The Wandering Shepherd

Many of you are familiar with the “Men in Black” franchise of films. The first film bearing that name appeared in 1997. For the two uninitiated people on the planet that do not know of them, the Men in Black stories offered a tale of the exploits of agents “K” and “J”, members of a top-secret organization established to monitor intergalactic matters as well as police alien activity on planet Earth. Known for their uniform black suits and dark glasses, the two heroes untied a plot to destroy earth after an alien  terrorist came to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies. A few years later, movie-goers were entertained with a second slice out of the galactic pie in 2002. In this story, agent “J” became aware of an old enemy of the MIB, who returned to earth in search of a powerful artifact. “J” was forced to restore the deliberately wiped memory of his old mentor “K” to stop the Earth’s calamity. A third installment is promised to those who are waiting to save the earth – yet again – in May of 2012. Based on other movies that predict the end of the earth that year – it is a good thing we have “J” and “K” to save at least Hollywood – if not the earth!

We want to take a brief look at a different story today. This one is also intergalactic and has a SAVE THE EARTH heartbeat to it. This one has one striking difference to it – it is the TRUTH AS GIVEN BY THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE. This one enlists the help of a covert  organization as well – but they don’t dress in black. They are the ‘MEN IN WHITE’ and they truly exist. They were present long ago when the work of Jesus was done on earth… and the Bible says they are still here among us. Look at a short story that includes one of them, and listen to the words of the agent of the “Men in White”:

Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. 2  Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. 5 Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. 7 “But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” 8 They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

When we read the Mark account, we know that we are reading a summary of the story, not the whole story. We don’t want to forget to synthesize the story with the other account so that we will add much more richness. All four Gospel writers mention the tomb of Joseph of Arimethia (though Luke doesn’t name him, but only says a man of Arimithea). Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that Roman soldiers guarded the tomb following Jesus’ death. The same three tell us of the group of women who prepared the spices to use them the morning after the Sabbath. On the way to the place of the burial, Mark reveals the discussion between the women – they were unsure of how the stone could be moved for them to do their work. Matthew mentions that a severe earthquake, powered by the Angel of the Lord, moved the stone from its resting place, exposing the tomb. As the women approached, their discussion about moving the stone was hushed…. Now they stood amazed the tomb was open. Entering the tomb, they heard the testimony of the man in white.

The shocking part of the story as Mark tells it is this: the man in white told the women to do something, and fear kept them from obeying him right away! How much like God’s church in this time they were!   

Key Principle: The promise that Jesus kept in His death and His resurrection is a truth designed to be shared – but our fear can keep it from reaching the ears of our neighbors!

It is true that Matthew shared that they overcame their fear and eventually ran out of excitement to the disciples to report the news. Luke explained that they “remembered Jesus’ words” (Lk. 24:8) suggesting that it took a bit of “memory jog” to snap them out of fear and get them in gear, running as they should have been. Yet, Mark’s story ends on a note of uncertainty that bothered people through the ages. Later manuscripts appeared to have added a monk’s notes that were later inserted as verses 9-20 – they don’t appear to belong in the original Gospel. [For that reason, we end our systematic study in this Gospel at verse 9. For those who want more on these “rogue verses”, we will offer the notes of another teaching on that subject.]

If Mark truly ended with the words “they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” One may wonder why he didn’t resolve the problem. There are at least two plausible answers: first, the proper ending to the text may have been lost (a view shared by many New Testament scholars) or second, perhaps he wanted to teach us something that has become relevant for every generation of inheritors of the Gospel. 

Step back for a moment and look with me at the meaning of the events of that 100 hours, in a week long ago. The death of Jesus remains to this day to be the single event that separates human history between broken by need of redemption and mending toward eventual redemption. The Cross is the watershed event of our faith. It means everything. Before the Resurrection, we must understand His death – for only when we understand that will we be truly drawn to share the message of Jesus. Let me be clear: the women didn’t share the message of His Resurrection right away, because they didn’t understand the meaning of His death. Had they grasped what Jesus was truly doing and able to complete – they would not have hesitated. For many believers, the problem is the same even today. When we don’t grasp the real hopelessness of men without the salvation offered to them – we sit silent and let them pass from our sight without offering the urgent warning.

When we hesitate from fear and do not share the Gospel – a MEMORY JOG IS IN ORDER.

Perhaps the most important study we could have in this passage is one that underscores the meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Why did Jesus die? Why was He raised? We must remember some important truths:

First, we must remember that Jesus’ Death and Resurrection satisfied the Father in Heaven:

Jesus died a criminal’s death. The Bible says that was essential. Listen to Paul’s writing to the first century church at Rome: Romans 3:21 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.“ The words may sound complicated, so take them apart:

Paul shared that the Gospel of Jesus – the message that people can be right with God simply by trusting that the work of Jesus on the Cross paid the full and complete price for their sin – was both consistent with the Hebrew Scriptures and for everyone, both Jew and Gentile. (3:21-23).

Paul then carefully explained that God gave a right relationship – “justification” – as a gift, and that gift was in Jesus paying the price for our sin. At that point, Paul explained WHY the death had to take place from God’s perspective. He said that God PUT JESUS ON DISPLAY publicly as the complete satisfaction He was looking for as the Righteous Judge – found completely in the blood of His sacrifice. That means, from God’s point of view, His wrath (the penalty for sin – with its cause and effect relationship) was turned away by the offering of Jesus as a gift. The death of Jesus on the Cross at Calvary turned away the punishment that was judicially right for me – because I trusted in that payment. The Resurrection demonstrated clearly to those who were following Him that the payment was accepted.

Imagine a man was guilty of killing his neighbor. Imagine him being brought into the courtroom in shackles to stand before a judge. Now imagine that the judge, after hearing the jury’s verdict, gives the man this sentence: “Having been found guilty of murder in the first degree by a jury of your peers, the people demand a life for the life you have taken. You are therefore sentenced to forfeit your life by lethal injection… and may God have mercy on your soul.” Now imagine that from the back of the courtroom a voice is raised that catches the ear of the judge. “Your honor!” cries the voice. “Before an appeal can be raised for this man who has been found guilty, I would like to pay for his crime in full. I will forfeit my life in his place.” Such a suggestion would have been quickly dismissed as lunacy, but when the judge looked up, the one that said this was none other than his very own son. In our system of jurisprudence, no such substitution could be made – period. Yet, a careful look at the Bible shows that God had long before set up a system of substitution – allowing an animal (after a sinner placed his hand on that animal’s head in acknowledgement of personal sin) to represent the man and die in his place. Keep going with the illustration… Imagine that the judge tearfully allowed the substitute to carry the death penalty for the man who was found guilty. Do you think the guilty man would ask to die anyway? DO you think he would ask to be taken back to his cell and await punishment in spite of the fact that the substitute was found and the judge declared that substitute to be effective?

The problem with the Christian message is that we often repeat a fundamental truth that “God loves you!” Though this is absolutely true, when shared out of balance with man’s guilt before God, it can leave the impression that God doesn’t care about the mutiny of our hearts and the stubborn rebellion we exhibit day to day. We talk of God’s love much more than we speak of God’s “wrath to come” – a phrase taken from the Bible (Lk. 3:7) and very much part of Biblical thinking.

Ray Pritchard wisely reminds us: “When Jonathan Edwards preached his famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” the listeners held on to the pillars of the building lest they suddenly slip down into eternal damnation. Can anyone imagine that happening today?”

Make no mistake. God’s loving nature is not in conflict with His Righteousness. Any judge can tell you that they both have deep sympathy for people on trial and at the same time uphold the standard of righteousness in the law. God understands us and loves us, but His nature requires that He not dismiss rebellion and self will. In a very real way- parenting is a reflection of this same issue. We need to LOVE enough to DEMAND OBEDIENCE – and we cannot allow rebellion under the guise of calling it real love.

Up to the time of the death of Jesus, God provided a temporary system though animal sacrifice to turn His wrath away. There was a problem with that system – it was incomplete and could cover the sin, but not wash it away, according to the Scriptures (Hebrews 7:23-28;10:4) When Jesus died, He became a Lamb of God that was the last necessary sacrifice.

In the Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, an Englishman is caught trying to flee France during the French Revolution. He is to be put to death on the guillotine. One hour before his appointment a friend visits him in jail. He insists that they swap clothes. The Englishman refuses. The French friend tells him that at that moment his wife and child are waiting in a carriage at the door. Moments later guards led the wrong man to his execution. In some ways, our message of the Gospel fits into that scene.  We were under a sure sentence of eternal death. Our Savior took our place at the cross. At the same time, we have to admit that He did more than that. He paid a debt we could NOT pay.

Second, we must remember that God COULD NOT accept a lesser payment!

God provided Jesus as a spotless lamb – something that I could not be if I died for my own sin. We must recognize that God is NOT LIKE US if we truly want to understand the meaning of Jesus’ death on Calvary. Again, using the words of Ray Prichard, let me offer explanation: “God is infinite in holiness, and every single sin committed against him is infinite in magnitude. Only a gift of infinite value could turn away the infinite wrath of God. And only God himself (in the Person of his Son) could make such an infinite gift. That’s why our piddling efforts to turn aside God’s wrath are doomed to failure. We think that going to church or being baptized or going to Mass or saying our prayers or being good or stopping a bad habit or “trying really hard to be better” will somehow turn away the infinite wrath of God….Because God is holy, he cannot allow sin to go unpunished. His justice demands that every sin be punished—no matter how small it may seem to us. … That’s why sinners can’t simply say, “I’m sorry” and instantly be forgiven. Someone has to pay the price.”

We follow this same principle in our criminal justice system. Suppose a man is found guilty of embezzling six million dollars from his employer. Let us further suppose that just before sentencing, he stands before the judge, confesses his crime, begs for mercy, and promises never to embezzle money again. How would you react if the judge accepted his apology and released him with no punishment? Suppose the man had been convicted of rape and then was set free with no punishment simply because he apologized. …When lawbreakers are set free with no punishment, respect for the law disappears. … The same principle applies to raising children. When parents refuse to discipline with tough love, they end up raising criminals instead of responsible adults. The same is true in the spiritual realm. When sin is not punished, it doesn’t seem very sinful.“ (Prichard)

If the central message of the Good News of the Gospel is that Jesus paid the full price for my sin when I willfully trust that His substitution fully delivers me from my deserved punishment – than it is essential that I recognize the reason God will accept no other way. God has set ONE DOOR by which men can be accepted by Him. Buddha cannot offer it. Mohammed did not believe it. Confucius did not accept it. Joseph Smith did not trust in it…. No denomination can manufacture some method of obedience that compares to it.

The acceptance of Jesus as my punished substitute is the one and only way to God according to the Bible. Every attempt man makes to blow another hole in Heaven’s wall to gain access by some other good work is an affront to the price of Jesus’ blood in God’s eyes. God provided what God demanded… but we must accept that God knew the best way.

Good works lived to find Heaven’s gate are another manifestation of man’s rebellious nature. “Their must be a way I can earn it in SPITE of what God has done and said”, we tell ourselves… it is deception and rebellion revisited.

More than two hundred years ago in England, William Cowper, a man of nervous disposition who struggled with bouts of severe depression began fearing that he was under the wrath of God. “I flung myself into a chair by the window and there saw the Bible on the table by the chair. I opened it up and my eyes fell on Romans 3:25, which says of Christ, ‘Whom God has made a propitiation through faith in his blood.’ Then and there, I realized what Christ’s blood had accomplished and I realized the effects of his atonement for me. I realized God was willing to justify me, and then and there, I trusted Jesus Christ and a great burden was lifted from my soul.” Looking back on that day, William Cowper wrote a hymn that we still sing today:

There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins.
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stain.

In our mad rush to feel “ever satisfied” with every area of life, Bible preaching has left the airwaves and many pulpits. In its place a steady stream of psychological sermons that could have come from Oprah or Dr. Phil offer us management tips, diet recommendations, and child rearing truths. It was not always so…The early church quickly made the death and resurrection of Jesus the central feature of their message.  Paul wrote:

• “We preach Christ crucified” (1 Cor. 1:23).
• “I decided to know nothing among you except Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).
• “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3).
• “But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14).

We must be firm in our commitment to preach the cross. There is simply no other message so important. No facebook status update will offer eternal life. Jesus, and His sacrifice must be proclaimed clearly by a church adrift.

One time a man was on a fishing trip and was sleeping on his house boat. He heard a splash right between his boat and the one next to his. The man on that boat had been drinking quite heavily and had apparently fallen into the water while drunk. The first man jumped in, found him and rescued him. He gave him artificial respiration, revived him, dried him off, changed his clothes, and got him into bed. An hour later he returned to his own boat, wet and exhausted. The next morning he went back to the man’s boat to check on him. The other man told him to go away, leave him alone, and mind his own business. He said, “Why are you being so mean. I saved your life last night.” The drunk did not remember. Instead of thanking him he laughed at him and then began to curse him. As this man left, unappreciated and rejected, he thought for a moment of how Jesus must feel when people reject him.

Third, we must remember that God delivered on His own promises!

The Gospels present clearly that Jesus saw His death not as some after-thought designed to touch men by the sheer size of the self-sacrifice  – but rather as the central work God called Jesus to do – and the work that He accepted beforehand (Phil. 2).

After all: “Hadn’t the Hebrew Scriptures already revealed the need for the death of Messiah?”

• Jesus saw His call as clear in the Hebrew Scriptures: After his resurrection Jesus reminded the disciples: “These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled” (Lk. 24:44). Clearly Jesus saw his life and his death as being prophesied in the Old Testament.

• Jesus saw His call as required by God’s promises: At the last supper Jesus explained one of these prophecies: “For I tell you that this scripture must be fulfilled in me, ‘And he was reckoned with transgressors’” (Lk. 22:37). Notice the strong word “must” that is used here. It was not a matter of choice. Since God had foreseen and predicted it, it would occur. Paul said Jesus’ death was “in accordance with the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3).

• Early church leaders saw this as the PLAN of God, not a surprise ending: Peter realized that the death of Christ was a part of God’s scheme of things: “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:23). Later Peter wrote “He was destined before the foundation of the world” (1 Pet. 1:20).

Early church leaders understood this was a difficult message for Jewish people – Jews were not expecting a crucified Messiah. It was very difficult for most of them to accept Jesus as the Messiah for this reason: “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews” (1 Cor. 1:23). The term “stumbling block” was “skandalon” – a scandal to many Jewish leaders. The Scriptures taught that anyone who was hanged on the tree was cursed. Dt. 21:23: “…his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.” Even during His ministry, Jesus saw opposition among His followers to the idea of His death. When Jesus first spoke of it, Mark reminds: “Peter took him, and began to rebuke him” (Mk. 8:32).

Because they went through the learning curve, the early church leaders explained Jesus death carefully: When Jesus was raised and the Holy Spirit was given, His followers had to go back and research the Prophets of old. They rediscovered passages like Isaiah 53 and Psalms 22 there they recognized in the shadows the crucified Messiah.

Fourth, we must remember the scene poured out God’s power in front of man:

The Bible says: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). It is the message that reveals the power and truth of God like no other: “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:22-24).

• THE CROSS REVEALS OUR NEED: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:4-6). Look at the words “our” and “him”. Clearly the cross was a payment by an innocent on behalf of the guilty.  The cross very clearly reveals that we are sinners in need of salvation. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24).

• THE CROSS PRODUCES CONVICTION: When Peter at Pentecost, he laid responsibility for the death of Jesus at the feet of his listeners. When many of them realized this truth, they were “pricked in their hearts” or “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37). They were convicted of sin.

• THE CROSS PROCLAIMS FORGIVENESS: The writer of Hebrews said: “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Heb. 9:22). Someone has said: “God forgave people under the Old Covenant in advance of full payment for sin….Figuratively speaking, they were saved on credit and Jesus finally came and “paid it all”.

• THE CROSS CREATES LOVE: 1 John 4:9 “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” … 19 “We love, because He first loved us.”

Looking at the cross and the empty tomb, we have seen that like the women who hesitated, it takes a memory jog to get in GEAR and proclaim the Gospel.

• We must remember that Jesus’ Death and Resurrection satisfied the Father in Heaven:
• We must remember that God COULD NOT accept a lesser payment!
• We must remember that God delivered on His own promises!
• We must remember the scene poured out God’s power in front of man:

The promise that Jesus kept in His death and His resurrection is a truth designed to be shared – but our fear can keep it from reaching the ears of our neighbors! We need to remember. One Pastor wrote: “In Arizona an Indian boy was out plowing corn while his sister was playing in the mud hut in which they lived. She turned over a rock and a rattler crawled out, coiled up, struck, and bit her. She screamed loudly, and her brother came running. Quickly he killed the snake and squeezed his hands around her leg. He sucked the blood and poison out and may have saved her life. Due to a sore in his mouth the poison entered his blood system, though, and he died shortly thereafter. Long ago back in the Garden of Eden mankind was bitten by a poisonous snake called the Devil. We received the poison of sin which would surely bring about death if something was not done. Jesus came running from heaven and took that poison into his own body, dying on the cross for our sins. At the same time he struck a death stroke against the ancient Serpent, Satan. That is what God promised: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed: he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15).” (A-Z Illustrations).

A man was driving down a backstreet in a small town. He looked up into the rear view mirror, and noticed the flashing lights of the police cruiser. He looked down at recognized that he was proceeding at ten miles past the speed limit signs. He pulled over. It could be any place, any day or any time, but it would still be a familiar scene. As he pulled over, a host of issues rolled through his mind. If he is like most Americans, he is disgusted that the police officer would waste time on him instead of catching “real criminals”. If he is like most Americans, he will surmise cynically that the city is running low on cash, and that the motivation for the stop is financial. If he is like most Americans, the very last thing on his mind will be his actual infraction – buried behind a raft of good reasons why he wasn’t really as wrong as the policemen was going to suggest with the ticket.

Here is the problem: Our culture has confused GOODNESS for RIGHTEOUSNESS. In the last 100 years, the number of “mitigating circumstances” that allows a defense attorney to argue “not guilty” on our behalf has grown at a staggering rate. Don’t misunderstand me, there are mitigating circumstances that need to be considered in judgment. The problem is that people become deceived into thinking that they are truly NOT GUILTY because they believe they are basically good, and had a good reason for doing wrong.

Why do I bring this up as we look into Mark 15 and the story of the Cross of Jesus? Because the enemy is convincing our fallen culture that because they are basically good people (a left over of God’s image stamp on them in creation) – that they are also RIGHTEOUS (truly not guilty of sin under the judicial penalty of God).

Go back to our man sitting in the driver’s seat. Let’s say he is a GOOD MAN. Let’s stipulate that he volunteers at Big Brothers of America, is a scout leader, donates regularly to Good Will, is ecologically sensitive, grew up in Sunday School and helps little old ladies across the street. Let’s name him “Dudley Dooright” and give him a “A” for civic minded efforts. What does that have to do with the fact that he was GUILTY of speeding? Everything. It gives him a reason to try to justify himself in his own mind, while calling into question the law enforcement official. It has a graying affect on the black and white of his situation. It adds subjective standards to what is really objective.

Now take that same driver, and bring him to church. If it is a Bible teaching and Bible believing church – it will offer this picture of the man: HE IS A SINNER, CONDEMNED BY GOD. He will sit and look around, perhaps squirming a bit. Why is he a sinner? He is a GOOD GUY – we have already established that! What right does that Pastor have to call him a SINNER – “I’ll bet he is trying to get money out of me for the building program!” he’ll muse. Maybe he will argue in his own mind, “This guy doesn’t know me, how can he say ANYTHING about who I am?” He will leave the service feeling condemned (a bad feeling) and that will reinforce his reasons for thinking church people aren’t for him. Like in the case of his traffic violation, it will not occur to him that the whole event occurred because he was ACTUALLY GUILTY before the law (unrighteous). He confuses being GOOD GUY with being UNRIGHTEOUS in regard to violation of an absolute standard.

It was not always so. Puritan culture understood the judicial nature of our Creator. They believed they were sinners, and they needed the cross. Our twenty first century culture in America has no need for the cross as any more than a symbol of giving. It is a hallmark moment that brings an “Ahhhh” to the modern crowd. Jesus has joined the ranks of the radical peaceful protestors, alongside Mahatma Ghandi and other examples of non-violent protest.

To a student of the Bible, Jesus’ work was not simply about EXAMPLE – it was the solution to the judicial unrighteousness of man. To a Christian, the Cross on which Jesus died became a symbol of inestimable worth. It captured in time the single greatest moment in world history since the Fall of man, only to be eclipsed by the King’s return at the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom. It symbolized the breaking of sin’s inevitable hold on mankind. It symbolized the finished work to conquer sin and death (meaning a separation from God). It graphically depicted God’s love for man. It is the source of our hope.

In this passage we will go back to stand on a hill outside of Jerusalem. We will watch victory and tragedy meet. We will again be amazed at the love of our Creator, and the faithfulness of His Son…

Key Principle: The Cross changed everything. At the same time, it offers potential life to those who accept it and eternal death to those who reject it.

Before we read from Mark 15, we must understand a Biblical idea about God’s judgment. Every man or woman is judged TWICE. One judgment is for his RIGHTEOUSNESS and the other for his GOODNESS. His eternal destiny is determined by the judgment of RIGHTEOUSNESS. The degree of his reward or punishment is determined by his GOODNESS. How do I know? There are many passages, but we will suffice it with one very clear passage in the end of the Bible:

Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Note three specifics of the passage you just read:

First, there are two different measures of the passage – a single book of life by which a destiny is determined and a library of books that houses the record of one’s works in life. The Book of Life simply requires a name listing, the other books have details of works.

Second, there are two judgments – whether one is in the Book of Life and the other refers to what works one had done. Though every person not found in the Book of Life is sent to the Lake of Fire – not all are equal in the works they have done.

Third, it is possible to be GOOD in terms of works, but UNRIGHTEOUS in terms of the Book of Life. The passage we read doesn’t specify who is in the Book of Life – but the Bible elsewhere does. That is where the CROSS story comes into the problem – offering a judicial solution to UNRIGHTEOUS MAN.

Now to the Cross. There are three essential parts to the story as given by Mark. First, there is the Setting of the Execution itself. Next there is the special focus on the moment of Jesus’ death. Finally, there is the Reaction of the Observers.

The Setting of the Execution:

The very word Crucifixion brought fear to a non-citizen during the Roman period. It is still considered by most historians one of the most gruesome of deaths. Mark describes it: Mark 15:22 Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. 24 And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. 25 It was the third hour when they crucified Him.

These four verses offer some important truths to historically set the redemption act of Jesus. It is essential that we have details, in order that we assure each generation that these were not simply “cleverly devised myths” (2 Peter 1:6). The details given are:

The Place:

Christians use a number of words that remind us of the place of Jesus’ death, simply because the Biblical terminology for the site includes the terms Golgotha, the Aramaic word for “skull,” and Calvary, from the Latin term calvaria also meaning “skull” (Matthew 27:33, Luke 23:33, John 19:17). All that we know historically about the place was that it was outside a wall to the north and west of the city, on the western hill of ancient Jerusalem. There was a garden nearby, as well as a cemetery contemporary to Jesus’ time. The Crosses may have been ON the hill, or in a flat space BELOW the hill, since the text doesn’t indicate their actual location.

The Cross:

Mark offers four important details of the actual event: 1) the drink they offered Jesus (23), 2) the method of execution (24), 3) the parting of his personal effects by casting lots (25), 4) the time of the event (26). Each of these add special texture to the history and drama, and offer details that suggest one who was there was the source. Each of these four records are consistent with the details of an eyewitness. Since this method is now removed (thankfully) from our public life, some details of the scene may be helpful to really capture the event.

• Their Purpose: Crucifixion was another of the “spectacles” of Roman society. Even punishment was designed to send a message to people on every level of society. The crucified were often left on display after death as a deterring warning to any who might attempt insurrection. This method was particularly slow, painful (hence the term excruciating, literally “out of crucifying”), and a terrifyingly public gruesome display. Specific methods varied with location.

• Their Variety: “Crucifixion” applied to many forms of execution, from impaling on a stake to affixing to a tree, to an upright pole (a crux simplex) or to a combination of an upright (in Latin, stipes – 300 pounds or more) and a crossbeam (in Latin, patibulum – 75–125 pounds).

• Use of Nails: Normally attached by rope to the wood, nails were not always used. They are specifically mentioned by Josephus Flavius, in a record of the Siege of Jerusalem (in 70 CE) where he says, “the soldiers out of rage and hatred, nailed those they caught, one after one way, and another after another, to the crosses, by way of jest.” Seneca the Younger suggest that victims were crucified completely nude. When the victim had to relieve bowel or bladder – they did so in open view, increasing the attraction of flies and insects, and adding to the awful smell of the place.

• Other tools: In the normal course of the execution, the legs of the person executed were shattered with a club, an act called “crurifragium”– a punishment applied without crucifixion to rebellious slaves. This act hastened the death, but was not considered merciful on its face.

• Roman Records: Roman citizens were spared this execution form, and its horrors were shunned by some eminent orators. Cicero described crucifixion as “a most cruel and disgusting punishment…the very mention of the cross should be far removed not only from a Roman citizen’s body, but from his mind, his eyes, his ears.”

• Roman Superstitions: Strangely, just like objects associated with gladiators, the nails after a crucifixion were sought as amulets with perceived medicinal qualities.

The only clear archeological evidence of crucifixion of the Roman period in ancient Judea is that of “the case of the crucified man” at Giv’at HaMivtar. The discovery was in a tomb, unexpectedly uncovered by road and construction work in the 1960s. The tomb yielded a number of ossuaries, boxes containing the bones of the dead, which were examined by archeologists. One of the ossuaries contained a curiosity that is still the subject of much discussion (See Israel Exploration Journal, vol.35, no.1, 1985, pp. 22-7). The excavator, Vasilios Tzaferis, took the skeletal remains of a male who appeared to have been crucified at about the age of 28. Evidence for the man’s death as a crucifixion included a bent nail, still positioned in the foot bones. The nail was 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) in length. Tests were run at Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School and published by an anthropologist with the Israel Exploration Society. It was determined that the crucifixion in this particular case did not include the use of the crurifragium (a sledgehammer). Further, the victim did not appear to have evidence of hand injury, implying that his arms were roped and not nailed, and may have been nailed to an olive tree. If the same type of crucifixion were applied to the Gospel narrative, Jesus may well have been nailed to a patibulum (crossbeam) and then boosted against a small olive tree.

Note that Mark includes three statements that set the cruelty of the scene in Jesus’ case very carefully:

• His charge: A charge was nailed above Him, explaining the Roman crime He was convicted of – INSURRECTION. Mark 15:26 The inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

• His companions: He was not crucified alone, but was a later addition to those who were killed that day. It is likely that Barabbas’ companions were those who accompanied Jesus in death. Mark 15:27 They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 28 [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”]

• His curses: Mark 15:29 Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. 32 “Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

The Death: How Jesus was Executed

Two details are drawn out of the spectacle on Calvary that morning long ago. Mark focused on Jesus’ personal agony as He perceived the Father’s turning from Him in the midst of the crucifixion. Jesus cried out:

Mark 15:33 When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” which is translated, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” 35 When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.” 36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.” 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last.

The Gospel writer was not unaware of the theological realities he was trying to teach in his writing. In the middle of the scene, we need to recall some important truths about the Cross. Jesus made two essential changes at His death – He changed man’s potential relationship to God and He changed all Creation’s hope of redemption. The scene of the Crucifixion was not simply in Jerusalem – it was played out in HEAVENLY PLACES for all Creation to watch and learn.

The work at the Cross changed Man’s Potential Relation to God

The most profound effect of the Fall into sin was on man’s connection to God. Sin was primarily against God. It was a deliberate mutiny, not a personality flaw. For that reason, the Biblical notion of sin can be seen in the lost son’s confession in the parable of Joy (Luke 15): “I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight.” Much earlier, the wayward King David (after he had committed adultery and arranged a murder) acknowledged, Ps. 51:3 “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.” From a Biblical view, others may be hurt by our sin, but sin is primarily directed against the character of a righteous God the way a physical attack on our President would be considered an attack against our country. Sin is the personification of self will and rebellion – the opposite of dependence upon God and the desire for submission.

From the time of the Fall, sin separated man from God. God’s revealed nature is HOLY – and holiness cannot overlook sin. Our mutiny of sin naturally separates the sinner from God as oil from water – their physical properties do not mix. Sin is a barrier ever separating permanent the fellowship between man and God that he once had in the Garden of Eden. Paul called  our state in Ephesians 2 simply “dead in sin.”

The result of sin is guilt of mutiny before God, a condition passed to every baby born of man’s sperm, where God says the defect is extended. Each sinner is responsible both by their blood (at birth) and later by their deeds – all offenses chargeable before God. Sin requires God’s condemnation – just as crime requires that of any human judge. The necessary punishment to satisfy the judicial nature of God must be met – and God set the payment terms of a holy life in exchange for an unholy one. That was Heaven’s view of the Cross of Jesus. He became the Lamb slain for me.

The Bible is not silent on the state of man without the payment of the Cross (one who chooses to try to satisfy God without relying on the work of Jesus at the Cross). “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Sinners deserve death. Paul said, “They which commit such things are worthy of death” (Rom. 1:32). “Because all men sinned, death passed upon all men.” (Rom. 5:12.)

“But I wasn’t there in the Garden!” one may object. That’s true, but one who represented you was in the Garden. Just as an Ambassador for our country represents us today before other nations, so Adam and Eve represented all of us. If our Ambassador, our President and our Congress declares war –YOU declare war. You pay for it. You support it. You send your sons and daughters to fight it. Because they represent you – they speak for you – and you pay the price. They are your FEDERAL HEAD – and so was man and woman in the Garden. One more thing: the Bible is clear, and so are our lives – we would have made the same choice. We lied and cheated without any instruction – our hearts showed self dependence since we uttered “MINE!” at age two.

God is life – and he who rejects God, rejects LIFE – and asks for the penalty of death. Choosing door number two means you rejected door number one – that is the very nature of choice.

Biblically, in His sacrifice Jesus took the believer’s place. He paid the debt left by sin on behalf of the sinner that opts into the program. Just like TRAVEL INSURANCE you cannot expect to be covered if YOU OPTED OUT OF THE COVERAGE.

The man who OPTS OUT of sin coverage of Jesus lives self-centered instead of God-centered – EVEN IF HE IS A GOOD PERSON. The righteous standard is determined by the JUDGE, who has written that man cannot live righteously until he is living godly. Man’s goodness to his neighbor is meant to be a social expression of his redemptive relationship with God. We only really love our neighbor as self when we first have a walk with God and reflect the values God has stated in every other relationship – so says the Creator. Ultimately, GOOD is subservient to RIGHTEOUS. That is why the Bible says that “No one does good!”

Mark includes the detail of the curtain of the Temple to show that the division between God and man was changed at the Cross. Mark 15:38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

The Response of Observers:

One final feature of the scene of the Cross in Mark’s Gospel is perhaps the most relevant part of the story to anyone studying the event today – the reactions of people. Why is this more relevant? Because the work of the Cross only POTENTIALLY changed a man’s destination. If they don’t accept the work of Jesus – the work has only one impact on them – it becomes a STANDARD OF CONDEMNATION before God. The check box to OPT OUT becomes the CONDEMNING CHOICE by which your claim to Heaven is denied.

Consider three who appeared to be moving toward the Cross:

The Centurion as a leader of 80 men in the Roman army, and perhaps the highest official on the scene, knew that Jesus was not guilty of subversion, and thought His death was a statement of WHO JESUS IS: Mark 15:39 When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

The women who stood back and watched were shocked into Covert Action. They loved Jesus, but could not understand the plan: Mark 15:40 There were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome. 41 When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

The Pharisee Joseph showed Courage, and wanted to honor Jesus by offering his tomb for a proper burial. Mark 15:42 When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. 45 And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid.

The real question is not whether you RESPECT Jesus, love Jesus’ example, or want to HONOR Jesus through some show of self sacrifice. The real question is whether you will OPT IN to accepting Jesus as the only satisfaction for sin before the justice of God.

If you believe you are too GOOD to be UNRIGHTEOUS – you are confusing the judicial standard, and answering the wrong judgment. The Cross changed everything. At the same time, it offers potential life to those who accept it and eternal death to those who reject it.

Games have a unique and interesting history. Take for example, the playing card. They were apparently invented in Ancient China, where they have been uncovered as early as the 9th century during the Tang Dynasty (618–907).  Playing cards first entered Europe in the late 14th century, probably from Mameluk Egypt (A complete pack of Mameluke playing cards was discovered by Leo Mayer in the Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, in 1939). The first documentary evidence is a ban on their use in 1367, Bern, Switzerland. Wide use of playing cards in Europe can, with some certainty, be traced from 1377 onwards. The earliest cards were made by hand. Printed woodcut decks appeared in the 15th century and from about 1425 professional card makers in Ulm, Nuremberg, and Augsburg created printed decks. Playing cards even competed with devotional images as the most common uses for woodcut in this period.

The four suits now used in most of the world — spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs —originated in France in approximately 1480. Also in the 15th century, Europeans changed the court cards to represent European royalty and attendants. In the early years, French playing-card makers  assigned to each of the “court cards” names taken from history:

• King of Spades: David (a biblical king)
• King of Hearts: Charles (presumably after Charlemagne)
• King of Diamonds: Caesar (presumably after Julius Caesar, dictator of the Roman Republic)
• King of Clubs: Alexander (king of Macedon)

The king of hearts is oft referred to as the “suicide king” because the figure appears to be sticking his sword into his head. Closer inspection of the cards of antiquity seem to indicate a hand holding it – perhaps someone else stabbed him. His youthful death is attested in that he is the only one of the kings without a moustache.

Today I want to look into the Word and trace a close picture of a King at the point of His death. It can be understood to be a suicide theologically (Jesus gave His life for us), but it certainly was a MURDER in the text. It is the death of the King of Kings, and it is graphically depicted in Mark 15.

Key Principle: Two kinds of people met Jesus at His Cross – the pride-filled powerful and the pain-filled prisoner. One was offered rescue, the other condemned by his hardness. That is ALWAYS how it is with Jesus.

The scene was early in the morning on a Friday, after Jesus had been taken into custody. He had been up most of the night, and badly treated by the Sanhedrin. He was marched from the western Hill, today called “Mt. Zion”, and was brought to the ancient Temple Mount. Mark shares:

Mark 15:1 Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate.

They took Him to the place where Pilate was staying in the city…

2 Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “It is as you say.” 3 The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. 4 Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!” 5 But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.

A little while later, a crowd began to gather before Pilate…

6 Now at the feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested. 7 The man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection. 8 The crowd went up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them. 9 Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. 12 Answering again, Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” 13 They shouted back, “Crucify Him!” 14 But Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!” 15 Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Again, Jesus was led away, this time into the lair of a brutal band of discontented soldiers…

16 The soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together the whole Roman cohort. 17 They dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; 18 and they began to acclaim Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him. 20 After they had mocked Him, they took the purple robe off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him. 21 They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross. 22 Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. 24 And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. 25 It was the third hour when they crucified Him.

The cross was placed just outside the city as a reminder of “Roman sovereignty”….

26 The inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 27 They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 28 [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”] 29 Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. 32 “Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

Two kinds of people met Jesus at His Cross – the pride-filled powerful and the pain-filled prisoner. Let’s walk into the scene, and meet them. You won’t have any problem identifying who is in what role MOMENTS into their description. Let’s begin with the POWERFUL.

THE FIRST KIND: THE PRIDE FILLED POWERFUL PEOPLE

They stick out, and that is their intention. They dress for attention. They walk with a swagger, and expect you to move out of their way. Some of them take pride in their GOODNESS – that is the religious kind. Some take pride in their easy RECOGNITION – that is the fame oriented political kind. Some take pride in the FEAR they create in others – that is the earthy “raw power” kind you find in bars where soldiers back from the front gather. The scene today provides a look at all three of these:

Religion based Power – Elders and Scribes

Search the passage for all the times the Elders, Chief Priests and Scribes are mentioned and it will look something like this:

They felt POWERFUL:

Mark 15:1 Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate.

The verbs of verse one reveal a sense of power. Note words like “held consultation”, “binding”, “led away” and “delivered”. Jesus appears to be a victim, and they appear to be in control of everything. He is a docile rabbit, and they are the slaughterers. He is unarmed, and they are dominant.

They felt SELF-JUSTIFIED: Mark 15:3 The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. 4 Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!” 5 But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.

The men raised accusations. The term “katagoreo” is the word here, a combination of two very well understood words in Greek. “Kata” is a modifying word that usually indicates intensity or direction. Sometimes it is translated “down”, but it is much more. The second part of the word is “agora” the word for the public forum, shopping mall, or public discourse center. In combination, the idea is the loud disputations one could hear in a market place. Read: LOUD, BRASH, HOSTILE, FRUSTRATED. Stand at a “customer service counter” at Christmas and you will get the idea. People complain loudly out of a sense that INJUSTICE has been done to them. They believe they must PRESS the idea to be heard. Someone said about there marriage to me the other day: “My wife was taught in her home that if someone didn’t agree, it must be a hearing problem – they can’t hear you. She learned that if she turned up the volume, you would agree. Often I do – simply because I want the volume back down!”

You can read of their self justified attitude a few verses later:

Mark 15:11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead.

Here are the leaders behind the scenes “agitating” (ana= by; seio=stir) the crowd to get what the leaders want. They are FINE with freeing a murderer and dissident, in exchange for getting rid of One who is much more popular. Their issue isn’t MORALITY or PUBLIC ORDER – their issue is CONTROL – and that is at the center of their works. Some religious people are about controlling others – but in the end all of them are about hoping they can CONTROL GOD and His reaction to their outward devotion.

I suspect that no teaching of the Bible is harder to swallow for people in our day than that of man’s utter depravity. Those words are the theological terms for the utter inability of man to earn God’s favor. That is at the heart of the religions made by men. Biblically, I can do NOTHING that will make myself acceptable to God – no attendance at mass or religious service, no prayer to a saint of yesteryear (no matter how great that saint was in their lifetime). Isaiah 64:6 reminds us that even our RIGHTEOUSNESS – that is, the things we do that we deem GOOD, are as “filthy rags” before God – because they are not what He accepts as our Judge.

Ray Prichard said it this way: “That doctrine teaches us that there is nothing we can contribute to our salvation. We are so lost in our sins that we have no idea how sinful we really are. When we look into our own souls and see ourselves, we see only the sin that lies on the surface, but God sees to the bottom – and what he sees is a foul pit of iniquity. We are so lost that unless God takes the initiative to save us we will never be saved at all.”

They are SELF SATISFIED: The religious powerful find evidence in the world that they are right in what they teach and believe. They are able to SHOUT DOWN the conscience that God placed within them with self made “ends justify means” dogma. Look at the behaviors they had toward the condemned Jesus at the cross: Mark 15:31 “In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. 32 “Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.”

Isn’t it sort of obvious if you were standing on the that hill on that particular day, that you would see THEY WON. They got the One who called Himself “The Way” out of their way. The One who was called “The Truth” was listening to the taunts of those who shouted insults and LIES. The One who called Himself  “The Life” – was having His life drained away from Him – at the command of the taunting ones.

Men of religion can seem powerful because they can indicate GOOD WORKS and ACCOMPLISHMENTS they believe justify the way they do things. They can point to beautiful buildings and helpful philanthropy – and argue they had the right to plow under distractions on their way to doing God’s work. Ironically, when God put on skin and walked the earth, He chose to walk with people who were largely uncared for by these religious powerhouses.

Political based Power – Pontius Pilate

Beyond religious people, there was the political backdrop of the passage. Jesus was not only a religious problem, He had become a political liability.

Pilate thought Jesus was STUPID: Mark 15:2 Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “It is as you say.” 3 The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. 4 Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!” 5 But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed. To one who supremely prizes POWER, the argument to gain and keep power makes sense. When you are accused, you fire back. You hold your ground, because YOUR OPINION is worth hearing. You believe in yourself, and you ask people to believe in (and vote for) you and the ideas you bring to the table. Silence is a sign of inability to the political mind. Your skillful oratory is your ability to FIGHT – and that is what makes you powerful. There He stood, the Creator of all (Col. 1:16-17), embodied before a puny Prefect. (Wikipedia on the title: “The “Praefectus” was the formal title of many, fairly low to high-ranking, military or civil officials in the Roman Empire, whose authority was not embodied in their person (as it was with elected Magistrates) but conferred by delegation from a higher authority. They did have some authority in their prefecture such as controlling prisons and in civil administration.”) What an irony… Jesus before Pilate. The levels between the two in every way were staggering. Was Pilate more intelligent? He thought so. Was Pilate more important in human history? He thought so. Was Pilate more significant in governing the affairs of men? He thought so.

Both Pilate and Jesus died. One opened salvation to humanity, and saved the world. The other was apparently banished to Gaul and unable to die in his own home, discarded by his emperor and his spouse. In what appears to be the more reliable historical note on what happened to Pilate: Eusebius (Historia Ecclesiae book ii: 7), quotes some early apocryphal accounts that he does not name, which already relate that Pilate fell under misfortunes in the reign of Caligula (AD 37 – 41), was exiled to Gaul and eventually committed suicide there, in Vienne.

Pilate thought Jesus was a CAREER OPPORTUNITY: Mark 15:9 Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy…15 Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Pilate knew the charges were not real, they were based on ENVY. He frankly just didn’t CARE. He wanted to keep the people before him from causing a stir. In a way, he was like the parent of the child that is held hostage in the public setting by a child that threatens to SCREAM if the parent tries to curb any desire of the child. He was hoping this would help cement relationships in HIS JOB. Luke adds the detail: “Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.” (Luke 23:12). Pilate no doubt saw the condemnation of Jesus as a great career move toward making important friends.

He thought Jesus was PATHETIC: Both before the Crucifixion and after, Pilate reflected a tiny bit of humanity in his demeanor. He seemed to argue to keep Jesus alive for a time: Mark 15:12 Answering again, Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” 13 They shouted back, “Crucify Him!” 14 But Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!” After his bigger agenda of keeping the people happy took over and the Crucifixion was completed, he again showed a more human side: Mark 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. 45 And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.

I am not trying to make him into a good guy – he clearly was not. At the same time, he and his colleagues had dispensed such “justice” many times in their lives, and he certainly had no clue this day was any different. Jesus was, as far as he was concerned, a pathetic pawn trapped in His own popularity by envious and jealous religious stooges. He should, Pilate thought, be pitied for His misfortune.

Reputation based Power – Roman Soldiers

Beyond the echelons of power reached by public placement – like the priests and prefect – were the simpler but still powerful bearers of the Roman eagle standard… the cohort of Roman soldiers.

They saw Jesus as ENTERTAINMENT: Mark 15:16 The soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together the whole Roman cohort. 17 They dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; 18 and they began to acclaim Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him. 20 After they had mocked Him, they took the purple robe off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him. The chief problem for Roman soldiers was BOREDOM. Those who have served “Uncle Sam” can understand. There is nothing like being transported far from home to a place where most people HATE you and don’t even KNOW you. Respect of such people can only be gained, they thought, by open displays of BRUTE STRENGTH. If they had to be brutal, so be it. At least Jesus offered a distraction from the mind numbing boredom of serving Rome in this backwash of the Empire.

They saw Jesus as a DUTY: Mark 15:21 They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross. 22 Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. The soldiers had no desire to build relationships – just get their job done. When Jesus couldn’t stand up and carry the cross beam of His cross – they found someone else. A Numidian African – a Roman of the Senatorial Province of Cyrene was pressed into service.

They saw Him as a way to GAIN: Mark 15:23 They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. 24 And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. Beyond the distraction from boredom that Jesus provided, they could gain a small amount under Roman law, by getting the few meager pieces of cloth and leather that were taken from the condemned. It wasn’t much, but many duties offered no gain at all.

THE SECOND KIND: THE PAIN FILLED IMPRISONED PEOPLE

Just a single verse describes the criminals crucified on either side of Jesus in Mark’s account: Mark 15:27 They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. Ray Prichard notes: “When Christ died, he didn’t die alone. Two thieves died with him. We often focus on the thief who cried out, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” We know that man was saved because Jesus told him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). But don’t forget there was another man hanging beside Jesus. He cursed and swore and blasphemed the Son of God. He died as he had lived, a wretched sinner, unforgiven. ..The cross that saved the one doomed the other. The cross stands as a silent sentinel proclaiming that you have to come God’s way – or you won’t come at all! The same cross that offends the world and judges the world also saves the world…God has no other plan of salvation – and he doesn’t need one.

Paul acknowledged how our message looked to his world. He said: “But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (I Corinthians 1:23) Our chief Christian symbol is the symbol of an EXECUTION. Today, a contemporary symbol might be a noose, an electric chair, or a small chamber with the machine for a lethal injection. Our message is the OUR LIFE COMES FROM HIS DEATH.

There is, however, a condition. I can KNOW that God accepts ME because of Jesus IF and ONLY IF we accept His Son’s sacrifice in the place of our own goodness, and our own works. 1 John 5:11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Hold up your left hand and let it represent you standing before God with your sins – in an unforgiven and guilty state. Now hold up your right hand and cover it with a cloth or a towel or a handkerchief. Let your right hand represent Jesus Christ and the cloth his perfect righteousness. As long as you (the left hand) stand before God with your sins uncovered, you cannot enter heaven. Now take both hands and clasp them together so that the cloth covers both hands. When God looks down from heaven, what does he see? He doesn’t see your sins because they are covered by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Now you can enter heaven because God sees you as having the righteousness of his Son. (Prichard)

Two kinds of people met Jesus at His Cross – the pride-filled powerful and the pain-filled prisoner. One was offered rescue, the other condemned by his hardness. That is ALWAYS how it is with Jesus.

Pete Souza was attributed with saying: “Every great moment deserves a photograph!” and he knows a great moment. He is the Chief Official White House Photographer for President Obama; he is also the Director of the White House photo office. He is on an extended leave of absence from Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication where he is an assistant professor of photojournalism. He has a lot of experience as a “finder of great moments”  because he previously worked as an Official White House Photographer for President Reagan, a freelancer for National Geographic, and as the national photographer for the Chicago Tribune based in their Washington bureau.

The incredibly part of his job is that he is often standing there at the moment great things in America are happening. He has a very special and very technical view of the scene. He is also virtually silent on his feelings about the events he is a witnessing. I wonder what IMPRESSION he could give of some of the key people in government today from HIS PERSPECTIVE. Does Mrs. Obama get involved in policy? Do Vice President Biden and President Obama like really each other? How does the current President stack up (in his estimation) with President Reagan? Is the White House a lot different now? These are just a few of many things I would like to ask him at a lunch. He has certainly seen much!

If great moments deserve attention, probably no one has had a better view than Peter the Disciple, who was (according to the early Christian writers) the source of the accounts in much of the Gospel according to Mark. Mark seems to have a great view of many of the pivotal moments in Jesus’ earth ministry. He wasn’t a photographer, but he did offer short, clear verbal snapshots of the people and places that mean everything to our record of Jesus’ provision of redemption and forgiveness. In fact, Mark offered twelve small snapshots of the last hours before the arrest of Jesus.

In these twelve short snaps, we see can observe kinds of people that surrounded the event, and if we examine it more closely, we will observe the same three kinds are with us to this day. The three kinds of people are: 1) Religious but spiritually dead; 2) Obedient but seemingly unimportant; 3) Disobedient but loudly self righteous.

Key Principle: God uses people who are ready to commit to Him within, and anxious to live His truths without!

There are twelve snapshot scenes in Mark 14, each with one of three kinds of people:

Religious But LOST

The first kind are what I’d call the “Religious but lost” – they are physically in tune, spiritually dead. Last time we spent our study primarily looking at people that fit into this category, so we will only briefly mention them. There are four snapshots that offer examples.

Snapshot One: The Scribes seeking to kill Him (Mark 14:1-2): We saw the pious men in their elegant religious attire, conspiring to kill the Prince of Life. They had the trappings of godly men, but the hearts of ungodly ones! Do you recall: Mark 14:1 “… the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him.” Mark carefully showed the men knew what they wanted to do, but fear of the loss of control over the crowd shut them down – at least for the moment. In some ways, it appears they were afraid to lose STANDING in the eyes of the crowd. Remember, we made note that: “When we try to desperately hold on to the position or power that we have, we tip our hand to our real belief – that we EARNED the place we have.”

Snapshot Two: Judas, offering help to plotters (Mark 14:10-11): Our eyes drifted to the man under the cloak that was skirting the light on the edges of a dark forest. He had been in the meeting with Jesus, but heard the most painful thing Jesus ever shared about an individual. Do you recall? Jesus said of him: “It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” (Mark 14:21). Judas went out broken, but Jesus didn’t say this until Judas had already promised to TRAP JESUS. God didn’t bring judgment on him until he decided he didn’t want Jesus. That is STILL the way it works.

Snapshot Three: Judas and his Temple mob (Mark 14:43-50). The next snapshot of him was in the Garden of Gethsemane kissing Jesus and betraying Him (Mark 14:42-46). Do you recall what we learned about the POWER trap Judas was in? He was disappointed because Jesus didn’t measure up to his lofty expectations…When we try to hold God to our standard, we forget who He really is, and who we really are. Certainly Judas was guilty of that… and some of us are as well.

Snapshot Four: Jesus in questionings (Mark 14:53-65). We didn’t get to this one last time…but we should not miss this snapshot. Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane, and was led back across the Kidron Valley onto the upper hill to the west, a hill today called “modern Mt. Zion”. The hill offers a bird’s eye view of the most ancient part of Jerusalem, and follows the line of a stair like street that has been archaeologically uncovered in the twentieth century from the Pool of Siloam westward. Go up the steps with me as we read:

Mark 14:53 “They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together. 54 Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire. 55 Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. 56 For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. 57 Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, 58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’” 59 Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. 60 The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” 61 But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” 63 Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? 64 “You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. 65 Some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in the face.

By now, it should be an easy journey to see between LIES and FLAGRANT MISTREATMENT of God. Don’t just see these men and check them off the list of people who were wrong! Ask yourself this question: “How could they behave like this?” Then ask a more important question: “Could that be ME?” “No!” You object. I would not have treated Jesus with such disrespect! Really?

Look at the short distance between lies and a cool disregard for God and His Word. Look at it carefully. We keep hearing that God wants us to give our hearts to Him. One day we decide that God doesn’t really have the right to a surrendered heart. He doesn’t really deserve my life, or my deliberate obedience. We swallow a LIE that we can run our own lives well enough. We postpone obedience and say, “God, someday I will think about really following You, but today I am too busy!” On and on it goes, and our hardness allows us to flagrantly mistreat God inside. Maybe your best friend or your spouse doesn’t see it, but YOU DO. You are NOT GOD’S PROPERTY. You may be religious, but you are not in a relationship with Jesus.

Is that really different than slapping Him in the face? Imagine the feeling of the soldier that returned after serving his country with distinction, only to be spat upon by someone in the airport and called “baby killer”! This is the feeling the rebellious, self willed believer evokes in the heart of a Father who has sent His Son to die when we decide to walk away on our own. A short distance from that hardness and we begin to become cynical about His Word. “Prophesy!” We yell, as we demand that God jump through our hoops because our self willed life isn’t working as well as we had planned…Those men BEGAN as followers of God, hoping to make a difference. By accepting lies and promoting SELF, they displaced a holy ambition and began to rail against the God they had earlier hoped to serve.

Let me very clear here. This first set of snapshots (above) were people who had decided to live for themselves and not for God – because they don’t know God. They may have had a tender moment that sparked a religious sentiment at one time earlier, but it was not a true and real surrender based relationship. They began RELIGIOUS life, but did not walk in RELATIONSHIP with God. God knows the difference. There are two kinds of people in this world – those who KNOW God personally and have a relationship, and those who DON’T but need to. The people we have seen, for the most part, were a part of the DON’T group.

Let’s switch gears to the ones who KNOW God. There are two kinds – those who are walking with God, and those who aren’t – but know they should be….and it is entirely up to them to choose which they will be. Let’s look quickly at both:

Obedient but EASILY MISSED

First, we see the “Obedient but seemingly unimportant” – lot of believers that seem more like set props – until you recognize that their surrender and obedience made a real difference in the way God told His story!

Snapshot One: Mary and the anointing (Mark 14:3, 6-9): This little snapshot is found in the earliest part of the chapter. We skipped over a woman (John 12 suggests it was Mary of Magdala) who was sacrificing to Jesus by pouring an expensive and cherished ointment on His feet, to allow her story to linger in our hearts as the final part of the teaching from Mark 14. Look briefly at her story: Mark 14:3 While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. Jesus was pleased with the sacrifice of a woman who FELT SMALL, but gave what she had to be used for His purposes! She BROKE the vase of what she had to offer, and gave every drop to His use. There can be no more complete snapshot of surrender. She is in this story what the woman with the last coin of her home was in the earlier study – one who gave all. I want to say more about how Jesus reacted to her, but let’s pick up the other snapshots that fit into this section first.

Snapshot Two: Peter and John preparing Passover (Mark 14:12-16):  Another quick look, and we see two disciples responding to Jesus’ command to go set up a room. At first glance it doesn’t look that essential, but in restrospect, the setting would become one of the most important of any – with one third of the Gospel of John recalling the events of that evening, and many coming from inside that very prepared room!  Mark 14:13 And He sent two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; 14 and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’  Not to beat the point, but let’s quickly recall that obedience creates a platform for God’s work to grow and expand. What God calls a man or woman to do may seem insignificant to them at the time– but that is only because we don’t know the whole plan!

Snapshot Three: The man with the water pot (Mark 14:13): When we read Mark 14:13 above we found a matching story in the account of the room preparation  — another obedient man, who only gets the stage mention of “man with water pot”. We don’t know his name, or his family. We don’t know how God communicated to him to be there at the Siloam Pool at that specific time – we only know that he was there, and that the man was working in concert with the plan of God. Do you think the enemy didn’t work a bit to slow down that guy? Is it possible that he was fighting to be obedient in that hour to do what God called him to do. His most important moment in life may well have been this one – and I am willing to wager that it was not convenient, and that it felt hard to do – because I know the adversary of Jesus.

Snapshot Four: The owner of the upper room (Mark 14:14-16): Barely a “blip” on the radar screen of history, this man knew what Jesus wanted, and had it furnished and ready. The Gospel offers only this: Mark 14:14 “and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 15“And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; prepare for us there.” 16The disciples went out and came to the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.” I am certain the man had no idea how important his obedience was to Jesus’ plan – believers HARDLY EVER see that.

Each of these snapshots are obedient people that could almost be skipped in the passage. They are almost wall flowers – but God used their obedience dramatically. They offer us critical truths that we should not ignore or glance over…Go back to Mark 14:4 and look at the woman with the ointment. In that aromatic room you will see God’s truths:

Mark 14:4 But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? 5 “For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her.6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. 7 “For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. 8 “She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. 9 “Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

First, there is a truth that is expressed in the Bible many times – even those one the team don’t always get what you are doing when you surrender and sacrifice at God’s command. Some well meaning believers were SCOLDING her, when she was being supremely obedient to the call of Christ. Truth: Measure life by God’s approval, not everyone else’s. They don’t always get it right.

Second, note that Jesus rebuffed those who criticized her action for their own cloaked motives and self righteousness, protecting her with His words. “Let her alone” (6a). Truth: Let God be your defense when you know you are walking in surrender to Him. Self justification isn’t necessary – God is big enough to protect you while you work out His call on your life.

Third, Jesus noted that her sacrifice was “a good deed” to His standard (6b)! Judas complained because it looked like a waste. Even some believing Disciples joined the chorus of complaints. Truth, nothing given to Jesus in surrender is a waste. Your boss may simply shake his head when you leave a lucrative position to go work in the third world – but nothing truly given in response to God’s call is a waste – no matter who believes it is.

Fourth, Jesus identified her insights and priorities as the CORRECT ones (14:7). Jesus alone is the judge. Truth: the court of public opinion is often at odds with the court of ETERNITY. Don’t get caught deeming something ok because of the popular sentiment. It is only RIGHT if Jesus says it is right.

Fifth, Jesus again showed the size of the sacrifice was the true gauge of her heart (14:8a). You can see this in every one of the four snapshots. The individual acts of our life may seem utterly tiny against the backdrop of history. Truth, obedience – like disobedience  – has enormous consequence.

Sixth, Jesus carefully identified that her work fit with God’s plan (14:8b). Truth: our best moment is the one we are doing to advance God’s plan – no matter what it looks like at that moment. You share Christ with a neighbor who seems to pay little heed to your words, but you do not know that a year later in a coma, that testimony is the one they recall before meeting Jesus. When you get to Heaven, you’ll realize the importance of that day – not today.

Seventh, Jesus promised that her act would be ever recalled by followers of Jesus in times to come (14:9). Truth: Nothing given in sacrifice to Jesus is forgotten by Him. More people see what you sacrifice than you know. Angels are watching the children of God! Other young believers are watching the children of God.

Mary came to Jesus out of a broken heart and a failed life. His words set her free. His love unlocked the deep pain of her heart, and empowered her to serve by surrender and sacrifice. She understood the meekness Jesus called for – because her only hope of eternal life was found in His grace. She saw no goodness in herself. She had little, but she was unwilling to keep any of it for herself! When we recognize our own deep sinfulness, we are ready to thankfully surrender to the One who gave all for us! This is the SURRENDER KEY– the key that opens us to be used of God for powerful tasks that last for the ages to come! The SURRENDER KEY allows Jesus access to all that we have, and all that we hope to accomplish. It is the gift God most wants. It smells of perfume, but is really not about the physical world – it is a spiritually open heart.

It seems like we could end our study there, but we would miss the third group that needs little more than a mention to be totally understood. They are the believers that have decided to walk without obedience to God.

Disobedient but NOISY

Last, we see the “Disobedient but loudly self righteous”  – a bunch ready to preach truth to the lost world, but not ready to live truth when it comes to their own choices.

• Snapshot One: The disciples in the upper room with Jesus (Mk. 14:17-26): Can’t you hear them shouting to Jesus: “Surely it is not I that will betray You!”

• Snapshot Two: The sleepy disciples at Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42): Can’t you hear the snoring in the midst of the prayer meeting Jesus called in the minutes before His arrest?

• Snapshot Three: Peter declaring allegiance to Jesus (Mark 14:27-31; 66-72): You surely grasp the whole scene of Peter making grand gestures that he would DIE before DENY! Yeah, right.

• Snapshot Four: The young man who ran away uncovered (Mark 14:51-52): John Mark (traditionally) is so desperate to stand until death with his Lord, he fled into the night immodestly.

Can you see the connection of these snapshots? Believers that decide to go at the walk with God in their strength “doth protest too much” but live to little. In the end, God uses people who are ready to commit to Him within, and anxious to live His truths without!