SERIES: WALKING WITH JESUS
“THE VICTORIOUS SERVANT”
MARK 15:21-16:20
OPEN
In November of 2001, after the Arizona Diamondbacks came back to beat the new York Yankees in the final inning of the final game of the World Series, the editors of Sports Illustrated ran an item called “The Top Ten Comebacks of All Time.” The list ran across quite a broad spectrum of events.
Elvis Presley was on it, as a result of his TV special in 1968 that revived his sagging career. Muhammad Ali made the list when he returned from his forced seven-year exile from boxing, to reclaim the world championship. Harry Truman made the cut, owing to his 1948 victory over Thomas Dewey when all the polls had him losing by a large margin. When Michael Jordan gave up baseball and returned to his first love of basketball, he found a spot on the top ten comebacks in history. Even humanity was on the list – after recovering from the Black Plague of the 14th century when 25 million Europeans died. Number two among the all-time comebacks was a tie between Japan and Germany, devastated in the Second World War but becoming world economic powers within a generation.
But the number one spot – named by the editors of Sports Illustrated for the greatest comeback of all time – “Jesus Christ, A.D. 33. Stuns Romans and defies critics by his resurrection from the grave.”
We started in January “walking with Jesus.” We’ve studied through the whole Gospel of Mark and we finish that study this morning.
The emphasis of Mark’s Gospel is on activity – the work of the Servant. Mark records only a few of Jesus’ sermons. Mark focuses on what Jesus did rather that what He said. The Servant came to minister to hurting, suffering people and to die for the sins of the world. This morning we see him finish his work and come back victoriously over death.
CRUCIFIED
Last week, we left the story of Jesus at the point where Pilate ordered his crucifixion. He had Jesus flogged and then the soldiers mocked him.
The flogging was sometimes enough to kill a man. It was brutal and left the recipient with huge gaping wounds and sometimes even exposed internal organs. The soldiers then ridiculed Jesus by dressing him up in mock royal robes, cramming a crown of thorns on his head, and then taking turns, hit him with their fists and with a wooden rod and spat on him.
They then ripped the mock royal robes from him. The robes would have ripped more flesh from Jesus’ body because of coagulated blood and bodily fluids. Then they dressed him back in his regular clothes and marched him through the streets of Jerusalem to his place of execution.
Since both Jewish and Roman law required that executions be made outside the city, criminals were put to death on a hill outside of Jerusalem. Roman custom was to position places of execution near well-traveled roads so that people could easily see what became of those who opposed Caesar. This is where we pick up the story this morning.
Mk. 15:21 – “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.” Jesus was most likely carrying what was called the patibulum – the cross-beam of the cross – which weighed anywhere from 50 pounds and up. After the severe flogging and the beating at the hands of the soldiers, Jesus had suffered loss of blood, physical trauma and shock, which led to physical exhaustion and the inability to carry his cross all the way.
Cyrene was a Greek settlement on the North African coast of the Mediterranean, in what is now modern Libya. It had a large Jewish population, and since “Simon” or “Shimon” is a common Jewish name, he had probably come to Jerusalem as a pilgrim to celebrate the Passover. The Bible says he was just a passer-by when he was recruited by the Roman soldiers to carry Jesus' cross for him. Most likely it was against his will but Roman soldiers had the authority to demand such things, and since he was able-bodied, he could not refuse.
Do you know what it is to have more on your shoulders than you can possibly bear? Jesus does. Through most of the Passion story we see him standing strong and bold and courageous in the face of the worst kind of abuse. And now, with the end so near, his body completely gives out. He cannot take another step in his own strength. When you come to the place in your life when you cannot take another step in your own strength, I
want you to know that Jesus has been there, too.
The great British preacher John R.W. Stott said, “I could never myself believe in God if it were not for the
cross. In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I turn to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in God-forsaken darkness. That is the God for me. He set aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death.”
Mk. 15:22-25 – “They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. It was the third hour when they crucified him.”
Golgotha is the Aramaic word for the hill outside of Jerusalem used for crucifixions. We know it by the Latin term: Calvary. Both words mean “the place of the skull.” It’s not the kind of place you would take your family for a picnic.
Have you noticed that the gospel writers do not go into much detail about the process of crucifixion? It’s probably because most people who lived in the 1st century knew the process well. It was the primary method of execution used by the Romans for criminals and the worst of their enemies.
Death by crucifixion was meant to be torturous and arduous. It was designed to produce the greatest amount of pain and suffering before death. The Romans were quite proud of their brutal creativity and constantly worked at perfecting this most horrible form of execution.
Mk. 15:26-28 – “The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.”
Pilate ordered that this “written notice” carry this particular message. Along with the Roman soldier who followed Jesus through the city with a whip, another soldier would have carried the placard with this message. It was nailed to the top of the cross to announce Jesus’ crime to all who would pass by. John’s Gospel tells us that the notice was written in the three local languages: Aramaic, Greek, and Latin.
Mk. 15:29-41 – “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, come down from the cross and save yourself!’ 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! Let this Christ,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.” “At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’—which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” When some of those standing near heard this, they said, ‘Listen, he's calling Elijah.’ One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ‘Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down,’ he said.” With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’” Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 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.”
Why did Jesus go through such anguish, such pain, such humiliation? He did it because He loved us. Rom. 5:6-8 – “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God
demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 1 Jn. 3:16 puts it this way, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”
When Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” he took our sin unto himself. 1 Pet. 2:24 – “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” We can be reconciled to God, we can be in a right relationship with him, we can be forgiven of our sins and receive everlasting life through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.
BURIED
Mk. 15:42-47 – “It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached,
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. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead.
Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it
was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 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. Mary
Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.”
A few years ago the Whitelight Casket Company came up with the idea of making decorative caskets that reflect the personality and the lifestyle of the person being buried For example, if you’re a golfer you can select the “Fairway to Heaven” model, which has a picture of a beautiful golf hole painted on the outside.
Or if you’re a beach lover, you can get the model that’s painted like a beach scene and even comes with its own palm tree that you can set up beside the casket.
Or, if you’re a music lover, you can get the model that has a CD player in it so your family and friends can listen to your favorite songs even as you’re being lowered into the ground.
Of, if you have a sense of humor, you can get the model that’s wrapped in plain brown paper and has the words, “Return to Sender” stamped on the side.
Now, if this idea seems a little weird to you, it shouldn’t, because the Whitelight Casket Company is only picking up on one of the oldest ideas known to man. For thousands of years it’s been common for people to adorn, decorate, and personalize their final resting places.
King Tutankhamen, whom we know as King Tut, became the king of Egypt at the age of 16 and died at the age of 19 from a head injury, leading many experts to believe that he was murdered by a blow to the head. As far as we know, during his 3 year reign he didn’t do anything significant or noteworthy. And yet, he was buried in a coffin of solid gold. There were 15 rings found on his mummified fingers. He was wearing 13 bracelets and assorted amulets and earrings. And the tomb he was buried in contained 415 priceless statues. King Tut’s tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter, and the thing that made it such a significant find was the fact that it was one of the few ancient tombs we’ve ever found that hadn’t already been broken into and stripped clean by robbers.
What do find in Jesus’ tomb? First of all, in the tomb of Jesus THERE WERE NO EARTHLY TREASURES. Obviously, there was nothing like what was found in King Tut’s tomb. But neither were there any mementos or keepsakes. You know, even to this day, it’s not unusual for people to be buried in a favorite suit or dress…or to have pictures of family and friends…or with some item that was important to them during their lives. For example, I read not long ago that jazz great, Dizzy Gillespie, was buried with his trumpet.
But in the tomb of Jesus there were no earthly treasures. And how appropriate that was because in the life of Jesus there were no earthly treasures. Jesus was an itinerant preacher. He walked from place to place, preaching his simple, but life-changing sermons. In fact, the Bible says he didn’t even have a place to lay his head. And we know that when he died his entire estate – his entire life savings – consisted of the clothes on his back.
Second, in the tomb of Jesus THERE WERE NO ETCHINGS ON THE WALLS to tell his life story. Some of the greatest insights we have into what life was like thousands of years ago come from the etchings or the pictures on the walls of ancient tombs. In some cases, a person’s entire life story can be read in great detail just by following the sequence of a series of beautifully drawn pictures.
But in the tomb of Jesus, there were no pictures. And again, that is very appropriate because Jesus never intended for his life story to be told by pictures, he intended for it to be told by people.
Third, and here’s the most important thing not found in Jesus’ tomb – THERE WAS NO BODY! Jesus was not there. He had risen!
RESURRECTED
Mk. 16:1-13 – “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, ‘Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?’ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. ‘Don't be alarmed,’ he said. ‘You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.”
The resurrection of Jesus is the most important part of our faith. The resurrection is one of the major things that separates Christianity from all the religions of the world. Without the resurrection, Christianity is just the same as any other religious or philosophical teaching in the world – just good sayings and sometimes good advice. But hey, even Oprah gives good advice.
If the resurrection did not happen, then our faith is based on a lie. Arthur Ramsey puts it bluntly. He said, “No resurrection, no Christianity.” John R.W. Stott put it this way, “Christianity is in its very essence a resurrection religion. The concept of resurrection lies at its heart. If you remove it, Christianity is destroyed.”
There are three important consequences related to Jesus’ resurrection. First, if there is no resurrection there is no life after death. If Jesus stayed in the grave, so will we. If his work on earth ended at the cross, he can’t give eternal life to anyone because you cannot give away what you do not possess yourself.
Second, if there’s no resurrection, there’s no meaning in this life either. This world is a pretty meaningless place without the hope of eternity. 1 Cor. 15:19 – “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”
Finally, if there’s no resurrection then there is also no forgiveness of sin. 1 Cor. 15:17 – “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”
But the good news is that Christ has risen. He is alive! 1 Cor. 15:20 – “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead…”
Mk. 16:14-18 – “Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. He said to them, ‘Go into
all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but
whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name
they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when
they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get
well.’”
The resurrection means that we have a mission and a purpose. We have the obligation to share this new life in Christ with everyone. The message of hope through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection is to be our reason for living.
Some of the verses in this particular passage are confusing – especially when we take them out of context. Basically Jesus tells us that there will be times when he works his power through us. There will also be times when we face dangers and troubles. During those times, he will be with us. We’re not called to test him by intentionally handling poisonous snakes and drinking strychnine.
We see in the Book of Acts that these things did happen. But we also see that sometimes Christ’s followers met their deaths because they followed him. The message is that because of everything he went through for us, we can trust him in every situation.
ASCENDED
Mk. 16:19-20 – “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the
right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and
confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.”
Jesus spends 40 days with his followers teaching them important things. He teaches them about fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. He teaches them about the mission and purpose of the church. And he teaches them that he will continually be with them and guide them through his Holy Spirit.
His ascension to the right hand of the Father completes his glorification and exaltation. He is not only raised from the dead, but since he finished what he came to do, he goes back home.
Does that mean that his work is totally finished? By no means! He is now both our judge and our defense attorney. He has gone back to the Father to continue his work. In Jn. 14:2-3, Jesus tells us what he is doing right now: “In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
CLOSE
Inner-city preacher Tony Campolo describes the time when he came to truly understand the meaning of the resurrection:
I went to my first black funeral when I was 16 years old. A friend of mine, Clarence, had died. The
pastor was incredible. From the pulpit he talked about the Resurrection in beautiful terms. He had us
thrilled. He came down from the pulpit, went to the family, and comforted them from the fourteenth chapter
of John. “Let not your heart be troubled,” he said, “‘You believe in God, believe also in me,’ said Jesus.
Clarence has gone to heavenly mansions.”
Then, for the last 20 minutes of the sermon, he actually preached to the open casket. Now, that's drama!
He yelled at the corpse: “Clarence! Clarence!” He said it with such authority. I would not have been
surprised had there been an answer. He said, “Clarence, there were a lot of things we should have said to
you that we never said to you. You got away too fast, Clarence. You got away too fast.” He went down this
litany of beautiful things that Clarence had done for people. When he finished—here's the dramatic part—
he said, “That's it, Clarence. There's nothing more to say. When there's nothing more to say, there's only
one thing to say. Good night. Good night, Clarence!” He grabbed the lid of the casket and slammed it
shut. “Good night, Clarence!” Boom!
Shock waves went over the congregation. As the preacher then lifted his head, you could see there was
this smile on his face. He said, “Good night, Clarence. Good night, Clarence, because I know, I know that
God is going to give you a good morning!” The choir stood and starting singing, “On that great morning,
we shall rise, we shall rise.” We were dancing in the aisles and hugging each other. I knew the joy of the
Lord, a joy that in the face of death laughs and sings and dances, for there is no sting to death.
Ray Stedman said, “The resurrection is not only good news; it is the best news possible.” Rom. 6:3-5 – “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his
death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.”
Do you need to be united with Christ in His resurrection? Do you want abundant and eternal life? There’s no better day to make a decision to turn your life over to Him than today.
