Mark 15
COMMENTARY:
: 15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. (2425 “content” [hikanos] means satisfy, act in a pleasing manner, befitting, or gratify.)
DEVOTION: People pleasers have been around for generations. Here we have a political leader who wants to please the people with whatever they want even when he was warned of his wife to not get involved with this innocent man. Jesus was innocent but to a politician that didn’t made it hard because popular vote was all that was necessary. He washed his hands of guilt but it was still there.
Pilate gave the people a murderer that they chose because the religious leaders told them what to do. So it was not only the politician but also the religious leaders who wanted to keep their power with the people. So, we find, that religious leaders can be people pleasers too.
Jesus was crucified because that was the Father’s will regarding the salvation of souls. The people who yelled didn’t know this fact. They were just pleasing their religious leaders who wanted to influence their political leaders to do what they wanted to an unwelcome guest.
The problem today is that we have religious leaders give wrong instructions to their people. The problem today is that our political leaders are following the course of lease resistance and are willing to sell out the people for a raise in pay they don’t really need.
People pleasing is still happening in our pulpits. The Bible warns that there will be a group of people who will come to church to get their ears tickled. They only want to hear what makes them not fall under the conviction of the Holy Spirit that they are not living the way the LORD wants them to live.
CHALLENGE: Jesus doesn’t want us to be people pleasers, HE wants us to be God pleasers in our message to the world.
: 32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him. (3679 “reviled” [oneidizo] means to reproach, taunt, upbraid, heap insult upon, reprimand, denounce or cast in teeth.)
DEVOTION: Remember when Christ entered the city all the people were shouting in HIS favor. Now we come to a time when the chief priests had stirred up the people to yell “Crucify HIM.”
Pilate didn’t want to displease the people. He allowed his soldiers to abuse Christ before they took HIM to the cross. Jesus allowed HIMSELF to be abused. Here we have God allowing man to abuse HIM. We have never stopped.
We find that while Jesus was on the cross HE had many people walk by and say bad things to him. They commented on his being able to help others but not himself. They commented about what he said would happen in the future. They made fun of him. This included the religious leaders. They were heaping on the insults. They were taunting HIM. They were denouncing HIM.
One of the things that this verse brings out is that the thieves on the crosses on either side of him also took part in the abuse. In another Gospel we learn that one finally repented and asked the LORD to remember him when he came into this kingdom. Jesus promised him that he would be in paradise that day.
How about us? When someone is down, do we pick on him/her too? When we see someone in our world having a hard time, do we help or think that they deserve what they are getting? What is our reaction to other’s problems? Are we help or a hindrance? We have to always remember that if we have a friend that is sinning we have a ministry of reconciliation. If we have a friend who is going through a hard time, we have a ministry of encouragement. If we have a friend that has a need and we do nothing, the LORD will judge us for that. We don’t have to follow the example of the religious leaders of Jesus day. We don’t have to follow the example of the two thieves on the crosses next to Jesus.
We should follow the example of the woman and Joseph. The centurion at the cross saw all that was happening and made the comment “Truly this man was the Son of God.” That should be our comment.
What are we doing with the people in our world who are going through tough times? Are we help or a hindrance? Our pray that we are a help. They don’t need more critics!!!
CHALLENGE: Find someone who is hurting around you and help them out. If they are down, lift them up spiritually.
: 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying Eloi, lama sabachthani” which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why have YOU forsaken ME? (1459 “forsaken” [egkataleipo] means abandon, leave helpless, totally abandoned, to refuse to accept or acknowledge something, conceived of as leaving it behind or forsaking it, desert, or neglect.)
DEVOTION: God’s wrath is what our Savior was feeling on the cross. HE died as a substitute for all those who would become followers of HIM in the future. The price of sin had to be paid. The only sacrifice that was acceptable to the Father was a perfect lamb without blemish. Jesus Christ was the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the world.
It is because of Christ’s death on the cross that we have hope. It is the only reason we have assurance that the debt we owe because of our sin was forgiven. Jesus did it all on the cross.
There was darkness because our sin was darkness. There was the tearing of the view because there was no longer going to be any animal sacrifices. Jesus ended the old system of offering animals on the Day of Atonement. The final blood was shed on the cross. It was finished.
The perfect sacrifice was offered and Jesus felt the sins of the world. HE shed enough blood to save everyone but only those who accept the call of the Holy Spirit will be saved. All others will be lost, not because there was not a proper sacrifice but because of their refusal to accept the sacrifice.
CHALLENGE: Most of the world will reject a free gift of salvation. Don’t be one of them.
: 39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. (230 “Truly” [alethos] means indeed, surely, of a truth, most certainly, pertaining to be real and not imaginary, or actually.)
DEVOTION: Here was a man who witnessed all that occurred on that day. He witnessed the darkness. He witnessed all that happened around the cross. He witnessed the comments of Jesus from the cross. He witnesses the interaction between the LORD and the two thieves.
His conclusion was that he had witnessed the death of the Son of God. He witnessed a life changing event. He believed what Jesus Christ had said about HIMSELF.
After we review all the facts we have learned about Jesus Christ, what is our conclusion? If HE truly is the Son of God come in the flesh to die for our sins what type of servants should we be?
HE gave HIS all to offer salvation to us. We should be willing to spread the message and give our all to HIM. It is easier said than done.
The Holy Spirit illuminates the truth of this passage. HE wants the truth of this event to not only be known but understood. The only way anyone can truly understand this event is through the illumination of the Holy Spirit to the individual’s heart. We can know the facts but not understand without the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our life.
CHALLENGE: Is the Holy Spirit working in your heart today?
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