The Passion Week of Christ: A Study from the Book of Mark
Week 10: The Servant Finishes - His Death
Mark 15:33-41
I. Introduction
A. Everything in the universe, every plant and animal, every rock, every particle of matter or light wave is bound by laws which it has no choice but to obey. Take the following for instance: Law of Biogenesis = life always comes from life (unless you're an evolutionist and then it comes from primordial soup); Laws of Chemistry = Na+ always has certain properties (discuss); Laws of Planetary Motion = Kepler - planets orbit in ellipses; Laws of Physics = E=mc2, F=ma. So, where did these laws come from? GOD! Gen. 1:1, Jer. 33:25 (NLT) - "But this is what the Lord says: I would no more reject my people than I would change my laws that govern night and day, earth and sky."
B. Let's use the Law of Logic - if God created all things, physical & spiritual and He put physical laws in motion to govern the physical universe, doesn't it follow that He put spiritual laws in motion to govern the spiritual universe? In fact, we see four spiritual laws true of mankind. Last week when we traveled to Golgotha and examined the first 3 hours of our Lord on the Cross, we saw the first two laws fulfilled - Law #1 = God loves you...Golgotha was a place of limitless love! Anyone who wasn't convinced of that truth last week? Law #2 = Man is sinful, no not one is good; God is holy & just; a great gulf separates the two, no amount of which good works, religion, etc can bridge! Anyone who wasn't convinced of that truth last week?
C. And so now, we come to our Lord's last 3 hours on the cross. During those first three hours, He has suffered all the physical pain the cross can mete out. Up to this point, Jesus has suffered greatly at the hands of man. Now, it's time for Him to suffer at the hands of His Heavenly Father. The cross was not about man having his chance to attack God. The cross was about God judging His Son for sin in the place of sinners...it was where God brought to completion His spiritual laws for the spiritual universe. Having decided to save man in eternity past, He would now bring to fruition His plan to do so that was formulated from the foundation of the world - "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor. 5:21) This AM, as we once again travel to that Hill called Calvary, we will witness the Servant's Death. As we do, we will see The Misery Of His Death, The Miracles At His Death, and The Ministry Of His Death.
II. Scripture Reading & Prayer
A. Stand with me to honor the reading of God's Word. Read Mark 15:33-41.
B. Pray - Father, we come with great reverence to the darkest hour in the history of man, when the perfect, sinless Lamb of God, fully bore your wrath against our sins. That upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, we could never thank you enough. Break us anew over & teach us from that hour.
III. The Misery of His Death (15:33-37) - Notice 4 things
A. The Father's Turning (v. 33):
- Mark tells us that when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land. Sixth hour (Jewish time) = Noon. All three synoptic evangelists (Matt., Mark, Luke) not only recorded that this supernatural darkness occurred but also that it lasted until the ninth hour, that is until 3pm. Three hours! Many an explanation has been offered for this - Thallus, a 1st century secular historian, and Phlegon of Tralles, a 2nd century historian, both tried to dismiss it as a solar eclipse. Yet, it would not be possible to have an eclipse during full moon at Passover. The geographical extent is not known, although the writings of the church Fathers hint it extended beyond Palestine. Both are immaterial: it is the symbolism which is important.
- Darkness is a sign of divine judgment, both in a covenantal and an apocalyptic sense. Most important is the covenantal. The ninth plague in Egypt was a plague of darkness - read Exodus 10:21-23. It was followed by the tenth plague - death of the firstborn (cf. Exodus 11:1, 4-5). Darkness at noon was a fitting sign for God the Creator to give to those who had rejected the Light of the World. More importantly, the darkness at Calvary (3 hours compared to 3 days of 9th plague) was an announcement that God's Firstborn and Beloved Son, the Lamb of God, our Passover Lamb, was giving His life for the sins of the world. Thus, the darkness is a symbol of God the Father turning His back on His own Son as He became a sin offering and bore God's full wrath against the sin of the world.
B. The Son's Turmoil (v. 34):
- Picture this scene - for 3 hours God has shut down TVA! No lights! Pitch black. As far as we know, the darkness silenced the people around the cross, and for three hours, there was little sound or movement. Then...BAM! The lights come back on and at that very moment Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi... Loud is "megas" in Greek - huge, massive. Cried is "boao," meaning to shout with intense feeling, make an urgent distress call, manifesting deep feeling thus a very emotional term. Men being crucified didn't yell out like this! Of course, man had never bore the world's sin either!
- This is what Jesus feared most in Gethsemane. Here is that cup being drank down to the dregs. Consider what this means. It means that every lie, every rape, every molestation, every murder, every act of revenge, every aborted baby, every word of blasphemy, every evil thought or deed ever committed; all the pride, all the hatred, all the sexual sin, all the immorality, all the wickedness and all the ungodliness done by all those who would ever be redeemed by His blood was placed on Him. 10 billion people, avg age of 50, 365 days/yr, 1 sin/day = 182.5 Trillion sins, divided by 3 hrs = 16.9 Billion sins/sec! Can you imagine how this must have repulsed His holy soul? Here is a man born without a sinful nature, who had never committed the slightest of sins, who is accustomed to holiness and righteousness. Now, all the sins of His Bride are placed on Him. The spiritual agony Jesus endured that day far outweighed any physical torment He might have suffered. When that transaction was made on the cross, God the Father focused all of His wrath against sin into the body of His Son. Yet, the worst part of the transaction? Jesus' abandonment.
- In that moment of time, Jesus suffered the greatest agony of Hell itself. He suffered separation from the presence of His Father. And in this great hour of agony, it seems He is staying Himself on the Scriptures. Here Ps. 22 occupies our Lord's mind. The opening words of His cry - My God, my God, are an affirmation of faith. Jesus by quoting the first verse, wanted to highlight the entire Psalm, which begins in sorrow and ends in triumph. As Cole writes, "So here we have the agony of one suffering the experience of abandonment by God, and yet certain by faith of ultimate vindication and triumph."
C. The World's Taunt (v. 35-36):
- Elijah had delivered several people in distress during his ministry. F. F. Bruce notes that when Jesus said, "My God," the form would be "Eliya, pronounced very close to Elijah's name. This may explain why - read v. 35. It's at this point that John records Jesus' 5th saying from the cross - "I thirst." And so - read v. 36a. This sour wine or vinegar was that commonly consumed by soldiers and workers. It is taken from Ps. 69:21, another messianic Psalm which begins in sorrow and ends in triumph. This Psalm too must have been on the mind of Jesus. This wine was quite different from the drugged wine our Lord was offered in v. 23 - this one was given to crucified persons to prolong life and suffering. Thus it was likely not given as an act of mercy to quell our Lord's thirst but out of a sinful desire to prolong Jesus' life in order to see a sign - read v. 36b. Yet, our Lord was on His own timetable!
D. The Trinity's Timetable (v. 37):
- Having satisfied the Father's demands for the punishment of sin, having paid the ransom price to redeem sinful humanity with His own blood, having offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, Jesus' work as God's Suffering Servant was finished. And so the Father turns back to His Son and we see their fellowship restored - "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke). Jesus' work complete, He uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. Jesus' strong cry was not the last gasp of an exhausted, demoralized, or defeated man. It was a shout of victory, of triumph (cf. Ps. 22, 69). John records the words of this final cry of our Lord - "'It is finished"! Tetelestai! Having defeated death and sin, Jesus died. Breathed his last is a single Greek word, "ekpneo," lit. "breathe out one's life." Jesus in that moment fulfilled John 10:17-18. Normally it took as long as 2-3 days for crucified people to die. Recall Pilate was surprised Jesus' died so quickly and that the legs of the two thieves had to be broken. Rome didn't kill Jesus, nor did the Jews! Jesus gave His life of His own accord, and on the Trinity's timetable.
E. App. Lost? A lot of people think Hell is going to be one gigantic party. The picture painted in Scripture is much different - fire that never ends, unquenchable thirst, weeping and gnashing of teeth...the worst? Eternal separation from God! Read 2 Thess. 1:8-9. As you have seen, 3 hours of that horrified Jesus! Are you willing to experience it for all eternity simply because you rejected Jesus in this nanosecond of a life? Saved? By now you should have noticed a pattern in Jesus' life - He stayed on the Scriptures, good times and bad times. He didn't look to McDonald's to fill Him up, He looked to the Word of God. Think of how well he knew the OT. In times of sorrow, He didn't go to counseling or the drug store but to the Book of Psalms. Are you, like Jesus, "staying on the Scriptures"? Do you love the Word of God? Reading, meditating, memorizing? Greatest example = our youth Wed PM!
IV. The Miracles at His Death (v. 38)
A. Just as all the synoptic writers recorded the supernatural darkness, so they all recorded that the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Matthew records three additional miracles - read Matt. 27:51-53. Imagine that scene - as rocks split, the earth shook and graves opened. What a miraculous moment! But the greatest miracle was the temple veil renting! The veil was massive - 60' x 30' x 4" thick! Early Jewish tradition ="When it became soiled, it took three hundred priests to immerse and cleanse it"; even a team of horses pulling it couldn't tear it. Yet it rent from top to bottom. Was it the earthquake that caused it? Like the darkness, the mechanism is immaterial: it is the symbolism which is important. For one it occurred at 3pm when the priests would have been preparing the evening sacrifices in the temple - which were no longer needed! The Jewish sacrificial system had officially come to an end! Jesus had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins. For two it represented God opening a way into His presence by the death of His Son. Only God could have like a hot knife through butter sliced through this massive curtain from top to bottom. Further, this massive curtain separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the sanctuary (cf. Exodus 26:31-34). Discuss the Most Holy Place - High Priest, Day of Atonement, splattered blood on mercy seat, any other day or without blood = violate God's holiness & death! Read 1 John 4:10 - propitiation = "mercy seat." Jesus became the forever mercy seat! The way to intimate fellowship with God had and has been reestablished by God at Christ's death - read Eph. 2:14; Heb. 6:19-20, 10:19-22. Mark 15:38 makes one thing crystal clear: the 3rd Spiritual Law. There are not many ways for man to be reconciled to God, there is only one Way, and His name is Jesus (cf. John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Muhammad didn't die for sin. Buddha didn't die for sin. Joseph Smith didn't die for sin. There was only one man on that cross that day and His name is Jesus. He is the one Who died for sin and for sinners. "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Rom. 10:13)
B. App. Our society is all about access. Passwords, Fire walls, back stage passes, 24/7/365/global wi-fi access. Christ has given us just that to God - 24/7/365/global access! Lost? God wants fellowship with you. Your sin makes you an enemy of God - a firewall that blocks access! What are you trusting in to reconcile you to God? There's only One Way, THE Way. Saved? We've cheapened this amazingly gracious gift that Christ has given us. Such access was unthinkable to the OT Jew who had to rely on the such as Moses, Aaron, high priests. Yet look at what we have in and through Christ - read Eph. 2:18, 3:12. We don't need Popes, priests in confessional booths, once a year appointments. We have 24/7/365/global access to a God that loves us so much He's numbered the hairs on our heads! Not only that, but we also stand on the end of redemptive history with the greatest revelation and access to God of any time in His people's history. Personal copies of Bibles & cellphones to heaven! How can we be so lukewarm in our relationship with Him? Covet your fellowship with the Lord! It's unprecedented in the history of Christiandom!
V. The Ministry in His Death (v. 39-41)
A. Thus far, we've seen the first 3 spiritual laws in motion and fulfillment. And so we come to the 4th law - that we each individually have a decision to make when it comes to Jesus Christ, God's only provision for man's sin. Around the cross that day, we see several people who received Him as Savior & Lord.
B. First was a Roman centurion. Centurions were the backbone of the Roman army and commanded 100 soldiers. He also would have been the Roman officer in charge of Jesus' crucifixion. As such, this man had witnessed many executions. No doubt he had supervised the death of hundreds, if not thousands of men during his career. As he watched Jesus die, several things struck him as being different about this man. He called God His Father; He prayed Father, forgive them, they know not what they do; having refused the wine to stay awake He reached out to the thief - Today you will be with me in Paradise; the tender mercy as He told His mother, Woman Behold your son, Son behold your mother; His silence as He was derided, His refusal to retaliate as He was mocked; the sign over His head; the 3 hours of darkness; and THOSE cries! Usually, when people died on the cross, they grew gradually weaker, day after day, until their bodies simply gave out. Not this man! He endured terrible pain and suffering on the cross, but He ended His life by crying out in a loud voice, only hours after His crucifixion began. Normally, those crucified were not able to speak in anything above a whisper at the end of their lives, if they could speak at all. When Jesus died, it seemed as though He still possessed strength of mind and body. This spoke to the centurion. He saw how Jesus died and he confessed that truly this man was the Son of God. Look at what Luke adds - read Luke 23:47-48. What he, a pagan, really meant by "the Son of God" has been much disputed. Early church tradition says this man was truly converted and in his words we see the truths of conversion. Conversion itself means "turning," here a spiritual turn, a turning FROM sin to Christ. The turn from sin = repentance; the turn to Christ = faith. Discuss last Sunday's D.T. and many "methods" of evangelizing. Yet, in all cases, and for all people, at some point there MUST be a brokenness over your own sin - a realization that that sin has you hopelessly separated from a loving, holy, just God and your only hope for reconciliation and your SIN problem is Jesus Christ. Yet, you can't just know that, you can't just agree it's true, you must then also decide to depend on Jesus to save you. And that's what we see with this centurion - "This man was innocent" = I'm guilty, I'm the sinful one, I'm the one deserving of death. "TRULY, this man was the Son of God," with truly suggesting a certainty & conviction that bespeaks genuine faith.
C. Second was a group of women - female disciples. Mark tells us that they had been with Jesus since the days of His Galilean ministry, traveling with Him and the disciples, caring for their needs (cf. Luke 8:1-3). This word ministered = "diakoneo," to be an attendant, wait upon, act as a Christian deacon. Same word used in Acts 6:2. The Lord had female deacons?! And committed ones! Some of them earlier had been at the foot of the cross. By now, they are unable to continue to watch Jesus' suffering at such close range and so they were looking on from a distance. Their loyalty is amazing and in sharp contrast to the male disciples who, except for John, were nowhere to be found. Men, aren't you thankful for the women in our church and their commitment to Jesus?! It also stands as a strong warning to us - much of our problems and issues not only in our society but also our churches is thanks to the fact that the men are nowhere to be found!!!
D. App. Lost? Where are you on the 4 Spiritual Law continuum - stuck on 1 - God's existence & nature; stuck on 2 - unwilling to admit your sin and need for a Savior; stuck on 3 - multiple ways to God, why do I need Jesus; stuck on 4 - miss heaven by 18". Won't you, like the centurion, turn to Him today? Saved? Are you living out Law #4? Are you like the women at the cross living a Christ centered life, where Christ is on the throne, and even at the expense of your own life, the love of Christ compels you, controls you to follow and serve Him? Discuss Africa devotion. Or are you living the self-centered life? Christ bids us "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." He not only demands but He also deserves our total commitment.
VI. Conclusion
A. I've talked a lot this AM about spiritual laws. And so in closing I want to discuss one more. I have a confession - a lot of people in this world and unfortunately a lot of people in churches, even those behind pulpits, do not agree with what your pastor is doing. Two Sundays preaching nothing but the cross! Showing "The Passion of the Christ" and AT CHURCH! It's too gross, it's too bloody, it's too horrific, it's uncomfortable! And oh BTW - you can't keep telling people that they are sinners. In fact, one TV pastor, who aspires to be the 1st with a church of an attendance of 100k, says of his own preaching "I never thought about (using the word 'sinners'), but I probably don't. Most people already know what they're doing wrong. When I get them to church, I want to tell them that you can change." When people come to church I want to tell them good news alright, THE GOSPEL! What would Paul say of this? He addressed this issue in the first letter he ever wrote - read Galatians 1:6-9. So what is the gospel to be preached? Look at 1 Cor. 1:18-24. Here's the spiritual laws. #1 We preach Christ crucified. If I preach any other gospel, let me be accursed. #2 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. Read "The Power of His Blood" poem.
VII. Invitation and Benediction
A. Lost? Obeying spiritual laws? Received Christ as your personal Savior and Lord?
B. Saved? Obeying spiritual laws? Baptized? Acts 2:38 - "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ" Church member? Hebrews 13:17 - "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls," Which leaders to obey and submit? Any "elder"? Westboro Baptist leaders? Those of one local body of believers with whom you most agree? No perfect church in terms of orthodoxy & orthopraxy?
