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Scripture Reading: Mark 15:16-41
In this message we come to 15:16-41, a section that speaks of the crucifixion of the Slave-Savior.
Mark 15:16 says, “And the soldiers led Him away into the courtyard, which is the Praetorium, and they called together the whole band of soldiers.” The Praetorium was the governor’s official residence.
Verse 17 says, “And they clothed Him in purple, and having woven a thorny crown, they placed it upon Him.” Thorns are a symbol of the curse (Gen. 3:17-18). The Lord Jesus became a curse for us on the cross (Gal. 3:13). In 15:17 a thorny crown, signifying royalty, was used as a mockery of the Slave-Savior (v. 20).
In verses 18 and 19 the soldiers continued their mockery of the Lord Jesus: “And they began to salute Him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they kept beating His head with a reed and spitting at Him, and kneeling down, they worshipped Him.” After they had mocked Him, “they stripped Him of the purple and put His own garments on Him. And they led Him out that they might crucify Him” (v. 20). The Lord here, as the Passover Lamb to be sacrificed for our sins, was brought like a lamb to the slaughter, fulfilling Isa. 53:7-8.
Verse 21 goes on to say, “And they compelled a certain passerby, coming from the country, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, that he might carry His cross.” Cyrene was a Greek colonial city, the capital of Cyrenaica in North Africa. It seems that Simon was a Cyrenian Jew.
According to 15:22, “They bring Him to the place called Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, Place of a Skull.” Golgotha is a Hebrew name (John 19:17) which means skull. Its equivalent in Latin is Calvaria, anglicized into Calvary (Luke 23:33). It does not mean a place of dead men’s skulls, but simply skull.
Verse 23 continues, “And they tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it.” This wine mingled with myrrh (and also with gall — Matt. 27:34) was intended as a stupefying draught. But the Lord would not be stupefied; He would drink the bitter cup to the dregs.
Verse 24 says, “And they crucify Him, and divide His garments, casting a lot for them, what each should take.” Here we see that the Lord suffered being robbed by sinners to the uttermost. This was a fulfillment of Psalm 22:18, and it also exposed the darkness of Roman politics.
Mark 15:25 says, “Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.” The third hour was nine o’clock in the morning.
Verses 29 through 31 tell us that those passing by “blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross! Likewise also the chief priests with the scribes, mocking with one another, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save!” Those who blasphemed the Lord Jesus twisted His word, “(You) destroy this temple,” in John 2:19. Those who blasphemed Him also said that He saved others, but could not save Himself. If the Lord had saved Himself, He could not have saved us.
According to 15:33, “And when the sixth hour had come, darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.” The sixth hour is our twelve noon, and the ninth is our three o’clock. The Lord was crucified beginning from the third hour, our nine o’clock. He was suffering on the cross for six hours. In the first three hours, He was persecuted by men for doing God’s will; in the last three hours, He was judged by God for the accomplishment of our redemption. It was during this time that God counted Him as our suffering Substitute for sin (Isa. 53:10). Hence, darkness came over all the land because our sin and sins and all negative things were dealt with there, and God forsook Him (v. 34) because of our sin.
In 15:16-32 we see how the Slave-Savior was mistreated by man. He was mocked, beaten, blasphemed, and crucified. All these were actions of His persecutors.
Verse 33 says that at the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land. At exactly noontime darkness came over the whole land and remained until the ninth hour, until three o’clock. This darkness was caused by God, and it was an indication that God had come in to judge the One who was hanging on the cross.
We have seen that the Slave-Savior was on the cross for six hours, from nine o’clock until three o’clock. The first three hours were the time of man’s persecution. We may say that during those hours the Lord Jesus was a martyr. Then at noon, with darkness coming upon the whole land, God came in. This darkness was a sign of God’s judgment of sin. Whereas man persecuted the Slave-Savior during the first three hours of His crucifixion, God came in during the second three hours to judge Christ as our Substitute. It was in these hours that God put all our sins upon Him and considered Him a sinner as our Substitute. Therefore, during the first three hours of His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus was a martyr. But during the second three hours, He was the Redeemer. As a martyr He suffered persecution under the hand of man. As our Redeemer He suffered judgment for us under the hand of God. The darkness was a symbol that God had come in to judge Christ as our Substitute for our sins.
Mark 15:34 says, “At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why did You forsake Me?” God forsook Christ on the cross because He took the place of sinners (1 Pet. 3:18), bearing our sins (1 Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:6), and being made sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). We shall consider this verse in more detail in the following message.
Verses 35 and 36 continue, “And some of those standing by heard it and said, Behold, he is calling Elijah. And someone ran and filled a sponge with vinegar, and putting it on a reed, gave it to Him to drink, saying, Let him be, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.” This vinegar was offered to the Lord for quenching His thirst (John 19:28-30), but it was offered in a mocking way (Luke 23:36).
The wine mingled with gall and myrrh, in Matthew 27:34 and Mark 15:23, was offered to the Lord before His crucifixion as a stupefying draught, which He would not drink. But the vinegar in Mark 15:36 was offered to Him at the end of His crucifixion in a mocking way.
Verse 37 goes on to say, “But Jesus, letting out a loud cry, expired.” This means that the Lord stopped breathing. Matthew 27:50 tells us that at this point the Lord cried out with a loud voice and “dismissed the spirit.” This meant the Lord gave up His spirit (John 19:30), indicating that the Lord voluntarily yielded up His life.
After the Lord Jesus expired, “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (15:38). This signifies that the separation between God and man was abolished because the flesh (signified by the veil) of sin taken by Christ (Rom. 8:3) had been crucified (Heb. 10:20). The fact that the veil was torn from the top to the bottom indicates that the rending of the veil was God’s doing from above.
The temple was twenty cubits high. It would have been impossible for man to tear the veil from the top to the bottom. It was God who rent that veil.
The veil in the temple was a sign of the flesh Christ had put upon Himself. The tearing of the veil signifies that the humanity taken on by Christ had been crucified. If we study the Bible carefully, we shall realize that cherubim were embroidered on the veil, and cherubim are signs of God’s creatures (Ezek. 1:4-14; Rev. 4:6-9). Hence, the cherubim on the veil signify that the creatures were related to the humanity of Jesus. When the Lord put on our humanity, He put on a humanity that bore the creatures. This gives us a strong basis to say that when Christ crucified His humanity, He terminated the creatures.
Mark 15:39 says, “And the centurion standing by opposite Him, seeing how He expired, said, Truly this man was God’s Son!” The centurion realized that this man was not ordinary. Rather, He was truly God’s Son.
Verses 40 and 41 tell us of the women who were present: “And there were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were both Mary the Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the little and of Joses, and Salome, who when He was in Galilee, followed Him and ministered to Him, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.” Mary the Magdalene was the one from whom seven demons had been cast out. Mary the mother of James the little was the mother of the Slave-Savior (Matt. 13:55). The word “little” here means either small in stature or young in age. James the little was the one who wrote the Epistle of James. Salome was the wife of Zebedee and the mother of James and John (Matt. 27:56).
In Mark’s account of the crucifixion there is no mention of any brothers being present. He speaks only of the sisters. We may say that these sisters are our representatives. When Christ was crucified, a group of sisters was standing by.
Mark 15:42-47 speaks of the burial of the Slave-Savior. Verse 42 says, “And when evening had already come, since it was the day of preparation, which is the day before the Sabbath, Joseph, the one from Arimathea, an honorable member of the Council, who was also himself awaiting the kingdom of God, coming with daring, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.” After the Lord accomplished His redemptive death, His situation of suffering immediately changed into an honorable one. Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man (Matt. 27:57), and Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews (John 19:39; 3:1), came to care for the Lord’s burial by having His body bound with myrrh and aloes and buried in a new tomb. In human honor of such a high standard the Lord rested on the Sabbath day (Luke 23:55-56), waiting for the time to resurrect from among the dead.
In 15:43 Joseph is called “the one from Arimathea.” The definite article here indicates a man well known. Having purchased a piece of linen, Joseph took the Lord Jesus down from the cross, wrapped Him in the linen, laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb (v. 46). This was for the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:9.
As we read 15:42-46, we see that the Lord Jesus was given an excellent burial. He was buried in newly bought linen and laid to rest in a newly hewn tomb. The Lord Jesus was put in such a tomb in order to enjoy His Sabbath.
As we have pointed out, God created the old creation within six days and then rested on the seventh day. In the New Testament the Lord accomplished His full redemption, His redemptive work, within six days, and then He rested on the seventh day, the Sabbath.
Mark 15:47 says, “And Mary the Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where He was laid.” This indicates that both Mary the Magdalene and Mary the mother of the Lord Jesus saw where he was laid.
Although the Lord could rest on the Sabbath, having accomplished the work of redemption, the disciples were not able to rest. I do not believe that these two Marys had any rest either. I doubt that they had full rest until they had passed through the day of resurrection and had come to the day of Pentecost. On the day of resurrection and the day of Pentecost they received the all-inclusive Spirit, and this Spirit applied to their living Christ’s death and resurrection. Then they were able to realize the significance of the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection.
