Mark Vol. 3 - Week 14 (15:21-47)
Mark 15:21-47
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The Death Of The King
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Mark 15:21-47 〰️ The Death Of The King 〰️
In this week's passage, we read of Jesus' final walk to His death. Once again, for the seasoned followers of Jesus, it can be easy to gloss over the details and weight of what is happening here. Jesus' death and resurrection are such "normal" things for some of us (especially me) that it takes a specific heart posture to see the significance of what is happening here. Jesus was tortured, mocked, abused, and hung on a cross with nails through his hands and feet while alive. Try to think of the most unjust death and horrific form of torture and multiply it. This was the horror of a man hanging from a cross, alive, weeping from the blinding pain.
Among all of this, Jesus' closest companions were nowhere to be found. Abandoned and alone, Christ hung from a cross, dying the death of the worst criminals. Jesus was ridiculed by those who put him up there. Likely, the same people who shouted, "Crucify him!" (v13-14) mocked him, saying, "He saved others, but he cannot save himself! Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe" (v31-32). Those who shouted for Him to be crucified, mockingly calling Him the King of Israel, were likely those who desired to see the Messiah lead a rebellion against Rome and save their nation. They willingly crucified Jesus for the crime they expected the Messiah to be guilty of: overthrow Roman rule and save Israel. This passage could be read as the peoples' contempt for Jesus, the "Messiah," the King of Israel who never actually saved Israel. To them, Jesus was nothing more than a disappointment as they (sarcastically) called Him "the Messiah, the King of the Israel" (v32).
After hanging for three hours on the cross, the land went dark for three hours (noon to three), and Jesus died. Even in His last words, those around Him were so blind that they thought He was crying out to Elijah, a long-dead prophet. When He breathed His last, the curtain in the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, ending the age of separation from God. The death of Christ meant unity for God's people with Himself.
"With what godly sorrow will [we] mourn over the sins which crucified the Lord of glory!"
— Matthew Henry
Key Terms and Doctrine
The Temple Veil Torn In Two
During the time of Jesus, and centuries prior, the temple in Jerusalem was the central onus of Judaism. The temple was where man could commune with God, but there were far more rules and laws surrounding how one could approach God in worship and sacrifice. Sins were atoned for by animal sacrifice. This was to teach God's people that sin and rebellion against God was costly. Below is a picture of the Tabernacle that Israel took with them as they wandered the desert in Exodus (Exodus 25-31 gives details regarding the exact instructions from God on how they should build this mobile temple).
Within the Tabernacle was the Holy Place, where only the High Priest could enter to make offerings to God on behalf of the people of Israel. Within the Holy Place was the Holy of Holies, a room that could only be entered once a year on the Day of Atonement. These instructions and traditions carried over when Solomon built the temple in 1 Kings 6. Early Jewish tradition tells us that the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was around 60 cubits high. While we don't know the exact measurement of a cubit, a conservative guess is that it was 60 feet tall.¹ The significance of the veil being torn in Mark 15 is that through Jesus' death, mankind is no longer separated from God. Christ's death on the cross paid the price for sin, once and for all. The temple no longer had any purpose beyond a place where people could gather to worship. God's people didn't have to sacrifice an animal to pay for their sins, because the final Lamb had been sacrificed on the cross.
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you from the passage?
Does anything in this passage remind you of another part of Scripture?
Do you have any questions?
Mark 11:1-11 and then Mark 15:29-32. Why do you think the people turned on Jesus so quickly?
The Jewish people expected the Messiah to come and overthrow Roman oppression and restore Israel.
What is the significance of the curtain tearing in v37?
What were some of the reactions of those around during Jesus' crucifixion? How do different people react differently to the same event?
1. https://www.gotquestions.org/temple-veil-torn.html