Mark 15 - From Ash Wednesday to Good Friday!

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Jesus Before Pilate

15 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. 2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied. 3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” 5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. 6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising.

It is now Friday morning, which we call "Good Friday". It was Good Friday for us but not so much for Jesus. The religious leaders got up early to plan their strategy to kill Jesus. So they bound Jesus and handed him over to Pilate, also known as "Pontius Pilate". 

The Jewish leaders took Jesus to Pilate because they did not have the legal right to execute their own criminals.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.There was something working against this expectation. History tells us that Pilate simply didn’t like the Jews, and that he believed they were a stubborn and rebellious people. Since he was constantly suspicious of the Jews, when they brought him a prisoner for execution he immediately suspected there was a hidden agenda at work. - Guzik

Pilate got right to point and asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews. Jesus curtly answered to Pilate, "You have said so." Pilate plied Jesus for an answer even more given his terse answer. But Jesus didn't take the bait and remained silent. He did not feel the need to defend himself. 

It was a custom for Pilate to release a Jewish prisoner at Passover time to appease the Jews. There was a Jew named Barabbas, who had been a part of a murderous plot to overthrow the Romans. Quite possibly he was a zealot. Pilate was probably more interested in freeing an innocent man who posed no threat to him. 

 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. 9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. 12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. 13 “Crucify him!” they shouted. 14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

The crowd knew of this custom and asked Pilate to do what he normally did. Pilate did what was the most common sense and obvious thing to do, he asked them if he should release Jesus. He called him the "King of the Jews", possibly sarcastically. Pilate knew that the leaders were paranoid about Jesus, and they had brought him forward on "trumped up" charges. 

The chief priests incited the crowds, and they shouted to together "Crucify him". Pilate wanted to clarify exactly what did he do wrong and the shouted even louder, "Crucify him". At that point Pilate saw a potential riot brewing, so he released Barabbas, had Jesus flogged, and handed over to be crucified. 

I have often wondered why the Jews would so badly want to crucify him after he had such big crowds who were amazed at his teachings and miracles and they seemed to all love 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)

Pilate figured, “If this man claimed to be king, and was even the slightest bit hostile to Rome, then the crowd will love him. These Jewish leaders don’t want Jesus to go free, but the crowd will sympathize with Him.” 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

 Pilate was now in a dangerous place. The crowd was almost becoming a riot. If there was one thing that would get him in trouble with his Roman superiors, it was a riot. With both the people and the Jewish rulers demanding the death of Jesus, Pilate was unwilling to oppose them both, and he began the process of execution by having Jesus scourged. - Guzik

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 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. 20 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.

The soldiers didn't seem to really care who Jesus was. They thought it was humorous that Jesus was considered a king, and yet in such a bad situation. So they dressed him up in purple robe (purple was the color of royalty) and instead of a real crown, they gave him a crown of thorns. It says they set it on him, but some think it was more like they forced it on him. 

The mocked him, hit on the head with a staff (which would have been really painful on top of the crown of thorns). Think of it they spit on the Son of God, who was in fact God. They spit on God! They continued to mock and make fun of him, and then took off the robe and led him off 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!  Bowing the knee was a standard act of respect to any king. Instead of giving the normal kiss of warm respect, they spat on Him. Spat on Him is better translated kept spitting on Him. 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

The Crucifixion of Jesus

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.

Cyrene was in Northern Africa. These were Jews who had come to Jerusalem from far away for the Passover. Cyrene was forced to pick up Jesus' cross, unlike we who Jesus calls to pick up our own cross and follow him. In what possibly could be seen as a sympathetic gesture, they offered wine mixed with myrhh (though other translations call it "gall"). But Jesus did not accept anything to kill the pain. 

They crucified Jesus and divided up his clothes to see how much they could get for them. After Jesus had quite the following so they might be valuable. 

It was the custom of the Romans to make the condemned criminal bear the cross, but in this case, Jesus was simply too weak to carry it. They preferred to keep the victim alive until he was crucified, because a public crucifixion was good advertisment for Rome. When Jesus fell under the weight of the cross, no Roman would help Him carry it. The centurion had the right to compel a local Jew to help carry it, but such an outrage might lead to uproar or riot. The best solution was to make a stranger carry the cross, so they found a foreigner (Simon from Cyrene in North Africa) to help Him. - Guzik

To the place Golgotha: 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.

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.

When you think of Jesus being crucified at 9am, we can deduce it didn't take a long time for them to try him, convict him, and begin the crucification. What they did, they did quickly. Their strategy had worked but we know their strategy was overshadowed by a much bigger strategy the Father had for saving the world. 

They probably put the written notice on the cross as a joke, but the fact is it was true. Jesus was not only the King of the Jews, but the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! 

"The wording was designed to convey a subtle insult to Jewish pretensions and to mock all attempts to assert the sovereignty of a subject territory.” (Lane)

27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] [a] 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.

Jesus was condemned by two guilty criminals on his right and left. Now even those who passed by insulted and mocked him. They taunted him by quoting him when he said he would destroy the temple and build it back up in three days. In the same way the priests and Pharisees muttered under their breath, "He saved other, but can't save himself". You can feel their resentment and hatred for Jesus, which was only fueled by their own ignorance, sense of self-importance, and fear of losing the power they did not deserve to have. Jesus exposed their wicked and hypocritical hearts, and they hated him for it. 

Not only did these arrogant leaders mock Jesus but even the two criminals got into. Pretty sad. 

Jesus was mocked by those crucified with Him, yet one of the mocking criminals came to a saving faith in Jesus (Luke 23:39-43).

This is very profound!

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)

The Death of Jesus

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?”).[b] 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.

Three hours of darkness came over the land in the middle of the day. Perhaps this was a reflection of God turning his back on His Son and the world. Or, it could be the darkness of death. Whatever the case Jesus felt the complete absence of His Father in his life. His connection to His Father enabled him to do all that he did in the power of the Spirit. But now he felt utterly forsaken by his friends, his followers, and his Father. He was all alone. 

Some Jews mistakenly thought he was calling on Elijah. Someone again offered him a sponge with wine, but others continued to abuse and mock him. All alone and rejected by all people Jews, Gentiles, and his own Father, Jesus breathed his last. The Son of God died. God died. It proved Jesus was 100% human, as only a human being can die. Jesus lived in a real human body that died, not a shell of a body. 

This happened in the sense that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus not only endured the withdrawal of the Father’s fellowship, but also the actual outpouring of the Father’s wrath upon Him as a substitute for sinful humanity. -Guzik

Sadly, Jesus was misunderstood and mocked until the bitter end. These spectators at the cross knew just enough of the Bible to get it really wrong, and they speculated wildly, thinking that Elijah might come and rescue Jesus. - Guzik

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,[c] he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

The significance of the curtain in the temple was that behind the curtain was where God dwelt by His Spirit. It was a barrier between God and man due to man's sinfulness. But this partition was now torn in two signaling the reconciliation between God and man. We were reconciled to God, or made one with him again but Jesus' payment of our debt on the cross. 

A centurion, a Roman soldier overseeing 100 men, realized who it was who was on the cross. He led by the Holy Spirit confessed that Jesus was the Son. I am pretty upon his confession of faith he became and believer and hopefully we will see him in heaven one day! 

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

The centurion saw Jesus for who He was and is a picture of all who come to Jesus through the cross. At the cross, people saw that Jesus was the Son of God and this fulfilled Jesus’ promise if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all peoples to Myself (John 12:32). This centurion saw many people crucified before, yet there was something so remarkable about Jesus that he said something he could not say about anyone else. - Guzik

40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph,[d] 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.

There were also women looking on from afar: Finally, the most faithful disciples of Jesus are revealed. They were His female followers: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome and many other women. - Guzik

The Burial of Jesus

42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

Joseph of Arimathea was part of the Sanhedrin, the group of 70 men who ruled the Jewish religion as elders. It appears Joseph may have believed Jesus was the Messiah. When he asked Pilate for the body, Pilate surprised that Jesus died so quickly. As we know Pilate had quite a bit of reluctance to crucify Jesus. He knew was no ordinary man and perhaps this is why he was surprised. 

Joseph brought Jesus a white, linen cloth to give Jesus a proper burial. He also bought a tomb which was cut out of a rock. It was an expensive tomb but appropriate given who would inhabit it. The stone was cut perfectly so it fit in tight with the rock. The stone was of enormous weight so that no one could go in and steal the body.  

“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)

Customarily, the bodies of crucified criminals were left on their crosses to rot or be eaten by wild animals. However, the Jews wanted no such horror displayed at the Passover season, and Romans were known to grant friends or relatives a corpse for proper burial.

I don't know about you but it is too easy to get familiar with this story. As we begin the Lenten Season with Ash Wednesday today, it is a reminder that these 40 days lead to Good Friday. We should not celebrate Easter until we have walked to road to Calvary. We should not skip to the empty tomb until we have journeyed past Golgotha. We shouldn't cry "Christ is Risen", until we have seen him nailed torturously to a cross, mocked, beaten, spit upon, forsaken by all of his family and friends, and worst of all forsaken by own His Father in heaven.  And he did all of this for you and me!