The Death of Jesus
Text: Mark 15:21-41
Core Idea: Jesus Christ was forsaken by the Father so that we may be found. He was condemned so that we may be accepted. He died on the cross so that we may have life. Then let us live to honor Him for He alone is worthy of our worship.
INTRODUCTION
Good afternoon, Lighthouse. It is always good to see you. If you’re visiting us for the first time, I’m proud to share that we’re a church that sees our children as part of our covenant family – which is why we worship together once a month. Though it’s not always easy, I firmly believe that it’s worth the struggle because, in the long run, it will prove itself to be rewarding. My prayer is that we’ll lead our children to love our church and help them to know that they’re valuable members of our community.
Well, we are going through the Gospel of Mark – exploring the life of Jesus. And we’ve been looking at the Passion week – the days leading up to Jesus’ death. Last week, we saw Jesus being falsely accused by the religious leaders, yet He remained silent as a demonstration of His unconditional, unwavering, and unending love for us. But because He remained silent, Pilate ordered Him to be crucified – and we saw Him being flogged and beaten by the soldiers. Today, Mark will take us to the foot of the cross – a place that will fill our hearts with great sorrow and love. Then with this in mind, please turn your Bibles to Mark 15:21-41. And I’m going to invite Joshua to the front – and he will read the passage for us.
21 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. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “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. 27 They crucified two rebels with Him, one on His right and one on His left. [28] 29 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, 30 come down from the cross and save Yourself!” 31 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! 32 Let this Messiah, 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. 33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”). 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, He’s calling Elijah.” 36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave Him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take Him down,” he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed His last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how He died, he said, “Surely this Man was the Son of God!” 40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed Him and cared for His needs. Many other women who had come up with Him to Jerusalem were also there.
Thank you, Joshua, for reading the passage for us. And children, I hope you enjoyed the video. Let’s begin by looking at verse 21. It’s important to point out that the crossbeam that Jesus had to carry would’ve weighed around 100 pounds. Then considering that He has just been flogged by the soldiers, it’s understandable why Jesus was unable to complete His journey. So, we’re informed that a man from Cyrene who happened to be passing by at that time was forced to help Jesus carry the cross. He is identified as Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus. Now, if you’ve been reading through the Gospel of Mark, one thing you’ll notice is that Mark rarely provides the names of the people. The paralyzed man, the man possessed by a legion of demons, the girl who Jesus raised from the dead, the woman who has been bleeding for twelve years – they all remain unnamed. Then why does Mark provide three personal names in this one verse? It must be because the original readers would’ve recognized who they were – their names must have meant something to the readers. Mark was basically saying, “If you don’t believe what I’m about to tell you, go talk to Alexander and Rufus who you know personally. Listen to their story because it was their father who carried the cross for Jesus.” In fact, many commentators believe that Rufus became a prominent member of the church in Rome – and we actually see his name in Romans 16:13. Now, why is this important? Because we see God’s sovereign work even through this small incident. Simon was merely a passerby – forced to carry the cross. But behind this scene was God who sovereignly placed Simon there to serve Jesus this way – and this experience ended up turning his life and his family’s life upside down. Then just as Simon was placed there to carry the cross of Jesus, I firmly believe that God has brought you here to see the death of Jesus and hear what that means for you. It really is not an accident that you’re here today. God wanted you to hear this truth. Then I pray that your hearts will be open to receive this truth because this message is for you. Let me point out three things from this passage:
· THE MOCKERY
· THE DARKNESS
· THE CONFESSION
1) THE MOCKERY
Verse 22. Jesus was taken to a place called Golgotha which means “the place of the skull.” And here, Jesus was offered wine as a way to ease the pain, but He didn’t take it. Why? We’re not sure but it could’ve been because He didn’t want to rely on alcohol to get through this pain. Then verse 24, Mark tells us that He was crucified. Now, we can’t help but notice that Mark’s reference to the crucifixion is rather brief. This seems odd knowing that Mark was building his whole story for this very moment. This is what we’ve been waiting for but not much detail is given. Why? Yes, it could’ve been because the original readers were already familiar with the horror of crucifixion – maybe he didn’t feel the need to remind the people of this disturbing scene. But there’s another reason why Mark didn’t spend too much time describing the details of crucifixion: it’s because he wanted to show us that the cross involved much more than mere physical suffering. There’s no doubt that Jesus suffered physically but what added to His grief was the mockery that came from the very people that He came to save.
How was He mocked? Verse 24. When it says that the soldiers divided up His clothes, the implication is that Jesus was stripped naked – there was no dignity left for Jesus. And at the very foot of the cross, they were casting lots to decide what each should get. Verse 26. We have this ironic statement of “the King of the Jews” – a title that you don’t put over a man dying on a cross. Verse 29. The people who passed by mocked Him. Verse 31. The religious leaders mocked Him. And verse 32. Even the criminals who were crucified with Him also insulted Him. The point is that all have turned against Jesus – everyone was delighted to see Him suffer. Why is this important for us to see? Because it reveals the sinfulness of our hearts. Let’s look closely at the way these people mocked Jesus. The people passing by said, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save Yourself!” (v. 29-30). And the religious leaders said, “He saved others but He can’t save Himself! Let the Messiah, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe” (v. 31-32). Were they mocking Jesus for being a wise teacher? Were they making fun of Jesus for performing great miracles? No, they were ridiculing Him for who He said He was – namely, that He was the promised Messiah, the Savior King. They couldn’t believe that the Messiah would suffer and die. They couldn’t believe that the King they’d been waiting for would come in weakness and shame. So, they were basically saying, “You are the way to God? Look where You are. You can’t be the King. You can’t be the Savior. If You really were the King, You would never let us do this to You. Our King would come to inflict pain against our enemies – not receive pain. Our King would come to kill our enemies – not be killed. Your death proves that You’re not the King.” They just couldn’t believe that a King who promised to save them would so easily die – so, they mocked Him for it. The irony, of course, is that that’s exactly how God was going to save them.
Now, as much as this is incredibly sad to see, Mark shares this because he wants to use this story as a mirror for us to see that we are no different from them. Think with me. Why do you think the world finds Christianity so offensive? Is it because Jesus said He is a good teacher? No. It’s because He said He is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, the Lord over our lives. Because He claimed to be the King, He forces us to an all-or-nothing decision. You either adore Him or despise Him – you either submit to Him or reject Him. There’s no middle ground – you can’t just like Him. But the truth is that we want to remain the king over our lives. We want to make the call. We want to be in control – which means that Jesus is nothing but a threat to our comfort. So, to protect their autonomy, the world will deny the existence of God, mock those who believe it, and ignore His invitation.
Now, Christians are not off the hook. We think that we would never mock God. But when troubles come, when life turns out different from the way we desired, when we feel utterly lost, when we’ve been repeatedly disappointed and discouraged, we too begin to mock the idea of God’s love. Of course, many of us wouldn’t do this from the get-go. Our pain may cause us to question and doubt His love which may harden our hearts – and that may cause us to become cynical – and that may cause us to despise and mock Him. “God, look what’s happening to my life. This proves that You’re not loving. You can’t be in control. How can You say that You love me and that You’ll be with me all the days of my life if this and that is happening to my life? A loving God? You’re right. My pain, my confusion, my crushed heart proves that You’re not loving – You can’t be.” When we mock Him, we’re telling Him that He’s got it wrong, telling Him how things ought to be, and standing over Him as the judge. Now, the greatest irony of all this is that God does work like that. We may think that God can’t be loving or that God can’t be near us because we’re going through difficulties, suffering, and chaos in life but that’s exactly how He may choose to work in our lives – to minister to us, to heal us, and to sanctify us.
Brothers and sisters, has your heart been hardened? Do you find yourself mocking God because you’ve been disappointed, discouraged, and crushed in your heart? Then I invite you to look at the cross today. Do you know what’s surprising? Despite the mocking and humiliation, Jesus stayed on the cross. Throughout Mark’s Gospel, we saw over and over again how powerful Jesus was – He healed a leper, a paralytic, a blind; He raised the dead; He stilled the storm; He walked on water; He fed the five thousand with just a few loaves and two fish. So, trust me – Jesus certainly had the power to do something about this whole thing. In fact, He probably had legions of angels – ready to intervene, waiting for His Word to slay those who were mocking Him. Then we can’t help but ask, “Why did He stay up there?” What kept Him there was what ultimately put Him there. What put Him there was His love for sinners like you and me – and that’s also what kept Him there. In order to save you and me, He chose not to save Himself. Then if you’re a Christian, I want you to be reminded once again that He stayed up there and endured this unfathomable pain because of His unfailing love for you. So, if you’re ever doubting His love for you because of the suffering you’re experiencing, because of the difficulties you’re facing, because of the unexpected things in life that are causing you to lose your steps and mock Him, then look to the cross and remember that His love for you has never wavered.
2) THE DARKNESS
It’s interesting to point out that all the events that led to Jesus’ death happened in the dark. The betrayal, the denial, and the mistrial – they all happened at night. And as we approach the moment of Jesus’ death, we see this mysterious darkness covering the city. Verse 33, “At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.” For three hours in the afternoon, it was absolutely dark. Now, this wasn’t a natural cause – something supernatural was taking place. In fact, this appears to be a physical confirmation that God was turning His face away. Let me explain. As we know, the sun, in one sense, is a source of truth and life because by it, we see everything and without it, nothing could live. Now, the Bible sometimes compares God to the sun. Then what this physical darkness symbolizes is the fact that God who is the source of all truth and life is turning away from us. Or to put it differently, the judgment day was coming, and God’s righteous wrath would be poured out on those who have sinned against Him. But what happens next is not what we expected. Those who we think deserve to die (the religious leaders, Pilate, Barabbas) are not on the cross but Jesus is. Verse 34. Jesus has been on the cross for three hours – gasping for air and struggling in pain. And He cried out in a loud voice, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” What was happening here?
Two things. First, the One who had no sin was becoming sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Without exception, all of us rebelled and turned from God’s ways – and as a result, we were separated from God and justly destined for eternal death. But Mark is trying to tell us that our God is a God of love who just won’t turn His back on us – which is why He found a way to bring us back to Him. How? By putting our sin on Christ – it’s the idea of substitution. In order to forgive us, He sent His one and only Son to bear and pay the penalty of our sin by dying on our behalf. He became sin for us. What would that even feel like? Listen to what Douglas O’Donnell writes, “For the sins of abortion, adultery, anxiety, arrogance, backbiting, bearing false witness, bitterness, blasphemy, boasting, bribery, complaining, coveting, contention, coarse joking, deceit, defrauding others, despising the poor, dishonoring the government, disregarding the Lord’s people or the Lord’s Day, disrespecting your parents and elders, envy, evil thoughts, fornication, fortune telling, fraud, gambling, giving grudgingly or not giving at all, gluttony, gossip, greed, harsh words, hatred, holding a grudge, idleness, idolatry, immodesty, losing your temper, lust, lying, malice, murder, prayerlessness, racism, rage, rape, resisting the Holy Spirit, returning insult for insult, rioting, scoffing, selfish ambition, showing favoritism, slander, sloth, speaking idle words, stealing, violence, loving the world, loving yourself, not loving your neighbor or enemy or fellow Christian or God – to name a few sins. For all those and more. Just imagine what the weight of the sins of the world felt like.” These are the sins that all of us are guilty of. Then just imagine what it felt like for Him who knew no sin to be made sin – but He did it for us. He took our sins and paid it all. When this darkness fell, a substitution took place.
But something else happened as well. Jesus was forsaken by the Father. Listen to what Pastor Tim Keller writes on this, “When Jesus Christ starts crying out, He doesn’t say, ‘My friends, my friends.’ ‘My head, my head.’ ‘My hands, my hands.’ ‘My feet, my feet.’ He said, ‘My God, my God.’ What was happening? He was losing God. On the cross, Jesus was forsaken by God.” In other words, God didn’t turn His face from us – instead, He turned His face away from Jesus. As horrible as it was to have a spear on the side, as horrible as it was to die in suffocation, as horrible as it was to have been tortured and beaten, as horrible as it was to wear the crown of thorns and have nails go through His hands and feet, He didn’t say a thing about those things because compared to this, they were like a flea bite. What was truly unbearable for Jesus was being forsaken by the Father. For much of His life on earth, Jesus remained in intimate communion with His Father. But now came a moment when the Father would be out of reach. The intimacy that had never been broken was now broken. In this excruciating moment for Jesus, the Father wasn’t there – He was all alone. And though He was able to remain silent this whole time for us, He couldn’t keep quiet anymore and He desperately cried out in a loud voice, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Darkness came over Him – and because He was forsaken, we were found.
What was the result of His death? Verse 38, “The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” The curtain in the temple was not a flimsy veil – it was heavy and thick which acted more like a wall than anything else. Its purpose was to separate the holy of holies, where God’s glory dwelled, from the rest of the temple because anything unholy would be destroyed in the presence of the holy. In fact, the book of Leviticus tells us that only the holiest man, the high priest, from the holiest nation, Israel, could enter the holy of holies only on the holiest day of the year, the Day of Atonement – and even then, he had to bring a blood sacrifice as an atonement for his sins. The curtain clearly and loudly said that it was impossible for anyone sinful to enter God’s presence – until now. When Jesus died, this massive curtain was torn in two. This was no accident – the curtain was torn to tell us that the way to the Father has been opened to all. The barrier was brought down for good. It’s been made possible for us to enter the presence of God without condemnation and have a relationship with Him all because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Then how can we enter His presence? That leads to our last point.
3) THE CONFESSION
Verse 39, “And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how He died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!” This is a momentous point in the Gospel of Mark because of what it says in Mark 1:1. “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.” Up to this point, no one had figured that out. The disciples, the religious leaders, the crowd – they all failed to see Jesus for who He really was. But the first one to actually see through this was the very centurion who supervised Jesus’ death. How is that possible? How did he of all people receive the eyes to see Jesus for who He really was? How did he understand when everyone else couldn’t? Because he saw how He died. We obviously don’t know what exactly happened at that moment because Mark doesn’t tell us – but whatever he saw and experienced at that very moment completely transformed his life and he was given the eyes to see Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus’ death gave him the gift of sight. Then let me speak to those who do not consider themselves Christians. Friends, I invite you to look to Christ today and believe that what He did was for you. He died to substitute His place with you so that you can have His place. He was bound so that you might go free. He died so that you might live. The Son of God was forsaken so that you may become children of God. Then I pray that this would become your moment of revelation and transformation – that you’ll experience the fullness of His grace and mercy for you.
How about the Christians? Look at verse 40, “Some women were watching from a distance.” Commentaries say that they were lamenting – they were grieving the death of Jesus. Then that’s exactly what we should do today. We also ought to grieve over the suffering and death of Jesus Christ – and repent of our sin that put Jesus on the cross. Now, even then, we can grieve with hope because Jesus said in John 16:20-22, “Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” Brothers and sisters, our grief will turn to joy – and no one will take away our joy. Then let us humbly wait for next Sunday as we remember His unwavering love for us – anticipating the moment when we can burst out in a song of victory.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, Jesus Christ was forsaken by the Father so that we may be found. He was condemned so that we may be accepted. Brothers and sisters, the reason why we can freely enter the presence of God to sing and pray is because Jesus Christ gave His life for us. Then let’s not take this worship time lightly. Let’s not take our life lightly. Our marriage, our children, our ability to study, work, rest, and play – we can enjoy everything in life because of the hope that He gives us. Then let us live to honor Him for He alone is worthy of our worship.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Why do you think the world finds Christianity so offensive? Why do people mock Christians? How can we minister to them when their hearts are so hardened toward our faith?
2) Even though Jesus had the power to break free and come down from the cross, why did He stay up there? How can this truth minister to us today?
3) Why is Jesus’ death good news for us? How would you explain the gospel to a child? How can we help those around us to see that the gospel is also good news for them?
4) Spend some time as a group to repent of your sins. But grieve with hope knowing that He will turn our grief into joy.