Mark 15

Mark 15:1

Jesus was bound not by puny ropes, but by cords of love. As Creator of the ropes, He could have burst them easily. As the Lamb of God, He chose to be bound by them willingly. Pilate, the sixth Roman governor in this region, was in political trouble. He had already made the mistake of allowing a picture of Caesar to be placed on the temple mount, causing the Jews to riot. His second mistake was financing an aqueduct with funds from the temple treasury, again resulting in a riot. Thus, after two riots in which a number of people had been killed, Pilate was warned by Rome that one more strike and he’d be out. Jesus went through two trialsone before Caiaphas and a second before Pilate and Herod. Due to His claim of deity, the Jews accused Him of being too heavenly, while Herod, thinking He wanted to lead a coup politically, accused Him of being too earthly. Throughout history, the church has gone through this same two-fold trialand so will you. People will accuse you of being too heavenly, while, at the same time, another group will accuse you of being too worldly. “You’re all pie in the sky,” some will say, while others will tell you you’re backsliding because they saw you going thirty-six in a thirty-five mph zone. You’ll get hit both waysand when you do, realize Jesus did as well.

Mark 15:3

Jesus is an oasis of tranquility in a sea of controversy. To any who truly wanted information, Jesus would answer willingly (Mar_14:62). But to those who hurled accusation, He answered not a word. And therein lies a good principle. If someone wants information, we should share freely and openly. But if they only want to accuse us, we need not defend ourselves.

Mark 15:4

“Barabbas” means “son of Abba,” or an Israelite. The parallel is obvious. Barabbas, a son of Abba, had taken a life, while Jesus, the only begotten Son of Abba had come to give His life.

Mark 15:8

Any crusade to crucify usually has its roots in envy or jealousy. Even Pilate knew this.

Mark 15:11

Jesus was scourged not because the Father in heaven was allowing sadistic pain to be placed upon His beloved Son, but because, as Isaiah tells us, although it is by the Cross we are saved, it is by His stripes that we are healed (Isa_53:5).

Mark 15:16

Jesus was led out of the city because the scapegoatthe one who bore the sins of the people in Old Testament typologywas always led out of the city (Lev_16:10).

Mark 15:21

Simon had traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, and as he approached the procession toward Golgatha, he was tapped on the shoulder with the flat side of the spear of a Roman soldier and ordered to take up the Cross of the One before him who was no longer able to bear its weight on His lacerated and bruised shoulders. Jesus does not bear the Cross for two reasons… It was not His Cross. It was mine. I am the one who deserves to go to hell. Secondly, He’s showing us that taking up our cross doesn’t mean gritting our teeth and being miserable. It means letting the Cross do to us exactly what it did to Him when it caused Him to fall on His knees and allow another to bear it. Simon is identified as the father of Alexander and Rufus because they would have been known as key members of the early churchwhich means that at some point after bearing Jesus’ Cross, Simon got saved.

Mark 15:22

Because clothing identifies one’s culture perhaps more readily than any other single feature, in being stripped of every article of clothing, pinned to the wooden Cross of Calvary in naked humanity, Jesus shed every identifying mark of any single culture, thereby becoming the Savior for all the world. Christ for All Nations A Topical Study of Mar_15:24 A number of years ago, I felt as though I was called on the carpet by the Holy Spirit in conjunction with the war that ensued when, in their determination to silence the PLO shelling of the Sea of Galilee region, Israel invaded Lebanon. The Syrians in their Soviet MIG 23s and the Israelis in their modified American F16s engaged in brutal aerial warfare. But the Israelis won decisively. And when I heard that one hundred three Syrian jets went down to only one of the Israeli jets, I cheered loudlyuntil the Holy Spirit began to speak to my heart very strongly, saying, “I love the Syrians just as much as I love the Israelis, just as much as I love the Americans. I designed each one of those men. I died for each one of those men.

And now you’re rejoicing and applauding because one hundred three were shot down from the sky? Is that like Me?” After that, I went through a real time of repenting before the Lord, saying, “Forgive me, Father, for being so prejudiced in a pseudo-spiritual kind of way against people who are not on my side. Forgive even my understanding of prophecy to manifest itself in a heart that is not like Yours.” The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.2Pe_3:9 Peter didn’t say that God is not willing that any Americans should perish, that any Israelis should perish, or that any of the Western allies should perish. Peter says God is not willing that any should perish. Cultural Application I believe the text before us speaks to this issue very clearly. You see, before Jesus was nailed to the Cross, He was stripped of His clothes. Although we know this was done partially to fulfill some of the three hundred-plus prophecies given concerning the birth, life, and death of the coming Messiah, I believe the reason for it is broader than that. Prophecies were given not only to be fulfilled, but also to help us understand who Jesus is and what He does. And because clothing identifies one’s culture perhaps more readily than any other single feature, in being stripped of every article of clothing, pinned to the wooden Cross of Calvary in naked humanity, Jesus shed every identifying mark of any single culture, thereby becoming the Savior for all the world. This, however, does not discount the fact that the Lord uses nations to bring about righteousness and judgment… O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.Isa_10:5-6 After the people of Israel had fallen into all kinds of idolatry, ignored the Sabbath, and turned their hearts from Him, the Lord stirred the hearts of the Babylonianstoday’s Iraqto come down and discipline His people. Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.Zec_1:12-15 Here, the Lord says, “I am displeased with the Babylonians because they went beyond what I intended for them to do when they began to beat My people, destroy the city, and tear down the temple.” I am not suggesting what American policy should be concerning the Middle East or any other nation. But I know what our attitude and heart must be as believers. If the Lord should choose to use our nation to bring about order in the world, so be it. But let us not “forward the affliction.” Let us not rejoice at dead Iraqis. Let us not applaud bombs that hit targets effectively. The flag with which we must closely identify must not be the one sewn with stars and stripes, but the one stained with blood on woodthe Cross of Christ. May our goal not be nationalism or patriotismbut compassion and intercession. Personal Application Not only does the Lord love the Iraqi, Iranian, American, and Indian equallybut He loves us personally as much as He loves Billy Graham. He isn’t saying, “I’m really into Montreat where Billy and Ruth are gathering to worship Me. But how I dread going to Calvary Chapel to be with Jon and his wife, Tammy.” No! The Lord doesn’t see it that way! He is not a respecter of persons (Act_10:34). He has no favorites. “What about Abraham?” you ask. “Isn’t he specifically referred to as the friend of God?” Yes (Jas_2:23). And it is no wonder, for it was Abraham who planted an orchard as a creative, spontaneous act of worship (Gen_21:33). But wait. Centuries later, there was another man whom God called “friend”… There in the town of Bethany in the house where a small group gathered around Jesus only days before He would be pinned to the Cross of Calvary, Mary broke open a box of costly ointment and poured it upon the Lord as an act of worship and love for Him. “What a waste,” Judas scoffed. “That money could have been used to help the poor” (Mat_26:9). How different Judas is from Abraham. Abraham planted a tree in worship, while Judas called worship a waste. And yet, incredibly enough, both were called the friend of Godfor there in the garden, even as he was in the very act of betrayal, Jesus called Judas, “Friend” (Mat_26:50). Such impartial, unconditional love I don’t understandbut I sure do enjoy it. For whether I’m being an Abraham or a Judas, my Lord calls me His friend. And the same is true of you. No matter where you’re at, He loves you because His friendship with you is not based upon how you’re doing, but upon what He did on Calvary’s Cross when He paid the price for every sin you’ve ever done, are doing, or will ever do. He loves the person sitting next to you that way as well. And He loves the neighbor who plays his stereo too loudly. He loves the boss who didn’t give you the promotion you know you deserve, and the coach who keeps you on the bench so his son can play. He loves the Iraqi, the Egyptian, the Communist, the Jew, Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro, Jimmy Carter, and George Bush. He’s not a respecter of persons, of races, of cultures, of countries. Oh, that His heart of love for a lost world would beat in me.

Mark 15:25

“Come down from the Cross” is still being heard today as the world continues to clamor for a Cross-less Christ. “Jesus is cool,” they say. “He was a good teacher, a good example, a good moral leader. But don’t talk to me about the Cross. It’s too bloody.”

Mark 15:31

The fact that Jesus had indeed saved others was undeniablefor in their midst were lepers who had been cleansed, blind men who could now see, lame men who were now walking. The chief priests were right when they said He saved others. And they were equally right when they said, “Himself He cannot save"for if He had come down off the Cross, He could not have saved me.

Mark 15:32

“If I can see it, I’ll believe it,” said the skeptics. But the way of the Lord is always if you believe it, then you’ll be able to see it. For three hours, there was complete, total darkness. Why? Think back to Exodus. What happened before the Passover lamb was killed? The entire land was covered with darkness for three days (Exo_10:21-22), symbolizing the darkness that would descend as the Lamb of God was slain. Because they had no desire to see spiritually, men became unable to see physically what was really taking place on the Cross of Calvary.

Mark 15:34

I believe Jesus’ cry is kept in the original Aramaic, His native tongue on earth, in order to show the intensity of His cry. Leprosy didn’t intimidate Him; storms didn’t frighten Him; armies didn’t faze Him. The only thing that terrified our Lord was being out of fellowship with His Father. And when He who knew no sin became sin for us, that is exactly what happened. Because we have grown accustomed to being out of touch with God, the things that terrify us are bounced checks, not getting the promotion, or a boyfriend or girlfriend breaking up with us. Jesus, on the other hand, had faith concerning that that frightens us, yet was terrorized by that which we barely notice.

Mark 15:35

Had those at the Cross been perceptive, they would have recognized Jesus’ words as the beginning of Psalm 22, a Messianic Psalm describing crucifixion in great detail centuries before it was ever conceived as capital punishment. Instead, some in the crowd thought He was calling for Elijah.

Mark 15:36

Because vinegar was used as a drug to numb some of the pain, was this done out of compassion? No. It was done out of curiosityto sustain Jesus’ life long enough to see if Elijah would indeed come.

Mark 15:37

Jesus’ cry was comprised of the three greatest words spoken in the history of humanity: “It Is Finished.” From the day of His birth until the day He died, the Enemy came against Jesus relentlessly, trying to derail Him, to destroy Him, to keep Him from providing salvation. But the Enemy failed when Jesus finished the work of redemption on Calvary. Thus, His was a cry not of agony, but of victory. Why isn’t there a description of the actual act of crucifixion? I believe it’s because, rather than arousing our feelings, the Father wants to affirm our faith; that His desire is not to move us emotionally, but that we understand rationally that Jesus finished the work.

Mark 15:38

In rending the massive veil in the temple that kept everyone but the high priest from going into the Holy of Holies where the shekinahthe visible presence of Goddwelt, the Father declared, “Open House! You can come boldly into My presence anytime you want because the price has been paid once and for all.” This grace is freebut it’s not cheap because it cost Jesus everything to open the way to the Father. Therefore, don’t sew the veil back up, gang, with legalism, rules, regulations, or expectations. Don’t feel as though you must prove something to God before you can come into His presence to present your petitions or to enjoy His fellowship. Believers do this in subtle ways, like saying, “Before we can enter into the glory of God, we must spend time praising Him.” Not true. The way is open. Nothing else remains to be done.

Am I discounting the importance of praise? Of course not. Praise allows us to be refreshed in our knowledge of who the Lord is and what He’s done. But it is not a prerequisite to fellowship. Neither is confession. As valid as both of these elements are, we can come boldly into the presence of God not because of our ability to articulate confession or express praise, but solely because of what Jesus did on Calvary.

Mark 15:39

It was in the Lord’s death that the centurion found life. It was in the time of darkness that he saw the light. “Lord,” we cry, “if you loved Me enough to die for me, if the veil was rent to open the way for me, then why am I going through this difficulty, this tragedy?” “Because there are centurions watching,” He declares. “And they will see My light in your dark days.” Dear saint, if you want to be used by God, there is no other way than to go through disappointment, difficulty, and pain in order that people might relate to you, observe you, and see by the reality of Jesus in your life that He truly is the Son of God. People are not convinced of the reality of His reality when they see us sailing through easy times and prosperous days. Such times cause only envy and cynicism. When people are truly touched is when they see us navigating adversity and difficulty all the while trusting the Lord (2Co_1:4). This centurion was won, saved, converted not because he was one of the five thousand eating bread and fish in the sunlight, but because he saw Jesus in the darkness.

Mark 15:40

In all of the Gospel stories, you will never find a woman opposing or resisting the ministry of Jesus Christ. Where were the disciples at this point? Men’s love being primarily based on logic, it was no longer logical for them to be at the Cross. After all, what could they do? They couldn’t mount a military defense. Peter tried that and failed miserably. So they simply scattered. Women’s love being not so much logical as it is emotional and mystical, however, the women remained at the Cross.

Mark 15:42

Joseph of Arimathaea was a secret disciple. After all, had he identified with Jesus openly, he would have lost his coveted position in the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court. But seeing Jesus on the Cross caused such courage and passion to flood his heart that he asked for His bodyfully knowing that touching it would defile him and prevent him from celebrating Passover, fully knowing he would be in danger from Roman and Jew alike, fully knowing that he would be ostracized financially and socially. That is the way it always is. When you really see the Cross, you have no choice but to “crave” the Lord. You have no choice but to openly share the gospel. That’s why Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luk_22:19)for when I remember what the Lord did for me as I eat of His body and drink of His blood, much of what was important to me only a few hours previously isn’t important any longer. As it did for Joseph of Arimathaea, the Cross has an incredible way of changing one’s priorities.

Mark 15:44

“Joseph” literally means “addition.” And that is exactly what will happen when, in addition to Jesus bursting forth from the grave, believers throughout history will one day burst forth to live eternally. Maybe you’re a Josephone who is quieter in personality. Although you may not be one who preaches or distributes tracts to everyone you see, I have found that when the going really gets tough, when push comes to shove, a lot of time it’s the Josephs who emerge as heroes, solid and steadfast. In the moment of greatest danger, when the hour of challenge has come, it is the Josephs who are often those who are most solid in time of crisis. May this be true to an ever greater degree of us.