27 With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. 28 So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.” 29 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him. ~ Mark 15:27-32
Today, we return to our study of Mark 15. In today's passage, the narrative shifts, highlighting the abandonment of the Lord Jesus when He hung on the cross. The characters in the drama of the crucifixion were oblivious to the higher drama that was being played out. As we read Mark’s narrative, we learn of the unfolding of God's view of sin. In fact, it was God's view of sin that required the Lord Jesus to die on the behalf of sinful man.
In v.27-28 of today's passage we read, 27 With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. 28 So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.”
In v.27-28 of today's passage we read, 27 With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. 28 So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.”
The word translated "robbers" can also be translated "rebels." These guys who were being crucified next to the Lord Jesus were most likely friends of Barabbas, who was himself a robber. The Lord Jesus Christ died the death of a rebel on behalf of rebels.
The two criminals who were crucified next to the Lord Jesus provide for us the study of the ages. Those two men were equally close to the Lord Jesus. One was saved and the other was lost; one went to heaven while the other went to hell. Both just as close, same opportunity, forever separated; one in glory, one in eternal punishment.
The Lord Jesus is the dividing line between death and life, heaven and hell. And what makes the difference is the choice we make regarding Him. One choice results in a hard heart and the other results in a soft heart. The Lord Jesus did everything for both of these men but only one received the free gift of eternal life.
That's the whole idea of Christianity; we do not get into heaven by being reformed. We get into heaven through the death of the Lord Jesus who paid the price required by God in order to make it possible for all who would believe in the Son and His work on the cross to enter into heaven.
The prophecy found in Isaiah 53:12, “And He was numbered with the transgressors,” was fulfilled as the Lord Jesus hung on His cross. Think of the possibilities of arranging this; humanly impossible. And, if the religious leaders had known their Bibles, well, they would have prevented it. But, they did not. Interestingly, Jesus fulfilled over one hundred Old Testament prophecies when He was crucified.
In v.29-30 of today's passage we read, 29 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!"
Had the Lord Jesus not died the way He died, we would have no hope for eternity. The Romans & the Jews hurled their abuses at the Lord Jesus, but He never once responded. He never once defended Himself. Instead, as He hung on the cross and He absorbed the abuses. He heard the taunts not just with His ears, but with His soul.
Everything screamed for the Lord Jesus to come down from the cross. His friends had abandoned Him, the Romans were killing him, and his countrymen were mocking him. And, in the middle of all of this, Jesus listens hard for the voice of God and He followed to this God-forsaken place, this place where even God seems strangely absent and silent.
In context, this foreign voice speaks, "come down". Think of when you've hear that voice threatening your identity. It demands that you prove your value. This is what the Lord Jesus was dealing with while on the cross. But His identity was firmly rooted in His Father's love for Him. The identity the Father had given the Lord Jesus motivated and moved the Lord Jesus.
In v.31-32 of today's passage we read, 31 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.
The religious leaders wanted the Lord Jesus to come down from the cross so that they, allegedly, might believe in Him. But, Biblical faith is believing before seeing. What they didn't understand, if He had come down, their faith in Him would have been meaningless. Of course, it is very questionable that their statement about believing in Him was authentic. After all He had given them so much truth and so many miracles, had He performed one more miracle would not have made a difference.
The Lord Jesus resisted the temptation to come down from that cross, so that you and I would not be resisted by God. He stayed on that cross so that you and I would arrive upon the meaning of God regarding everything in our lives. He hung there suspended between heaven and earth, so that you and I could transcend to the realm that had abandoned Him. He was abandoned so that we would not be abandoned.
