Mark 15
FortnerMark 15:1-15
CHAPTER 71 Barabbas A Picture of Substitution “And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it. And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing. And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.
Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.
And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.” (Mark 15:1-15) Mark 15 describes the slaying of “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Whenever we think about the death of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross, we ought to always remember three things. The death of Christ upon the cursed tree was a substitutionary sacrifice. — The Lord Jesus Christ did not suffer for any crimes of his own. He did not die because of his own sins. He was not cut off from the land of the living for his own transgressions. The Lord of Glory died upon the cross for our sins, for the transgressions of his people, for the iniquities of God’s elect, which were imputed to him, when he was made to be sin for us (Isaiah 53:4-6; Isaiah 53:8; Daniel 9:26; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18) The substitutionary sacrifice and death of our Lord Jesus Christ is the focal point, the essence, and the message of all the Word of God. — The law was given at Sinai to show us our need of a substitute. All the sacrifices, rites, rituals, and ceremonies of the Old Testament Scriptures, — all the priests, priestly garments, and priestly functions, — all the deliverances of Israel from the hands of their enemies, — all the services of the tabernacle and the temple, — all the psalms, all the prophets, and all the historical narratives, — the manna, the rock, the brazen serpent, the pillars of fire and cloud, everything in the Old Testament and in the New was written by inspiration of God the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ, to show us our great, glorious, almighty Substitute (Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44-45; 1 Peter 1:23-25; John 20:30-31). The cross of Christ, the doctrine of substitution, is both the revelation of the glory of God and the glory of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4-6; Galatians 6:14). The death of Christ upon the cross, the sacrifice of God’s Lamb as our sin-atonement, is the life of our souls. Had the Lord Jesus Christ not died in our stead, the justice of God could never have been satisfied and we would all have perished in our sins forever. When the apostle Paul thought of these things, he said, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!” May God the Holy Spirit so graciously flood our hearts and souls with the knowledge of our crucified Substitute that we may ever have our hearts and minds fixed upon our blessed Savior and his great sacrifice of himself for us, and have the apostle’s words reverberating in our souls. — “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!” A Fulfillment of Prophecy“And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate” (Mark 15:1). — Why did these chief priests, scribes and elders carry the Lord Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea? Why did they not just stone him to death themselves? The reason is obvious. They had no legal, civil authority to do so. They should have known that the time of the Messiah was upon them, because Jacob’s prophecy in Genesis 49:10 had been fulfilled. Moreover, they must themselves also fulfill the Scriptures in their deeds; and the Scriptures required that our Redeemer be crucified in a publicly shameful way, not merely stoned to death, as Jewish law would have required (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). His body, according to the Old Testament Scriptures, had to be pierced and not a bone of it broken (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:36; Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; 1 Corinthians 5:7). Though they were so blinded by their unbelief that they could not see it, the Lord’s enemies were themselves simply fulfilling the purpose of God to the very letter of Holy Scripture, even in their rage against his dear Son (Acts 4:27-28; Acts 13:28-29). How comforting it is to know that wicked men are never out of God’s control. They only do what his hand and purpose have from eternity determined must be done for the salvation of our souls. When Satan roars, when scoffers scoff, when mockers mock, when deceivers deceive, they only perform that which was long ago written in the Scriptures (2 Peter 2:3). Man, in the folly of his rebellion and unbelief, and Satan himself, even the demons of hell, all are but the unwitting vassals of the Almighty, our heavenly Father, to serve his purpose of grace toward us. “Bound Jesus” — If the lord Jesus would set us free, he must be bound. As Isaac and the legal sacrifices were bound and laid upon the altar (Genesis 22:9; Leviticus 4:70), so the Son of God, when he was about to be made sin for us, was bound as a criminal, and was bound to the cursed tree for us. An Example of PatienceWhen the holy Son of God stood before Pilate’s bar, he was falsely accused of many evils. The trumped up charges against him were all false. Yet, when he was accused, “he answered nothing.” What an example he set before us of patience and humility, bowing to the providence and purpose of God. “And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it. And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing. And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled” (Mark 15:2-5). We can do nothing more dishonoring to our God and contrary to our faith than grumble and murmur against him when he sends trouble our way. And we never more glorify our God and exemplify the character of Christ than when we bear afflictions, false accusations, and injustices patiently (Isaiah 53:7; Hebrews 12:1-3; 1 Peter 2:20-24;Psalms 39:1). An Abuse of Power“And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified” (Mark 15:15). — Pilate knew that the chief priests had delivered the Lord Jesus to him because they envied him (Mark 15:10). He made some feeble attempts to release him and soothe his own conscience; but, in the shameful behavior typical of politicians and political appointees, Pilate was “willing to content the people,” even if he had to knowingly sacrifice his own conscience and the life of an innocent man to do it! I mention this, not to stir up more anger and greater disgust toward our president, congressmen, and senators. They are managing that very well on their own. I mention it that we may take a higher road than the rest of the world. Men in high places, without the knowledge of Christ, without even a hint of moral integrity, are to be pitied. They have nothing to restrain them from yielding to every temptation to great evil, except the prayers of God’s saints. Let us, therefore, pray for them, as the Word of God tells us (1 Timothy 2:1-2). A Portrait of Depravity“But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him” (Mark 15:11-14). In these days of universal compromise and ecumenical religion everyone is trying to remove every possible point of offense, take away all guilt and blame, and fix things up so that everybody is saved, and all their works, no matter how vile, if not saintly, are at least excusable. Historians are rewriting history everyday to suit the trends of modern thinking. Theologians are rewriting the Bible to mold it to the opinions of men. But all the rearranging of things by men will never alter facts. Here is a fact: — While Pilate and his soldiers (pagan Gentiles) were the ones who executed the Lord Jesus Christ, the Jews (the religious people, the people who claimed to be God’s servants) were them who cried, “Crucify him! Crucify him! Let his blood be upon us and our children!” We marvel at their act. They acted against evidence plainly presented. When they had opportunity given them in the eleventh hour to back away from their rash demands, they stayed their course to the everlasting ruin of their souls, the souls of their children, and of their children’s children. Even when it meant the release of a known, notorious murderer among their wives and children, they stayed with their decision. They could not be persuaded to change course or alter their decision for good by any moral pressure or sane reasoning. Blindness was never more blind! Folly was never more foolish! Madness was never more mad! How can this be explained? The only thing on this earth that can explain such behavior is the fact that all men are totally depraved. The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. The carnal mind is enmity against God. It is not possible for any man to do anything good, or even to make a good, or even reasonable, decision apart from divine intervention. Let us not be found following the example of these lost, religious rebels. Let us not choose Barabbas over Christ. Let us not choose wickedness and despise righteousness. Let us not chose the world and reject Christ. Yet, that is exactly what we will do, unless God intervenes and stops us from fulfilling the madness of our own hearts’ lusts. A Picture of Substitution (Mark 15:6-15) “Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.
And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified” (Mark 15:6-15). What a beautiful picture we have here of the gospel. Barabbas, the guilty man, was set free. The Lord Jesus Christ, the holy, innocent Lamb of God, died in his place. A great sinner went free because a great Substitute took his place. Barabbas was spared because Christ died in his place. That is, in its very essence and glory, the gospel of God. It can be summed up in one word — Substitution (Romans 3:21-26; Romans 5:6-8; Romans 8:1-4; Romans 8:32-34; Romans 2 Corinthians5:20-21).
Mark 15:15-39
CHAPTER 72 “He Saved Others; Himself He Cannot Save.” “And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.
And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.
And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross.
Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.
And they that were crucified with him reviled him. And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.” (Mark 15:15-39) If the Lord God wants Balaam to hear his word, he can speak as easily through Balaam’s ass as he can through a man or an angel. And, sometimes, in his infinite sovereignty, the Lord God uses lost, unregenerate, spiritually ignorant men to proclaim gospel truth as plainly and as powerfully as any inspired prophet. Those men remain as ignorant of the gospel as ever. Yet, they become voices by which God declares his truth. Numerous examples of this fact are given in the Book of God (John 11:47-52; Numbers 23:19-21; 1 Samuel 26:25). In the passage now before us the Spirit of God gives several more examples of God speaking glorious, gospel truths by men, who themselves knew nothing of the things they spoke. Repeatedly, those who mocked the Master in their jeers spoke plainly, declaring that the man hanging on the cursed tree between two thieves was and is “The King,” and most distinctly “The King of Israel.” Then, in Mark 15:39 the centurion said, “Truly, this man was the Son of God!” This is a matter of tremendous importance. The one through whom God speaks is nothing; but the message God speaks, the gospel of Christ, is the power of God unto salvation! Pastor Scott Richardson once said, “A preacher is a nobody trying to tell everybody about somebody who can save anybody.”“Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save” (Mark 15:31). In the angry, blood thirsty, jeering mob we hear the lost religious leaders of the day joining in the hellish revelry. Though they spoke with a hellish hatred for the Son of God, these chief priests and scribes spoke the plain truth of the gospel most clearly. — “He saved others; himself he cannot save.” Because the Lord Jesus Christ came here to save his people from their sins, because he came to save us from the wrath of God, he could not save himself from being made sin for us, he could not save himself from the wrath of God. This is the very essence of the gospel. See that you understand it clearly. The holy Lord God could not save sinners apart from the satisfaction of his law and justice by the obedience and death of his own dear Son as our Substitute. God is absolutely sovereign. He did not have to save anyone; but, having chosen to save some, he cannot save any except in a manner that honors his law and justice (Job 33:23-24; Romans 3:23-26). If righteousness could come in any other way, then Christ died in vain (Galatians 3:21). Mark 15:15-39 sets before us the most wondrous, most glorious event in the history of the universe. Indeed, this is the reason why God created the world in the first place. We have before us the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ as the sinners’ Substitute. Here the infinite love of God for sinners is set forth magnificently. The sufferings described here would be astonishing, shocking to behold under any circumstances. Should we see any man endure such horror and grief, our hearts would be sick, deeply moved with compassion. But the man before us here is the eternal Son of God! I am astounded, amazed, lost in wonder as I read these words of Inspiration. Here is something even more astounding. All that the Lord Jesus Christ endured, when he was made sin for us, he willingly, voluntarily endured. Even when he was made sin, it was by his own will that it came to pass. He willingly took upon himself our sins. He willingly went to the cross. He willingly died the shameful, ignominious death of the cross. He willingly became the object of his Father’s holy wrath and indignation. The Lord Jesus Christ willingly took the cup of wrath and, with one tremendous draft of love, drank damnation dry for us. Why? Because he loved us! Here is “The love of Christ that passeth knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19). — “God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). — “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). — “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16). I want us to simply observe from the passage before us the things our Lord Jesus suffered, when he was made sin for chosen sinners. I want us to follow our Redeemer, step by step, from his condemnation to his death. There is deep meaning, spiritual instruction, and great consolation in everything our Substitute endured when he suffered the wrath of God in our place. As we dwell upon these things, let us not forget, not even for a moment, that our sins and the salvation of our souls were the cause of all his agony. It was our hell that he endured! It was our death that he died. Child of God, the Holy Spirit here shows us the accomplishments of our great Surety and Substitute as he offered himself to God to make atonement for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18). Christ Condemned “And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified” (Mark 15:15). — Here we see the Son of God delivered into the hands of Roman soldiers, condemned to death, to be crucified as a common criminal. Here is that One before whom one day soon the whole world must stand in judgment. The great Judge, who shall summons all men before the great white throne in the last day, is here judged of men, sentenced to death and delivered up to be executed by the hands of wicked men. Do you ask why? It was that he might deliver us from judgment, the pit of destruction, and the sentence of eternal death in hell. The Lord Jesus was made sin, judged guilty, and put to death for his people, so that believing sinners might never be judged for sin, so that he might present all the hosts of God’s elect before the presence of his glory, holy, unblameable, and unreproveable in his sight (Romans 4:8; Romans 8:1; Romans 8:33-34). Cruel Mockery “And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him” (Mark 15:16-20). “And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him” (Mark 15:29-32). Jesus Christ the Righteous is here mocked, jeered, insulted and made a laughing stock before all the world. They clothed him with a purple cloth, put a crown of thorns on his head, and mockingly worshipped him. They cried, “Hail! King!” Then they beat him, spit on him, and laughed him to scorn. As they led him away to crucify him, he became the song of drunkards. Harlots and “holy” men, pimps and priests, sots and scribes joined in hellish revelry as they nailed him to the tree and watched him die. Even the two thieves who were crucified with him found relief from their torture by joining in the infamy. The Son of God was made to be utterly contemptible before men. He was made to be “the filth of the world and the offscouring of all things.” Do you ask why? It was that we who are truly the filth of the world and off scouring of all things, we who are in truth vile and contemptible might have glory, honor, and eternal life by the merit of his blood, that we might stand before God without one spot of sin or wrinkle of infirmity in perfect holiness. He wore a crown of thorns, that we might wear a crown of glory forever. He wore the spit of man, that men might wear the kiss of God forever. He sunk in humiliation, that we might rise in triumph. Stripped Naked “And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take” (Mark 15:24). — The Lord Jesus was stripped naked before men, exposed in open shame to all his enemies. Do you ask why? It was that we, who have no righteousness before God, might be clothed with his perfect righteousness. It was that we, who are naked and shameful, all defiled with sin, might wear the wedding garments of grace and sit side by side with the angels of God unashamed. It was that we might forever wear the white robe of his perfect righteousness, the garments of salvation, clean and white, before the great white throne of our God. Numbered with Sinners “And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors” (Mark 15:27-28). — The Holy One of God was reckoned a transgressor and a sinner. He who did no sin, in whose mouth was no guile, was “numbered with the transgressors.” Do you ask why? Why was he numbered with the transgressors? It was because he was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21). The holy Lamb of God was made to be sin so that we, who are altogether unholy, might be made perfectly holy forever! He was pronounced guilty so that we might be pronounced righteous before God! Forsaken of God “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) — The Son of God was forsaken by his Father. Try to grasp this. When our Surety, Jehovah’s righteous Servant, was at the height of his obedience, as he was performing the crowning work he was commissioned of God to do, he was abandoned, forsaken by his Father. Do you ask why? It was because he was made to be sin; and the holy Lord God cannot look upon sin. Why was he forsaken of God? It was that we might hear the Lord God himself declare, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee!” Christ was forsaken because he was made sin for us. We can never be forsaken because he has taken our sins away! Made a Curse “And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS” (Mark 15:22-26). The Lord of Glory was made a curse for us, crucified and hanged as a cursed thing upon Calvary’s tree. Death by crucifixion was reserved for only the most vile of felons. This shamefully horrid, ignominious, tortuous form of execution was designed to show the utter contemptibility of the one hanging upon the cross. The man hanging on the tree was counted accursed. The Lord Jesus died the cursed death of the cross. Do you ask why? It was that we who were born accursed might be delivered from the curse of the law and stand forever blessed of God for Christ’s sake (Galatians 3:13-14). A Voluntary Sacrifice “And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost” (Mark 15:37). — The Lord Jesus Christ, our Substitute, freely, voluntarily laid down his life; he gave up the ghost, for his people. He said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep…As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father” (John 10:11; John 10:15-18). Do you ask why? — “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). The Rent Veil “And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom” (Mark 15:38). — By his blood atonement, by his death under the curse of God’s holy law, the Son of God ripped open the veil in the temple. When justice was satisfied, when sin was put away, when there was nothing left to separate the holy Lord God from his people, when the law of God was forever silenced, the symbol of separation was ripped apart. Do you ask why? It was that redeemed sinners might come to God with the full assurance of faith, being accepted in the beloved (Hebrews 10:12-19). Our Surety’s Shame In all that is here recorded by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit let us never lose sight of the fact that our Lord Jesus endured all this pain, shame, and ignominy in his death as our Surety. When the Lord God laid our sins upon him, our Savior’s glory was turned into shame (Psalms 4:2; Hosea 4:7). When he was made to bear our sin in his own body, what reproach, what shame, what cruelty he endured for us! John tells us that Pilate scourged the Savior twice, once before this (John 19:1) and again here. Though it was forbidden among the Jews that any man be scourged so severely, “lest thy brother should seem vile” (Deuteronomy 25:3; 2 Corinthians 11:24), stripes were laid upon our Savior with savage cruelty. Christ our Brother was made vile and made to seem vile beyond imagination. Though we made ourselves vile with sin, with his stripes we are healed, made the righteousness of God in him. Pilate delivered our Savior into the hands of the soldiers, calling together the whole band, to insult him. They clothed him with purple, crowned him with thorns, spit upon him, beat his head with a reed, mockingly knelt before him, and stripped him of the sham garments of mock royalty. Stripped of his own garments, he was now stripped even of the garments of mockery. What can be more shameful than to be stripped naked before a multitude? Yet, the Lord of Glory endured the shame for us. As in the Garden our first parents made themselves naked to their shame, if he would take away the curse, Christ Jesus must be put to shame. The crown of thorns added cruelty to mockery. Thorns were chosen to make the mock crown that his head might be wounded as the sinners Surety (Psalms 68:21). The thorns of the curse (Genesis 3:18) pierced his brow who was made a curse for us. Though they knew it not, these tormenters of our blessed Redeemer were, by their cruel mockery, fulfilling both the decree of our God and the very words of prophecy. They intended nothing but insult and barbaric cruelty. Yet, they were all the while performing that which God had purposed from eternity; and their united testimony, “He saved others, himself he cannot save,” is exactly what the gospel of the grace of God reveals.
He who saved us from our sins could not be saved from being made sin. He who saved us from the curse could not be saved from enduring the curse. He who saved us from the wrath of God could not be saved from all the fury of God’s holy wrath, when he was made sin for us!What a deep sense we ought to have of the debt we owe to the Lord Jesus Christ. All that we have, all that we are, all that we hope for must be traced to the doing and dying of the Son of God for us. By his condemnation, we are acquitted. By his being made sin, we are made the righteousness of God.
By his sufferings, we get peace. By his shame, we get glory. By his death, we have life! Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!” What assurance we ought to have of Christ’s great love for us! What a reasonable thing it is that we should unceasingly present ourselves a living sacrifice unto our God by Christ Jesus!
Mark 15:33-39
CHAPTER 73 What convinced him? “And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.” (Mark 15:33-39) What convinced that battle hardened soldier, a man who had probably slaughtered multitudes with steel-hearted coldness, what convinced this Roman centurion that the man he executed on that dark, dark day was the Son of God? Let me show you what he saw on that day of man’s infamy, the day of God’s glory, when the Son of God suffered the wrath of God in the place of men and women who were the enemies of God. Let me show you seven extraordinary miracles which took place when the Son of God was made to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Here are seven miracles of Calvary. Six of them, if not all seven, were witnessed and carefully observed by the centurion. They convinced him that Jesus of Nazareth, with whose blood he was covered, is himself the Son of God. The Midday Darkness “And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour” (Mark 15:33). Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell us of this phenomenal darkness at midday, when the sun was miraculously turned into darkness for three hours. This noon-day darkness was predicted by Amos as an indication of God’s judgment upon the Jewish nation for despising and rejecting his Word (Amos 8:9). Still, ungodly men appear in every age who try to explain away the miraculous things revealed in the Book of God. They tell us that this just could not have happened and did not happen, that it was just an exaggeration on the part of the Lord’s disciples, that it was only meant to teach spiritual lessons, or that it was an ordinary solar eclipse. But none of those cows will fly. The report was given by divine inspiration and given by honest men. It was at the time of the Jews’ passover, which was always held during the full moon. In the 2nd century Tertullian asserted that this extraordinary midnight darkness at midday was reported and recorded by heathen chronologers and historians in the ancient archives of Rome. John Gill, commenting on Matthew 27:45, refers to one Dionysius the Areopagite, who saw this great darkness over the earth in Egypt and wrote, “Either the Divine Being suffers, or suffers with him that suffers, or the frame of the world is dissolving.” Without question, these three hours of darkness, which engulfed the earth from twelve noon until three o’clock in the afternoon, are intended to teach us many things. Let me point out just a few things that are obvious upon the very surface. Certainly, these three hours of darkness are intended to display in the most convincing manner possible God’s abhorrence of sin. When God’s own Son was made to be sin for us, when God the Son was forsaken by God the Father as our Substitute, God turned out all the lights of heaven to show his abhorrence of sin. The darkness that covered the earth that day was symbolic of the darkness and blindness of divine judgment upon fallen men. When God takes away the light, men cannot see. When God sent blindness upon the Jews, they kept all their religious ceremonialism, religious books, and religious customs; but they have no light to this day. And this darkness was emblematic of the darkness engulfing our Savior’s soul when he was made sin and endured the wrath of God for us. It was at the end of these three hours of darkness, at three o’clock in the afternoon that our Savior cried out, “My God, my God, Why hast thou forsaken me?” This took place just as the Jews were offering up their daily sacrifice at the very time when the paschal lamb was slain. Both of these were eminent types of Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, whose very soul was engulfed in the darkness of God’s holy wrath and fierce justice. The Rent Veil “And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom” (Mark 15:38). Both Matthew and Mark were inspired to tell us specifically that the temple’s veil was ripped apart from the top to the bottom, not from the bottom to the top. It did not just wear out at this particular time. God almighty ripped it open! This was not just a heavy curtain; it was a thick, thick veil, separating the holy of holies from the holy place. It was at least 40 cubits (60 ft.) in length! No one was allowed to go behind this thick, thick veil, except the high priest. He went in only on the day of atonement, and, even then, only with the blood of the paschal lamb. There he sprinkled the blood upon the mercy-seat and made a typical, ceremonial atonement for Israel’s sins. Can you imagine the shock, the horror which must have seized the emptied-handed priest who was in the temple when this happened? For more than four hundred years the Jewish priests had faked the ordinances of God. Five things that were central to the worship of God in the typical dispensation were never found in the temple at Jerusalem after the Babylonian Captivity: (1.) The Ark of the Covenant, (2.) The Mercy-seat, (3.) The Urim and Thummim — Lights and Perfections, (4.) The Continually Burning Fire on the Altar, and (5.) The Shechinah. All these things find their fulfillment in Christ, who is the great Glory of the House of God. When the veil was rent apart, the exposed hypocrisy of the empty-handed priest in the holy of holies, with no ark and no mercy-seat upon which to sprinkle the blood of the paschal lamb, must have been shocking. The rending of that veil displayed in the most vivid way possible the complete fulfillment and abolition of the entire Mosaic economy. The law was now totally fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ for us. All its types, all its requirements, all its purposes were fulfilled by our Substitute. — “Christ is the end of the law” (Romans 10:4). To try to re-establish the law, the priesthood, altars, sacrifices is nothing short of idolatry. It is an attempt to undo the work of Christ and sew up the ripped veil! Such an evil must not be tolerated. That veil represented the humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ. When the veil was rent, it meant that the true Paschal Lamb had now been offered and accepted by God for the redemption of his people (Hebrews 9:7-12). When he entered into heaven with his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption for his people, the veil was ripped apart. The God-man’s precious blood opened the way for sinners to come to God (Hebrews 10:12-22). The Earth Quaked. Matthew tells us that when the veil of the temple was ripped apart, the earth quaked. “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent” (Matthew 27:51). This earthquake was a token of God anger, wrath and judgment against the nation of Israel because of their evil works (Amos 8:7-8; Psalms 18:7). And it was an emblem of the shaking and removing of Judaism (Hebrews 12:26-27). Rent Rocks Next, we read in Matthew 27:51 that “the rocks rent.” This rending of the rocks certainly implies the terrible fury of God’s holy wrath. In fact, the Prophet Nahum uses similar expressions to describe God wrath (Nahum 1:5-6). What a warning God gives to sinners with every token of his displeasure! These were special, miraculous tokens of judgment upon the Jewish nation and of judgment to come. But every time God sends an earthquake, tornado, flood, tidal wave, or hurricane, he is warning you of the fury of his wrath! But the rending of the rocks may also represent something gracious. It may speak of the conversion of God’s elect by the preaching of Christ crucified. As the result of Christ’s death, by the merit of his precious, sin-atoning blood, God the Holy Spirit breaks hard, stony-hearted sinners, takes away the heart of stone, and gives them tender hearts of flesh. John the Baptist once said, “God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” (Matthew 3:9). Though the hearts of his elect are as hard as an adamant stone (Zechariah 7:12), the Lord God graciously breaks the hard heart with the Savior’s blood and raises up children unto Abraham from Gentile stones Acts 2:37-42). Opened Graves In Matthew 27:52 we read, “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose.” John Gill wrote, “This was a proof of Christ’s power over death and the grave. By dying, he through death destroyed him that had the power of it, and abolished death itself. He became the plague of death and the destruction of the grave, and took into his hands the keys of hell and death.” A Resurrection Not only were the graves opened, Matthew tells us that after our Lord’s resurrection there was a miraculous resurrection of many of God’s saints. “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” (Matthew 27:51-53) We are not told who they are, so I will not guess; but many of the saints came out of their graves in resurrection bodies, just after the Lord Jesus did, walked the streets of Jerusalem, and were seen of many. This, too, was predicted in the Old Testament. It was written in Isaiah 26:19, “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.” The resurrection of these saints, by virtue of Christ’s atonement, was God’s declaration that atonement was indeed made (Romans 4:25). And these resurrected saints stand as the pledge of our resurrection. A Miracle of Mercy I do not know whether the centurion witnessed the resurrection of these saints or not; but there is one more miracle he did witness, by which he was convinced that the crucified Substitute was indeed the Son of God. He witnessed that miracle of mercy described in Luke 23:39-43. “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” What a picture that is of God’s rich, free, matchless grace in Christ! Here is a condemned criminal against whom no condemnation can stand, a rebel reconciled to God, a thief transformed into a saint, and a sinner saved by free grace to the soul satisfaction of a dying Savior! This man’s conversion is a picture of ours (Ephesians 2:8-9). “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (John 20:30-31) Convinced of this one thing am I, And to the mocking crowd, With the amazed centurion cry, “THIS IS THE SON OF GOD!”
Mark 15:34
CHAPTER 74 Why was He forsaken? “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) These are the words of our great Surety, as he hung upon the cursed tree. The more I study, meditate upon and pray over them, the more convinced I am that it is simply impossible for a mere earthling to expound them. Yet, I am certain that there is more contained in and expressed by these few, heavy, heavy words from our Savior’s afflicted soul than is contained in all the commentaries and theology books in the world. These words of agony no tongue can describe, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” are the very words of our Lord Jesus Christ when he engaged all the forces of hell and endured the indescribable wrath of almighty God as our Substitute, when he was made to be sin for us. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was forsaken by God the Father when he was made sin for us, so that his people might be forever accepted of God by the merits of his precious blood and perfect righteousness. This cry of the heart broken Lamb of God is first found in Psalms 22:1. That prophetic psalm should be read often, studied with care, and laid up in the memory of our hearts with gratitude and praise. Everything recorded in the 22nd Psalm, if I understand it correctly, was written prophetically, penned by divine inspiration, as the very words spoken by our blessed Savior when he hung upon the cursed tree, bearing our sins as our Substitute. C. H. Spurgeon wrote… “Before us we have a description both of the darkness and of the glory of the cross, the sufferings of Christ and the glory which shall follow. Oh for grace to draw near and see this great sight! We should read reverently, putting off our shoes from off our feet, as Moses did at the burning bush, for if there be holy ground anywhere in Scripture it is in this psalm.” Utterly Forsaken At the apex of his obedience, at the time of his greatest sorrow, in the hour of his greatest need, the Lord Jesus cried out to his Father, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” After asking, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me,” our all-glorious Redeemer tells us how utterly forsaken he was, so utterly forsaken that the Father refused to hear the cries of his own darling Son in the hour of his greatest need. — “Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.” I read those words with utter astonishment. I will not attempt to explain what I cannot imagine. But these things are written here for our learning, that we might, through patience and consolation of the Scriptures, have hope. And I hang all the hope of my immortal soul upon this fact. — When the Lord Jesus Christ was made sin for me, he was utterly forsaken of God and put to death as my Substitute; and by his one great, sin-atoning Sacrifice, he has forever put away my sins. He not only bore our sins in his body on the tree, he bore them away! The Reason Yet, when we read Psalms 22:3, our holy Savior, when he was made sin for us, answers the cry of his own soul’s agony. “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” Why was the Lord Jesus forsaken by his Father when he was made sin for us? Because the holy Lord God is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. Our Savior was forsaken by the Father, when he was made sin for us, because justice demanded it. — “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13). Here our Savior, when he was dying under the wrath of God, justified God in his own condemnation, because he was made sin for us. He proclaims the holiness of God in the midst of his agony. He is so pure, so holy, so righteous, so just that he will by no means clear the guilty (Exodus 34:7), even when the guilty One is his own darling Son! Rather than slight his holy character, our Surety must suffer and die, because he was made sin for us. Made Sin Our Savior had no sin of his own. He was born without original sin, being even from birth “that Holy One” (Luke 1:35). Throughout his life he “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21), “did no sin” (1 Peter 2:22), “and in him is no sin” (1 John 3:5). But on Calvary the holy Lord God “made him sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Just as in the incarnation “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), in substitution the Word, who was made flesh, “was made sin for us.” I do not know how God could be made flesh and never cease to be God; but he was. I do not know how the eternal God could die and yet never die; but he did (Acts 20:28). I do not know how all the fulness of the infinite, incomprehensible God can dwell in Christ bodily; but it does (Colossians 2:9). And I do not know how Christ who knew no sin could be made sin, and yet never have sinned; but he was. These things are mysteries beyond the reach of human comprehension. But they are facts of divine revelation to which we bow with adoration. “I stand amazed in the presence Of Jesus the Nazarene And wonder how He could love me, A sinner, condemned, unclean.Oh, how marvelous! oh, how wonderful! And my song shall ever be Oh, how marvelous! oh how wonderful! Is my Savior’s love for me!For me it was in the garden He prayed: “Not My will, but Thine” He had no tears for His own griefs But sweat drops of blood for mine.He took my sins and my sorrows, He made them His very own. He bore the burden to Calvary And suffered, and died alone.”“Mine Iniquities” “Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.” (Psalms 40:11-12) — Commenting on these verses, John Trapp wrote, “If this be taken of Christ, he is the greatest of sinners by imputation (2 Corinthians 5:20 Isaiah 53:6), for our sins (which here he calleth his) he suffered; and here his bitter agony in the garden is graphically described. Neither is it absurd to say, that as he bore our sins in his own body upon the tree, he was first redeemed by himself, and afterwards we.” Here we are again allowed to hear the agony of our blessed Redeemer’s soul when he was made sin for us. Here his language is even more specific in declaring that our sins were made his. Here, again, the Lord Jesus Christ calls our sins his own, because “He hath made him sin for us.” The One Speaking The One speaking in this Psalm is beyond all doubt our Savior. We know this because God the Holy Spirit tells us that it is Christ who is speaking here in Hebrews chapter 10. Our Savior knew that being made sin for us, he would be brought into a horrible pit (Psalms 69:15) and filled with distress. Yet, his love for us was and is so great that in Mark 15:7 he declares his readiness to assume a body, and to accomplish his Father’s will in the salvation of his chosen, according to the ancient settlements written in the Volume of the Book, saying, — “Lo! I come, I delight to do thy will, O my God.” Then in Mark 15:11-12 he prays for deliverance from his deep distresses. This is exactly the same thing we read in John 12:27-28. — “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The Reason Why was the Son of God brought to such sorrow and grief? Here is the answer. — “He made him sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him!” Indeed he could never have suffered the painful, shameful, ignominious death of the cross as our Substitute had he not been made sin for us. Justice would never have allowed it. The Lord God declares, “He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.” (Proverbs 17:15; Exodus 23:7). Worship Him Hear the Savior’s words in Psalms 40:12, and worship him. — “For innumerable evils have compassed me about.” He was beset on every side with evil. Countless woes compassed our great Substitute and Sin-bearer. “Our sins,” wrote Spurgeon, “were innumerable, and so were his griefs.” All the accumulated sins of all his people, for all time, in all parts of the world, were made his! The Blessed One of God, who knew no sin and did no sin, was made sin! He cried, “Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up.” He had no sin, but our sins were laid on him, and he took them as his own. “He was made sin for us.” Again, I quote Spurgeon, “The transfer of sin to the Savior was real and produced in him as man the horror which forbade him to look into the face of God, bowing him down with crushing anguish and woe intolerable.” What would our sins have done to us eternally if the Friend of sinners had not condescended to take them all upon himself and make them his own? Oh, blessed Scripture! “He hath made him sin for us!” Oh, marvellous depth of love that made the perfectly immaculate Lamb of God to stand in the sinner’s place, and bear the horror of great trembling which sin must bring upon those who are forever keenly conscious of it in hell! Broken Heart “They are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.” — In dark Gethsemane, even as he anticipated being made sin, our Savior’s holy soul shook within him; and his holy heart broke. Anticipating the pains of God’s holy fury against sin, his unbending justice and unmitigated wrath beyond imagination, our dear Savior’s soul was so crushed within him that he was sore amazed, and very heavy even unto a sweat of blood. His strength was gone, his spirit sank; he was in agony. Then, as he hung upon the cursed tree, bearing our sins in his own body, he cried, as we read in Psalms 22:6; Psalms 22:14-15, — “I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people…I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.” It was the thought and anticipation of being made sin for us, not of simply paying the debt due unto our sins, but of being made sin, that caused his bloody sweat in Gethsemane. It was this fact, the fact that he was made sin for us, that caused him to be forsaken of his Father as he hung upon the cursed tree on Golgotha’s hill (Psalms 22:1-3). Many tell us that these words cannot be the Words of God’s darling Son. Indeed, some, in their foolish arrogance, assert that it is blasphemy and heresy to declare that these words are the words of our blessed Savior. In doing so they dare to defy God himself, for it is God the Holy Spirit who in Hebrews 10 tells us that these are our Savior’s words. Robert Hawker wrote… “These things, so far from being unsuitable to the holy Jesus, are the very things we might reasonably suppose he would speak of, and consequently his holy soul would feel so painful. And when we consider that as our Surety he bore our sins and carried our sorrows, how very reasonable it is to expect that these cries of the Son of God should be at the very time in which he is set forth as a Sacrifice for them.”Foolishness and Perversity There can be no question that the One speaking in Psalms 69 is our blessed Savior. Throughout the New Testament, the words of this Psalm are attributed to him (Psalms 69:4 — John 15:25; Psalms 69:9 – John 2:17, Romans 15:3; Psalms 69:21 – Matthew 27:34; Matthew 27:48, Mark 15:36, Luke 23:36, John 19:28-29; Psalms 69:22-23 – Romans 11:9-10; Psalms 69:25 – Acts 1:16; Acts 1:20). The opening verses of this Psalm clearly are the words of our Redeemer. “Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away” (Psalms 69:1-4) Mark 15:5 cannot, with any honesty, be attributed to someone else. Hear the cry of him who was made sin for us. — “O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.” The word “foolishness” means “perversity.” The word “sins” means, as it is translated in the marginal reference, “guiltiness.” Our Savior owns our perversity as his perversity and our guiltiness as his guiltiness, because it was made his. The first Adam hid his perversity and guilt. The last Adam owns ours as his own, and does it before God. It is as though he were saying, “Here, lifted up upon the cross I suffer without the gate for my people, as their Substitute, in such a way that I desire that my sins be conspicuous to every creature in heaven, earth, and hell, — my sins, the sins of my people, are all now and forever blotted out and washed away by my blood.” What condescension this is! What grace is here revealed! What unparalleled love! What mystery there is here! The Son of God takes to himself our shame! When the Lamb of God was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, it behoved him thus to suffer and thus to cry! — “O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.” Intercession Yet, in his soul’s utmost agony the Son of God remembered and interceded for us, as our great High Priest. — “Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel” (Psalms 69:6). In answer to his prayer, the gospel promise is, “Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed” (Romans 10:11). “He that believeth on him shall not be confounded” (1 Peter 2:6). Then, our sin-atoning Savior again claims our sins, our reproaches, as his own, as if to tell us that our sins were not merely pasted on him, that he was not simply treated as though our sins were his, but that when he made his soul an offering for sin, he was made sin for us. — “Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face…Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee. Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none” (Psalms 69:7; Psalms 69:19-20). “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!” Do you understand what you just read? Do you here see Christ as your Surety, your sin-bearer, taking all your guilt and sin, assuming total responsibility for all that you are? — Made a curse for you? Do you see him as your Substitute, your Surety, your Savior? Do you trust him as such? If so, let your soul be ravished by his great love for you. Adore him! Praise him! Because of his infinite, immeasurable love for us, our blessed Savior became everything we are in such a real way that he owns our sins as his own before his Father and our Father! — “Thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.” Either he was made sin for us, or that which he confessed in these three Psalms is not true. There is no in-between ground. Either our Savior here spoke the truth or he did not. Blessed be his name, his Word is truth! He made our foolishness his foolishness! He made our sin his sin!
He made our perversity his perversity! He made our guiltiness his guiltiness! This is not a slander against our holy Savior; but the magnifying of his mercy, love and grace. Christ’s love for us is so infinitely great that he made our sins his very own. And by the same wondrous, amazing mercy, love and grace, he makes his perfect righteousness our very own. Yes, we who believe are the very righteousness of God in Christ.
With Jacob of old, we say with confidence to every accuser, as he did to Laban, “So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come” (Genesis 30:33). With Job, we say, “My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live” (Job 27:6). Why? Because Christ is the Lord our Righteousness, because he is made of God unto us both redemption and righteousness, we have assurance of everlasting salvation (Romans 8:1-4; Romans 8:33-39). Soon, “unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”Sin and Substitution What an infinitely evil thing sin must be! It is such a horrid thing that the holy Lord God cannot tolerate it, even when it was found upon his darling Son. Whenever God sees sin, he will punish it without mercy. When the angels fell, God cast them out of heaven and holds them in chains of darkness until the day of judgment (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6). When Adam sinned, he was cursed of God and driven from the presence of the Lord (Genesis 3). When God looked upon the wickedness of Noah’s generation, he destroyed the whole world in the flood of his wrath (Genesis 6).
Upon the twin cities of perversity, Sodom and Gomorrah, God poured out fire and brimstone (Genesis 19). And when God saw sin upon his darling Son, his only-begotten, well-beloved Son, he forsook him! Be warne! — If God finds sin on you, he will destroy you forever in hell, without mercy! Flee to Christ, who alone can cleanse you of all sin! How thorough and complete was Christ’s obedience to the Father as our Surety! We could never obey God perfectly. We could never fulfill the demands of the law or the gospel. But Christ met and satisfied perfectly all the demands of God for his elect. This cry, “My God, my God,” was made at the zenith of our Lord’s obedience. Christ was obedient even unto death.
Our salvation was accomplished both by his doing and by his dying. His doing is imputed to us for righteousness (Romans 5:19). His dying made atonement for our sins (Romans 5:11). Even when he was forsaken of God, our Surety remained obedient. This cry is an expression of Christ’s perfect faith in God. As a man he believed God and showed us what it is to believe him. “Faith is believing the Word of God, not because we see it to be true, or feel it to be true, but because God said it” (Robert Murray M’Cheyne).
We are often unbelieving. But our Surety never doubted God, even when he was forsaken of God! And this cry is an expression of exemplary love and devotion. Here is love and devotion unrivaled! Hanging upon the cursed tree, without one drop of mercy, one smile from heaven, or one comfort for his soul, Christ loved the very God who forsook him! What an infinite depth of hell our Savior endured for us! What is hell if it is not being abandoned totally by God? Why was Christ forsaken? He was forsaken because there was no other way for us to be accepted. Justice had to be satisfied. When the Son of God was made to be sin for us, when our sins were imputed to him, God forsook him and poured out upon him all the fullness of his wrath (Lamentations 1:12). God gave him everything our sins deserve. And now, the holy Lord God accepts all who trust his Son, imputes to them his perfect righteousness, and rewards them with eternal glory for Christ’s sake, giving them all that he deserves. Why was he forsaken? Our Lord Jesus was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He was forsaken of God that we might be forever, immutably accepted of God in him. He was forsaken because he is our Substitute, our real, absolute Substitute before God!
Mark 15:39-47
CHAPTER 75 The Savior’s Burial “And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem. And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.” (Mark 15:39-47) The death of the Lord Jesus Christ as the sinners’ Substitute, to put away the sins of his people, is the greatest and the most important event in history. The sin-atoning sacrifice of the God-man, the only Mediator between God and men, is the most important fact of Christianity. All the hopes of fallen men hang upon this one event. If what the Scriptures say about the death of God’s Son is so, then there is hope for sinners. If these things are not so, there is no hope for anyone. Knowing something of the importance of this fact, we should not be surprised to find that the fact of our Savior’s death is placed beyond the realm of dispute by God’s wise and good providence. The Jews of our Lord’s time, and countless scoffers since then, have tried to explain away the fact of our Lord’s resurrection by asserting that he never really died at all. They would have us believe that he really just passed out, and everyone thought he was dead. What folly! In the verses before us we see that God wisely arranged to verify the fact of Christ’s death by three witnesses. The united witness of the Roman centurion, the women who followed the Savior, and the disciples who buried his dead body place the matter beyond any dispute. All these people could not have been deceived. They all saw the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the ordeal of his mock trial and crucifixion. They saw him lay down his life by the triumphant act of his own sovereign will as he became obedient unto death for the salvation of our souls. The Lord Jesus Christ, our incarnate God and Savior, died for our sins according to the Scriptures, under the wrath of God, and was buried in the earth. The Amazed CenturionThe first thing that stands out in this passage is the amazement of the Roman centurion. — “And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39). This centurion was the Roman soldier who was the head of a band of soldiers, whose task it was to watch the crucified Son of God to make sure no one took him down from the cross or gave him any comfort. Matthew tells us that there were others with him “watching Jesus.”These men were united in their hellish mockery of the Lord Jesus, humiliating him and tormenting him in every way they could imagine. They had all watched the mock trial before Pilate. They had all mocked him, spit in his face, beat him and tortured him. They had all nailed him to the tree. They all observed his royal behavior.
They all saw the three hours of darkness. They all heard and felt the earthquake and the opening of the graves. They all heard the Master’s seven statements, as he suffered the wrath of God as our Substitute. And they were all terrified and confessed, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” Matthew tells us that “the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54). The centurion was placed as he was by God’s providence to verify to Pilate and to all reasonable people the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ actually did die at Calvary. “And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph” (Mark 15:44-45). When this man was called to Pilate to verify the fact that the Lord Jesus was indeed dead, I can almost hear his trembling report. — “I heard him cry with a loud voice, ‘Father, forgive them!’—- ‘My God, my God, Why hast thou forsaken me?’ — ‘Today, thou shalt be with me!’ — ‘It is finished!’ — ‘Father, into thy hands I commit my Spirit.’ I watched him do what I never saw any other man do. — He breathed out his own life! When we came to break his legs, as you ordered us, he was already dead. Just to make sure, one of my men shoved his spear through his heart; and the strangest thing happened - Water mixed with blood came gushing out of his side. Yes, I would say the man is dead.” When he got done, the Scripture tells us that Pilate “knew it!” This centurion also shows us a demonstration of the fact that there is a repentance to be repented of. — “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death” (2 Corinthians 7:10). This man was convicted; but his conviction was a mere legal conviction. He had repentance, sorrow for his deeds; but it was the sorrow of the world, which ends in death, eternal death in hell. Legal fear, the fear of death, judgment and eternal damnation in hell, is not repentance. That is not Holy Spirit conviction. True repentance, true conviction is more than a sense of guilt and terror. It is a sorrow for sin. It is taking sides with God against yourself. And it is an acknowledgment that you deserve to go to hell; but it is more, much more. — True repentance arises from the revelation of Christ in our hearts. It is the blessed persuasion of sins forgiven, righteousness established and judgment finished (Zechariah 12:10; John 16:8-11). There is no salvation without this conviction. The Faithful Women“There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem…And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid” (Mark 15:40-41; Mark 15:47). Where was Peter, who boasted that he was willing to go with his Master to judgment and to death? Where were the other disciples, who all said the same thing? The men, all of them, except for John (who was at some distance from the scene), were all gone. But these faithful women were faithful to the end. They had followed the Lord Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem. When all others forsook him, they stayed with him. They stayed during all the horrors of that infamous day. They followed him right up to the tomb, and were found there on the morning of the resurrection. John Trapp observed… “Heavy they were as heart could hold: yet not hindered thereby from doing their duty to Christ. Even sorrow for sin, if it so exceed as to disable us for duty, is a sinful sorrow, and must be sorrowed for.” God often uses the weak to confound the mighty. How often we see this in the workings of God’s providence and grace. Here, the Holy Spirit tells us two things about this band of faithful women. In these two things they are set before us as noble examples of faith. They followed the Lord. — Having been converted by his grace and power, believing his word, understanding his doctrine, having experienced his great forgiveness, these women followed the Savior. That is what faith does. It follows Christ. Faith follows the Lord Jesus because those who are forgiven much love much. They ministered to the Son of God. — These dear ladies were not at all like the feminists of our day. These women were ladies. They knew their place and kept to it with joy. They were not allowed to be teachers and preachers in the Lord’s church and kingdom. That is strictly forbidden in Holy Scripture. But these women were faithful servants of Christ to the end (Luke 8:3) There is a great work which women can do for the glory of God and the cause of Christ in this world. Happy is that husband and family in which such a wife and mother is found. Happy is that church whose women know their work and faithfully do it, as unto the Lord. Elizabeth, Martha Mary, Dorcas, Lydia, and Phoebe are all held before us in the Word of God as elect ladies, in whom the grace of God abounded, causing them to gladly serve the Master by serving his people. A Secret DiscipleAnd now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre” (Mark 15:42-46). I am so very thankful that the Holy Spirit has placed in the records of sacred history the name and works of Joseph of Arimathaea. We know virtually nothing about him except that he was a rich man from Arimathaea. He was a member of the Jews’ religious counsel, the Sanhedrim. He buried the Lord Jesus in his own tomb. And he was a believer, one who “waited for the kingdom of God.” Joseph was a secret disciple, but still a true disciple (John 19:38). We know nothing about him until now; and nothing else is said about him in the Word of God after this. But this man was the man of the hour. He was where he needed to be, when he was needed, to do what was needed. Much could and should be said about this man, but I want to show you just three things here. God always raises up men to do what is needed at the time needed. None of the other disciples were around to do what Joseph did. Perhaps no one else could have gotten Pilate’s ear as readily as Joseph. But at the time needed, so that the Scripture might be fulfilled (Isaiah 53:9), God raised up a rich man to bury the body of his darling Son in his own new tomb. Let us learn, then, that the purpose of God is never in danger of failure. The will of God is never hindered. The work of God is never overturned. And the cause of God is never in jeopardy. The Lord God always has many more disciples than any of us ever imagine. I am the first to acknowledge that secret disciples are always suspect disciples. But we must never forget the words of the Lord to Elijah (1 Kings 19:18). Our God still has his seven thousand in Israel, who have not bowed the knee to Baal. At the appropriate time, he will bring them out. The Lord still has many hidden ones in the earth. We may not know who they are, or where they are; but he has them. Much might be said about this man’s failures and weaknesses; but Joseph’s faith was in many ways most remarkable. He was strong, when all others were weak. He was bold, when everyone else was terrified. The other disciples honored and confessed Christ, when he was working miracles and influencing multitudes. Joseph believed him, honored him and identified himself with him, when his body was a cold, dead corpse, covered with his own blood and the spit of others. Joseph wrapped the Lord’s body in fine linen. This fine linen was an emblem of or Savior’s own holiness and purity; and this linen is set before us in the Scriptures as an emblem of Christ’s pure, spotless righteousness, which is imputed to his people (Revelation 19:8). The Honored Tomb“And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre” (Mark 15:46). — The Lord Jesus was numbered with the transgressors. Yet, he made his grave with the rich, exactly as the Scriptures had foretold. He is the Savior of all, both rich and poor. But the fact that his dead body was laid in the tomb must not be passed over lightly. Our Lord Jesus here puts special honor upon the grave. The fact is we are all going to the tomb. We do not like to think about it; but we are all going to die, sooner or later. The time will soon come when someone will put our bodies in a coffin, drop us in the cold earth, and cover us out of view. Let us remember, this is the place where our Lord once laid. And, as surely as he arose from the tomb, so to shall all who trust him. When Christ died, we died with him. When he was buried, we were buried with him. When he arose, we arose with him. Consequently, death has no terror. The grave has no sting. As we have confessed in our baptism, we are confident that, though the worms of the earth shall eat our flesh, yet, at the resurrection, in our flesh we shall see our God and our Redeemer.