Mark 15:16-47

When Paul the Apostle descended upon Corinth for the first time, he boldly and simply preached the cross of Christ. He said:

1 Corinthians 2:2 (ESV) — 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

In our passage today, we will observe "Jesus Christ and him crucified." It is a stunning event, one we will continue to mine at our Good Friday service -- and every gathering of our church until he returns. Christianity, you see, is not centered upon tenets or doctrines or beliefs or behaviors, but on the events of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These events lead to tenets and doctrines and beliefs and behaviors, but the events are the starting place. Without Jesus' cross, there is no Christianity. Without his resurrection, there is no hope.

So today, to borrow from the eighteenth-century hymn writer Isaac Watts, let us "survey the wondrous cross" by asking a question. Why was Jesus crucified? Our text provides some answers.

1. To Fulfill God's Plan

16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

The Mocked King

Mockery is definitely the theme of this first movement. After Pilate's decision and Jesus' flogging, a full battalion of soldiers -- hundreds of them -- gathered together to hail the supposed King Of The Jews (18). They put royal colors on his back (17). They put a crown of thorns on his head (17). Matthew tells us they put a fake scepter in his hand, likely the reed Mark tells they beat him with (Matthew 27:29). And, to complete the demonstration, they bowed before and spat on this king (19).

Little did they know that as they mocked this supposed king, they were mocking the true King. Jesus is the Royal of royals. And because he was crowned with thorns -- thorns which the earth began to yield only because of mankind's sin -- he will one day be crowned with glory and honor and power forever.

But the story continues:

21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.

Crucifixion Procession

The crucifixion routine the Romans developed was down to a science. It was a major intimidation tool over the nations they had subjugated. So when they crucified someone, they were sure to get their money's worth.

One thing they did was take the long route to the crucifixion site, forcing the condemned to carry their crossbeam. The upright post was permanently fixed at the crucifixion site, but the horizontal beam, which could have weighed around a hundred pounds, had to be carried by the convicted criminal. And, as they carried the crossbeam, surrounded by a four-man Roman death squad, they took the long way to their death. They traversed every side street and forgotten alleyway in an attempt to preach the message of Rome's power.

Simon, The Disciple

Mark tells us they had to compel a man named Simon to carry Jesus' cross. He was from the Northern African community of Cyrene. A Jewish pilgrim from a faraway land, this might have been his one Passover in Jerusalem, a dream come true.

Roman soldiers could require Rome's subjects to carry loads for them, so when the crucifixion squad saw Jesus was too weak to carry the cross, they compelled Simon.

But what appeared as an annoying inconvenience to Simon -- a disruption to his dream vacation -- ended up as the greatest blessing. Mark calls Simon the father of Alexander and Rufus, indicating the Roman church knew both of these figures (21, Romans 16:13). From this, we can deduce that something powerful happened to Simon that day. Up close and personal with the suffering savior, Simon submitted his life to Christ, eventually leading his sons into the faith.

It makes me wonder how often we are interrupted and inconvenienced for Christ, but in ways that are good for our souls. How often does he allow a divine interruption to align us with his will?

But the story continues:

22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.

Calvary

Our church's name comes from this passage. The Latin word "skull" is where we get the name Calvary. And Jesus was crucified at Golgotha or Place of a Skull. Calvary, or the place of the skull, is where Jesus was crucified. Some think the hill was skull-shaped. Others wonder if so many had been crucified and then left to rot on that hill that it was covered with skulls.

He Embraced The Pain

History tells us about groups of women who would mercifully bring a pain-numbing concoction to those being crucified. And, while Jesus was on his cross, that group of women offered that drink to Jesus. It would have decreased his pain -- he refused it; he embraced the pain. Rather than drink their wine and myrrh combination, he would drink the full cup of God's judgment.

25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. ([NASB95] 28 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”)

It was the third hour when they crucified Jesus, which means it was 9 AM. They had to post a criminal charge against him on the cross, so they made a sign that said he was "The King of the Jews" (26). He was crucified for the fable of insurrection.

Two robbers were also crucified with him (27).

1. To Fulfill God's Plan

Now, this all fulfilled God's plan. Much of what we've read and will read today points to various prophecies from the Old Testament. They crucified him because Psalm 22 said they would kill him by piercing his hands and feet (Psalm 22:16). He was crucified between two criminals because Isaiah 53 said he would be counted among the rebels (Isaiah 53:12). He was offered drinks while on the cross because Psalm 69 said they would give him vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21). The soldiers rolled dice for his clothing because Psalm 22 said they would divide his garments by casting lots (Psalm 22:18). Later in our passage, people will challenge him to come down from the cross because Psalm 22 had also prophesied people would challenge him to deliver himself by God's power while on the cross (Psalm 22:6-8). As we will see in a moment, the sun would darken during Jesus' death because Amos had said the sun would go down at noon the day the Messiah died (Amos 8:9). And he would be buried by a wealthy man because Isaiah 53 said he would be buried with the rich in his death (Isaiah 53:9).

All this is meant to help us recall that Jesus was fulfilling God's plan when he went to the cross. Immediately after our forefather Adam introduced sin to our species, God told Satan that he would:

Genesis 3:15 (ESV) — 15 "...put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

And that promise kicked off many promises over the years -- promises to Seth, to Noah, to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to Judah, and to David -- that one day the deliverer would come. And the events surrounding Jesus' crucifixion help us know Jesus is that promised figure. He was crucified to fulfill God's plan.

2. To Save Us

29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

Mocking Words

Here we have the derision and mockery of the crowds and religious leaders towards Jesus. Paul called Jesus' crucifixion a stumbling block -- and here we see why (1 Corinthians 1:23). How could the God of all flesh, the King of King and Lord of Lords, the Ultimate Sovereign, and Judge of all mankind, be pinned naked to a Roman cross to suffer and die alone?

This was the sentiment of most of the people there that day. They challenged Jesus to save himself by coming down from the cross. The religious leaders said Jesus saved others, but that he could not save himself (30, 32). They wanted him to prove he was the Christ by coming down from the cross so they could see and believe (32).

2. To Save Us

But if Jesus had come down from the cross to save himself, he could not save them. If Jesus rescued himself, he could not rescue you. If he'd called upon legions of angels to destroy the seen and unseen authorities and powers of that day, we would still be bound by the authorities and powers of our day. There would be nothing to see and believe if Jesus got off the cross. But -- praise be to God -- he remained on his cross. He endured. And now we can see that cross and believe in his great name.

Jesus died to save us. Until you believe humanity is in need of salvation, you will have nothing to do with the real Jesus. You might like his example or miracles or a surface understanding of his teachings, but you won't like the cross. And the cross is why he came. He came to save.

You see, mankind is dead in trespasses and sins, lost and wandering from God's original intentions, and blinded to the truth regarding God, ourselves, and our destiny. We are eternally separated from God by our sinful imperfection because he is sinless and perfect. And, due to all this, our destiny is fraught with danger and peril. We are doomed.

So Jesus came to save us from looming destruction. He died so that he could save. Trust in him.

3. To Consume Our Darkness

33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Sixth To Ninth Hour

Here, Mark tells us there were three hours of darkness while Jesus was on the cross. He had been on the cross for three hours already when darkness descended upon the land from noon to 3 o'clock.

The Darkness

Many have debated this darkness, excusing it as a solar eclipse or a dust storm. But a three-hour eclipse, especially during the full moon of the Passover, is impossible, and a dust storm seems unlikely.

God brought supernatural darkness upon Egypt in the Old Testament and will bring it again in the end times' tribulation (Revelation 16:10). So it isn't hard to imagine he brought darkness upon the land while the Son died on the cross. And this darkness fits. When God brought the plagues upon Egypt in Exodus, darkness was the next-to-last plague and followed by the Passover. Who died in the Passover? All firstborn sons whose homes had no blood of the sacrificial lamb on its door. On this night, right before Jesus gave up his spirit, right before the firstborn Son of God died, right before the Lamb of God there to take away the sin of the world died, darkness came upon the land.

3. To Consume Our Darkness

When Jesus cried out, he was praying the first sentence of Psalm 22 (Psalm 22:1). As I've already mentioned today, it was a Messianic psalm about the cross. I think he was alerting his disciples to go and read Psalm 22. In it, they would find the specific details of his crucifixion predicted by a bygone era.

But Jesus was also praying. The words of the Psalm perfectly captured his experience in that moment. For all of eternity, the Father and Son and Spirit had danced in unison and unity. Love flowed. Joy enveloped. The rhythm of heaven was one of oneness.

But now that oneness is no more. Abruptly, enduring the darkness of that day, Jesus felt alone, cut out of the dance. But why? For you and me.

Jesus was betrayed in the dark. His trials were in the dark. And now we see his cross was in the dark.

And Jesus was consuming our darkness when he experienced that darkness. For the first and only time, he was separated from the Father God so God could become our Father. The Bible often alludes to hell as a place of complete darkness (Jude 13) -- and Jesus consumed our hell so he could bring us to his heaven. He took our darkness so we could be transferred to God's light.

4. To Make Access To God

35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Loud Cry

Some of the bystanders that day heard Jesus' cry and wondered aloud if he was calling for Elijah's help (35). So they gave him some sour wine to refresh him, hoping this would prolong his life long enough to see another supernatural manifestation come from his life (36). With that, Jesus uttered a loud cry -- John's gospel tells us Jesus cried, "It is finished!" (John 19:30xxx?). Then Jesus breathed his last (37).

4. To Make Access To God

Mark is careful to record some phenomena that surrounded Jesus' death, and I want to focus on two of them that are found in this movement. First, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom (38). Second, the Roman centurion in charge that day, seeing the way Jesus died, said, "Truly, this man was the Son of God!" (39).

This triumphant declaration is the point to which Mark has pointed his gospel. He started his book by saying Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 1:1). But, all through the book, no humans have confessed Jesus as God's Son. During Jesus' trial, the religious leaders asked him if he was God's Son. Jesus said that he was -- and even demons have made that connection in Mark -- but up to this point, Mark records no other human saying Jesus is the Son of God.

But now, of all people, a Roman military official confesses Jesus as the Son of God. The Jewish religious leaders might've crucified him for saying he was God's Son, but the Gentile warrior confessed Jesus as God's Son. They were blind. But he saw.

This is what the rending of the temple curtain is all about. That curtain signified separation. An elaborate system of sacrifices and ceremonies was erected as a way for the world to learn that God is holy and cannot be approached with sin on our hands. Our sin separated us from him.

But when Jesus died, the veil was torn. Now, even a Gentile centurion can come to God through Christ. Jesus' death made a way for this man, and every man and woman, every background, every nationality, or any other marker humanity normally divides over, to come to God. Jesus' death makes the way for us to God. Jesus died to make access to God.

5. To Experience Death For Us

40 There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

Footnoted Sources

This little paragraph is Mark's way of setting us up for the resurrection, but also to tell us about his source material. These women were at the cross that day. And they would go to the empty tomb on Sunday morning.

Marks says there were many other women there, but he mentioned three by name. One was Mary Magdalene, named as such because she was from Magdala, a village on the west coast of Galilee. Jesus had set her free from demonic oppression, and she had devoted herself to him ever since (Luke 8:2). A second was Mary, the mother of James the younger and of Joses. Her sons had become well known in the early church, likely because of her teaching and instruction. A third was a woman named Salome. The other gospels tell us she was married to Zebedee, which makes her the mother of James and John (Matthew 20:20, 27:56). She was likely the sister of Mary, Jesus' mother, making her Jesus' aunt (John 19:25??? do I want this in here? Look up Salome's identity.)

These women -- and many others -- followed Jesus and ministered to him (41). They were a big part of his ministry team, enabling him to focus on preaching, teaching, healing, and discipling. And they would be the first cluster of his followers to see him in his risen state.

42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46 And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

Joseph's Courage

Jesus' burial introduces us to a new follower of Christ, a man named Joseph. He was a member of the Sanhedrin; Luke tells us he didn't agree with the decision to kill Jesus (Luke 23:51). Marks tells us it took courage for him to ask Pilate if he could bury Jesus' body (43). The Romans often left the crucified's carcass on the cross, so it was a bold move to ask Pilate to bend protocol. Joseph had also been a secret follower of Christ, and this move outed him as a man on Team Jesus. But Joseph made his move, and Pilate gave him permission to bury Jesus in a tomb he owned, one cut out of the rock.

5. To Experience Death For Us

Do not miss this aspect of Jesus' death. He was buried. He went into the grave. He did what billions have done before and after him -- he went down to death.

Our Lord, our God, experienced humanity all the way to the point of humanity's gravest sorrow. He tasted death. He was embalmed and laid in the tomb. Our God died.

Brothers and sisters, our Lord has gone before us to the grave. His death sanctifies death. Now, for believers, death is called sleep (cf.). We no longer have to be afraid or humiliated by death's decay, for our Lord has gone there before us.

And death is not the final word. Jesus show us the way to loosen death's grip. Its anchors were dropped, but now they have been cut loose. Death has lost its sting because of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:55). He made the way to resurrection life. Jesus died to experience death for us.

6. To Make A New People

I want to conclude with a final reason Jesus died -- it is scattered throughout our text today. In each scene, there are friends and foes of Christ. Some are against him. And some are for him. For every battalion who bludgeoned our Lord, there is a Simon who carried his cross. For every crowd that ridiculed Jesus, there is a group of women loving Jesus. For every religious leader mocking Christ, there is a Joseph honoring Christ.

This is another reason Jesus died -- so that he could make a new people. Unfortunately, not everyone will love and follow him, but this passage helps us see that some will. And Mark's audience -- readers in first-century Rome, but us as well -- should conclude that we want to be on Team Simon, Team Mary, Team Salome, or Team Joseph.

We should expect hostility and pain and mockery because, well, that's what our Lord endured. We should expect people on all sides to stumble over his cross because people have stumbled over the gospel for thousands of years. We should expect moments when we must take courage to demonstrate our allegiance to Jesus, because sometimes our devotion to Christ will out us to colleagues and communities.

But we are Jesus' people. He died to fulfill God's plan. He died to save us. He died to consume our darkness. He died to make access to God. And he died to experience death on our behalf. So he deserves our devotion and dedication. Let's be the new people he created by his blood.