdom is not of this world.

Pilate delivers Jesus to be crucified

“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.” (Mark 15:6–15, ESV)

The usual death sentence for Jews was stoning the hey cried crucify Him - the wicked hatred and the scorning of the son in Jesus’ earlier parable of killing the masters son and leaving him for the dogs

The irony is that Barabbas was a true insurrectionist, and that’s what these religious leaders hoped the Messiah would be. But here Jesus is, the true Messiah, coming in a way of holiness and for His kingdom, and they trade the innocent for the guilty.

Of course, that is what substitutionary atonement is, the innocent for the guilty. We don’t know if Barabbas every reckoned with that and repented, but we should see ourselves in him. Everyone needs to reckon with Jesus. It’s not just an idea or a philosophy when we talk about salvation. We are talking about the work of Jesus. Jesus died for you. He who knew no sin became sin that we may be the righteousness of God.

The pharisees and scribes are blind and wicked guides, and you see this in the cry for blood from the crowd who follow them.

Pilate knows that the charge is from envy and not from guilt. They cannot produce evidence that Jesus is guilty. He even asks in v.14, “what evil has he done?” But they can’t answer him.

But Pilate still caves to the mob and is willing to let the innocent be murdered to keep the peace.

Jesus is rejected by the Jews and is rejected by the Gentiles as well. The whole world is complicit in His death.

All of the world from time before the cross and time beyond, to our time, is connected to this moment. We can all see ourselves in the Jews and the Gentiles who reject the authority of Christ, who run from Him, those who despise His authority and seek to silence the voice of God. A missionary can go around the world and preach the gospel and the people of that country can find themselves represented at this moment and in these people. But the Christian of course also lives with a great comfort from this moment in time. At the cross, that is where we are also represented. Our rebellion and treachery, our mockery and fear, our sin and shame, have gone to die with Christ. It’s like a tear has been made in the marking of time, and indeed, the calendar of our world has been altered to reflect this, where everything else is centered around Jesus’ life.

Jesus is sent away and scourged

There is a type of guilt and inner tension that tries to tear itself apart over sin. Sometimes physically cutting or maiming the image of God upon you in some way. Sometimes in action, vices and indulgence and pain becomes the means of trying to find relief.

But here is Jesus who takes the pain for us. Jesus who is torn so that we can be made whole. Jesus who washes not just the outside but gives us the cup of his blood to drink, taking it deep inside us where our guilt and trouble lies, finding every nook and cranny of sin and stain and making us whole.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5–6, ESV)

““Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18, ESV)

Jesus is Mocked

“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.” (Mark 15:16–20, ESV)

Mark points to the blindness of the disciples, the blindness of the Pharisees, and the blindness of Pilate and the Gentiles, but he is also asking you to see as well. Do you see who Jesus is in this mockery of His kingship? Do you see Him as the true King?

Mark for You (Jesus and the Soldiers)

All eternity hinges on this question: do you see what everyone else in the story missed? Jesus is the divine King, who should be received and worshiped by the Jews and Gentiles, but instead he was rejected and condemned by the Jews and Gentiles in fulfillment of the Father’s plan to save the Jews and the Gentiles.

Seeing this truth means that you can no longer live as the king of your life or try to save yourself—your King came from heaven to earth to take your place and bring you salvation. Embrace him as Savior. Hail him as Lord. Worship him as God.

The Jewish king seemed hilarious to the mocking soldiers

Crown of thorns - ram in the thicket from Gen 22

Start 10/19 Here

Like the painting in Lewis’s the Voyage of The Dawn Treader — sometimes the crucifixion can hang in our minds like that picture that was on the wall, barely noticed until it came alive.

Three movements: The reality of the cross, the results of the cross, and the response of the cross (divisions from Meyer)

The Reality of The Cross

The Crucifixion

“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.” (Mark 15:21–32, ESV)

Walking the cross

Criminals were to bear their own crosses (Plutarch, Moralia 554)

Jesus is so stripped of strength and humanity that he cannot bear this weight. He is undone. Jesus is the strong man, but not in this physical sense at this moment. His will is strong.

Why give the man’s name and the name of the two sons? It’s likely that they were known to Mark’s readers. Perhaps they became believers.

Of course, that becomes the picture of what discipleship looks like - to take up our cross and follow Jesus.

Wine

The Myrrh mixed with the wine is a fulfillment of Psalm 69:19–21 “You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you. Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.”

Wine was drink for a king. Maybe it was more mockery. Maybe it was mercy to deaden the pain (probably not), but either way, Jesus doesn’t drink. He takes on the full weight of the cross willingly, but he has also taken that vow at the institution of His Supper — The Lord’s Supper — not to drink of the fruit of the vine until He drinks it new with his disciples in the kingdom. He is set aside for His priestly work.

Divided the garments

A fulfillment of Psalm 22:16–18 “For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”

Jesus garments are stripped from him - he takes on the humility that the disciples display unwillingly

On my right and left

Do you remember when Jesus was entering into Jerusalem and things were ramping up? Jesus was revealing more and more of who He is and the disciples start to ask who will sit on the right and on the left when Jesus comes in power? He tells them that they can’t understand the cup that He has to drink. And here we see who it is that is on His right and left when He comes in power. They are criminals. This is a fulfillment of Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

In a sense, that is who we are. We are the guilty and He is numbered among us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

These all seem like the mere details of the scenario, the matters of fact, but all of these details are the unfolding of the promise of God — the gospel reversal of the fall and our restoration with God.

Questions:

Can you be indifferent to Jesus? Lewis’s Liar, Lunatic, or Lord argument.

Mark points to the blindness of the disciples, the blindness of the Pharisees, and the blindness of Pilate and the Gentiles, but he is also asking you to see as well. Do you see who Jesus is in this mockery of His kingship? Do you see Him as the true King?

Seeing this truth means that you can no longer live as the king of your life or try to save yourself—your King came from heaven to earth to take your place and bring you salvation. Embrace him as Savior. Hail him as Lord. Worship him as God.

In your own sufferings, do you take comfort from Christ here as our High Priest, who is acquainted with our grief?

The Rejection of Jesus

We get a dolly zoom where the narrative focus goes from those far from the cross right up to the feet of Jesus.

There are those who stand on the outside and mock Mark 15:29–30 “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!””

They fulfill Psalm 22:7–8 “All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!””

But Jesus is not there to save himself or to try to do so.

Mark Contemporary Significance

The cross reveals a new way of life. Those who taunted Jesus assumed that anyone with power would use it to extricate himself from a personal life-threatening situation. The disciples heeded the call to save themselves when they fled into the night. Peter heeded it when he denied Jesus three times. The high priest heeded it when he moved quickly to eliminate this threatening prophetic figure. Pilate heeded it when he refused to take a stand for justice. Jesus lives out his teaching. The one who tries to save his life will lose it. The one who gives up his or her life will gain it and will give life to others.

They mock His claim about destroying the temple, but there He hangs on the cross, the temple being destroyed.

What they should have known all along was that the temple was a shadow with Christ as the substance.

A little closer we have the religious leaders in Mark 15:31–32 “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.”

It’s not the nails that hold Jesus to the cross. He could have gotten out of those. It’s His will.

Mark Contemporary Significance

In Kipling’s poem “Cold Iron,” a baron who rebelled against his king boasts of his arsenal, “Iron, cold iron is the master of men all.” When he was defeated, the triumphant king set before him a banquet instead of inflicting revenge.

He took the wine and blessed it. He blessed and brake the Bread.

With His own Hands He served Them, and presently He said:

See! These Hands they pierced with nails, outside My city wall.

Show Iron—Cold Iron to be master of men all.

The poem concludes, “Iron—Cold Iron—is the master of men all, The iron nails of Calvary are master of men all.”

Even closer to the cross are the criminals that are being crucified next to Jesus. They, too, begin to mock and deride Him (Mark 15:32).

Crucifixion makes it hard to breathe — you had to push up sometimes to speak, making this statement all the more striking. They used their dying breaths to mock Him.

But closest, the inner ring, comes in Mark 15:33–37 “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.”

Darkness comes over the cross. Not a storm or a weather event by itself — it’s a judgement from God, a fulfillment of Amos 8:9–10 ““And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. 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 is darkness. This is mourning.

This is when Jesus cries

Mark 15:34 “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 is when the knife comes down upon the Son, the Lamb. The Father’s eyes which are holy and cannot look upon sin, turns His face away. This is worse than the pain and the mockery. This is drinking the cup to the dregs.

Why is Jesus forsaken? So that you never will be. There is no more for Heaven now to give.

Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

The death of Jesus

“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.” (Mark 15:33–41, ESV)

Curtain Torn

Torn in Jesus flesh. Heaven was torn open in Mark 1:10 at Jesus’ baptism as the Father speaks and Heaven is torn in Isaiah 64:1 “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—”

God came from Heaven to earth and through Jesus, we can go from Earth to Heaven.

The Response of the cross

The Centurion

Tom Holland draws the contrast between ‘heroic’ pain (in Roman/Greek culture: the noble suffers with dignity) versus ‘servile’ pain (the suffering of the weak/slave) which was contemptible. The crucified person embodied the latter.

He [Tom Holland] points out that the Romans themselves were reluctant to talk in detail about it — it was “sordid” and “beneath” the dignity of the empire to dwell on the mechanics of crucifixion.

He must have seen many executions. What about Jesus made him acknowledge Him as the Son of God?

Perhaps it was the weather change or the knowledge of Jesus’ innocence? He saw Jesus’ demeanor and willing acceptance of injustice?

But something we should note from Mark is the tone about the perpetrators. Mark isn’t seething to condemn the Romans or even too concerned to over sensationalize the wickedness of the Jewish leaders. The condemnation for them is there, for sure. But a reading through of Mark brings a different tone to the crucifixion — rejection by men, sin, pride, envy, jealousy, betrayal, cruelty, and indifference [Garland]. At the cross, we see ourselves. Maybe that’s what the centurion was seeing?

The women at a distance

A fulfillment of Psalm 38:11 “My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off.”

Jesus is buried

“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.” (Mark 15:42–47, ESV)

Joseph of Arimathea

There is a rush to bury Jesus before the Sabbath day starts.

Joseph is a member of the council. Here, for the first time, we have someone of this rank accepting and honoring Jesus.

If you put this man and the Centurion’s testimony together, you see a representative of both Jews and Gentiles recognizing the savior.

The request for burial

Criminals were not usually buried. Part of crucifixion’s torture was that it was to demonstrate that no one cared for you. So, it was courageous for Joseph to ask for Jesus’ body for burial.

He is now committed financially and in public to the condemned Jesus.

Jesus’ Quick Death

This fulfilled the prophecy of Jesus’ bones being preserved and unbroken

John 19:36 “For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.””

Psalm 34:20 “He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.”

Pilate allows the burial

Burial

Jesus is buried according to Jewish tradition, cleaned and wrapped John 19:40 “So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.”

The stone door of a tomb demonstrates great wealth. This was not the most common form of tomb or burial. The stone would have been exceedingly heaven and difficult to move.

Being buried and being buried like a man of wealth fulfills Isaiah 53:9 “And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.”

Mark 16

Mark 16:1 “When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.”

Everyone observes the Sabbath after the crucifixion, even Jesus. It’s the middle day where He rests.

They bring the spices because they think that his body will decay and begin to smell. (Maybe the plan to put it around his grave instead of on his body?)

Mark 16:3–4 “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.”

Mark 16:5–6 “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.”

“For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5, ESV)

Mark The Report of Jesus’ Resurrection

Mark’s Gospel began with God’s messenger announcing what God was about to do (1:2–8); it closes with God’s messenger announcing what God has done.

Jesus was raised. The Greek captures the passive nature of this more than He is risen. Jesus was raised demonstrates that it was the work of the Father. Yes, we are not to split hairs or divide the Trinity, and Jesus says that He can take His life up. But this construction highlights the nature of God’s acceptance and work in the gospel. Like the narrative with Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, Abraham knows that God can raise his son and bring him back again.

Jesus is justified and resurrected is the basis for our justification and resurrection.

And if Jesus didn’t die in a real tomb in this real world on some spot six thousand miles from here and then rise from the dead then we are trapped, stuck, and without hope. You can wax eloquent all you want about love and forgiveness, but it means nothing. Paul says if this isn’t true then eat, drink, and be merry — sex, drugs rock n’ roll. Live for the moment, have a few experiences, distract yourself from what’s gnawing at your soul the best you can and don’t expect too much. And that is a terribly embarrassing and pitiful way to live.

But Jesus did rise from the grave.

But the fact that He did rise from the dead in our world means that your sins can be truly forgiven. It means that those whom we have lost in death can be raised to life. It means that this world with all of its brokenness can and will be made new.

This is what so many in the 19th and 20th century pushed for. That there was plenty of good to learn from Christianity, but that any claim that it was actually true was naive, superstitious, and silly.

Paul says, “No. It is of first importance that you remember the authenticity of the resurrection.” And here’s the reason why: It is absolutely and essentially necessary.

If you have a fictional resurrection then you have fictional forgiveness.

If Christ didn’t rise from the dead then you are still in your sins

“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.” (Mark 16:7–8, ESV)

This command is the first time that Jesus’ followers are told to tell something about him. The crucifixion and the resurrection, therefore, mark a turning point. There is no need for silence or secrets now (see 9:9). As Marcus points out, “Whereas before those events Jesus commanded secrecy and open proclamation was disobedience, now Jesus commands open proclamation and secrecy is disobedience.”

David E. Garland, Mark, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 614.

Mark (The Report of Jesus’ Resurrection)

This special nod to Peter hints at his full restoration despite his extraordinary breach of faith. Jesus does not give up on his disciples, no matter how great their failure or how many their faults.

Jesus is going before you. Not just in time, as in he will arrive before you, but also out in front before you. Just as he led the nervous and ignorant disciples into Jerusalem from out front, He now leads the redeemed and the church from out front. Christ the victor is out front, leading the way.