24.203 | The King Of The Jews Is Crucified | Mark 15:21-32 | God’s Word for Today with Pastor Nazario Sinon

God’s Word For Today

Text: Mark 15:21-32 ESV

THE KING OF THE JEWS IS CRUCIFIED

After they scourged Jesus, they brought Him to Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). This name originally comes from an Aramaic word. Although "skull" is from the Greek root word 'kranion', the Latin translation is 'calvaria', from which we get the term "Calvary." Its location is uncertain, but tradition says it is where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre now sits, outside the west wall of Jerusalem. The route from the Praetorium to Golgotha is less than half a mile, but the guards beat Jesus so severely (see Mark 15:15–19) He was too weak to carry the 100-pound [45 kg] horizontal crossbeam that distance. The guards use their rights as Roman soldiers to compel Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus' cross.

He was offered wine mixed with myrrh but He did not take it. Tradition states that the women offer crucifixion victims wine mixed with myrrh in the spirit of Proverbs 31:6–7. It says, "Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more." Myrrh is a weak narcotic, and the women mean to dull the pain a little, but the pain relief can also lengthen the life of the victim.

Earlier, during the Passover when He instituted the Lord’s supper, Jesus said He will not drink wine until He can drink it in celebration of the fruition of His sacrifice, when the church joins with Him in heaven (see Mat 26:29). Secondly, Jesus rejects the drink is that He is not there to be comfortable. He is there to feel the weight of pain and humiliation that sin stains humanity with. Jesus is not a helpless victim who needs to find chemical solace in His condition. He is the King who must now soberly rule, even when He was hanging at the cross His composure is as one who is peacefully in control.

After they beat Jesus, they divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. John explains that Jesus has five pieces of clothing (John 19:23–24). The guards, numbering four, split the first four pieces evenly. The last is a seamless, woven garment. Not wishing to tear it, the guards cast lots for it. This is the fulfillment of Psalm 22:16–18, David describes his bad circumstances in prophetic terms:

For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

Mark's description of the crucifixion is dry and direct. Most likely, this is due to his audience, which was mostly Romans. That culture knew all too well what crucifixion entailed, and it was considered an unpleasant topic. The inscription of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews." It is standard procedure for crucifixion victims to be paraded about with a sign announcing their convicted crime. The Jewish leaders and soldiers call Jesus "King of the Jews" to mock Him (Mark 15:18, 32). Pilate does it to mock the leaders. Despite the fact the Sanhedrin denies Jesus is King of the Jews or the Messiah (John 19:15), the legal charge designates Jesus is executed because He is King of the Jews. He dies because He is the Messiah.

The graphic details of His physical suffering, the scourging, the nails, and suffocation are not the primary causes of Jesus' pain. Neither is the intense shame and humiliation. It’s the separation from His Father that is incomprehensible. Through no sin of His own Jesus is abandoned and has received God’s wrath.

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