Mark 15:25-34

Mark 15:25-34  It was the third hour when they crucified him.  The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.  They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.  Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!”  In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!  Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.  At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” — which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 

In this passage, we hear our Lord crying out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”  We see the final emptying out of his physical and emotional strength.  He has been made sin for our redemption.  As with the scapegoat in the Old Testament, the sins of the people have been placed on his head.  Therefore, He is now separated from God by the judgment of God on sin.  He is now the complete sacrifice for sin, that which satisfies God's wrath on sin.  By being the Lamb for sinners slain, Jesus emptied out his right to be in the presence of God.  Otherwise, Jesus was completely alone.  Jesus said He always does what the Holy Spirit tells him to do, for He was filled with the Holy Spirit, but now even the Holy Spirit's voice is silent.  He is abandoned.  With no strength of his own, no supernatural power resting in his being, He is now totally in the hands of God, the Merciful One, with no rights of his own.  But by faith Jesus said through David's lips: "For I know all will be well with me in death -- You will not leave my soul in hell or let the body of your HOLY SON decay.  You will give me wonderful joy in your presence."  (Acts:2:26-28 Living Bible)  

God raised Jesus from that grave; Jesus did not raise himself.  Jesus was not sitting in his crucified body, waiting for three days and then miraculously resurrecting himself.  No, God sent angels to roll away the stone, depicting that God raised his beloved one from the dead, “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?”  (1 Corinthians 15:55)  Sometimes we feel abandoned.  As we march through life, many difficult circumstances fall upon us.  We pray and nothing happens.  Others who are less spiritual seem to get ahead or not to have the troubles we face.  We feel God has left us.  We feel abandoned by the only one that we want to sing a song to, the only one that we want to praise wholeheartedly, the only one that comforts our souls in the middle of the night.  We feel alone, for we don't seem to hear his voice anymore; we don't feel his presence within our being.  In addition, the world seems to mock us.  Why do you believe in this Jesus?  What has your belief in him done for you?  You'll die just like the rest of us.  

BROTHER, SISTER, GOD WILL NOT ABANDON YOU.  Yes, your situation may look grim, even hopeless.  At this time you feel you're alone, but you are not.  Just as Jesus went to the cross alone, in the flesh we sometimes face difficult circumstances alone, for sure we will face death alone.  In such difficult times or on our journey, we must have faith.  We must look up, for Jesus promised never to leave us or to forsake us.  We must believe God will give each of us wonderful joy in his presence someday.  Even though we feel alone, even though our spirits cry out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  He has not.  We are not left alone without the possibility of redemption.  We do not bear the sins of the world.  He is with us; He knows where we are.  Yes, our spirits may become forlorn, disappointed, desperate, but God is not ashamed of us, just as He was not ashamed of Jesus on that day.  He understood where Jesus was that day, and He knows where you are this day.  You are his child; He will not abandon you.  God will raise you up on that day.  He has given you life, and that more abundantly.  Your present struggle might be answered today, tomorrow, or a week from now, but maybe it won't be answered until you pass through the grave to HIM.  BUT IT WILL BE ANSWERED, FOR GOD INTENDS TO BRING YOU WONDERFUL JOY.  But right now, right this very minute, the Comforter abides within you, and He will give you peace and rest in the midst of anything and everything.  Most of you might not need today's breakfast, but for some of you, it will give you needed strength.  Eat up, let the Lord strengthen your spirit with his Word, FOR GOD IS YOUR ABBA FATHER AND HE IS GOOD.  Amen!

Mark 15:21-24

Mark 15:21-24  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.  They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).  Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.  And they crucified him.  Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. 

This part of the crucifixion story reveals the total weakness of the man, Jesus.  His flesh had become too weak to carry his heavy cross.  The horrific beating and mistreatment by the Roman soldiers had taken such a toll on his physical body that He was UNABLE to complete the journey to Golgotha, carrying his cross.  Moslems do not accept this part of Jesus' life, for they believe that Allah would never allow such a great prophet to be so dishonored.  They reject completely that Jesus was ever weak or naked, and for sure He did not hang on a cross.  To them, God is not weak: He is strong, a controller of all things, and that is why Muslims believe all aspects of a society, a country, should be under the control of Islam, even political institutions.  But in the above passage, we see God clothed in a man's body unable to carry his cross to Golgotha.  We see Jesus, the Son of God, emptied of all his strength and authority.  He is not even able to determine to whom his clothes will be given.  We see Jesus void of his own will; he is now the innocent, harmless LAMB OF GOD, ready to be sacrificed.  Christ suffered, God the Father suffered, the Holy Spirit suffered that day.  What a heavy price for mankind's salvation!  

The book of Revelation infers not even the angels could understand such a plan of redemption.  But for us Christians, this plan: Jesus' journey to the cross and his subsequent crucifixion, brings joy to our hearts, for we understand fully that only through Christ Jesus' sacrifice could we be released from the bondage of sin and death, from the confines of this wicked domain.  The Bible indicates that God also found pleasure in this act, for He knew the end results of such a glorious plan of redemption.   For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his PLEASURE and will — to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.  In him we have redemption through HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.  (Ephesians 1:4-8)  God from the creation of the world understood that new creatures would come from the cross, bound to him forever as children of God.  What a love story!  For each of us, God has grasped our hands firmly into his.  He is leading us to his dwelling place.  On the journey, we tell him how much we love him, how much we depend on him.  And on the journey, He says to us, "I am with you now.  My strength is in you.  You will make it to the end.  In my house there are many mansions--one of them is for you."  Through Christ's weakness came God's strength: life eternal for us in Christ our Lord.  Praise the name of the Lord!

Mark 15:16-20

Mark 15:16-20  The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers.  They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.  And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!”  Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him.  Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.  And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him.  Then they led him out to crucify him.

Then they led him out to crucify him.  The Roman soldiers were a rough lot; they lived a life of revelry, and they were used to killing people.  As all soldiers they obeyed orders from their superiors.  In the above passage, we see Jesus placed in the hands of these hardened soldiers.  They humiliated Jesus in every way.  I am sure they stripped him and maybe even made fun of his physical features.  I am sure they had a hilarious time pretending to bow down to this supposed king of the Jews.  What a dark hour that must have been for Jesus.  This scripture says, Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him.   I wonder what Jesus must have looked like when He walked from that palace to the cross.  For sure the muscular Roman soldiers did not leave him unscarred, unbloodied.  Sadly, Jesus, the Jewish man, was now in the hands of sinners, the gentiles, outside of the camp of the Jews.  Jesus was the scapegoat mentioned in the Old Testament that was taken outside of the camp into the wilderness.  The sins of the Jewish people and the world rested on his head.     

Jesus was mistreated by the Roman soldiers that day, but He is just as badly mistreated by many people today such as some who attend Easter services, people who reluctantly attend church once or twice a year.  This is the time they pretend to pay homage to the Christ of all the ages.  They sing songs of praise to Jesus with insincere hearts, perhaps with smirking lips.  They listen inattentively to a sermon, waiting for the last amen.  They shake the preacher's hand on their way out of church, and then proceed to walk into their everyday lives and crucify Jesus again.  They live as if He did not exist.  As surely as the Romans nailed Jesus to the cross, they do also.  They ask, "What does this Jesus have to do with my life?"  They believe they can get along well without him.  To them, He is just a dead historical figure, one they can mock once or twice a year by attending a church service.  Sadly, their attendance at church usually results from the pressure of a loved one.  For others it's the culturally acceptable thing to do; however, their hearts are not in it.  In either case, they believe they can disingenuously call out as the Roman soldiers did, “Hail, king of the Jews!”  "Hail the Savior of the World.  Hail!"  And get away with it.  

However, the time will come when they will have to face a living Jesus and give an account for the deeds done in the flesh.  For sure the Roman soldiers' awful deeds will be remembered by God on that day, but even more so the deeds of the insincere man or woman who walked out of an Easter service with a heart attitude of, "I don't need this," will be remembered.  The unrepentant unbelievers will know then that they have rejected God's plan of salvation.  They will face God alone in their sins.  I am afraid they will experience many times more of the wrath of God than those soldiers who were merely following orders.  No one gets away with rejecting God or mocking Jesus.  No one gets away with placing Jesus on the cross in this life.  Of course, not everyone who comes to church only on Easter has a hardened heart.  Some are full of guilt, shame, doubt, and fear and truly seek the Lord to set them free.  Let us adhere to Jesus, cling to him, knowing He is the way to the throne of God.  Let us lift up Christ this Easter season, in the church and in our homes, so that all may see Jesus lifted up, and our Father God may draw all men to him.

Mark 15:6-15

Mark 15:6-15  Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested.  A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising.  The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.  “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him.  But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.  “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.  “Crucify him!” they shouted.  “Why?  What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.  But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”  Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them.  He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.  

"Crucify him!" was the shout of the crowd.  Crucify who?  The Son of God?  From Adam and Eve, to the tower of Babel, to Lot choosing the best land, to the Israelites wanting a king instead of God to rule them, to killing the prophets, mankind has always wanted to go its own way.  The basic sinful nature of man is like a wild colt, never wanting to come under the control of its master.  Men are constantly pushing away the Giver of life, the Creator, to establish their own will, seeking their own pleasure, mapping out their own lives--seeking to displace God in every part of their lives.  In the Old Testament we see the Jewish people clearly illustrating this point.  The Jewish nation was to be a glorious example to all the people of the earth of the blessings that God pours out on those who follow him diligently and passionately.  But rather than serve him faithfully, they abandoned God's laws and did what was right in their own eyes.   The Jews, his chosen ones, the people who were delivered from Egypt, slavery and the wilderness, abandoned God and chose other gods of wood and stone.  They were spiritual fornicators and adulterers.  

Finally God punishes his wayward people by scattering them throughout the world.  The Old Testament account of the Jewish people's struggle to be God's people is one of a schoolmaster trying to train wayward students, using the Law to show us what evil exists in the hearts of ALL men.  The Jewish people were not thankful, they did not want to be known merely as the children of God, they wanted their own way, they became arrogant and self-willed.  People will even establish their own religions to show off their holiness and ability to be better than other men.  The Jewish priests did this by creating laws and lifestyle requirements that were not from God but from their own wicked hearts.  Religious people will make degrees of holiness in their congregations to manifest how man can attain godliness by human efforts.  Sinful man is incessantly removing God from center stage and placing himself there.  His sinful heart with the smallest amount of urging will eagerly join the chorus of Crucify him!  Remove him from the center of my life.  I do not want this man to be LORD OF MY LIFE--the arbitrator over my life.  I want to live my life as I choose.  I want to determine what is good or evil.  I am accountable to no one, not even God.  

As we rush full speed into self-willed lives with the pain, destruction, and sorrow that so often follow, do we even stop to consider the question asked of Eve in the garden by the serpent along with his beguiling reassurances to her fears: "Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”. . .  “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. . .  “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  (Genesis 3:1 & 4-5)  From the time of Adam and Eve, man's basic intention has been to be LIKE GOD.  Man's basic intentions, his personality essence, his id, are even hidden from his conscious mind.  Jeremiah 17:9 says, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?  (KJV)  That is why we all need the blood of Christ as the cleansing agent for our hearts.  We don't even know who we are, but God does.  He knows our waywardness, our wickedness, our unwillingness to bow down to him.  Because He knew us, He gave us a Savior, his only Son, Jesus Christ the Lord.  Through him, along with the wonderful working of the Holy Spirit within us, we have been made pleasing to our Father God.  We can REJOICE, AND AGAIN I SAY REJOICE, for Christ has broken down the barrier between us and God.  He has set the captives free!  Amen!  Let it always be so.

Mark 15:1-5

Mark 15:1-5  Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision.  They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.  “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.  “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.  The chief priests accused him of many things.  So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer?  See how many things they are accusing you of.”  But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. 

"Yes, it is as you say."  Jesus gave Pilot a very oblique answer: as YOU say.  To believe in Jesus as king of anything is still a matter of faith.  Yes, I am He to you, if you BELIEVE.  Jesus did not elaborate and explain precisely why He is the king of the Jews in the spiritual sense.  He did not point out his healings and miracles.  He did not tell Pilot about raising Lazarus from the dead.  He just said, as you say.  Even today it is the same: I am personally your King and Lord if you believe I am.  This is a matter of faith.  If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  (Romans 10:9)  Notice in the above passage that the chief priests accused him of many things.  The chief priests did not want him to be known as king of the Jews.  They did not want Jesus to replace them as the spiritual leader of the Jews.  They wanted Jesus dead.  

Today, many people want Jesus dead.  They don't want him to have any claim on their existence.  They will accuse Jesus and his followers of many things to discount Christ's authority in their lives.  People desire to go their own way, which is the epitome of sin.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  (Isaiah 53:6)  Jesus did not answer his accusers even though He could have.  He allowed their words to stand as a testimony against them--their thoughts and their actions.  Their desire not to recognize Jesus as their king will someday be played back to them when they come before the throne of judgement.  Then they will get their will: they will be excluded from his kingdom.  They will not have to be under his authority, and they will participate in the kingdom of darkness, of eternal damnation.  They chose not to believe in Jesus as their king; instead, they chose to take him to the cross.  They chose to crucify a sinless man, a guiltless man.  That day they sowed to the wind, and someday they will reap a whirlwind.  Death began on that day and death will have its finished work.   

The question remains: who do we say He is?  Is He the Christ, the Son of the living God or is He merely a man?  If He is man, we need not follow him.  To us then, He can be put on the cross in our lives.  But if He is God among us, we need to fall at his feet and place our full faith and trust in him, and live for him alone.  I know almost exclusively, the people who are reading this are people who know him as their Savior and Lord.  In our hearts we have affirmed Jesus' statement: “Yes, it is as you say.”  Praise the Lord for that reality and that privilege.  Therefore, let us lift him up today in our midst, so that others may know him as Savior and Lord.

Mark 14:65-72

Mark 14:65-72  Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.  While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by.  When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.  “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.  But he denied it.  “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.  When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.”  Again he denied it.  After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”  He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”  Immediately the rooster crowed the second time.  Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.”  And he broke down and wept. 

In the above passage, we see Jesus' dire situation overwhelm Peter's resolve to follow Jesus to the end.  These scriptures show Jesus being whipped, degraded, and abused as if he were just an ordinary criminal.  Peter, a believer in Jesus as the Christ, was overwhelmed by the realities of this awful circumstance.  First of all, what could he do?  The forces against Jesus were so much greater than any group of people that Peter could muster together that it was futile to even try to rescue Jesus from their hands.  Secondly, this was supposedly the Christ, the Messiah, who was being beaten and abused.  How could this happen to the Messiah, the glorious one?  How could the all powerful One be taken into the hands of mere men and be so humiliated and mistreated?  I am sure Peter must have been thinking: "What have I been believing in for so long; how could all this happen to Jesus if He were the SON OF GOD!"  Peter's confusion that day led him to renounce Jesus, to retreat into the darkness of the night with bitter tears on his face.  He had not only abandoned Jesus, he had denounced him by calling Jesus "this man."  Jesus was not just "this man," He was the Messiah, the Anointed One.  Peter not only publicly disclaimed any association with Jesus, he publicly proclaimed Jesus was but a man.  Otherwise, he expressed the same disdain for Jesus as those who captured Jesus by stating He was not the Messiah, The Holy One, who was to bring salvation to Israel and to all mankind.  Peter in that day was in great danger, for without faith in Jesus as the Christ, there is no way to heaven.  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  (John 3:16)

We sometimes are overwhelmed by our situations, especially when we feel our prayers have not been answered.  When we find ourselves still sick, still unemployed, still without hope of reconciliation with a loved one, and so on, our spirits may become confused or downtrodden.  We wonder if what we have believed is real.  Is Jesus the Messiah?  Is He the all powerful One?  Is He my healer?  Does God really care for me?  Is faith in Jesus THE WAY?  The answer is to all these questions, is yes: Jesus is your Lord, your everything.  These questions and other questions of doubt or fear sometimes penetrate our thoughts when the situation is dire or unrelenting.  We then wonder.  We then question.  The story of Peter denying Jesus is so very beautiful, for it shows the unfailing love of Christ.  He knew Peter would fall away that day.  He knew Peter would go into the darkness of night, but Peter was not lost.  Christ knew where he was.  He was where most of us are sometimes.  Yet Christ knew Peter would become the leader of his followers. 

He also knows that you will make it through faith in him and his grace.  Christ knew Peter would struggle in his mind when he discovered that He, Jesus, wasn't going to redeem that day by some powerful intervention--when Jesus would seem to be just like all other men with no supernatural answers.  He knew Peter was going to be consumed by doubt and fear, and he would flee not only from the mob but from Jesus, too.  However our Savior always has a plan.  He will perfect that work which He has begun in you.  His voice, his love, will draw you back.  You might wander for a while in the darkness, but you will hear his tender voice say to you, "I am the Way--your hope of salvation."  And your ears will pick out that still small voice and say, "Yes Lord, you are the Way, the Truth, and the Light.  I will follow you."  Jesus' love will draw you back.  Jesus, after the resurrection, reveals himself again as the Messiah to Peter, and Peter becomes the man of God he is meant to be.  Today, regardless of your circumstance, Jesus is Lord of your life.  He wants you to know that.  He is with you, and He will help you through this day.  He loves you, his precious child.  Let him reveal himself to you once again as your Messiah, Lord, and King.

Mark 14:55-64

Mark 14:55-64  The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any.  Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.  Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him:  “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.’”  Yet even then their testimony did not agree.  Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer?  What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?”  But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.  Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”  “I am,” said Jesus.  “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”  The high priest tore his clothes.  “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked.  “You have heard the blasphemy.  What do you think?”  They all condemned him as worthy of death.

All the truth in the Bible, all the truth of knowledge or wisdom rests in these words: “I am."  In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  (John 14:6)  All of the meaning of life in this sinful world is summed up in those words.  As a Christian, to know Jesus is your reason for existence.  All other knowledge, all other wisdom is enveloped in knowing Jesus as the Christ.  Any other knowledge, any other wisdom that leads anywhere else but to that knowledge, is a lie and will lead you to destruction and eternal damnation, for Christ is the Son of the Blessed One, and He is to be your Lord.  Jesus affirms this truth to the high priest by saying, "You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”  The mob thought that these words made Jesus worthy of death, but actually these words are life to those who believe in Jesus as the Son of God, the Eternal One, the Lord on High.  Therefore, they rest in Jesus.  Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.  Because I live, you also will live.  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.  (John 14:19-20)  

We who believe in Jesus Christ will live forever with him.  The Jewish elite wanted to discredit Jesus as Lord and Savior.  The priests brought in people who gave false testimony against him.  But their testimonies did not agree.  The whole thing was a sham.  But God allowed it, for Jesus was being led to the cross as an innocent lamb.  In the natural, there was no reason for his death.  He was innocent of any wrongdoing, but still He had to die for God's purpose: to redeem mankind from the grip of sin and death.  The death of the I AM (Jesus) brought sin and death to its knees.  No longer would men be unworthy before the throne of God, for they would now have a mediator between them and God.  They would now have the I AM pleading their case for eternal life, and that case of eternal life would all be wrapped up in the blood of Jesus, which washes away our sins and makes us holy before ALMIGHTY GOD.  Any other Christ, any other idea of Christ is a false one.  Any other belief in Jesus is a false one.  The crowd wanted to make Jesus into just a natural man with some strange ideas, even blasphemous ideas.  But Jesus was not just any other man; He was the Christ, the Holy One, the returning Messiah, the Lamb of God.  Every knee will bow before him someday.  All the people who were in this mob will bow before him someday.  Everyone who is not washed in the blood of Lamb through faith in him will be judged harshly someday, for Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end, the TRUTH and LIFE.  HE IS THE WAY, the only way to eternal life.  Praise God for Jesus--the I AM.