WORD From The Woods
Mark 15:1-41
“And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 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. 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. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 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, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 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. And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God! There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.”
The entire bible is ultimately focused around one central theme, which is the problem of mankind's sinfulness and God's plan of redemption for mankind. Most people, whether they have trusted in Jesus for salvation or not, have heard about Him and that He was crucified. We've all heard people say that something was a "game changer," well, the crucifixion of Jesus was the "game changer" of all time! This event even split time in two, we have B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini) which means "the year of The Lord." The crucifixion of our Savior was not just a big deal, it was the biggest deal of all time! I don't really need to make this point to true followers of Christ, we should already understand how important this was. I could spend several weeks on this passage, talking about the many different details surrounding the crucifixion that fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, these are important things to study and are great apologetic tools to have, but I want to get back to the basics today. I don't know about you, but I've been saved for a long time, I tend to forget how incredible the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us on the cross really was! I think it's important for us to step back once in a while and think about what really happened here! God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the three persons of the Godhead were all present at the creation of the universe. God simply spoke and the entire universe came into existence from nothing! This same God, carefully, thoughtfully, and purposefully knit us together in our mother's womb. We were created by God to love, serve, and glorify Him, and to enjoy a relationship with Him for all eternity. We have each made the conscious choice countless times, to sin against our Creator. Because of our rebellion against Him in sin, we deserve to be put to death and spend eternity separated from God. God sent His Son, to be the perfect, sinless sacrifice to take our punishment for sin, and offer us a reconciled relationship with Him for all eternity! It's vitality important for us to remind ourselves of the awesome reality of God's plan of redemption. It's also important for us to remember that every time we sin, our sin is what nailed our Savior to the cross. Because of the unfathomable grace that has been showered upon us through Christ's redemptive work, it's easy for us to become jaded and cavalier about our own sin. It's why we see hundreds of married pastors and church leaders who have been caught on "secret" adultery dating websites. If you think that you and I are immune to such a fall, you’re wrong. Like the Casting Crowns song "slow fade" says, it's a series of very small compromises that led men like King David, to fall into sin. As you go about your week, be reminded of the awesomeness of what Christ did for us on the cross, and let the Holy Spirit empower you to live a Christ-like example before the world around you!
God bless and have a great week! -Terry-
Mark 15:1-41
“And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 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. 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. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 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, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 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. And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God! There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.”
The entire bible is ultimately focused around one central theme, which is the problem of mankind's sinfulness and God's plan of redemption for mankind. Most people, whether they have trusted in Jesus for salvation or not, have heard about Him and that He was crucified. We've all heard people say that something was a "game changer," well, the crucifixion of Jesus was the "game changer" of all time! This event even split time in two, we have B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini) which means "the year of The Lord." The crucifixion of our Savior was not just a big deal, it was the biggest deal of all time! I don't really need to make this point to true followers of Christ, we should already understand how important this was. I could spend several weeks on this passage, talking about the many different details surrounding the crucifixion that fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, these are important things to study and are great apologetic tools to have, but I want to get back to the basics today. I don't know about you, but I've been saved for a long time, I tend to forget how incredible the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us on the cross really was! I think it's important for us to step back once in a while and think about what really happened here! God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the three persons of the Godhead were all present at the creation of the universe. God simply spoke and the entire universe came into existence from nothing! This same God, carefully, thoughtfully, and purposefully knit us together in our mother's womb. We were created by God to love, serve, and glorify Him, and to enjoy a relationship with Him for all eternity. We have each made the conscious choice countless times, to sin against our Creator. Because of our rebellion against Him in sin, we deserve to be put to death and spend eternity separated from God. God sent His Son, to be the perfect, sinless sacrifice to take our punishment for sin, and offer us a reconciled relationship with Him for all eternity! It's vitality important for us to remind ourselves of the awesome reality of God's plan of redemption. It's also important for us to remember that every time we sin, our sin is what nailed our Savior to the cross. Because of the unfathomable grace that has been showered upon us through Christ's redemptive work, it's easy for us to become jaded and cavalier about our own sin. It's why we see hundreds of married pastors and church leaders who have been caught on "secret" adultery dating websites. If you think that you and I are immune to such a fall, you’re wrong. Like the Casting Crowns song "slow fade" says, it's a series of very small compromises that led men like King David, to fall into sin. As you go about your week, be reminded of the awesomeness of what Christ did for us on the cross, and let the Holy Spirit empower you to live a Christ-like example before the world around you!
God bless and have a great week! -Terry-