The below sermon is on Mark 15:21-41. These free inductive notes are intended as supplement to your own study, not a replacement. Feel free to copy, print, or share them. These notes can be helpful for individual study of the Word or for small group Bible studies. We hope your understanding of God’s Word is deeper from them.
Mark 15:21-41 – The Greatest Story Ever Told
Mark 15:21-41 – The Greatest Story Ever Told
Introduction: Today I have the honor to share with you the greatest story ever told. All of the Old Testament is a prequel to prepare people for this event. It is hinted at in the very beginning in the Garden of Eden. It was prophesied to Abraham when God chose Him. It was foreshadowed by the Passover. Christmas, the birth of Jesus, is also a prequel to the main event. The story we will study today is the climax of the Bible and of all of human history. It is the reason I am in China. It is the reason I married Christy and thus have these children. It is the reason you are here today instead of out shopping or at home resting. It occurred almost 2000 years ago, but it has forever changed our lives. It is the story of the cross. Lets read the passage.
Point #1 (21-22) – Jesus is helped by Simon
Criminals would normally be forced to carry their own crosses. Simon was probably forced to help because Jesus was in no shape to do it after the scourging he had endured.
Simon of Cyrene – Cyrene was a city in Libya, Northern Africa. There was a community of roughly 100,000 Jews there. It is very possible that Simon (since his name is likely Jewish) was a Jew visiting Jerusalem for the Passover. His two sons are also mentioned. It is not normal to mention the names of children suddenly like this. The fact that Mark mentions there names likely points to the fact that they would be well-known by Mark’s readers in Rome. Thus they were probably believers well known in the church. Some believe that the Rufus Paul mentions in Romans 16:13 is the same one and he very well could be.
Simon was merely a passer-by. He could have been drawn to the commotion and wanted to take a look to see what was going on. Then suddenly Roman soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. This surely wasn’t in his holiday plans!. Here he was being treated as a criminal when he hadn’t done anything (kind of like Jesus was). So what do we learn from Simon’s story?
Not everything that seems bad is. This was not what Simon had in mind when he visited Jerusalem. Most facing similar situations would complain and grow bitter and angry. Yet this event appears to have been integral in saving two of his children and likely himself. God had a purpose in it.
Next time you face an inconvenience remember do not complain. Maybe He wants to use the inconvenience to accomplish something good.
Point #2 (23-32) – Jesus is a Silent Sacrifice
Let’s first go through the text and pull out a few of the things that are happening here.
Jesus was crucified at Golgotha. It was known at that time as the place of the skull because the hill resembled one. Read Hebrews 13:12 and John 19:20. This was a place near the city, but just outside the city walls. The Romans wanted to intimidate the Jews and also warn them of the serious consequences of breaking the law so they chose a public place on a hill that could be seen easily from all around.
Wine mixed with myrrh – An ancient Jewish tradition was to offer this narcotic drink as a small way to decrease the sensitivity of the condemned to pain and ease their final time on earth. Some individual took compassion on Jesus. Just because everybody else is doing something evil doesn’t mean you have to join in. You can choose to be different and show mercy when others show none.
Jesus rejected the wine and thus opted to endure with full consciousness the pain and agony of the cross. He didn’t take the easy way out. But He chose the best way. He kept His wits about Him so that He could be in full control of His actions and words and also feel the full force of the suffering for sin. Application: You may go through a difficulty and be tempted to indulge yourself in something to ease the pain of the experience. It could be alcahol, sleep, excessive medication, or binge watching television. Do not give in to the temptation. The world tries to avoid pain at all costs, but Jesus did not.
Note that down in verse 36 Jesus is offered wine a second time and accepted it. However, this was a sour wine. It was a drink designed to re-energize Him, like Red Bull :) This drink would help Him have a clear mind instead of dulling it, so He took it.
They cast lots for his clothing. Many Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled here at the cross and this is one of them. Read Psalm 22:18 and John 19:23-24. Jesus’ clothes were divided up among them and his seamless tunic remained, so they gambled for that. The picture we get is one of utter shame as Jesus is hung naked on the cross. In His life He had few possessions, and at His death the ones He had were stolen right in front of Him. They are making a mockery of Him, which was all part of the goal to inflict as much shame and suffering on Him as possible.
Jesus was crucified the third hour. Their day started at 6AM, so this would have been 9AM. Last week we heard Tony discuss how the religious leaders rushed to crucify Jesus as fast as possible. That included 6 trials, many of which took place very early in the morning. It shows us just how corrupted the people were by their sin. They rushed as fast as they possibly could to kill their Creator.
See John 19:21. The religious leaders tried to have this inscription changed to say that Jesus said He was the King of Jews. Pilate wouldn’t have it. In order to preserve his dignity, he finally shows a little bit of spine. This the like the parent who finally relents by buying their sixteen year old son the sports car he has been asking for, but firmly draws the line by saying “No!” to a new paint job. Pilate cared about saving face more than he cared about doing the right thing.
Isaiah 53:12 (He was numbered with the transgressors) – Here is another prophesy fulfilled. Jesus is the Creator of the universe, perfect, sovereign, innocent, compassionate, merciful, the Alpha and Omega, the Lion of Judah, their rightful King and Messiah. And He was murdered like a common criminal. It is unfathomable. And yet God predestined it and prophesied it ahead of time. Here we see Jesus’ love for humanity more vividly than anywhere else. When people doubt God’s love and accuse Him of being unmerciful or uncaring, point them to the cross. Ask them why Jesus is hanging on that cross like a common criminal if He doesn’t love us.
On the cross, the shaming of Jesus doesn’t end. He didn’t just endure physical agony. Now the people begin to mock him and laugh at him, causing Him mental agony. Random passers by insult him. The religious leaders insult Him. Even one of the other thieves insult him we learn from parallel passages. Some of these people are probably the same ones who shouted his praises when He entered Jerusalem less than a week before. Here we see a glimpse into the hearts of man and it is not pretty.
When we study the Bible we can learn to ask several basic questions which can help us to understand the main points. These basic questions can be asked in your own quiet times or when you are studying the Bible with others. They are, “What does this teach us about people?” And “What does this teach us about God or Jesus?”
What does this teach us about people?
It teaches us that people are desperately sinful. {If time, See Jeremiah 17:9.} Instead of showing compassion on an innocent man who did nothing but help them, they hurl insults at him while he is dying on a cross. This is what we learn about people. And it is true of us as well. We are just as sinful as those people insulting Jesus that day. We need forgiveness just as they did.
And what does this teach us about Jesus?
It teaches us that Jesus is the silent sacrifice. See Isaiah 53:7.
Jesus is still able to talk on the cross. He talks to several people and says seven different things. But interestingly, not one time does He talk to any of the people accusing or mocking Him. He does not give one word of response to their accusations. It is not because He is too tired. He summoned the energy to talk to the thief who stood up for Jesus and to His mother. These insults do not deserve a response. Jesus demonstrated remarkable self-control in resisting the urge to argue with these fools or to give them a demonstration of His deity in the form of a lightning bolt from heaven. If it was me on the cross, I would have said, “Ok you don’t believe, watch this!”
Fortunately for all of us, Jesus didn’t do that. He is humble and meek and doesn’t defend himself or get engaged in foolish debates. He gives us a wise example of self control. Are you easily drawn in to an argument? Are you quick to defend yourself? If your colleague wrongly accuses you, do you get angry and defend yourself? If your spouse blames you for something, do you get upset and protest your innocence? If you are sharing the gospel and someone is hostile and laughs at you, do you get offended and start to argue with them? Last week someone said to me, “Jesus did not defend Himself even when He was right, but we often defend ourselves even when we are wrong.” This observation is very true. This tendency to blame others and defend ourselves goes all the way back to Adam and Eve who defended their sin by blaming others. We must follow Jesus’ example of self-control. Do not respond hastily, but instead consider if a response is best and if so how to make a wise one. It takes two people to argue. Do not get sucked in to foolish arguments. In Proverbs 13:20 we learn that we should not answer a fool according to his folly. If it is necessary to respond, remember that a gentle answer turns away wrath. Jesus is the silent sacrifice. Next time you are accused will you also be silent?
If short on time, skip – {Jesus was also silent because performing a miracle on demand would not be effective. Jesus never did miracles just for the sake of showing He could. Many times unbelievers demanded signs of Jesus to prove who He was and He refused every time. This power was not a toy to twirl around and show off. It was serious and used for people who were serious-minded. This is a reminder that spiritual gifts are to be used to glorify God and edify the body and not for personal glory or showmanship. Our gifts, skills, and talents must always be used to bring people to God and not to say, “look at me.” This can apply to many Christian workers such as worship leaders and choir members, but many others as well.}
Point #3 (33-36) – Jesus is our Substitute
From 9AM until 12 noon darkness came over the land. The longest solar eclipse in the 20th century was 6 minutes and 39 seconds. While Jesus was hanging on the cross darkness fell over the land for three hours. This was not just a solar eclipse. This was a supernatural event. Darkness is a symbol for evil and for lies. Sometimes it also represents depression, grief, or sorrow. All of these are appropriate here. Mankind had just committed the worst evil in the history of the universe. They did it based on the biggest lie in the history of the universe (the lie that Jesus was a devil and not the Son of God.) It is the saddest event in the history of the world and God the Father must have been filled with infinite sorrow and grief as well. People had never descended further into sin or further from God than they did when they crucified His Son who came to save them. Here is the greatest evil ever committed.
How do you feel when you read this? What words come to mind? Guilty. Responsible. He was there because of you, because of me. Sad. Sad that Jesus had to go through such pain on our account. Thankful. Thankful that Jesus was willing to face this suffering for us.
As bad as we feel about it, Jesus felt a lot worse. He said, “My Father, My Father, why have you forsaken Me?” To this point we have seen some of the physical agony Jesus went through: the whip, the thorns, the rod, the nails, the scorn. All of his pails in contrast to what Jesus was facing spiritually. Read 2 Corinthians 5:2. Jesus became sin for us. You all know the bridge illustration. Sin is what separates us from God. God is holy. People are not. Therefore people have no fellowship with God. On the cross, for the very first time ever Jesus experienced a loss of fellowship with His father. More than that, His father was angry with Him.
Most commentators agree that this was the worst of all the punishment and agony that Jesus endured. His perfect, eternal, and intimate relationship with the Father had been shattered and the one He had perfect harmony with was now pouring out wrath upon Him. There is nothing in our world that can compare to what Jesus felt at that time. But the following example can perhaps give you a taste of what Jesus felt.
Imagine a soldier who marries his childhood sweetheart. The couple love each other dearly. They do everything together. They dream and plan about the future. They laugh and sing. Then one day the soldier gets called to duty. He needs to fight for his country. He does many heroic deeds in the battle, but instead of receiving a heroes welcome the king accuses him of treason out of jealousy (like Saul did to David.) His close friend turns him in and the rest of his friends flee and refuse to stand up for him. But none of this matters so much to him. The betrayals and accusations of those around him pale in comparison to the love he has for his wife. She will come and the joy of seeing her will wipe away all his tears. One day she does come. But instead of embracing him and telling him everything will be OK, she is the first one to pick up a stone and cast at him. His last memory of this life is his wife angrily throwing a rock at him. His heart is broken.
Jesus is our substitute. That should have been you. That should have been me. We deserved it. He didn’t.
Point #4 (37-38) – Jesus is our Savior
See Matthew 27:50. {If time John 19:30 uses the same term.} Jesus gave up His Spirit. No one can take Jesus’ life. Read John 10:18. Jesus was not helpless on the cross. He was fully capable of coming down from the cross. He was fully capable of continuing to hang on the cross and using His divine power to sustain His life. In theory He could have used His divine power to sustain His life and hang on the cross indefinitely. He could still be hanging there alive today. From these verses we see that He voluntarily chose to give His life for us. He laid it down. From this we see Jesus’ great love for us. It wasn’t the nails holding Him there. It was His love for us.
In the world today, people are really in to self-esteem. There are seminars to build self-esteem. Tens of thousands of books have been written on this subject. We don’t need a book or a seminar to give us self-esteem. You are valuable in God’s sight. Jesus loves you. He loves you so much He endured all of this for you. You have great value in His sight. Our sense of worth should come not from how we feel about ourselves, but from how God feels about us. And Jesus showed how much we mean to Him when He stayed on that cross and gave up His spirit. He loves you so much. How much do you love Him?
When Jesus gave up His Spirit, something amazing happened. The veil in the temple was torn in two. Josephus records that this veil was about 17 meters tall and 10 centimeters thick! The veil separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. The Holy of Holies was the home of the Ark of the Covenant and the place where God’s glory dwelt on earth. God is holy and people are not. The veil formed a physical barrier which represented the spiritual barrier between God and us. No one could enter it except the high priest who entered once per year on the Day of Atonement to offer atonement for the sins of the people. Many of you are are familiar with the good news bridge.
Share illustration of the gap and how this is the same meaning as the veil. Then share about the torn veil is showing we have access to God now because of Jesus’ work on the cross (just like in the bridge.)
Top to bottom. This was done by God, not man.
Right before Jesus died, He said, “It is finished.” He came to save us. He Himself stated this as His purpose in Luke 19:10. The veil being torn is divine proof that Jesus’ mission was accomplished. He is our Savior. He has saved us from the wrath of God. He has saved us from an eternity in hell. He has saved us from living a life of guilt and shame. He has saved us from a life of sin. What a wonderful Savior we have!
Point #5 (39-41)- Jesus is the Son of God
Jesus did many things in His life that proved He was the Son of God. (If time, can list some of them.) But pay attention to verse 39 here. It was the way that Jesus died that convinced this pagan Roman, that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. This Roman centurion was in the army and here he is on execution duty. He had seen many deaths. He knew what people looked like and what they did in their last moments. They cling to life. They panic. They are afraid. And finally, unwillingly their life is wrenched away. Jesus didn’t die like normal people do. The centurion looks at Jesus and sees that His death was different. He didn’t just say, “That is weird” or “That is different.” He said, “That man was the Son of God!” He recognized that Jesus’ death was extraordinary. The darkness hadn’t convinced Him. But the way Jesus gave up His own spirit did. Here we see the Old Testament prophecy that the Messiah would be a light to the nations start to be fulfilled. The Jews had rejected their king. But here a Gentile who was assigned to execute Jesus recognizes He is the Son of God. The veil was torn instantly at Jesus’ death and immediately afterward the first person, (a Gentile!) confesses Jesus is the Son of God. Everyone, Jew or Gentile, now had free access to God through His Son.
Conclusion:
Application 1# – If you are not a believer, review the simple gospel message and give an invitation.
Application 2# – If you are a believer, Romans 12:1.
Point #1 – We sacrifice because He sacrificed
This verse says, “in view of God’s mercy.” Jesus has given His life as the ultimate sacrifice for us. He endured the suffering, shame, and scorn of the cross along with the wrath of God. He did it for you. How should we respond?
Point #2 – We should respond by sacrificing
We should give our lives as a living sacrifice for Him. That means choosing to serve Him instead of ourselves in the big and little decisions we face each day. Earlier I said that the cross has forever changed our lives. Our lives have been changed. But they have not been changed enough. There are still areas we need to change to be more like Christ. There are still sacrifices we need to make.
Do you need to sacrifice some income so that you will have more time available for serving the Lord?
Do you need to sacrifice sleeping in so that you can have more time to read the Word before setting off to work?
Do you need to sacrifice your own comfort and popularity in order to share the good news with a lost friend?
Do you husbands need to sacrifice your time and sleep to help your wives take care of your children?
- Have you ever experienced something inconvenient (like Simon) which turned out to be good for you? What?
- How do you feel when you study about Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross?
- What do you need to sacrifice for the Lord this week?
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