Sunday School Sesson 18

Good day, everyone. Here we are in our final lecture, or at least you should have lecture nine in front of you, entitled

From Humiliation to Glory. And so now we come to the final section of the

Gospel of Mark, that part where the author shows how

Jesus moves from humiliation to exaltation. So as we begin, and again,

I'm assuming you've read the text from chapter 15, verse 16 to the end of the book. So as we look into the text of scripture again, let's bow and ask

God to bless our time together. Father, would you please help us now so that we can understand the glory of Jesus' work, the glory, even as he is humiliated and the glory of his exaltation.

So help us now as we seek to understand, in Jesus' name, amen.

The trial is over and the narrative now moves to the actual crucifixion of Jesus.

As you read this gospel, it seems that Mark purposely contrasts the glory of the resurrection with the humiliating treatment of Jesus at the cross.

But in all the gospel accounts, you will see something noticeably absent.

There are no details. There are no details about the slow, excruciating, torturous death that crucifixion entails, none.

You won't find it in any of the gospels. There are no gory details about how one died.

You will not find the material here in order to produce the movie, The Passion of the

Christ. All the gospel writers omit those details. And I think that silence speaks volumes to us.

You see, they have no intention of playing on your emotions, no intention of arousing sympathy for a victim because Jesus is not a victim.

The cross is so central to our relationship to God that to include such things could only debase the work of the cross.

If you look carefully at all the accounts, the writers emphasize the humiliation that Jesus suffered and God's abandonment of his son.

That is what they emphasize. And so unlike The Passion of the

Christ, that movie that was supposed to be so earth shattering over a decade ago, that was going to bring thousands to Christ, there's a generation of people now who know nothing about it.

You see, because all the gory details that made that movie such a phenomenon, a phenomenon is absent in the gospels because it's not the gory details of crucifixion that ought to catch our attention.

It's the humiliation of Jesus and then the exaltation of Jesus.

That is what the writers want us to see so that we understand our salvation and our savior.

You see then the humiliation of Jesus in chapter 15, verse 16, all the way through verse 41.

It begins in verse 16 and goes through verse 20. And here you see the humiliation of Jesus at the hands of the soldiers.

They scourge him and then they take a crown of thorns and they pound it down onto his head.

The talks about them taking a reed. It's not this little thing that you just pull out of the swamp and kind of whack somebody with it.

It's something that's substantial and they pound the crowns down on his head.

They mock and they humiliate Jesus by putting a royal colored robe on him and they bow down and they hail him as king, this pathetic looking

Jew. And then that squad of profane men have their fun as they abuse him and spit on him and they mock him.

They find nothing worthy of adoration in this man, nothing.

And so they mock him as just some loser that finally got caught and now they're gonna crucify him.

You see then his humiliation in the crucifixion itself, verses 21 through 27.

Pilate's soldiers had finished scourging and mocking Jesus and they lead him away to crucify him.

A squad of soldiers forms around him. They put the crossbeam of the cross on his bloody back and they force him to carry that crossbeam to the place of crucifixion.

They hang a placard around his neck so as he trudges through the city streets, people can read this placard that says, this is

Jesus, the king of the Jews. As was the custom then,

Jesus carry his cross. And when they get to the city limits, the execution squad grabs another

Jew by the name of Simon who is a pilgrim from the area of Cyrene and they force him to carry

Jesus' cross. Finally, they come to a hill outside of the city limits, a hill called

Golgotha, which means the place of the skull. In Latin, it was called

Calvarium. Here they offered Jesus a bitter drink, just another way to torment the victims of crucifixion.

And of course the soldiers were probably amused at it all. Can you imagine just the humiliation

Jesus suffers at their hands? There, the execution detail, take

Jesus and the other two men who are going to be crucified with him, they nail them to the crosses.

They drop those crosses, thud, into the hole. And then they take that placard that had been, they take that placard hung around Jesus' neck, nail it to the cross so everyone can see.

Once the crosses are erected with the men on them, the squad comes into possession of Jesus' clothes, his inner garment, his outer garment, his belt, and his sandals.

They start gambling, they start throwing dice to see who would be the lucky winner of this victim's clothes.

And when you see that, when you understand that, you need to understand that Jesus then hangs on that cross absolutely naked in open shame.

You see, the horror of crucifixion was not just the physical torture, it was the fact that you would die in shame.

You would die in shame. You can read the placard above Jesus' head.

Rome used such a placard above the head of every crucified criminal so that those passing by would be warned not to commit the same crime.

And Jesus hangs on that cross because he is profoundly misunderstood.

He never intended to lead a rebellion. He never intended to establish an independent

Jewish kingdom in Israel. That was never his intent. And then the final humiliation.

He is crucified between two freedom fighters, two insurrectionists.

The Romans clearly want to show Jesus up. These men are more than mere robbers. The word actually means that they were insurrectionists.

They were the Jewish terrorists of those days who were trying to throw

Rome's yoke off. They were ones who were leading rebellions.

The Romans clearly wanted to show Jesus up. They wanted him to be counted among the worst.

Here are two men who were insurrectionists, two men who wanted an independent

Jewish kingdom, who wanted to get rid of their oppressors. And Jesus, the one who claimed to be king, who's accused of wanting to be king, is hung between them.

But in all of this, Jesus fulfilled scripture, proving that indeed he was the promised savior.

Consider, for example, Leviticus chapter 16, verse 27.

Leviticus 16, verse 27. And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be carried outside the camp.

On the day of atonement, the sin offering was taken outside the camp.

In Hebrews chapter 13 then, Hebrews 13, if you'll turn there with me.

Verses 11 and 12, here's what you read. For the bodies of those animals whose blood was brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.

So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.

And so Jesus, fulfilling the great pictures of the Old Testament as the atonement, as the atonement offerings were burned outside the camp.

So Jesus was taken outside the city gates. In Psalm 69, turn to Psalm 69 for a moment.

Psalm 69, verses 19 through 21, we read this.

You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor. My foes are all known to you.

Reproaches have broken my heart so that I am in despair. I looked for pity but there was none and for comforters but I found none.

They gave me poison for food and for my thirst, they gave me sour wine to drink.

That bitter drink fulfilled the picture given by Jesus' father, David. They surround me.

These enemies surround me. I look for pity, there's none. There's no pity for him. In fact, as we continue in this narrative, there's no pity, there's only insult.

And they give me this horrible drink. In Psalm 22, one of the most graphic pictures that David writes of his suffering, which points forward to the suffering of Jesus, which is fulfilled in the suffering of Jesus.

Psalm 22, verses 16 through 18. 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.

As they divide up Jesus' clothes, they fulfill the picture of David as he felt forsaken by God.

And then of course, we can't forget Isaiah chapter 53. Isaiah chapter 53, verse 12.

Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors.

Yet he bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors by placing him between these two terrorists so that everyone would see

Jesus as a transgressor. The words of Isaiah are fulfilled.

So you see all these pictures flow through the Old Testament. Jesus fulfills them all.

So there he is crucified, fulfilling the pictures that we see of him in the Old Testament, pointing forward to him and the eyes of faith should see it.

You see his humiliation and the insults and the mocking that we find in verses 29 through 32.

As the people of Jerusalem walk by that cross, they start insulting him.

These people believe that since Jesus hangs on the cross, he cannot possibly be what he claims to be.

He cannot possibly be the Messiah, the anointed one, the deliverer king.

If you have the power to destroy the temple and rebuild it like you say, you have the power to save yourself.

So they say to him, members of the Sanhedrin come by, members of the ruling council come by and they taunt him as they whisper to each other in a stage whisper.

You know, those kinds of whispers in a drama on stage. It's a whisper, but it's loud enough so everyone can hear.

And so they come and they whisper, but loud enough so Jesus can hear.

He saved others. Look at all the miraculous power he had, healing, raising the dead, feeding so many.

Yet, even with all that, even with all that, he cannot save himself.

They asked for miraculous signs before and so now they taunt him again. Show us your greatest miracle and deliver yourself.

That's a sign that would make us believe. By the way, do you think it would? Do you think it would make them believe?

No. No, sin is so strong and so powerful. It can be confronted with miracles and still not believe.

They would never have believed. Even the two freedom fighters crucified with him heap their insults on him.

Those that you would expect to be sympathetic toward him, one who was crucified along with them.

You would think that they in some fashion would have sympathy for Jesus, but no.

No, they slander him as well with their tongues. Even victims and down and outers are sinners.

You have the people, you have the rulers, you have those at the very bottom of the social ladder, criminals, all, all insult

Jesus. All are sinners. And so Jesus hangs on a cross utterly, completely alone.

There is no sympathy from any quarter anywhere. And yet even though his enemies heaped abuse on him, yet Jesus shows that he indeed is the savior of men.

Even the fact that Jesus was insulted should have alerted those with eyes of faith that this was the pattern of God's revelation of his leaders.

This is how God works. It's how we worked in the past. In Psalm 22, verses six through eight, the greatest ruler of Israel, David writes, but I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.

All who see me mock me. They hurl insults, shaking their heads.

He trusts in the Lord, let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him since he delights in him.

Again, pointing forward to those who say almost the exact same words of this

King. He was despised and rejected by men. A man of sorrows and familiar with suffering like one from whom men hide their faces.

He was despised and we esteemed him not, said the prophet Isaiah in chapter 53.

In Psalm 109, we read, I am an object of scorn to my accusers.

When they see me, they shake their heads. Even the insults heaped upon Jesus should have alerted those with the eyes of faith that this truly was one of God's.

Jesus is derided for his claims concerning the temple. But look now, what happened to that majestic temple?

It was destroyed. Where is the meeting place between God and man now? It is in the person of the

Lord Jesus Christ. That majestic structure lies in ruins, never to be resurrected while Jesus was resurrected and brings us to God.

Perform the miracle of saving yourself, they said, while the greatest miracle of salvation was transacted that day.

The greatest miracle Jesus ever accomplished happened that day, and that was reconciling sinners to God.

That is the greatest miracle of all, greater than all the sign miracles that Jesus did, greater than the feedings and the healings, the fact that he reconciled sinners to God.

It was not that Jesus could not come down, but that he would not come down because of his love for sinners.

John Calvin said this, this is too much the way of the wicked at all times to measure

God's power by present appearances. Thinking what he does not do, he cannot do.

What Jesus did not do was infinitely more powerful than anything he had ever done.

It took the power of God himself in Christ to save sinners.

Is he the King of Israel? What happened here? And three days later would prove him to be that promised

King. What happened here proved it. We just saw that in the text that we read of King David pointing to Jesus.

It happened to the leader in the past. It proved that he's the promised King. They didn't mean what they said when they insulted him, but what they said was indeed true.

You are the King of Israel, they said. They mocked him, but yes, he was. I want you to look at Acts chapter two,

Acts chapter two, and let's just read a section of Peter's sermon that he preached on the day of Pentecost when the spirit came upon those 120 disciples some 50 days after the resurrection.

Acts chapter two, here's Peter preaching beginning in verse 25.

For David says concerning him, that is concerning Jesus, I saw the

Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore, my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced.

My flesh also will dwell in hope, for you will not abandon my soul to Hades or let your

Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life.

You will make me full of gladness with your presence.

Here he is quoting from Psalm 16, the words of David. Now he interprets that.

Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried and his tomb is with us to this day.

And Peter's probably pointing to that part of Jerusalem where the tomb of David was. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the

Christ, of the anointed one, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.

This Jesus, God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses, being therefore exalted at the right hand of God.

And having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this day that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.

For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, now quoting from Psalm 110, the

Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both

Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. So you see then that what

Peter says is all of the shows, the resurrection of Jesus shows in fulfillment of those two

Psalms, that this Jesus whom you crucified really is the King. He really is the

King. By God resurrecting him and seating him on the throne of heaven proved that he is the promised

King. Even the curses of Jesus' fellow sufferers, those guys, both of them crucified on either side of Jesus echo in the words of Psalm 69, verse 20.

Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless. I looked for sympathy, but there was none for comforters, but I found none.

And so all of this points to Jesus. All of this points to Jesus.

All of these Old Testament texts point to this one who was crucified and raised again.

He is the King. He is the Savior. All of this humiliation is part of what

God had planned. Well, let's stop there. We'll pick it up again next week, or next time you view the lesson, we'll look and see again and dive deeper into all that happened to Jesus.

Let's pray. Father, I pray now that what we have spoken, what we have seen truly is, as the scriptures say, pointing us to this one,

Jesus, who is indeed Savior and King, both Lord and Christ.

Now, Father, we pray, help us to live with confidence for you will always keep your promises.

You've shown that in your son. Help us now as we live for you in Jesus' name, amen.