Mark 15 - Good Friday Was Good For Us, Not So Good for Jesus!

Click Here to Read or LIsten to Mark 15

Jesus Before Pilate

After the chief priests, elders, and teachers of the law had successfully apprehended Jesus and convicted him of blasphemy for claiming to be the Son of God, they took him to Pontius Pilate. Pilate was governor of Judah accountable to the Roman Emperor, Tiberius. 

The Jewish leaders had reason to expect a favorable result when they sent Jesus to Pilate. Secular history shows us he was a cruel, ruthless man, and completely insensitive to the moral feelings of others – surely, they thought, Pilate will put this Jesus to death. - Guzik

As Pilate questioned Jesus he was pretty non-commital in his answers, like when Pilate asked him if he was the King of the Jews. Jesus said, "You have said so!" It is almost as if there is a hint of sarcasm in Jesus' voice. The chief priests joined in by accusing him and Jesus still did not defend himself. 

It says when Jesus didn't reply, "Pilate was amazed!" I wonder what he was amazed about? 

"No doubt, Pilate had seen many men grovel for their lives before him. He also stood in judgment of many men as the governor of a Roman province. Yet there was something different about Jesus that Pilate marveled at." - Guzik

“Such silence was wholly unusual in the forum, and demonstrated a presence and a dignity which puzzled the prefect.” - Lane

Since it was the custom of Pilate to release a prisoner at the time of the Passover as a favor to the Jews, Pilate asked if he could release Jesus, probably knowing Jesus was innocent. But the chief priests manipulated the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas, a well known insurrectionist and murderer. When they balked at that, Pilate asked them what they wanted to do with the so-called, "King of the Jews". 

Surprisingly the "mob mentality" took over and the people cried, "Crucify Him!" It is hard to imagine they would do this, as Jesus had only done good things among the people, including healing their sick. It is understandable why the religious leaders would want to get rid of him, but puzzling that the people wanted to crucify Jesus. Remember crucifixion was a torturous way to kill someone. 

Pilate again seems hesitant to charge an innocent man. He evens tries to deter them by saying, "What has this man done?" But they cried all the louder "Crucify Him!" Although it is the religious leaders who orchestrated Jesus' arrest and trial before Pilate, the people also joined in the chorus of judgment against Jesus. 

I wonder if you or I were there, would we have cried out "Crucify Him!?

“If one wonders why the crowd was fickle, he may recall that this was not yet the same people who followed him in triumphal entry and in the temple. That was the plan of Judas to get the thing over before those Galilean sympathizers waked up.” - Robertson

 It was a strange scene: a cruel, ruthless Roman governor trying to win the life of a miracle-working Jew against the strenuous efforts of both the Jewish leaders and the crowd. - Guzik

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

The soldiers joined the scene by mocking and humiliating Jesus. They specifically made fun of the fact that he said he was the "King of the Jews". They put a purple robe on him, symbolizing royalty, and fastened a crown of thorns around his head. They spit on him, hit on him, and fell down feigning paying him homage. 

When you think that Jesus was the Son of God, truly God and truly human, it is almost unimaginable to think that Jesus/God would submit to this kind of humiliation and mockery. Then, they led him out to be crucified. 

 It was common to greet the Roman emperor with the cry, “Hail, Caesar!” (Ave Caesar!) These mockers twisted this into Hail, King of the Jews! - Guzik

It seems that the soldiers first gave Jesus the reed – a stick – to hold as if it were a royal scepter. Then they grabbed it from His hand and hit Him in the head with it, adding great insult to all their injury against Jesus. - Guzik

 After a scourging, a man to be crucified was forced to march in a parade, led by a centurion on horseback and a herald who shouted the crime of the condemned. This was Rome’s way of advertising a crucifixion, and to make the people afraid of offending Rome. - Guzik

This procession is the very thing Jesus was referring to when He asked people to take up your cross and follow Me (Mark 8:34). -Guzik

The Crucifixion of Jesus

There are numerous random characters who make it into the last couple of days of Jesus' life. Today we meet "Simon of Cyrene". Cyrene was in Africa, and Simon like other pilgrims were there for the Passover festival, one of two annual festivals all Jews were required to attend. And they "forced him to carry Jesus cross!"

It is an interesting juxtaposition that Jesus asks us to willingly choose to pick up our own cross, whereas Simon was forced to do it. 

Yet the Romans were the law and Simon did not have a choice – they compelled him to bear His cross. We are often blessed by the things we are compelled to do. Simon did not want to carry this cross and probably resented it terribly when he was asked. Nevertheless, it probably became the most special and memorable moment of his life.

Simon was the father of Rufus: Apparently Rufus was known in the early church and was himself a Christian. If this Rufus is the same one mentioned in Romans 16:13, we can surmise that Simon came to know what it really meant to take up one’s cross and follow Jesus. Perhaps his sons became leaders among the early Christians.

They brought Jesus to Golgotha, which meant place of the skull. 

There was a specific place right outside the city walls of Jerusalem where people were crucified – and where Jesus died for our sins, where our salvation was accomplished. It was the Place of a Skull; it was the place where criminals were crucified.

Some people think it was called Golgotha because it was littered with the skulls of men previously executed. Some think it was called Golgotha because it was on a hill that looked like a skull, with the shadows of a skull’s face in the hillside. Some think it was called Golgotha because the hill was barren, smooth and round like the top of a skull.

They offered Jesus wine mixed with myrhh, which could have given Jesus some pain relief, but he refused it. Jesus would take on the pain of the cross without pain relievers. They divided up his clothes and cast lots for it which was a fulfillment of Psalm 22:18. 

Many people think that Jesus knew of the prophecies about himself and self-fulfilled them, but Jesus never could have orchestrated the fulfillment of this prophecy. Fulfilled prophecy in the last week of Jesus' life with many prophecies like this is one of the clearest reasons to believe in the truth of who Jesus claimed to be. 

It was nine in the morning when they crucified him with true criminals who deserved punishment on his right and left. Though Jesus was innocent he got center stage. Despite the agony Jesus was in, all of the people mocked him saying, "If He is the King of the Jews, why doesn't he save himself!" It is ironic that Jesus could have saved himself but he didn't because he needed to save the world. 

Unbelieveably the men on his right and left also heaped the same insults on him, though later we know one of them pleaded for mercy. 

“Although the Romans did not invent crucifixion, they perfected it as a form of torture and capital punishment that was designed to produce a slow death with maximum pain and suffering.” (Edwards)

In Jesus’ own day, crucifixion was known to be a horrible practice, yet the Romans used to execute many criminals who were not Roman citizens. No Roman citizen could be crucified except by direct order of Caesar; it was reserved for the worst criminals and lowest classes. - Guzik

 It is precisely because He would not come down that we believe in Him. Jesus did something greater than come down from the cross – He rose from the dead. Yet they did not believe even then. But many of the priests did eventually believe: A great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:7) - Guzik

The Death of Jesus

The previous incidents happened between 9am and noon, because at noon darkness fell over the land for three hours. Then at 3pm Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? This was another fulfilled prophecy from Psalm 22:1

Jesus' relationship with God the Father, which Jesus had enjoyed since the beginning of time and in his 33 years on this earth, had been severed. In another gospel it says Jesus cried out three times for God to take the suffering of the cross away from him. But each time Jesus surrendered by saying, "Not my will, but yours be done".

We see once again the humanness of Jesus, when he says these words. At some level Jesus knew he would be raised from the dead but in this moment he felt a complete separation from the Father. This is the Father who said at Jesus' baptism, "This is my Son, whom I love and I am well pleased with!" 

But in this moment Jesus experienced the full fury of God's wrath representing the sin of all humankind. God had to forsake Jesus. so he could forgive us. Jesus paid a debt he didn't owe for we who owed a debt we couldn't pay! 

With a loud cry Jesus breathed his last and the temple curtain was torn in two. The temple curtain was what separated the people from entering God's presence. If the people had gone into God's presence unauthorized, they would have been killed immediately. Only the Most High Priest could go in once a year into the most holy place to make atonement for the sins of the people. And he could only do this through the blood of the innocent lamb which was offered by the pilgrims. 

The veil that separated us from God was torn in two. No longer would we need to offer the sacrifice of lambs to enter into God's presence. Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God, offered the once and for all sacrifice tearing down the curtain and partition separating us from God. 

We don't take the time to realize what it means that we can come into God's presence without fear. We don't really realize the truth that our body of the temple of Holy Spirit. 

The tearing of the temple veil signified that now man had free access to the throne of grace by the cross and that no one should ever think again that God dwells in temples made with hands.

Significantly, as the wall of separation between God and man was removed, the veil was torn from top to bottom. God tore it from heaven instead of man tearing it from earth. - Guzik

There is one person who as a result of these events believed in Jesus. He was a Roman centurion in charge of 100 men. When he saw how Jesus died he said, "This man was truly the Son of God!" Another random character in the story

At this point none of Jesus' 12 disciples were there. In that sense he died alone, yet his women disciples were there. Though they were watching from a distance there were still there. 

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.

The Burial of Jesus

There is another Jewish man, who believed in Jesus. His name was Joseph of Arimathea. He was a member of the ruling council, which was called the Sanhedrin. There were 70 men in this group who effectively were the ruling elders of the Jewish community. 

Joseph demanded the body and Pilate surprised that Jesus had died so quickly confirmed his death with the Centurion (the believer) and authorized giving the body to Joseph. Joseph gave Jesus a proper burial with a white linen cloth, placed Jesus in the tomb and rolled the stone back into place, which was no small feat. 

Mary Magdalene, who Jesus had cast several demons out of, and Mary the mother of Joseph were also there. Again we see the prominent role of Jesus' women followers. 

“In the hours of crisis it is often the Peters who have sworn loyalty to Jesus with big gestures and fullness of self-confidence, that disappoint, and it is the secret and quiet followers of the Master (like Joseph, Nicodemus and the women) that do not hesitate to serve Him in love – at whatever the cost.” (Geldenhuys)

Pilate personally investigated the matter of Jesus’ death and found reliable eyewitness testimony from the centurion, who had witnessed perhaps hundreds of crucifixions and knew if a man was dead or not. “A Roman sergeant had seen too many deaths to be in any uncertainty about such a fact.” (Cole)

Wrapped Him in the linen: Because of the coming Sabbath, they were unable to properly prepare the body of Jesus for burial. So, with hurried preparation, Jesus’ body was placed in a borrowed tomb.

Laid Him in a tomb: Tombs such as this were very expensive, and it was quite a sacrifice for Joseph of Arimathea to give his up. But Jesus needed the tomb for only a few days. - Guzik