Mark 16:17-20

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17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. ~ Mark 16:17-20

Today, we complete our study of the Gospel according to Mark. At this point in the narrative, the Lord Jesus had accomplished what He set out to by going to the cross, paying the penalty for mankind's sin, and raising from the dead. In doing so, He not only purchased the forgiveness of God on our behalf, He also dealt a death blow to sin and death. Having believed that the Lord Jesus died on our behalf, we have been delivered from the penalty and power of sin. And, when the day comes that we are transported into eternity, we will experience the fact that the Lord Jesus delivered us from the presence of sin for eternity.

In v.17-18 of today's passage we read, "17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

This passage makes it sound as if the Lord Jesus was saying that everyone who believes and proclaims the gospel will do so with miraculous abilities. But for centuries millions of people have believed and shared the gospel, but none of these signs were manifested. We must keep in mind the environment during those days the Lord spoke these words to His disciples. It was an environment of persistent unbelief. These words were also addressed to those first disciples who struggled mightily with their disbelief. These words were not meant for all believers for all time.

On that day of great emotional ups and downs for the disciples, the Lord Jesus was saying to them, "As you are going, preach the gospel. And to encourage you, certain signs that only God can do will accompany the message."

These signs were the signs given to the Apostles. They were given in order to authenticate the message of those who first went out with the gospel into an unbelieving and hostile Jewish world. This was necessary at that time because the Jews were conditioned for, and, demanded signs to accompany the message. These signs were for the sake of those first century Jews who would believe.

In v.19-20 of today's passage we read, "19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen."

Mark closes his account of the gospel with the idea that the Lord is involved in the invisible dimensions of our lives every moment of every day. God is involved right now in our lives more than we know. Perhaps, His miraculous involvement in our lives is kind of like the equivalent of the miracles that He assured those first century believers would accompany their sharing of the gospel. 

I can point to many times in my life when it was obvious that God was right in the middle of my life's decisions. I think of the Wednesday afternoon that I met with the man the Lord used to give me direction when I first became a believer. He said to me that day, "It appears the Lord is calling you into ministry. Let's look into the possible Bible Colleges that you could attend for the training you will need." 

Then, a few months after that Wednesday, I publicly expressed my desire to attend Bible College, but I had no money. I had no way to pay for the education. It was then that the Lord led a gracious couple to me. They asked if they could speak with me and through that conversation they told me that the Lord had laid it on their hearts to pay every dime of my college education. And, of course, they did.

Then, when I had been for two years at Columbia Bible College in Columbia, South Carolina, and I wanted to leave. It had been a lonely two years there. Then, at the beginning of my third year, I met the young lady who would become my wife. At just the right moment, she entered my life. If I had entered college the Fall after I had graduated from High School, I would have never met her.

I also think of that October day in 2004 when my wife and I had built up $12,000 in debt. Very frustrated with myself and the situation, I called a wealthy friend who told me that God had plopped a sizable amount of money into his lap and he had been praying all week that the Lord would make it obvious who He had in mind for this money. The afternoon that I went to that man's office, I learned that the check was written for $12,000. Just the amount we needed.

These stories and many others, have been used of the Lord in my life to say, "I'm in your life. You are on the right track, keep going." When we yield our lives to the Lord, we are in for the greatest adventure in this world that we can imagine. I am not saying that God will give us our will. No, I am saying that as we learn to yield our lives to Him, He will direct us into His will. And, what I have learned about His will is this: It is far greater than anything I could have imagined.

Mark 16:14-16

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14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. ~ Mark 16:14-16

Today, we continue our study of the gospel according to Mark. In Mark's final chapter, the Lord Jesus has conquered sin and death by being raised from the dead. The dark backdrop behind that wonderful news was being experienced by the disciples who had fled and were hiding out for fear. The disciples were behind locked doors and afraid for their lives. They feared that the Jewish religious authorities were coming after them next.

In v.14 of today's passage we read, "Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen."

Hardness of heart refers to the condition of the heart that refuses to believe in the word of God. The disciples did not believe in the resurrection, even though eyewitness testimony had been provided. For a short time, persistent unbelief among the disciples ruled them after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. 

Throughout the whole of the Scriptures, the Jews were known to require evidence before believing anything. This was a huge mistake on their behalf because in the kingdom of God, seeing is not believing. With God, believing is seeing. He expects us to believe before we see. This is, in fact, why the Lord Jesus rebuked the disciples for their unbelief. 

In Luke 24 we learn the disciples basic problem was they did not believe all that the prophets had written about the Messiah. They saw Messiah as a Conquering Redeemer, but they did not see Him as the Suffering Servant. As they read the Old Testament, they saw the glory but not the suffering, they saw the crown but not the cross.

Unbiblical unbelief is always a product of developing a hard heart. The disciples had been told repeatedly that the Lord Jesus had risen but they had refused to believe it, even after the Lord Jesus Himself had told them previously that this was going to happen. The disciples just ignored the Lord's teaching regarding His death and resurrection because it did not fit into their preconceived ideas of how they thought it would all go down. Truth that is known but not acted upon has an awful effect of hardening our hearts so that our ability to believe is lessened. 

Today, many say that if we only had the ability to do miracles like the early church did, then others would really believe. Even if God granted us this kind of power, it would not translate in massive revival because miracles do not create faith. It is instructive to remember that the Lord Jesus fed over 5000 people (on two occasions!), thousands of others saw Him perform those miracles, yet on the Day of Pentecost, there were only 120 believers.

John tells us that a week later the Lord Jesus appeared to the disciples again. This time, Thomas, who had not been with them when He appeared the first time, was present. The Lord Jesus invited Thomas to put his hand on His side and touch the nail prints in His hands and feet. As a result, Thomas fell down, crying, "My Lord and my God!" When Thomas saw and felt the nail prints in the Lord Jesus, He was shaken out of his unbelief. God knows our individual frame and He taylors the truth for us, even though He knows that the lasting kind of faith is not the product of seeing and believing.

The fact is faith comes not from seeing miracles, it comes from hearing the Word of God and then choosing to believe. In John 20:29, the Lord Jesus asked Thomas: "Have you believed because you have seen? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

In v.15 of today's passage we read, "And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.'"

When we have adequate, trustworthy witnesses who report to us what they have seen, we are wise to respond with belief. Even though we have not seen Him, we believe because of the eyewitness accounts. After rebuking the disciples for their unbelief, the Lord Jesus gave them a command to preach the gospel. Many, down through the years, have emphasized the word "go" as a command, but, it is a present active participle, meaning "as you are going." We best evangelize others by living the life God has called us to and sharing the gospel with whoever will listen because in is is the power of God unto salvation.

Now, the good news, is clearly, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Through the good news, we who believe enjoy the security of knowing that our sin is forgiven us by God. We have been freed from that which griped us and was destroying us through the sacrifice of God's Only Begotten Son. Heaven is not the good news; but it is a result of the good news. The good news is that the power of evil in our lives has been broken! It has been broken by the power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In v.16 of today's passage we read, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."

It is not baptism that saves us. Baptism is a way to outwardly show that we have believed in the Lord Jesus as our Savior. During the first century, baptism was much more meaningful than it is today since everyone in the town would have witnessed it in the local water hole or river. We err when we baptize someone in the confines of a building.

The reality is when we believe in the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we will be saved. It is difficult to understand this word "saved" if we do not understand the hopelessness of our fallenness. Once we see how absolutely helpless and hopeless we are due to our sinfulness and the fact that we are separated from God, we will begin to understand what it means for us to be "saved." We will not believe until we see our utter need to be saved. Then, once we see that we are utterly lost, it is then that we may believe. This is why the Lord Jesus said, "believe and be saved."

Mark 16:9-13

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9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. 12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. ~ Mark 16:9-13

Today, we continue our study of Mark 16 where a group of female followers of the Lord Jesus have been having a conversation with an angel at the tomb where the Lord Jesus was laid after His crucifixion.

In some versions of Mark 16 there is a footnote indicating there has long been doubt on the veracity of v.9-20. It is true that the best of the Greek manuscripts do not contain these twelve verses, but it is also true that the overwhelming majority of the Greek manuscripts that we have today do contain these verses. The main thing is this: these verses do not contradict the whole of Scripture. So, it is safe for us to consider them a part of the canon of Scripture.

In v.9-10 of today's passage we read, "9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept."

Mary Magdalene, according to John's gospel, was ahead of the other women who went to the tomb. When Mary saw the empty tomb, she ran to tell Peter and John. Evidently she did not hear the angel's explanation. Then, Peter and John both ran to the tomb. Peter went inside and saw the grave clothes lying there still wrapped. This convinced Peter and John that the Lord Jesus had risen. But they still had not seen Him for themselves.

In John's gospel we learn, as Mary stood weeping in the garden she saw what she thought was the gardener whom she asked where they had laid the body of the Lord Jesus. This supposed gardener spoke Mary's name and at that point, she knew it was the Lord. This was the first appearance of the Lord Jesus to anyone after His resurrection. 

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe."

When Mary told the disciples that the Lord Jesus was alive, they chose rather not to believe and they continued to mourn and to weep. Those last four words in v.11 are so important. I am so glad those words are there because those words help me when I find myself struggling to believe. And then, once I begin to recount the track record of the Lord in my life, I shake out of my unbelief.

I am also glad that those word are there for another reason. Those words, "they did not believe" add to the validity and authenticity of the resurrection story. It shows us, once again, the early disciples were not predisposed to the resurrection. So that even when an eyewitness says, "He is not there, he is alive," they responded with, "We do not believe it." 

One of the reasons they didn't believe was due to the testimony of the women. You will remember that in their culture at that time, the testimony of a women was useless and invalid. Think of this: If it were a fabricated story, God surely would not have used the testimony of a group of women that would be automatically received with skepticism. God's culture is so inside out and upside down in comparison to ours. 

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country."

This speaks of the two disciples who were walking some seven miles to the nearby village of Emmaus. As they walked along the Lord Jesus just so happened to join them. As He walked with them, He began with Moses and the prophets and showed them all the things that referred to Messiah. According to Luke, later, as they sat at their dining room table with Him and they saw His hands as He broke the bread, they recognized Him. Then, all of a sudden, He disappeared. So, when these two disciples came running back to Jerusalem, they immediately told the eleven what they had seen. Again, their response was disbelief.

Life is full of contradictions, perplexities, pain, and lack of answers. Like those first believers, our pain is useful to the restoration of our vision. The two on the way to Emmaus recognized the Lord Jesus by the nail prints in His hands. When we get to heaven, we will recognize that there will only be one man-made thing there: the nail prints in the hands and feet of the Lord Jesus. It is through His and our suffering that we grow best in learning to know and love Him. And, this takes time, a long time. The Apostle Paul refers to this as the fellowship of His sufferings. 

In v.13 of today's passage we read, "And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either."

The key to this verse is the word "believe." The death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be believed, because it is what makes it possible for us to know God and to know that our sin has been forgiven us by Him. But, when the disciples heard of Mary's experience with the Lord Jesus, they, initially, did not believe. They did not believe the testimony of those two Emmaus disciples. For the moment, their theology failed them, leading them to believe it was just too good to be true. 

Of course, in time the disciples believed, even doubting Thomas. But, before they believed they had to wrestle with the questions created by their doubts. And then, having been convinced of heart they believed in the conquering of sin and death. 

Doubt is a normal part of a life of faith because the development of our faith or our heart's ability to see God must involve our emotions and our minds. Faith that allows no room for doubt is ultimately too frail and limited. Biblical faith honestly wrestles with the parts that cannot be reduced to simple equations and measurable qualities and glib answers. Biblical faith, in the end, endures and leads us to an assured hope that wavers not. Wrestling with the questions created by our doubts is essential to the birth and the strengthening of our faith. It is through this process that we become so intimate with Him that we find it easy to tell others about Him. After all, this is what it is all about: Knowing Him and making Him known.

Mark 16:6-8

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6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” 8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. ~ Mark 16:6-8

Today, we continue our study of the last chapter in the Gospel of Mark, Mark 16. In the first five verses of this chapter we considered how three women had gone to the borrowed tomb where the Lord Jesus had been laid. They went there to apply spices to the dead corpse of the Lord Jesus, not expecting what He had told the disciples what would happen: that He would be raised from the dead. 

So, when they arrived at the borrowed tomb in which the Lord Jesus had been buried, they discovered that His body was not there. Instead, two angels met them there and gave them further instructions. Today, we will consider the conversation that took place at that point.

In v.6 of today's passage we read, "But he said to them, 'Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.'"

One of the two angels was quick to tell the ladies that the Lord Jesus had risen from the dead. The Lord Jesus had been crucified and He was dead. That's a historic fact. The three words, "He is risen," is actually one word in the Greek. That one Greek word provided the greatest miracle in all of human history. 

The word "see" means to perceive, to experience, and to encounter. The angel directed the women to the empty tomb knowing that they would see nothing. As a result they were perplexed. They were perplexed until the angel gave them more revelation. It is one thing to see with our eyes and it is quite another to see with our hearts. These ladies were the first to witness the resurrection of the Lord Jesus because they were the ones who saw what the Lord Jesus was doing with their hearts.

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."

The angel was quick to tell the women to go tell the disciples, especially Peter, that the Lord was risen. The last time we saw Peter, he was standing in the courtyard of the high priest during the trial of the Lord Jesus. A servant girl identified him as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Then, Peter denied knowing the Lord three times, as the Lord had predicted.

When the rooster crowed and Peter remembered what the Lord had predicted, he went out into the darkness of the night and wept uncontrollably, like a baby. This was the worst moment ever in the life of Peter, and yet, it was the best of moments for him. Like Peter, we see what is real through the roughest moments of our lives. It is during these unwanted times that we are more likely to be more and more convinced that we need a savior. Even though we are "born again" we still need a savior. We never get to the place where we no longer need a savior. And failure, such as that of Peter's, is a reminder that we desperately need the Lord Jesus every moment of every day.

We are at our best when we are most dependent upon the Lord. Dependence is the key. In his book, Confessions of a Struggling Christian, Robert Tombs wrote, "God loves dangling Christians." This is the beauty of Christianity. If you have trusted the Lord Jesus as your savior, you can know Him intimately, not just as a figure of history, but in that intimate, personal, real, way. And our troubles aid us in our pursuit of Him. Like Peter, we find ourselves most prepared to go deeper with the Lord on the heels of our biggest failures.

In v.8 of today's passage we read, "So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid."

The Greek word translated "trembled" describes the adrenaline rush that coursed through the bloodstream of these young believers. They literally were visibly shaking. The Greek word translated, "amazed," is the word from which we get our word "ecstatic." What they understood with their minds had a visible impact on their bodies.

The message that the Lord Jesus had risen should not have surprised them, because the Lord had told them that He would go before them to Galilee when He had risen from the dead. This is what later filled them with hope, the words of the Lord Jesus that He would meet them in Galilee. This is the role of God's Word in our lives. It is the Word of God that buoys our souls with the hope of heaven in this world of skeptical tsunamis.

The resurrection of Christ is the key to our resurrection, and what is unique to Christianity is that we who believe in Christ are promised to be raised from the dead – physically and bodily, as He was. There is no such promise like that in Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or any other world religion or philosophy. What is unique to Christianity is the promise of a physical resurrection into a form that will be perfect, joyful, and eternal.

I find it quite instructive that there is no account of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. There’s no description of what happened for no one saw it. How it happened is humanly incomprehensible and supernatural. 

In John 21:15-17, forty days after His resurrection, the Lord Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?" Peter responded, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Then the Lord Jesus gave to Peter his calling: "Feed my sheep."

This was why the angel sent that personal word to Peter that morning. Peter needed a small reminder that when we are walking with the Lord, we will gain His heart for the welfare of others. In 1 Peter 1:8, Peter wrote, "Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him & rejoice with unutterable & exalted joy." And, that kind of joy can not be kept to ourselves.

Mark 16:1-5

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1 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. ~ Mark 16:1-5

Today, we begin our study of Mark 16 where the Lord Jesus had been crucified on His cross and buried in a borrowed tomb. This chapter begins with the darkest day in human history. All of redemptive history came to its apex that particular day, and the disciples of the Lord Jesus were no where to be found. Undoubtedly, they were hiding out, fearing for their lives.

In v.1-2 of today's passage we read, "1 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen."

It was six o'clock on Sunday morning and the Sabbath was over. 

This fact explains why Christians meet on Sunday. It is due to the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week. And that's why we read over and over in the book of Acts they gathered together on the first day of the week, not the seventh day of the week.

Mark is the only gospel writer to mention this Sabbath in connection with the cross and the resurrection. The Sabbath or the Saturday before the resurrection of the Lord Jesus was the darkest day in history. It was a day of halted hopes, a day of dashed dreams, a day of broken hearts. Every hour during that day was torture for those early followers.

Although not in the exact same way, we too, struggle like those first century believers. Nighttime can be terrifying, very lonely, and very isolating. And the person who is bereaving someone that they have lost, does not sleep. This explains why these women rose so early on that Sunday morning to anoint the body of the Lord Jesus. It is likely they did not sleep. 

In that context, hopelessness was no stranger for them. In all of our lives hopelessness arrives like an uninvited guest. Yet, hopelessness is useful, and in many circumstances, necessary to give birth to hope. Hope can be a beautiful thing, because it gives us direction and grants us a sense of purpose and meaning. Hopelessness has caused me to lean in to hear God more profoundly. It is then, I have discovered, that I hear the truth the best.

In v.3 of today's passage we read, "And they said among themselves, 'Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?'"

These three women who were the last at the cross were the first to the tomb. As they approached the tomb, they wondered how they would be able to get into the tomb to apply the spices to the decomposing body of the Lord Jesus. They didn't think of this detail before leaving the house because that is what love does; it does not consider the difficulties at hand. Love just loves. And, they wanted desperately to get to the body of the Lord Jesus. And, they could not go Saturday evening for it was the Sabbath and there were laws against that. So, they had to wait until the next morning. They weren't mindful of the details during that most hopeless of moments.

Neither did they expect to discover a risen Savior when they arrived at the tomb. They clearly were prepared to apply the spices to the decomposing body of the Lord Jesus. This smacks in the face of those who blame the early believers of making up the resurrection story. They would not have brought spices had they made the story up. And, all of these details just underscores the fact that during that weekend despair appeared to triumph over hope. 

In v.4 of today's passage we read, "But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large."

The stone that covered the entrance to Joseph's borrowed tomb weighed at least a thousand pounds, perhaps two thousand. But when the women arrived, the stone had been rolled away. According to Matthew's account, an angel had come and rolled back the stone. The stone was not rolled away so that the Lord Jesus could exit the tomb, it had been rolled away so that His followers could see inside.

Those who were not believers would not have stolen the body of the Lord Jesus, if they had they would have played right into the resurrection story. And, if they had, they would have gladly produced it in order to disprove His resurrection. The believers would not have taken the body of the Lord Jesus, for there were guards stationed at the tomb, and the stone was sealed. And, they would not have died for a lie.

In v.5 of today's passage we read, "And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed."

The angel appeared to these women as a "young man," but the other gospel records tell us that it was indeed an angel. Luke and John say there were two angels. Matthew and Mark mention only one angel. The reason one angel is mentioned is no doubt because the angel was the spokesman for the two angels that were there. Two of them were there, one was there who spoke to them, and the one who spoke with them was the one that they mentioned.

According to John 20:7 the wrapping around the head of the Lord Jesus was not just thrown aside. The wrapping was neatly folded, and left where the head of the Lord Jesus had laid. When someone had finished eating a meal in their culture, they would have risen from the table, wiped their hands and face, and they would waded up their handkerchief and tossed it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I’m done eating." But if the master got up from the table, folded his handkerchief, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table because the servant knew that the folded handkerchief meant, "I’m not finished eating yet." The folded napkin of the Lord Jesus that was left behind in that tomb that day meant, "I’m coming back!"

The folded handkerchief is a subtle reminder that the Lord Jesus will one day soon come back. In the moment that the folded handkerchief was noticed, the disciples were given a whole new perspective on that otherwise hopeless weekend. Hope always swallows up hopelessness and despair. Without the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the cross would mean nothing. In fact, the teachings and the works of the Lord Jesus would mean nothing, because without the resurrection there would be no salvation and there would be no hope. 

Mark 15:45-47

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45 So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid. ~ Mark 15:45-47

Today, we conclude our study of Mark 15 which ends with Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking the dead body of the Lord Jesus down from His cross and burying Him in a tomb. At some point these two religious leaders of Israel, Joseph and Nicodemus, had come to faith in the Lord Jesus. All through the trials of the Lord Jesus, they did not raise their voices. But after His death, they took courage and prepared the body of the Lord Jesus for His burial and placed it in the tomb.

This is what the cross of the Lord Jesus does to us, it addresses our hypocrisy and forces us to decide between the way of the coward and the way of the committed. Everyone knows in their hearts that there is a God. And, we all know deep down within us that the Lord Jesus is who He says He is. The question is this: Will you have this God to define your life?

In v.45 of today's passage we read, "So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph."

When the Centurion assured Pilate that the Lord Jesus was dead, the limp body of the Lord Jesus was granted to Joseph of Arimathea. Down through the years, the Roman soldiers had executed many criminals by way of crucifixion and they knew a dead body when they saw one. They were expert executioners and they knew with certainty that the Lord Jesus was dead. Further proof was given when the soldier thrust his spear into the side of the Lord Jesus. When the dead body of the Lord was punctured, blood and water came gushing out of His side. This meant that His pericardium had filled with water denoting that He was really dead. This was important because there is no question the Lord Jesus had died and that He later raised from the dead.

In v.46 of today's passage we read, "Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb."

With the high price that Joseph paid, he was motivated by his love for the Lord Jesus to take care of His body after His death. Joseph did not want to see the body of the Lord Jesus dishonored by being thrown in a dump with the criminals, so, he loaned Him his tomb for decomposition.  

In John 19:38 we read, "And after taking Him down, cleaning off the blood and the sweat and the dirt, he would have wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock."

Then, in John 19:39 we read, "Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes about a hundred pounds weight."

Also, in John's Gospel, John also wrote they buried the Lord Jesus in the "burial custom of the Jews." That included washing the body of the Lord Jesus before wrapping it in the large linen cloth that Joseph bought. Joseph cut the linen into strips. Then, Joseph and Nicodemus put aromatic spices in the strips of cloth. And then, they wrapped the body of the Lord Jesus in the strips of the linen cloth.   

Nicodemus helped Joseph in the process of preparing the body of the Lord Jesus for burial. One has to wonder the process both of these Jewish religious leaders went through to get to that point. What kind of conversations did they have after certain instances like the visit Nicodemus made to the Lord in John 3, or, the trials before the Jewish Council of which they were a part?

In v.47 of today's passage we read, "And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid."

Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus were still there, mourning in their sadness, and, paralyzed by the confusion created by it all. And, when they saw Joseph and Nicodemus take the body of the Lord Jesus away, they followed them, from a distance, so that they could ascertain where He would be laid. 

Then in Luke 23:56 we read, "They returned to their homes and prepared their own spices."

The events of that dark day were hard for all who had a heart for the Lord Jesus. The darkness of that day would shortly be swallowed up by the light of His resurrection. So often over the previous three years of His ministry, the Lord Jesus strategically allowed those whom He loved and who loved Him, to dwell in the agony of their pain. This type of pain always serves us best for it is the hardest of pains. This is why our faith is so very important. Often, we are totally clueless to what He is about to do in our lives and then He springs something on us that would have been easily overlooked by us if it were not for the preparation provided by the pain. Wondrous are His ways. May His kingdom come!

Mark 15:42-44

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42 Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. ~ Mark 15:42-44

Today, we continue our study of Mark 15 where the Lord Jesus has been crucified on the cross and all of His followers had fled except three women: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the Lord Jesus, and Salome the mother of James and John.

In v.42-43 of today's passage we read, "42 Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus."

Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem. The Sanhedrin was the supreme court of ancient Israel, made up of 70 men and the high priest. Joseph of Arimathea is strategically mentioned by all four gospel writers. Matthew calls him "rich." Luke calls him "righteous" and "just." According to today's passage, he was looking for the kingdom of God to arrive on earth. At some point along the way, Joseph believed in the Lord Jesus as his personal savior. This explains his actions after the Lord Jesus had given up His last breath.

The Sabbath began on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and lasted until Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The Bible tells us the Lord Jesus died at 3:00 in the afternoon. This left only three short hours for the Lord Jesus to be buried within the restrictions of the religious laws of Israel. If the body of the Lord Jesus was to be buried in the proper sense, His burial had to happen rather quickly.

After the death of the Lord Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and requested His body. Normally, the dead bodies of the crucified were buried in mass graves along with the others who were crucified. It is believed that Pilate willingly gave the body of the Lord Jesus to Joseph as a further indication that he believed the Lord Jesus was innocent, since he allowed Him to not be buried with the criminals. And, Joseph buried the Lord Jesus in his family tomb. This family tomb was the last possession of Joseph's family family. Joseph loaned it to the Lord, as was prophesied in Isaiah 53:9. This prophesy was made 700 years before the Lord Jesus was put to death.

It was quite significant that Joseph buried the dead body of the Lord Jesus, because, once he did, he was declared defiled for having touched a dead corpse. The decision he made to bury the Lord Jesus was quite calculated and Joseph lost a lot as a result. In fact, Joseph lost his prominent position on the Sanhedrin. All of this makes sense now since according to the gospel of John Joseph of Arimathea is referred to as a "secret disciple" of the Lord Jesus.

In v.44 of today's passage we read, "Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time."

Pilate marveled that the Lord Jesus was already dead because Roman crucifixion was a method of execution designed to prolong suffering. It was not unusual for those who were crucified to hang on for days or even weeks before they died.

From John's Gospel, we learn the Lord Jesus "gave up His spirit." The significance of this wording is that it shows that the Lord Jesus was in control of the timing of His death. He did not die because His body could take no more punishment or because of blood loss. He died because He decided it was time for Him to die.

According to John's Gospel, another ruling council member, Nicodemus, helped Joseph take the dead body of the Lord down from the cross. Nicodemus brought one hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes, both of which were used in the embalming of the dead for burial.

Along with Joseph of Arimathea, by handling the dead body of the Lord Jesus, Nicodemus lost everything that day. By touching a dead body, both men knowingly made themselves "unclean" according to Numbers 19:11. This, along with helping the cause of the Lord Jesus, resulted in their banishment from the ruling Jewish council.

This is where embracing the Lord Jesus leads us. We lose certain things in this world. But, we gain so much more by losing. We do not earn our rightness with God, but once we have come into His way of thinking, we increasingly view life differently. One might say, we grow in God's wisdom. And, as a result of growing in His wisdom, we value not what the world offers, we value what He offers. The paradox of all paradoxes: they, like we, are co-heirs with the Lord Jesus Himself.

In Romans 8:17 we read, "The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ."

Mark 15:40-41

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"40 There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, 41 who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem." ~ Mark 15:40-41

Today, we continue our study of Mark 15 where the events of the crucifixion of Christ are chronicled and the focus was placed on the women who were there. There were several different groups of people at Golgotha that day, some believers in Christ and some not. The group that the focus was put upon in today's passage was a group of devout women.

In v.40 of today's passage we read, "There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome."

One of the groups who believed in the Lord Jesus were the women who had gathered there that day. This was a group of women who had been with Him since the beginning of His Galilean ministry, at the start of His second year of ministry. These women were faithful and true, even though they struggled immensely to understand what was happening that day. 

The first of these women was Mary Magdalene from the town of Magdala located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The Jewish Talmud said that Magdala was infamous as a town for prostitution. We can't be sure, but many scholars believe that Mary from Magdala, before she came to Christ, was perhaps a prostitute. This has never been truly proven. 

Mary's attraction to the Lord Jesus was born out of the forgiveness that He extended to her. He also had cast out of her seven demons. Mary was the most faithful to follow the Lord Jesus after her conversion. She was also the first to witness the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

The second Mary is mentioned was the Mother of James the Less and of Joses. A careful study of this Mary renders the discovery that she was Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus. In Mark 6 Mary is mentioned along with her sons and daughters, siblings of the Lord Jesus. When we compare the names mentioned in Mark 6 and Mark 15 we find that the two sons mentioned in Mark 15 are in the exact same order as the first two sons mentioned in Mark 6. The fact that "Joses" is another form of "Joseph" allows us to conclude this was a son of Joseph the husband of Mary, the carpenter of Galilee.

The next woman mentioned here was Salome who was the wife of Zebedee, the mother of the disciples James and John, the sons of thunder. This was the same Salome who came to the Lord requesting that her sons sit in places of honor in His kingdom. 

In all four gospel accounts of the Gospel, there is a record of the presence of these women at the cross. Additionally, in each of the synoptic accounts, the detail of the women watching "from a distance" is noted. These same three women were together on the third day when they brought spices to Jesus’ tomb to anoint Him. When they encountered the angel, who told them that Jesus was risen, they ran to tell the disciples the good news. Mark’s Gospel is the only one that mentions Salome by name.

All of these women started out at the foot of the cross, hoping for some miracle that would make sense out of it all the events of that day. Then the Lord Jesus died, and they end up on the fringe, discouraged and devastated. These women were last at the cross and the first at the tomb.

In v.41 of today's passage we read, "who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem."

The cross always unveils what is going on in our hearts. These women who were gathered at the cross Jesus had been with the Lord Jesus during much of His earthly ministry. But, at this point of the narrative, theirs was a picture of hopelessness. As a result of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, they no longer had hope that God really was in control. In that moment of confusion, confusion reigned. Their faith was strong as long as everything went well, but when the bottom dropped out, their faith in Him appeared to disappear, as well.

It is in those moments of hopelessness that we discover that at the cross God whispered to us to come closer to the window of our souls. As we respond to His call, we discover that He does this because He wants to do more than just talk. He wants something far more, He wants intimacy. Such is the nature of our fellowship with the God of the Bible.

It is during these times that we truly get to know Him most intimately. These times when our hearts seem to be too broken that we wonder if we will be able to continue on in the faith. It is in these most desperate moments that we struggle with reality. But, that is a good thing. Because, sometimes the light shines its brightest through the cracks created by our brokenness.

Mark 15:38-39

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38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” ~ Mark 15:38-39

Today, we return to our study of Mark 15 where the narrative was focused on the very reason the Lord Jesus came to this earth: to give His life as a ransom for sinful mankind. As we come back in, the Lord Jesus has been on the cross since the third hour of the day which was nine o'clock in the morning. He had just spoken His last words and it was three o'clock in the afternoon.

In v.38 of today's passage we read, "Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."

At the moment the Lord Jesus cried out His last words, according to Matthew, a powerful earthquake shook the ground strong enough to split the rocks. Then, the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom. In the temple the veil separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple: It was there to keep sinful man away from the holy God. This veil was sixty feet high, and four inches thick. No man could have gotten up to the top of the veil without scaffolding. In fact, it took three hundred priests to hang it in the first place. 

The tearing of the veil which happened at the moment of the death of the Lord Jesus dramatically signified that His sacrifice provided forgiveness to all mankind for our sins. It now means that all who trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross has access into God's presence. The tearing of the veil is a proven fact of history. In fact, there are several independent historical testimonies that bear witness to it including Tacitus, Josephus, and the Jewish Talmud.

The veil in the Temple had long been a constant reminder that sin prevents mankind from entering into the presence of the holy God. On the day the Lord Jesus was crucified, God spoke an unmistakable message of acceptance. This is very important, because the message of the whole temple system was to keep sinful man away from the holy God. Through the cross of the Lord Jesus, God offered fellowship where there had been only separation in the past. It is only through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross that we may enter into a personal relationship with God.

In v.39 of today's passage we read, "So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, 'Truly this Man was the Son of God!'"

This centurion was a commander of a hundred Roman soldiers, making him a career soldier and a hardened killer. Yet the cross of the Lord Jesus brought him to a new awareness that day; an awareness of the reality that he was watching unfold. The holiness of the Lord Jesus was unmistakable that day to that commander, and, once he realized the identity of the Lord Jesus, he worshiped Him as God.

In Luke's account, Luke wrote, "He glorified God." Hardened by so many crucifixions, the Centurion and his soldiers were numb to the pain, emotions, and verbalizations going on around them. They were "just doing their job." But as the hours wore on, things began to change. This so-called “criminal” in the middle was different. He did not curse them. He spoke kindly to the other thieves, He made arrangements for His mother’s care, He cried out to His Heavenly Father, He had a look of love in His eyes even for those causing Him great pain. He retained control of His life right up until the very end. As a result, the Centurion put two and two together, and he came to faith in the Son of God.

When Mark began his gospel, he wrote, "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." In today's passage the Centurion said, "Truly this man was the Son of God." This was the first time in the entire gospel of Mark that any human being ever said those words. Mark waited until the cross to have someone say those words. The Father said them several times, and, demons said them. But no human said those words until now. Heaven said it and hell said it, and finally, a Roman Centurion said it. "Truly this man was the Son of God."

Mark 15:33-37

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33 Now 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 out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 35 Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, “Look, He is calling for Elijah!” 36 Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.” 37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. ~ Mark 15:33-37

In Mark 15 Mark gives us the vantage point of the Lord Jesus from the cross. At the foot of the cross were unbelievers and believers. Among the group were the religious leaders who thought they had manipulated the death of the Lord Jesus. They gloated over His seeming helplessness.

Many today don't like the cross because it is a reminder of their sinfulness. But, a gospel that doesn't have at its core the cross is powerless. Its power comes from its message: there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends. This is, of course, what the Lord Jesus did for us on that day so many years ago.

In v.33-34 of today's passage we read, "33 Now 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 out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' which is translated, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'"

In v.33, Mark tells is it was the sixth hour of the day. That means it was noon since the first hour of the day was six in the morning. At this point the Lord Jesus had hung on the cross for three hours, beginning at noon until three o'clock in the afternoon. And then it was dark over the whole land.

This was a darkness of secrecy. In the Old Testament the high priest on Yom Kippur (Passover) went into the holiest place through the veil in darkness to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat. In doing so, forgiveness for sin was granted by God for those willing enough to believe. The transaction was made alone, in secrecy and under the cover of darkness. It was a holy transaction between earth and heaven that took place in the dark. 

This also was a darkness of wickedness. The people lived in the darkness when the Lord Jesus came to this earth. He came to give those who lived in darkness light, the light of His salvation. The physical reality of darkness pictured the spiritual reality of the reign of sin and death to that point. Darkness speaks of evil in the Bible and light speaks of the righteousness of God. The cross of the Lord Jesus was the worst crime ever committed by humanity. They tried to extinguish the Light of the World but they failed to do it. "The light shined in the darkness and the darkness could not put it out." 

This also was a darkness of judgment. Before the Passover lamb was sacrificed in Egypt, the ninth plague was darkness over all of Egypt for three days. It was a darkness they acutely felt. It was part of God's judgment. And then, the tenth plague was the death of the firstborn picturing the death of God's firstborn Son. 

In v.34, we are given the fourth saying from the Lord Jesus while He hung on the cross. "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' which is translated, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

The Lord by this time had already spoken three times while hanging on the cross. The only saying that Mark records of all the seven were the words recorded in v.34. These words are the exact first words of Psalm 22 which begins with what seems to be defeat, yet ends with victory. This is the way of the God of the Bible: He always wins in the end. Of course, there have been many times when it appeared that He was done, but in the end He is found victorious always.

Mark gives this statement from the Lord in Aramaic which sounds similar to the name of Elijah in Hebrew. The people thought the Lord Jesus was calling for Elijah because there was a Jewish belief that if you were in a time of great distress, you could pray to Elijah and he would deliver you. 

The Lord Jesus spoke these words because as the Father was judging our sin in His body as He hung on that tree, the Lord Jesus deeply felt the separation. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 we read, "God made him who knew no sin to become sin for us, that we might be the righteousness of God in him." God treated the Lord Jesus like you and I deserved to be treated, so He could treat you and I like the Lord Jesus deserved to be treated. 

God the Father poured out His wrath on His Son that day, so that He would not have to upon us. The Lord Jesus was damned, so that you and I would not have to be.

In v.35-36 of today's passage we read, "35 Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, 'Look, He is calling for Elijah!' 36 Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, 'Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.'"

 

When someone ran to the Lord to give Him some sour wine. At first glance, it looked like this man was moved with compassion. It appears he ran to provide the anesthetic that would have deadened the pain of the Lord Jesus. But, his motive was to see if something exciting was yet to happen as the rest of v.36 reveals. This man was moved not by compassion but by curiosity. He gave the Lord Jesus the sponge so he would not die too quickly. Of all those who were gathered around the cross that day, this man represented the thrill-seekers who desired the pleasure of watching a man die in agony. 

In v.37 of today's passage we read, "And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last."

Just before the Lord Jesus died, John tells us He cried out "Tetelestai" which means "It is finished." Tetelestai was a financial term used when a debt was paid in full. The death of the Lord Jesus on the cross was more than enough to pay the debt that our sin had created. And, in the end, God won the battle between good and evil, the war between life and death. 

Mark 15:27-32

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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.”

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.

Mark 15:22-26

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22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (meaning “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. 25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the Jews. ~ Mark 15:22-26

Today, we return to our study of Mark 15 where we have just witnessed the Roman soldiers volunteer Simon of Cyrene to help the Lord Jesus get to Golgotha with His crossbeam. As we learned last time, what started out as something very unwanted by Simon ended up being the greatest blessing ever. Such is the case with the ways of God. Give Him enough time, He will work miracles in and through our lives.

In v.22-23 of today's passage we read, "22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (meaning “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it."

Golgotha means "the place of the skull," and it is located just outside the Damascus gate in the northern wall of Jerusalem. It is called the place of the skull because it looks like a skull. This is where the Roman soldiers led the Lord Jesus to be crucified. I find it most striking that God allowed puny man to order Him around. In doing so, the Lord Jesus illustrated the greatest display of strength for He gave up the right and the ability to exact His power on the lesser. 

As noted in v.23, the Lord Jesus was offered wine while on His cross. In fact, He was offered wine at two separate times. The first He refused, while He received the second. Mark did not include the second in his account of the narrative. Wine mixed with myrrh was offered to the Lord Jesus for two different reasons. The first, which the Lord refused, was offered to Him in order to decrease His sensitivity to His excruciating pain. The second, which He received, was offered to keep Him conscious for as long as possible, creating a prolonged effect of His pain. This was a sinister attempt by the Romans to be entertained by the suffering of the Lord Jesus.

In v.24-25 of today's passage we read, "24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. 25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him."

At nine in the morning the Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross. He was there for six hours, from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon. All four gospel writers found it most difficult to go into the details of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. None of them described the driving of the nails into His hands and feet. They all four just wrote four words to describe it: "And they crucified him."

In the latter part of v.24 we are provided a reference to Psalm 22:18, which reads, "They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." 

Each gospel writer focused on certain aspects of the crucifixion. Mark focused on the people gathered around the Lord's cross. Mark's view was not the view of the crowd looking at the Lord Jesus, but rather the Lord's view from the cross, looking at the crowd.

The prediction written here in v.24 was made hundreds of years before this event was fulfilled by the Romans. According to Roman law, the property of the victim became the property of the executioners. The Roman soldiers cast "lots" to see which of them would get the clothing of the Lord Jesus. Their hardened hearts prevented them from seeing the real narrative which was unfolding before their eyes. They had long been trained by this world's values so much so they could not see from an eternal point of view. Because of this they had no interest in the greatest story ever told.

In v.26 of today's passage we read, "The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the Jews."

In those days the Romans included a sign above the criminal who was being crucified to explain why they were there on their cross. The sign above the Lord Jesus was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek due to where He died. Since the Lord Jesus was not guilty of any crime, Pilate simply had written above Him, "THIS IS JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS." Matthew's gospel records it this way. Mark, Luke, and John record part of the saying. Pilate knew that the Lord Jesus was innocent. He knew that out of envy the religious leaders had conjured up lies about the Lord. This explains the sign above the Lord Jesus that day. 

Interestingly, only non-Jews ever used the title "King of the Jews" to describe the Lord Jesus. This seemingly insignificant observation magnifies the truth found in John 1:11, which reads, "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." 

The word "own" appears twice in that one verse. The first time it is used, it is written in the neuter. The second, it is written in the masculine. The first "own" refers to created things, whereas the second refers to people. His creation received Him, whereas His people didn't. The water held Him up. Sickness bowed to Him every time. Even the demonic world obeyed Him. But, His people, with all of those predictions made about their Messiah, did not receive Him. 

This underscores the fact that faith is not a result of being provided more miracles or more truth. No, faith is about the informed bowing of our will to the One who created us. When we place our faith in the Lord Jesus, He will go from being our Creator to being our Re-Creator. He recreates us through His choice to bow His will to the plan of the Father. At the place of the skull, He paid the penalty that separated us from God. And, it is our faith that activates His work to begin in our souls.

Mark 15:21

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"A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross." ~ Mark 15:21

Today, we return to our study of Mark 15 where the Lord Jesus has been beaten by the Roman soldiers nearly to death and has been led out to be crucified. At this point in the narrative, the Lord Jesus was so weak from His enormous loss of blood, He was physically unable to carry His crossbeam. The cross of the Lord Jesus was made of two pieces: the vertical stake and the crossbeam.

The crossbeam that was tied to the Lord Jesus weighed between seventy-five and one hundred-pounds. The Lord Jesus was expected to carry His crossbeam to the place they called Golgotha. But, since He struggled to carry it, the Roman soldiers forced a man named Simon from Cyrene to carry it for Him. Simon was an African from Cyrene which was one of the most prominent cities in the country we know today as Libya. Simon was an African Jew who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and he just so happened to be walking by as the Lord Jesus was carrying His cross.

At the point that Simon was ordered to carry the crossbeam for the Lord Jesus, he thought, "I am in the wrong place at the wrong time." However, things were not as they first appeared. As is always the case, in God’s providence, Simon was at "the right place at the right time." There are no coincidences with God. Mark, not only tells us where Simon was from but he also gave us the names of his two sons, Alexander and Rufus. When Mark wrote this gospel these people were still alive. So, the story could be corroborated.

In Romans 16:13 we read, "Greet Rufus chosen in the Lord and his mother." This was the Rufus whose dad was Simon from Cyrene who helped carry the cross of Christ. Also, in Acts 13, we read, "In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul." Simeon or Simon, the same man who carried the crossbeam for the Lord Jesus, became a leader of the church in Antioch with other Christians from Cyrene.

On that day that the Roman soldier seized Simon to carry the crossbeam for the Lord Jesus, he was ordered to do something he did want to do. As a result, Simon became a follower of the Lord Jesus. And, in just a few years, he was a part of the leadership at the church in Antioch. Not only that, his family came to faith in the Lord Jesus. God used the crucifixion of His Son to get to the heart of their father. When once Simon thought he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, after a little bit of time, the whole scenario changed. I find that to be the case in my life. If I just give God time, He has been known to use even the unwanted moments for my good.

In addition, it just so happened that a certain man was being crucified next to the Lord Jesus that day in Jerusalem. Perhaps for the first time in his life, this unnamed criminal had the time to listen to and talk to God. At one point he asked the Lord Jesus to remember him when He entered into His kingdom. To that random man that awful day, the Lord Jesus gave assurance of salvation and eternal life. Again, there are no coincidences with God.

Citing coincidence is how we humans explain unexpected events and surprise meetings. But, just because we are taken by surprise does not mean that God is. Scripture is clear that God allows sinful humans to make mistakes and reap the consequences of those mistakes, but only a sovereign God could also promise that He will make "all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose." 

In ways known only to God, He takes even our mistakes and unplanned events and weaves them together to fulfill His purposes which always render the best results for us. Just like Simon of Cyrene, the criminal that hung next to the Lord Jesus was not at all in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was exactly where he should have been, hearing the Lord Jesus Christ speaking to him, and choosing to believe. With God involved in our lives, there are no coincidences. What always appears to us as random chance is in fact overseen by a sovereign God who knows the number of hairs on our head. We only have to trust Him.