GIST: We should because the love of Jesus, shown on the cross, transformed despair and destruction into hope.
SCRIPTURE: Mark 15:16-39
“16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”- John 3:16
16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 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.
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. 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.
33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 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?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 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.” 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. 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!” -Mark 15:16-39
I told you last week that every passage we would cover from this point forward would be of the familiar variety. This is likely the most familiar of any: the crucifixion of Jesus! Walk down the streets of Bonne Terre today and you would be hard pressed to find someone who did not know Jesus was crucified. In fact, you would also be hard pressed to find someone who did not know, at least intellectually, that this was done for the sins of the world. Now, they might not believe this, but they’ve likely heard it. In fact, in the times I’ve gone out sharing the Gospel in this community, I have only encountered one person who said they had never heard it before. Nonetheless, hearing something and being transformed by it are not one and the same.
Over the past several months as I’ve been reading over these passages again and again, I’ve continued to get emotional as I’ve read this section. He didn’t deserve any of this, yet did it for us. I think it’s fitting that we’re coming to this passage on Memorial Day weekend. This holiday is set aside to remember those who have sacrificed for this country's freedom. For that, we are truly thankful. Today, then, we’re going to look at the most significant sacrifice of all time. That is not hyperbole. Jesus’ crucifixion changed the world. Had He not given His life and taken it up again three days later, no one would ever be saved. We would live in this sin-filled world without hope of salvation and destined, in our own sinfulness, for an eternity in Hell.
There are many ways we could walk through this passage today. However, this week the transformations we see in the passage struck me the most, so I want to walk through looking at these transformations. The gist? We should care about the crucifixion because the love of Jesus, shown on the cross, transformed despair and destruction into hope.
I. MOCKERY→ TRUTH
At the beginning of this passage Jesus has been delivered by Pilate to be crucified. Rather than go straight to that, however, the Roman battalion (probably around 600 men) decides to “have fun with Him” first. It’s disgraceful.
King of the Jews! (18, 26) Knowing that the charge against Him was that He claimed to be the King of the Jews, they capitalized on that and paraded Him around in mock-royal apparel deriding Him, spitting on Him, and beating Him.
They then take Him to be crucified. Prisoners were expected to carry the cross beam to the crucifixion, but after His scourging and additional beatings (both here and by the high priests), He was unable. So they call out a man from the crowd, Simon of Cyrene, to do it for Him. We’re not given anything else about this man here, but are told that he was the father of Alexander and Rufus. We don’t know these names, but the reason they are included is because the original audience would have. That is how eyewitness accounts were used in ancient writings. It’s speculation, but if the early church knew this family, it seems they were part of the church! That’s a side note, but man what a transformation that points to as well, from stranger in the crowd to part of the family! That’s the Gospel!
He then arrives at Golgotha and is offered wine mixed with myrrh, likely by some of His followers because this was meant to numb the pain, but He refused. We’re then given the sadly familiar scene of Jesus on the cross while those below Him cast lots for His clothing. And what is the charge written above His head? “26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”
So here’s the first major transformation, right? They threw out this designation as a taunt. Little did they know, it was 100% true. Jesus really is the King of the Jews...and everyone else too! He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Rebuild the Temple! (29) Likewise, we’re told “29...those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,” Again, this is meant as a taunt. They are mocking Him. But He’s literally about to do just that! Remember last week when we talked about this accusation against Jesus? When He made this remarks, He actually said. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”(John 2:19) and was referring to His body. They are using this as a taunt, but that is just what He’s about to do! They are destroying His body, but in 3 days, He will rise again!
Save Yourself! (30-32) Then in verses 30-32 the mockery continues, “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.” Just like Satan’s temptation in the garden, this crowd calls for Jesus to save Himself. Of course, the implication is that if He were really able to do all the reports had said, surely He could rescue Himself, but as He is not, those must reports be false. He had the power to call down a legion of angels and really show them what was up, but He doesn’t. Why? Remember what He said in John 10? “11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep… 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 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.” He doesn’t save Himself because He came to save us!
II. DARKNESS→ LIGHT
In this next section, we see, again, how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament as He transforms darkness into light.
Sky(33) The most obvious example of this is literal darkness, right? In verse 33, we’re told that in the middle of the day, the sky went completely black. It is worth noting that often in the Old Testament, darkness like this represents judgment. Only here, God is taking the judgment upon Himself! Does this remind you of any particular Old Testament passage? I guarantee it would have rung a bell for all the Jews in Jerusalem who were there to celebrate what? Passover! Why is it called passover? When God was rescuing Israel from Egypt, He sent ten plagues to punish the Egyptians. The ninth plague was darkness so dark it could be felt. Then, the final plague came and the firstborn of every house died--except for those who had marked their doorposts with the blood of a sacrificed lamb! (Exodus 10-11)
We’ve been talking about this. This all is happening during Passover, and Jesus is the ultimate Passover Lamb! In Exodus, there was hope in the midst of the darkness because of God’s provision of a lamb. On the cross, Jesus brought true and lasting hope to all who believe, even in the midst of this great darkness!
Cry (34) For Jesus, this darkness was so much more than physical. Remember, on the cross, He is taking our punishment. He is enduring Hell for us. In this darkness, this separation from God the Father which goes beyond our human understanding, Jesus cries out, “34b Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” What is He doing? Some of the bystanders thought He was crying out for Elijah to come and rescue Him because there was a tradition that Elijah would do this for innocent sufferers.Yes, He is crying out in agony, but His cry is not random, nor is He calling out for Elijah. He’s quoting Scripture! Specifically, He is quoting the opening lines from Psalm 22. This would have been familiar to not only Jesus who loved Scripture, but to all the Jews standing around who would have grown up singing the psalms. This is a psalm about an innocent sufferer, and the parallels are uncanny. Just consider a few verses here:
“1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?...6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”... 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; 15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—17 I can count all my bones—they stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”
Does that sound familiar? It’s astonishing. And in Jesus’ cry, He is saying, “This is Me!” But the psalm doesn’t end with suffering. Neither does the cross! Look at how it wraps up:
“23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. 25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. 26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 28 For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. 30 Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; 31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.”
The sky was dark. He cried out and died. As I’ve studied this, it has been pointed out again and again that this ending was not typical. Usually by the time people died from crucifixion, they were so worn that they didn’t have the strength to speak. Yet, Jesus cried out and gave up His life! As He had foretold, it wasn’t taken from Him! The centurion standing by, took note of this, and declared that He was the Son of God. Jesus died on the cross, yet, in three days, the darkness would be defeated when He rises from the dead defeating sin. The Light of the World took on our darkness. In His suffering, hope was purchased for us.
III. TORN→ SECURED
I will be brief on this final point, but it is so worth noting. We have seen mockery replaced with truth, and darkness replaced with light, and finally we see what is torn replaced with what is secured.
His Body & Separation. First, this is observed in Jesus’ physical torment. His body is torn for us. Yet, on a far more significant level, He was torn from the Father. God cannot look upon sin, because as a holy and just God, He hates it; He hates that which destroys us and separates us from His love, so when Jesus takes on our sin, the Father turns His face from His Son and pours out His wrath against Him. This is mind blowing. God is punishing Himself in our place. What love!
Curtain (38). What does this accomplish? Well less we miss it, God also provides a picture for us. In verse 38 we’re told, “38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” This curtain which separated man from the presence of God in the temple was torn...from the top to the bottom. God did this. The separation was remove. Now, all who believe in Jesus and give Him control of their lives will have direct access! The veil was torn, and eternal security bought for all who believe! Amen! Amen! Amen!
TAKEAWAYS
1. The cross demonstrated love. “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
2. The cross transformed despair & destruction. In the midst of their lies and mockery, He was truth. In the midst of this great darkness, He was bringing light. Through His pain, and suffering, and separation from God the Father, He brought security for all who would believe.
3. The cross brought hope. Without Him, there is none! Come to Him today!
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