Let’s take a walk through Mark 15. Jesus has just been betrayed by one of his closest friends; the beginning of His journey to the cross. It may seem odd, but I want to pull your attention to the sub-headings in this chapter: “Jesus Delivered to Pilate” “Pilate Delivers Jesus to be Crucified” “Jesus is Mocked” “The Crucifixion” “The Death of Jesus” “Jesus is Buried”
6 major headings. 6 major events. And that’s not including the beating Jesus had just before being sent to be crucified. Each event, like a blow to the gut of the promise of redemption, broke His body and his heart again and again.
I imagine you’ve felt heartbroken a time or two. Maybe betrayed. Probably put up a wall or two in hopes that it wouldn’t happen again. Probably shut a person or two out who was considered “toxic.”
Jesus will never.... never see you as toxic. He will never shut you out. Or put up walls to keep you out. He went though each of those events with us in mind, friend. He was face to face with humanity in its wicked entirety. Face to face with people who’s hearts were filled with pride and murder- and he saw us as worth it, still.
Jesus was betrayed and delivered to pilate - you’re worth it. Jesus was delivered to be flogged and then crucified- you’re worth it. Jesus was mocked- you’re worth it. Jesus was crucified- you’re worth it. Jesus’ death and burial- you’re worth it.
He’s not changing His mind, friend. You were then, are now, and will always be His beloved.
You were then, are now, and will always be His beloved. Live your week encouraged- He rose for you!
“And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.” -Mark 15:20 The first thing the Jews did when Jesus was released to them wasn’t kill Him, but instead mocked Him. They made a crown of thorns to represent a kingly crown and put a purple cloak on Him. In these times the style and color of your clothes revealed your social class and occupation. So the fact that this mob put a purple cloak on Jesus was important because that was the color signifying royalty. I wonder where they got the cloak? Did someone in the crowd willingly give theirs up to place upon Jesus just to mock Him as He wore it? I wonder if later that person realized that their cloak had clothed the Messiah and finally, after 33 years on earth, allowed a glimmer of what heaven looks like to be shown here. It truly doesn’t matter where the cloak came from but what does matter is that though the Jews thought they were mocking Jesus, instead they were showing what happened when Jesus chose to come to humanity. They took off His symbol of royalty and clothed him in his carpenter clothes. When Jesus willingly came to earth, He stepped off His throne and came down to the place that His words created. He chose to remove His royal robes and clothe Himself in humanity. The beautiful thing about Jesus is even though He came as a man, He was no less God. But I feel like in this moment in Mark 15:20, Jesus felt the weight of humanity’s sin as the Jews ripped off the royal cloak and clothes Him in common man’s clothing. He had to have been thinking of the weight of exchanging the royalty for humanity and what was moments away from occurring. I’m sure in all the chaos and all the mocking Jesus realized the symbolism and weight of the situation He had found Himself so willingly in..
He became sin for us. For you.
I’d like to encourage you to sit for a moment and think of the weight of Jesus choosing to come down to humanity for us. The weight He bore, though He was without sin, He became sin for us. For you. So You could be made new and know God. What a weighty decision. Allow your heart to be filled with thanksgiving. I want to encourage you to begin to thank Him for His beautiful exchange of His throne form earth and our sin for righteousness.
5 points of suffering Jesus faced. 1. Bound Mark 15:1–5 (ESV) And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. 2. Rejected Mark 15:12–15 (ESV) 12 And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” 13 And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” 14 And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
3. Mocked Mark 15:16–20 (ESV) 16 They called together the whole battalion. 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
4. Condemned Mark 15:24–32 (ESV) 24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.
5. Felt Abandoned Mark 15:33–39 (ESV) 33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” How is his suffering Good, Good News? 1. Because he was bound, we can experience freedom. 2. Because he was rejected, we can experience acceptance. 3. Because he was mocked, we are affirmed. 4. Because he was condemned, we can be saved. Mark 15:31–34 (ESV) 31 The chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying,“He saved others; he cannot save himself.32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him
“He could have come down and saved himself; instead, he remained on the cross to save us.” John 3:16–18 (ESV) 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT) For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
5 . Because he experienced abandonment, we have access. Mark 15:37–38 (ESV) Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Jesus provided full access.
Romans 5:17 (NLT) For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
Additional Reading: Pilate Tries Jesus: Matt. 27:1, 2, 11–23; Luke 23:1–5, 13–23; John 18:28–19:15 Jesus is Beaten: Matt. 27:26–34; Luke 23:24–32; John 19:16–22 Jesus is Crucified: Matt. 27:35–56; Luke 23:33–49; John 19:18, 23–30 Jesus is Buried: Matt. 27:57–61; Luke 23:50–55; John 19:38–42
