Mark 15:21-39

6. JESUS CRUCIFIED 15:21-39

TEXT 5:21-39

And they compel one passing by, Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear his cross. And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. And they crucify him, and part his garments among them, casting lots upon them, what each should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. And with him they crucify two robbers: one on his right hand, and one on his left. And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ha! thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself, and come down from the cross. In like manner also the chief priests mocking him among themselves with the scribes said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reproached him.
And when the sixth hour was 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, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elijah. And one ran, filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to take him down. And Jesus uttered a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 15:21-39

888.

Who compelled Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross?

889.

Cf. Luke 23:26some feel Simon carried the cross with Jesuswhat do you think?

890.

Are we to conclude Simon was a negro?

891.

Why mention that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus?

892.

Why was Simon of Cyrene coming to Jerusalem?

893.

How far was the cross carried?a mile? less than a mile? More than a mile?

894.

Why call the place of crucifixionGolgotha?

895.

What was the purpose of offering the wine and myrrh? Who offered it to Him? (Please read the parallel accounts.) Matthew 27:34.

896.

Why didn-'t Jesus drink the potion offered?

897.

Are we to understand that since four garments and the robe were taken from our Lord that He was crucified without any covering? Cf. Matthew 27:35; John 19:23; Luke 23:34.

898.

Did they cast lots for all the garments?

899.

Please read the four versions of the superscription (l) Matthew 27:35 (2) Mark 15:26 (3) Luke 23:38 (4) John 19:16how shall we account for this difference? (please remember in how many languages it was written).

900.

The two robbers could have been partners in crime with whom?

901.

Who were the persons who railed on Him? What incited such persons to do this?

902.

Why mention especially the destruction of the temple?

903.

Why couldn-'t Jesus answer their taunts and save Himself?

904.

Note Mark 15:31it contains the greatest truth in the universeand yet a terrible lie. Designate each.

905.

If Jesus had delivered Himself from the cross what would have been the reaction of those who mocked Him?the immediate reaction and the lasting reaction.

906.

Did both thieves deride Jesus?Discuss.

907.

What particular type of darkness was present?i.e. an eclipsea storm? or What? Name the hours (our time).

908.

How extensive was the darkness?how intense?

909.

What happened during the three hours from 12 to 3?

910.

Was Jesus quoting scripture intentionally or was this a spontaneous expression of His own deep need? Did God forsake Him? Discuss.

911.

Why did some think He called for Elijah?

912.

What was the purpose of offering wine at this time? What is the difference between a reed and hyssop? Cf. John 19:29.

913.

When Jesus cried with a loud voice what did He Say? Cf. John 19:30 and Luke 23:46.

914.

Is there some significance in the fact that He cried with a loud voice? i.e. as the manner of His death.

915.

What meaning is there in the fact that the temple veil was torn?

916.

The centurion at the cross seems to admit two things in his statementwhat were they?

COMMENT

TIME.Friday, April 7, A.D. 30, between the hours of 9 A.M. and 3 P.M.

Place.The Lord was taken by the soldiers without the city to a place called Calvary (the place of a skull), or Golgotha, to be crucified. The site is uncertain, and travelers have differed much concerning its location. Dr. Barclay thinks it was on the east side of the city, just south of St. Stephen's gate, on the Goath of Jeremiah 31:39, a tongue or spur of land projecting southeasterly into the Kedron valley toward Gethsemane. Others place it on the northwest of the city. It was, (1) apparently a well-known spot; (2) outside the gate (compare Hebrews 13:12); but (3) near the city (John 19:20); (4) on a thoroughfare leading into the country (Luke 23:26); and (5) contained a garden or orchard (John 19:41). Tradition has for sixteen centuries pointed out the site of the present Church of the Holy Sepulchre as the actual spot; but it is highly probable that this spot was inside the city wall at that time. The question is of little practical importance; for the apostles and evangelists barely allude to the place of Christ's birth, death, and resurrection. They fixed their eyes on the great facts themselves, and worshipped the exalted Savior in heaven where he forever lives.

Parallel Accounts.Matthew 27:27-37; Luke 23:26-38; John 19:1-24.

Outline.1. The Lord Nailed to the Cross. 2. The Lord Numbered with Transgressors. 3. The Earth Draped in Mourning.

ANALYSIS

I.

THE LORD NAILED TO THE CROSS, Mark 15:21-26.

1.

The Lord Led to Golgotha. Mark 15:22; Matthew 27:33; Luke 23:33; John 19:17.

2.

The Stupefying Cup Refused. Mark 15:23; Matthew 27:34.

3.

His Garments Parted by Lot. Mark 15:24; Matthew 27:35; John 19:23; Luke 23:34.

4.

The Superscription on the Cross. Mark 15:26; Matthew 27:37; John 19:19.

II.

THE LORD NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS, Mark 15:27-32.

1.

The Lord Between Thieves. Mark 15:27; Matthew 27:38; Luke 23:32; Isaiah 53:12.

2.

The Railing of the Multitude. Mark 15:29; Matthew 27:40; Luke 23:35.

3.

The Rulers Mock Him. Mark 15:31; Matthew 27:41; Luke 23:35.

III.

THE EARTH DRAPED IN MOURNING, Mark 15:33-39.

1.

The Land Darkened. Mark 15:33; Matthew 27:45; Luke 23:45.

2.

The Cry Upon the Cross. Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46.

3.

It is Finished Mark 15:37; Matthew 27:50; Luke 23:46; John 19:30.

4.

The Veil of the Temple was Rent. Mark 15:38; Matthew 27:51.

5.

The Centurion's Confession. Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47.

INTRODUCTION

Crucifixion.Nothing demonstrates more forcibly the malignity of the Jews than their persistent and boisterous demand that Jesus should be crucified, Other forms of execution were common; stoning, as in the case of Stephen; killing with the sword, as in the case of James; beheading, as in the case of John the Baptist, and, among the Romans, strangling, Crucifixion had never been adopted by the Jews. Even to hang a corpse upon a tree was accounted among them a great indignity (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). It was inflicted on Jewish malefactors by the Romans because it was regarded with such horror. Cicero called it a punishment most inhuman and shocking, and wrote of it that it should be removed from the eyes and ears and every thought of man. The Romans reserved it for slaves and foreigners whom they despised. Yet it was this most shameful and terrible of all deaths which the Jews call on Pilate to inflict upon a prisoner whom he had pronounced innocent. The terrible details of such a death should be noted in order to comprehend what our Savior suffered for us, and I have condensed from Farrar and Geikie the following description of a death on the cross: He was stripped naked of all his clothes. He was laid down upon the implement of torture, His arms were stretched along the cross-beams, and at the center of the open palms the point of a huge iron nail was placed, which, by the blow of a mallet, was driven home into the wood. Then through either foot separately, or possibly through both together, as they were placed one over the other, another huge nail tore its way through the quivering flesh. To prevent the hands and feet being torn away by the weight of the body, which could not rest upon nothing but four great wounds, there was, about the center of the cross, a wooden projection strong enough to support, at least in part, a human body, which soon became a weight of agony. And then the accursed tree, with its living human burden hanging upon it in helpless agony, and suffering fresh tortures as every movement irritated the fresh rents in hands and feet, was slowly heaved up by strong arms and the end of it fixed firmly in a hole dug deep in the ground for that purpose. The body was terribly wrenched when the cross was raised and dropped into its place; the concussion often dislocated the limbs. Inflammation of the wounds in both hands and feet speedily set in, and ere long rose also in other places where the circulation was checked by the tension of the parts; intolerable thirst and ever-increasing pain resulted; the blood, which could no longer reach the extremities, rose to the head, swelling the veins and arteries in it unnaturally, and causing the most agonizing tortures in the brain; besides, it could no longer move freely from the lungs; the heart grew more and more oppressed, and all the veins were distended. Had the wounds bled freely it would have been a great relief, but there was very little lost. The weight of the body itself, resting on the wooden pin of the upright beam, the burning heat of the sun, scorching the veins, and the hot winds which dried up the moisture of the body, made each moment more terrible than that before. The numbness and stiffness of the more distant muscles brought on painful convulsions; and this numbness, slowly extending, sometimes through two or three days, at last reached the vital parts, and released the sufferer by death.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

I.

THE LORD NAILED TO THE CROSS.

Mark 15:21. They compel one Simon a Cyrenian. The Roman officer had official authority to press into the military service, for a special purpose, either horses or men. See Matthew 5:41. A Cyrenian. There were many Simons, or Simeons, among the early Christians; but this one was distinguished from all the rest as Simon of Cyrene, a great and flourishing city of North Africa. It lay between Alexandria on the east and Carthage on the west. This ancient city is now a heap of ruins. Coming out of the country. Going up to Jerusalem to attend the feast of the passover. Alexander and Rufus. It is taken for granted that they were well known at the time when the gospel was written, and hence, doubtless, they were Christians of some note in the church. Bear his cross. Jesus at first bore his own cross (John 19:17), as was customary. Tradition says that our Lord sunk to the ground beneath the load; but the more exact expression of Luke 23:26 shows that the after-part of the cross alone, which usually dragged upon the ground, was put upon Simon.Schaff. Here, as always, the Savior bears the heaviest part of the burden.

Mark 15:22. Golgotha. A Hebrew word, meaning a skull. From its Latin equivalent, calvaria, comes our English word Calvary, which occurs in the English New Testament only in Luke 23:33, where it should be translated a skull. The significance of the name is uncertain. Some suppose it was the common place of execution, and that the skulls of those who were executed lay about; others that it was a bare rounded knoll, in form like a skull. For further remarks on the locality see Place.

Mark 15:23. They gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh. This was a stupefying drink to deaden the pain. It was composed of vinegar or sour wine, in which were mingled certain bitter drugs. It was customary for compassionate people to give a stupefying drink to criminals on their way to execution. It is stated in the Talmud that there was an association of women in Jerusalem who sought to alleviate the sufferings of the crucified in this way. Luke 23:27 may refer to the women who provided the drink. The effect of the draught was to dull the nerves, to cloud the intellect, to provide an anesthetic against some part, at least, of the lingering agonies of that dreadful death. He received it not. The tasting (Matthew 27:34) implied a recognition of the kindly purpose of the act, but a recognition only. In the refusal to do more than this we see the resolute purpose to drink the cup which his Father had given him to the last drop, and not to dull, either the sense of suffering or the clearness of his communion with his Father with the slumbrous potion.

Mark 15:24. When they had crucified him. Nailed him to the cross, For details see Crucifixion in the Introduction. There were three forms of crosses; the first in the shape of the letter X, called the crux decussato, or, later, St. Andrews-' cross; one in the form of the letter T, called the crux commissa, or, later, St. Anthony's cross; and third, the Latin cross, or crux immissa, like the preceding one, except that the upright beam projects above the horizontal one. That the Latin cross was the one on which Jesus was crucified, is indicated by uniform tradition. They parted his garments, casting lots. The garments were perquisites of the executioners. As there were four soldiers there would be four shares. The inner robe, however, like the robes of the priests, was of one piece, woven from the top, without any seam or stitching and would be destroyed by rending. The dice were ready in their pocket, and one of their brazen helmets would serve to throw them; it would be better to cast lots for this, and let him who won the highest number keep it for himself; and so it was done. No wonder that both Matthew and John, looking back on the scene, were struck by the fact that it had been written, ages before, in the twenty-second Psalm, which the Jews of that day, as well as Christians, rightly believed to refer to the Messiah, They parted my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots.Geikie.

Mark 15:25. The third hour, according to the Jewish reckoning, that is, from sunrise, about nine o-'clock of our time. But, according to John (John 19:14), it was already the sixth hour when Pilate made his last attempt to rescue him. A solution is, that John, writing primarily for the churches of Asia Minor, uses the Roman mode of reckoning, that is, from midnight.

Mark 15:26. The superscription of his accusation. It was the Roman custom to place on the cross over the criminal's head, a titulus, or placard, stating the crime for which he suffered. Luke (Luke 23:38) says that the title was written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, the chief languages then spoken, and all spectators would be able to read it. The superscription is given differently by each evangelist: This is Jesus the King of the Jews (Matthew 27:37). The King of the Jews (Mark 15:26). This is the King of the Jews (Luke 23:38). Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews (John 19:16). Although no serious and sensible writer would dream of talking about a discrepancy here, it is very probable that the differences arise from the different forms assumed by the title in the three languages. King of the Jews. The inscription stated the offense of which Jesus had been found guilty. Pilate intended that the inscription should have a sting in it for the chief priests and elders and scribes.

II.

THE LORD NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS.

Mark 15:27. With him they crucify two thieves. Rather, robbers; in all probability partners in the crime of Barabbas. The mountain robbers, or banditti, were always ready to take part in such desperate risings against the Roman power. Thus he touched life at its lowest point, plunged into the stream of humanity where it was blackest.

Mark 15:28. This verse is omitted in the Revised Version, not being found in the oldest manuscripts.

Mark 15:29. They that passed by railed at him. The people going in and out of the city, on the thoroughfare near the place of crucifixion. Wagging their heads. Derisively and insultingly. Compare 2 Kings 19:21; Job 16:4; Psalms 109:25. Thou that destroyest the temple. It is evident that the Lord's saying (John 2:19-21), or rather this perversion of it (for he claimed not to destroy but to rebuild the temple destroyed by them), had greatly exasperated the feelings which the priests and Pharisees had contrived to excite against him.

Mark 15:30. Save thyself. This may be ironical, or it is a recognition of his miracles of mercy, to taunt him with a supposed loss of power just when he needed it most for himself. His very mercy is used in mockery.Schaff. If Christ had saved himself he could not have saved others.

Mark 15:31. The chief priests. The chief priests, and scribes, and elders, less awestruck, less compassionate, than the mass of the people, were not ashamed to add their heartless reproaches to those of the evil few.

Mark 15:32. Descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. A true index to their religious ideas. If they saw Him with their bodily eyes by a miracle come down from the cross, they would believe. Their religion rested on their five senses. The invisible spiritual power, in which Jesus taught, did his work, and founded his kingdom, had no existence for them. The only authority for their faith was what they could grasp with their hands, or see with their eyes.Geikie. They that were crucified with him reviled him, It is not certain whether both of the malefactors reviled him, or but one; Matthew and Mark speak of both; Luke of but one. Most, after Augustine, suppose that Matthew and Mark speak in general terms of them as a class of persons that joined in deriding Jesus, but without meaning to say that both actually derided him.

III.

THE EARTH DRAPED IN MOURNING.

Mark 15:33. The sixth hour... there was darkness. This was no eclipse of the sun, for it was full moon at the timenor any partial obscuration of the sun such as sometimes takes place before an earthquakefor it is clear that no earthquake in the ordinary sense of the word is here intended. Those whose belief leads them to reflect Who was then suffering, will have no difficulty in accounting for these signs of sympathy in nature nor in seeing their applicability. The consent, in the same words, of all three evangelists, must silence all question as to the universal belief of this darkness as a fact; and the early Fathers appeal to the testimony of profane authors for its truth.Alford. Over the whole land. The darkness began at the sixth hour, or twelve A.M., and continued till the ninth, or three P.M. The forms of expression, over all the land, (Matthew), over the whole land, (Mark and Luke), do not determine how far the darkness extended. Many would confine it to the land of Judea as our version does.

Mark 15:34. At the ninth hour. Three o-'clock; so far as appears, during the three hours of gloom the Lord was silent, and, doubtless, all were silent around him. My God, my God. The Savior here applies the holy psalm (Psalms 22) to himself as prophetic. The particular words are expressive of the divine abandonment, of the departure of the divine presence, as part of his atonement endurance. They are uttered by him to show that he is enduring an intolerable agony, deeper than any external infliction. The finest thing in all this dear history of Immanuel on the earth is exhibited just here. When he began his suffering on the cross, he said, Father; and when he reached its end he also said Father; but in the deep midnight of woe between them, he said My God, My God! Reasons for the forsaking: one is, God rejects sin, and sin was then laid on Jesus. Again, perhaps the almighty Father meant that Jesus should now fight the battle single-handed, in order that the glory of the final victory to be gained might be his own.Robinson.

Mark 15:35. He calleth for Elias. The resemblance between the word Eli and the name Elijah is very close in the original. There is here an allusion to the belief that Elijah would come before the Messiah, and hence a sarcastic denial of his Messiahship. The words may have been imperfectly understood.

Mark 15:36. Sponge full of vinegar. The vinegar is the posca, sour wine, or vinegar and water, the ordinary drink of the Roman soldiers. Put it on a reed. The reed is described by John as the hyssop.

Mark 15:37. Cried with a loud voice. Emitting a great voice, not a mere cry, but an articulate, intelligible utterance, the words of which have been preserved by John (John 19:30), and Luke (Luke 23:46). Gave up the Ghost. A better translation is yielded up his spirit.

Mark 15:38. The veil of the temple was rent. The great work of salvation was now, at last, completed; prophecy fulfilled; the ancient covenant at an end, the new inaugurated. Judaism was forever obsolete, and the holy of holies had ceased to be the peculiar presence chamber of Jehovah among men. Nor was a sign wanting that it was so, for the great veil of purple and goldsixty feet long and thirty broadbefore the inner sanctuary of the temple, suddenly rent itself in two from the top to the bottom at the moment of Christ's death, as if he who had hitherto dwelt there had gone forth to lead up his eternal Son to his own right hand.Geikie.

Mark 15:39. The centurion. An officer of the Roman answering to the captain in our own organization. He commanded a century, answering to our company, originally a hundred men, subsequently from fifty to a hundred. This man was the Son of God. Observe that he says not is but was a Son of God; evidently in his thought the death of Christ was the end. It is worth noticing that the cross had greater effect on the centurion, who had been before simply ignorant of and indifferent to Christ, than on the Pharisees.

FACT QUESTIONS 15:21-39

1104.

What two places are identified as the location of Calvary?

1105.

Give three Scriptural facts about Calvary.

1106.

Why do we reject the location chosen by the Roman Catholics?

1107.

Mention three other forms of capital punishment than crucifixion.

1108.

What was the Jewish opinion of crucifixion?

1109.

What did Cicero say about crucifixion?

1110.

It would help in our appreciation of what our Savior suffered for us if we were to attempt to rewrite in our own words what Johnson has given us from Farrar and Geikie. Try it.

1111.

How does Matthew 5:41 relate to Simon of Cyrene?

1112.

Where is Cyrene?

1113.

Do you agree with Johnson and Schaff that Jesus and Simon carried the cross?

1114.

The English word Calvary (Cf. Luke 23:33) should not appear at allwhy not?

1115.

Why called the place of a skull?

1116.

The Talmud says there was a certain association of women in Jerusalemwhat was their work?

1117.

The refusal to drink the wine and myrrh indicated a desire to drink another cupwhat was it?

1118.

Describe and name the three types of crosses used in the days of our Lordwhich was used with our Lord?

1119.

Over what robe did the soldiers gamble? What did they use in casting lots?

1120.

Please notice how remarkable a prediction is Psalms 22:16. Remembercrucifixion was a Roman form of capital punishment.

1121.

Mark says the third hourJohn says it was the sixth hour. Cf. John 19:14how reconcile these times?

1122.

No serious and sensible writer would dream of talking about a discrepancy in the different versions of the title on the crosswhy not?

1123.

The chief priests did not like the titlewhy not?

1124.

Show how Jesus touched life at its lowest point.

1125.

Why leave out Mark 15:28? Isn-'t it true?

1126.

Why would some folks be passing by the scene of the crucifixion?

1127.

Was the expression save thyself ironical?

1128.

The men who lied when they told the truthwho were they? Cf. Mark 15:31.

1129.

What shows a true index of the religious ideas of the chief-priests?

1130.

How does Augustine explain the thought that Mark says both thieves reviled Jesus?

1131.

How do we know the darkness was not an eclipse of the sun?

1132.

How account for the darkness? Was the darkness confined to Judea?

1133.

What is the finest thing in all this dear history of Immanuel?

1134.

What could have been a sarcastic denial of His Messiahship?

1135.

Did Jesus control His own death? i.e., choose the time His spirit would depart His body? Discuss.

1136.

Show how beautifully symbolic was the tearing of the temple veil.

1137.

Why did the death of Christ have more effect on the centurion than on the Pharisees?