Mark 15:15-37 4/2/23
As a little kid there was a game show that would come on and my mama would sometimes let us watch it. It was hosted by a fellow named Monty Hall. The show was called, “Let’s Make a Deal”. From what I’m hearing there’s NEW Let’s Make a Deal with Wayne Brady hosting it. I’ve never watched the new one and if you’ve never watched the show, the whole idea is the HOST is wheeling and dealing. “You can choose what’s behind Curtain A or Curtain B. But before we look I’ll give you whatever’s in my pocket instead. You make your pick but then right before your PRIZE is revealed you can take what’s in the BOX plus $500.” It get’s really crazy and you can wind up with something wonderful or NOTHING. (An old milk cow)
The Lord laid a message on my heart after I got home from preaching Bethany’s Funeral on Thursday. She was born with a Chromosomal Disorder and she lived almost 18 years. She never walked or talked. She was bound to a wheelchair. She was fed with a Feeding Tube. And last Monday Morning the Lord set her free. Her funeral was a time of CELEBRATION but it was also a VERY SAD FUNERAL. I think there was a sense of sadness for the things that she missed out on. It was a hard funeral. And then, also Thursday, I got a message that a friend of mine had passed away from Lou Gerrig’s Disease. We had worked together for years. He was a couple of years younger than me. A really good guy. He had twin girls around 5 years old.
And then, also on Thursday, I got another call for a Dear Old Saint of God who isn’t expected to live much longer and the family is starting to plan the Funeral. And so, to be honest with you, Thursday was a SAD DAY for me. Listen, don’t feel sorry for me because the Lord really spoke to me through all of this.
I want to bring a message out of the Book of Mark, Chapter 15, and we’ll read Verses 15-37.
“And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band.
17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,
18 And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!
19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.
20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.
21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.
22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.
23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.
24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.
25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
26 And the superscription of his accusation was written over, The King Of The Jews.
27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.
28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.
29 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross.
31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.
32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
36 And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.”
And so I came home from Bethany’s funeral and I was listening to some music, friends were coming over later, and this song came on. It’s entitled, “His Life for Mine.” And the Lord spoke SO STRONGLY to me through that song. He said to me, “Let’s Make a Deal”. “I’ll give My Life for your Life”. And that’s what God is saying to each one of us today. Let’s Make a Deal. “I’ll tell you what, MY Life for Your Life.”
And that’s what I want to preach on this morning. I believe Jesus is saying to each one of us setting here today ........ “Let’s Make a Deal”
PRAY
I. The FIRST DEAL Jesus made with humanity 2000 years ago is, “I’ll take your SCOURGING and you can be WHOLE”
Look at Verse 15,
“And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.”
Jesus was BEATEN, He was WHIPPED, His body was MUTILATED so that you and I can be WHOLE today.
750 years before Jesus was born, Isaiah PROPHESIED that He would come to MAKE A DEAL with You and I. Isaiah 53:5,
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
Jesus came to be SCOURGED for you and I. He came so that we could be HEALED. Now some say that this Verse is talking about PHYSICAL HEALING. Others say it’s talking about SPIRITUAL HEALING. In Matthew 8:16-17, it tells us, “When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”
It clearly is talking about PHYSICAL HEALING here but then in 1 Peter 2, Verses 24 and 25 it seems to be talking about SPIRITUAL HEALING.
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”
Do you see what it’s saying here? Jesus was SCOURGED, He was BEATEN, He made a deal with HUMANITY for ALL of our SICKNESSES both PHYSICAL and SPIRITUAL.
Because of what Jesus did, we can be healed here, and then someday TOTAL HEALING. A new body. We will be WHOLE!
ILLUS: I mentioned this when I was preaching Sweet Lil Bethany’s service. She was made WHOLE. That ANGEL came down last Monday morning and picked her up ONE LAST TIME. She will NEVER need to be carried again.
All of those who are dependent on INSULIN will never need to take another shot. Those with ARTHRITIS will never have another ACHY JOINT. Those who struggle with DEPRESSION and ANXIETY will be HEALED. No more CHEMOTHERAPY or RADIATION Treatments.
And another reason Jesus was SCOURGED was to give us a VICTORIOUS LIFE over SIN. I tell you what, I get so tired of the MENTALITY among TOO MANY modern day Christians. “Well, we’re just humans, we’re gonna sin. That’s just the WAY it is.” Let me tell you something. We don’t have to SIN. That’s what 1 Peter 2 is telling us. Jesus was SCOURGED so that we can become DEAD to SIN. SIN should NEVER BE a part of a PERSONS EVERYDAY LIFE. Too many Christians act like it’s NO BIG DEAL!!! It is a BIG DEAL. That’s why Paul told us THE CHURCH at Rome in Romans 6:1 and 2,
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
Jesus was SCOURGED so that we can be FREE FROM SIN. Not so that we can PLAY IN IT, Get it ALL OVER US and then act like it’s TOTALLY NORMAL BEHAVIOR for a CHRISTIAN. SIN should be the EXCEPTION not a DAILY ACTIVITY.
In 1 John 1:9 it tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Yes, when we MESS UP, when we FALL, there is FORGIVENESS. I’m thankful for that today AREN’T YOU?
And are you thankful today that Jesus offers HEALING?
He is saying to you today, “Let’s Make a Deal” I was SCOURGED so you can be HEALED.
II. The SECOND DEAL that Jesus made with HUMANITY 2000 years ago, He said “I’ll take your SHAME so that you can be FREE from the SHAME of your SINS.”
Oh as I read this passage it makes me SO SAD. Look at what they did to Jesus.
In Verses 17-19, the Roman soldiers dressed him up like a KING and then made a MOCKERY of WORSHIPPING HIM.
In Verse 24 and 25, they stripped Him of all of his clothing and CRUCIFIED HIM while He was totally NAKED.
In Verse 28 he hung there among COMMON CRIMINALS. Here He was, GOD in the FLESH and He was treated LIKE DIRT.
In Verses 29-32, ANYONE who wanted could come by and look at Jesus. He became a spectacle. From the lowest of SOCIETY to the Chief Priests came by to MOCK HIM. “Look at him, He saved others but He can’t save Himself.”
This is something we need to VISUALIZE in our minds. This is something HORRIBLE to think about but we MUST REMEMBER that Jesus did this for you and I. He HUNG THERE in SHAME and DISGRACE for you and I. He said “Let’s Make a DEAL, I will TAKE YOUR SHAME so that you can be FREE from the SHAME of your own SINS.”
Another thing, Jesus never once felt sorry for Himself. His SORROW was for others, and for the fallen, desperate condition of humanity.
Looking back to Isaiah 53, Verse 4,
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”
As I said earlier, we need to VISUALIZE THIS. This Verse gives us the image of Jesus loading our GRIEF and SORROWS upon His back, so we wouldn’t have to carry them.
Jesus was SHOWING and TELLING 2000 years ago and He’s still SHOWING and TELLING us today, “Let’s Make a Deal, let ME take your GRIEF, your SORROW and your SHAME ..... So that you can be FREE”
So many folks today carry GUILT and SHAME.
ILLUS: The other day I was reading on the WEBMD, it’s a well known website that deals with health issues. And it was talking about SHAME and how that it can cause MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEMS. They asked a group of students to write about different experiences that had made them feel GUILTY and SHAMEFUL. And after they wrote these things down they took BLOOD TESTS. Those who felt a small amount of GUILT really weren’t affected but those who felt SHAME had an increase in cy-to-kine activity. Cytokines are bodily road signs of inflammation, indicating that a disease process may be in progress.
I thought about this. Jesus already carried my SHAME and your SHAME. There’s NO NEED for us to carry it any longer. I think that’s what He was telling us in Matthew 11:28-30,
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Here we are, it’s Palm Sunday and Jesus is saying, “Let’s Make a Deal, I’ll take your SCOURGING and you can be WHOLE, I’ll take your SHAME so that you can be FREE from the SHAME of your SINS.” And lastly, Jesus is saying,
III. “I will be SACRIFICED, so that you can LIVE.”
You know the word “Sacrifice” can be used as a NOUN and a VERB. We say, “Jesus was THE SACRIFICE for our SINS.”
And that is CORRECT. He was the ONLY PERFECT, SINLESS, SACRIFICE for you and I. John 1:29,
“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
But we need to look at this word SACRIFICE as a VERB. AN ACTION. Jesus took ACTION to save the SOULS of MANKIND. And we need to see that this ACTION had CONSEQUENCES. Jesus cried out from the cross in Verse 34, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Jesus hung there as a BLOODY MESS after He had been SCOURGED for you and I.
He hung there in SHAME with ALL of our SINS placed upon Him.
And He hung there, ABANDONED by GOD and MAN so that you and I can LIVE.
Brother Cliff used to sing a song I haven’t heard for years. But OH MY, what powerful words.
“I was guilty with nothing to say
And they were coming to take me away
When a voice from Heaven was heard that said
"Let him go and take Me instead"
“The crowns of thorns, the spear in His side
And the pain, it should have been mine
Those rusty nails were meant for me
Yet Christ took them and let me go free”
“Oh I should have been crucified
And I should have suffered and died
I should have hung on the cross in disgrace
But Jesus, God's Son, took my place”
So I think I’ve shown you the DEAL that God wants to make with you this morning. He says, “I’ll take your SCOURGING and you can be WHOLE, I’ll take your SHAME so that you can be FREE from the SHAME of your SINS.” “And I will be A SACRIFICE, and MORE THAN THAT, I WILL BE!!! SACRIFICED, SLAUGHTERED so that YOU CAN LIVE!!!”
So how can you accept this SACRIFICE? How can you become WHOLE? How can you be free from the SHAME of SIN? Here’s the deal. You have to become a SACRIFICE yourself. But there’s a difference. In Romans 12, Verses 1 and 2, the Apostle Paul tells us,
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Did you catch what Paul said there. A LIVING SACRIFICE. Not a DYING SACRIFICE. Not a SLAUGHTERED SACRIFICE. NOT a SCOURGED and SHAMED SACRIFICE. A LIVING ONE. Jesus is saying, “Let’s Make a DEAL. I became a DYING SACRIFICE so that you can be a LIVING ONE.”
He wants you to LIVE a LIFE of FREEDOM.
He wants you to LIVE a LIFE that is FREE from SHAME.
And He wants you to LIVE a LIFE that is PLEASING to HIM.
Jesus has done so much for you and I, don’t you think it’s TIME for us to LIVE for HIM? Don’t you think it’s time to become a LIVING SACRIFICE?
A TORTUROUS DYING SACRIFICE in EXCHANGE for a LIVING SACRIFICE, I have to ask why. Why would He do that? Why would He make that kind of deal? There’s only one answer. LOVE. John 3:16,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Jesus LOVES YOU TODAY. I don’t care WHO you are, WHAT you have DONE, WHERE you have been, HE LOVES YOU and He wants to MAKE you a DEAL. Do you remember at the BEGINNING I told you about the “Let’s Make a Deal Show”? You could leave with some really nice stuff or you could leave with ... NOTHING. You have a choice today. Jesus is saying, “Let’s Make a Deal”
I want to take a minute and play this song. Listen to,
“His life for mine.”
