A. Sermon Notes
“Behold Your King”
Mark 15:16-32
Scripture Reading
And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.
29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. (Mark 15:16-32, ESV)
Slide:
Road Map
1. Becoming a king
2. Becoming a joke
3. Becoming me…
Slide:
Becoming a King
- Scourged = Normal crucifixion process.
- Mockery = Beyond normal…
● A Battalion of Soldiers = 480-600 fighting men.
Slide:
Becoming a King
“Behold the Man”
Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. (John 19:4-8, ESV)
Caesar Augustus, “divi Iuli filius” = son of the divine Julius Caesar.
Slide:
Becoming a King
“Behold Your King”
From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” 13 So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. (John 19:12-16, ESV)
The Official Charge: High Treason
The Official Punishment: Death by Crucifixion
Slide:
Logistics
And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. 21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. (Mark 15:20-23, ESV)
Slide:
Simon of Cyrene
Paragó < G. | to pass by.
Aggareuó < G. | to impress/compel.
● Acts 2:5-13 / Acts 11:19-26 / Romans 16:13
Slide:
Becoming a Joke
And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. (Mark 15:24-32, ESV)
● Naked
● Blasphemed
● Disgraced
Slide:
Becoming Me
“Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” (Genesis 3:7, ESV)
“And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.” (Mark 15:24, ESV)
Slide:
Becoming Me
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isaiah 61:10, ESV)
Slide:
Becoming Christ
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21, ESV)
B. Community Group Questions
Read Mark 15:16-32 as a group.
- What stands out to you from this reading?
- How many movements or scenes do you see depicted in this passage?
- Do you see a common theme throughout each movement?
Mocking Jesus
Much of the recent Christian film culture has drawn attention to the physical sufferings of Jesus, yet Mark’s focus seems to rest on the mockery of Jesus. What do you think Mark is trying to communicate to his primary audience (Roman Christians) about Jesus’ sufferings throughout this entire morning leading up to the cross?
As a group, can you identify the following:
- Why do the soldiers mock Jesus?
- Why do those passing by Golgotha mock Jesus?
- Why do the Jewish leaders mock Jesus?
Which type of mockery feels the heaviest in your own heart? Where do you see yourself at risk of mocking Jesus in your own life?
Clothed in Salvation
There is little doubt that Jesus was fully naked upon the cross during his crucifixion. This would be consistent with the shame that Rome sought to bring upon those they punished by the cross. In what ways does Jesus’ nakedness on the cross symbolize our own sin and position before God?
Read Isaiah 51:10
How different of a picture this is from that of Christ naked upon the cross. Praise God that He has not only taken our place, but has exchanged places with us and clothed us with garments of salvation.
Read Hebrews 10:19-25
Consider verse 22
- Even though we have been clothed by the blood of Christ, do we still hide from the LORD because of our sin?
- Do we find more assurance in the fig leaves of our own self-righteousness rather than Christ’s righteousness over us?
Consider verses 24-25
- How does growing together in communities of faith encourage you and remind you of who you truly are in Christ?
Prayer Prompts
1. Repent of ways in our lives that we are mocking the salvation given to us.
2. Rejoice in the salvation of Christ that has not only taken our place, but exchanged it with His!
3. Redeem thoughts of guilt and shame that no longer have a place in our lives.
Consider ending your prayer time with the words of Hebrews 12:1-2
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2, ESV)