Mark 15:33
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Introduction
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 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.
Outline
vv. 33-36
What do you think the darkness represented?
Why do you think Jesus said what he said in v. 34?
Why did they think that Elijah might rescue Jesus? (cf. Malachi 4:5-6)
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
What makes people prolong the suffering of others for their own amusement or benefit (v. 36)? How do we see this in the world or in our ourselves?
vv.
vv. 37-39
Beyond the mere fact that Jesus died, what is significant about the way v. 37 is worded? (cf. ; ; Luke 23:46)
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
What did the tearing of the veil symbolize?
Mark 9–16: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Consummation of the Savior’s Suffering (15:33–38)
the veil of the temple, the massive woven curtain that permanently separated the Holy of Holies from the outer sanctuary (cf. Ex. 26:31–33; 40:20–21; Lev. 16:2; Heb. 9:3), was miraculously torn in two from top to bottom. For nearly fifteen hundred years, only the high priest had been allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, and only for a brief time once a year on the Day of Atonement. At that time, he sprinkled blood on the mercy seat, atop the ark of the covenant, to signify that the required sacrifice had to be made to atone for their sins.
The curtain that blocked the Holy of Holies served as a continual reminder of the sinner’s separation from God’s holy presence. No animal sacrifice ever tore that curtain open. But on that Friday afternoon, at the very time the priests in the temple were sacrificing lambs for Passover, God demonstrated that the work of atonement symbolized by animal deaths had been finished by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. The barrier to God had been permanently removed.
How is the tearing of the curtain and the confession of the centurion connected?
When we realize that this centurion was likely involved in the abuse and crucifixion of Jesus, what else is significant about his confession? (cf. )
I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
How many other people confessed Jesus as God in Mark’s gospel before this? (cf. God ; ; Demons 3:11; 5:7). V. 39 first time in Mark’s gospel that a human makes this confession. Mark’s gospel as been leading to this.
vv. 40-41
What is interesting about mentioning individual women as the witnesses to Jesus’s death on the cross while only mentioning one Apostle? What else would they go on to witness just three days later?
Why is it significant that these women said to have “ministered to (Jesus)”? (cf. )
And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
Conclusion
As wonderful as it might be to see connections we’ve never seen before in this passage, we should understand that we’ve always seen in this passage is what it’s all about - Jesus’s death on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for sin.
If we believe that God exists and believe that he created us, then we surely believe that he is holy and that we’ve sinned against him. He said the price for sin is death and he sent his Son, Jesus, to pay that price on our behalf.
provides a great illustration of what it means to believe on jesus as the sacrifice for sin. That chapter is about animals that would be offered as burnt offerings on the altar. Those animals were offered to atone for sins so that a person may be accepted before the Lord. In other words, these animals died in the sinners place on the altar of God. But how is it that the sins of the individual came to rest on the animal? Listen to ...
He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
The person making the offering would in faith place his hand on the head of the burnt offering and God would impute the person’s sins to the animal. The animals would then die in place of the person.
In the same way, we must place our hand on the head of Jesus in faith and ask God to give our sins to him and to give his righteousness to us.
The reason we place our faith on Jesus is because, as says, “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Those sacrifices in Leviticus were temporary and could only temporarily atone for sin. Jesus, however, is the ultimate and final and perfect sacrifice - the Passover Lamb without sin (i.e., without spot or blemish) and his sacrifice has purchased eternal peace with God for those who trust him.
For those of us who place our faith on Jesus, we “have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” () because he “offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins” () and has “by a single offering... perfected for all time those who are being sanctified,” ().
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
And he did it through Jesus death on the cross... and his resurrection from the dead.