Mark 15:16-32 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Mark 15:16-32. With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage. Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage? After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
Mark 15:16-20 (NIV)
16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers.
17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.
18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!”
19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.
20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
On verses 16-20: After enduring the extreme physical torture of flogging (v15), Jesus is brought into the palace to be abused psychologically and emotionally by the soldiers.
All the things Jesus legitimately deserved – to be robed in royal robes, to be crowned with many crowns, to be bowed down before, to be honoured and praised – the soldiers took and applied to Jesus in the most mocking, humiliating and violent way. (By the way, I believe people do something of the same today when they use the name of Jesus as a curse word, spoken out of frustration and irreverence.)
Contrary to what some movies depict, this wasn’t some private mocking session. It involved “the whole company of soldiers” (v16). It wasn’t just Jews who were responsible for killing Jesus. Pilate and his soldiers, who were all Gentiles, had a hand in it too. Symbolically this was the whole world, both Jew and Gentile, turning against Jesus.
Praise God that one day every knee will legitimately bow at the name of Jesus, even those who mocked him. On that day Jesus will receive what he is due: real royal robes, golden crown upon golden crown, and the honour and praise which he truly deserves (Philippians 2:9-11).
Mark 15:21 (NIV)
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.
On verse 21: Here the soldiers force a foreigner from Cyrene, North Africa called Simon to carry the cross. Being from North Africa, Simon may have had a different skin colour. Perhaps I’m reading too much into this, and if so, I apologize, but it seems to me that just as the Roman soldiers looked down on Jesus, so they looked down on foreigners and thought they could treat foreigners as sub-human as well. There is a definite relationship between how we look at Jesus and how we look at people, especially those who are different from us. If we would see Jesus as he truly is, it helps us so much to see others as they truly are. When we don’t see Jesus as he truly is, we will be prone to seeing and treating people the wrong way.
Also notice that the soldiers forced Simon to carry the cross. But when it comes to following Jesus, no one can force you. You need to choose to carry the cross yourself. Taking up your cross is an act of the will, a personal decision. I believe it’s that personal decision to carry your cross that Jesus is talking about in Mark 8:34 when he says to a crowd: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
By the way, the fact that Mark calls Simon from Cyrene “the father of Alexander and Rufus” suggests that Alexander and Rufus were known to the original readers of Mark’s gospel and were likely well-known members of the early church. In Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, he tells them to greet Rufus (Romans 16:13). I bet Alexander and Rufus never forgot the image of their dad carrying the cross.
Mark 15:22 (NIV)
22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).
On verse 22: It is not surprising that the place where Jesus was crucified is called “The Place of the Skull”. That’s because crucifixion was a form of not just physical but psychological and emotional torture that led to a slow and excruciating death. The word “excruciating” is rooted in the word “crucifixion”.
Mark 15:23 (NIV)
23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.
On verse 23: Scholars believe wine mixed with myrrh had a pain-numbing effect on people being crucified. So why did Jesus refuse to take this drink before being crucified? It could be because Jesus did not want to prolong the suffering but also wanted to feel the full effects of the punishment he was taking on our behalf. It could also be that Jesus wanted to retain full control of his faculties. That way there is no suffering you could ever go through that Jesus cannot understand.
Mark 15:24-25 (NIV)
24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
25 It was the third hour when they crucified him.
On verses 24-25: As Jesus hangs naked on the cross, those who crucified him divide up his clothes and cast lots to see who would get what, in fulfillment of Psalm 22:18.
Mark 15:26 (NIV)
26 The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
On verse 26: When a criminal was crucified, the government would write on a sign the crime that the person committed that caused them to be crucified. Then they would do one of two things: (1) hang it around the neck of the criminal as they walked to the place of execution; or (2) someone would walk in front of them holding the sign, almost like some funeral procession. Then when that person was crucified, they would nail the sign at the top of the cross. It was a way of shaming that person being executed as well as warning others not to commit the same crime.
Now here’s the irony: Pilate writes the sign, and all it says is “Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews”, which isn’t really a crime; it’s just a title. Then he nails the sign on the cross in 3 languages for everyone to see: in Aramaic (the language of the people),
Latin (the language of the government) and Greek (the language for doing business). Somehow Jesus ends up being proclaimed to the Roman empire in 3 different languages as the king of the Jews. God used Pilate’s sign which was meant to bring shame to proclaim who Jesus really is.
Mark 15:27 (NIV)
27 They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.
On verse 27: Here is Jesus, in the most literal, visual way, identifying with sinners like you and me, as he is crucified between two criminals. Though he had done nothing wrong, Jesus was punished like a criminal too.
Mark 15:28?
28
On verse 28: Some manuscripts include here a reference to Isaiah 53:12: “he was counted among the transgressors”. While Mark may have had in mind a verse like this when considering Jesus’ crucifixion, it is widely believed that this verse reference was added later to Mark’s gospel and not part of Mark’s original writing.
Mark 15:29-32 (NIV)
29 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,
30 come down from the cross and save yourself!”
31 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!
32 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.
On verses 29-32: Here we see that as Jesus hangs from the cross, those who misunderstand or doubt Jesus’ words are the quickest to mock and insult Jesus. The same is true today: those who mock and criticize Jesus most harshly often do so based on a misunderstanding of who Jesus is and what Jesus said and did.
How Jesus must have had to fight the temptation to come down from the cross at this very moment when his critics were taunting him. With incredible humility and self-control, Jesus does nothing but continue to suffer on the cross for us.
Jesus, You are worthy of all praise, honour, reverence and glory for You truly are not just the King of the Jews but the King of all kings. Thank You for willingly enduring such incredible torment, torture, and suffering on every level for us. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
