16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.
27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] [a] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
Question 1
Why do you think all the people are so cruel towards Jesus?
Question 2
What prevented the religious leaders from seeing who Jesus was?
In Mark 15:1-15 we saw Pilate use the title ‘King of the Jews’ three times, the soldiers call him by that name as well. To make fun of him they gave him a royal-coloured dress and a crown of thorns to wear on his head. In doing so they acknowledge what we have seen time and time again – Jesus is no ordinary King. Kings usually wear a gold crown; the crown placed on Jesus’ head is one made of thorns. Thorns were part of the punishment God gave man when he first fell into sin in the Garden of Eden. Now Jesus is showing that he, the King, is taking that punishment and is going to show his greatness and glory through him.
When he goes out, it’s obvious that the long night and painful experiences have had an effect on Jesus – the carpenter from Nazareth is struggling to carry his wooden cross. With help, they reach the right place, and he is crucified alongside two thieves. Even though someone offers him wine and myrrh to ease the pain, Jesus refuses, knowing he must fully accept the punishment upon himself.
The title ‘King of the Jews’ is given to him, this time written above his head. Unless we realize that Jesus knew what he was doing, and that the only way he could save his people was by accepting the punishment for their sins, then this scene would break our hearts completely. As Jesus hangs on the cruel cross, everyone mocks him – the Romans, the Jews, even the men dying alongside him.
At the end of the section, the religious leaders now call him the King of Israel. They want him to prove that he is the Messiah by saving himself, just like he saved others. They’re so blind. This is what had to happen to the Messiah. Of course, he could have saved himself – but in order to save others, he chose not to.
Question 3
What do you think helped Jesus face all of this?
Question 4
How do you feel when you hear about what Jesus suffered for your sake?
Pray
that God will help you accept Jesus as he is, not as you expect him to be.
