And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying,“Aha!  You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

And when the sixth hour had 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, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”—Mark 15:21–39

Introduction
A Prayer Picture From The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I fear that the cross has become so commonplace in Christian thinking that some can lose the wonder of the story. A word picture describing my aim for this chapter comes from C.S. Lewis’ The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The phrase “Christ crucified” is like a still shot of Jesus’ death in the same way that the painting on the wall of Eustace’s home captures the Dawn Treader in a moment in time. Perhaps that is what the cross has become for you. A painting that you hang on your walls. You believe it. But it has just blended into the background. You rarely notice it anymore.

I am praying that if that is the case, then what C.S. Lewis wrote about will happen before your very eyes. You may remember the story—Lucy and Edmund cannot help but stare at the beauty of the painting—and before they know it the picture comes to life and they find themselves entering the story:

And then all three children were staring with open mouths. What they were seeing may be hard to believe when you read it in print, but it was almost as hard to believe when you saw it happening. The things in the picture were moving. It didn’t look at all like a cinema either; the colors were too real and clean and out-of-doors for that.

They experience the drama of the narrative in its highs and lows and share in the adventure with the characters of the story. My prayer is that this chapter will make the drama of the cross and the wonder of Christ’s love come alive. I pray that we will enter the story as it moves back and forth from irony, rejection, and fulfillment of the Scriptures.

I am asking God to bring three points to life this morning: (1) the reality of the cross (vv. 21–37), (2) the result of the cross (v. 38), and (3) the response to the cross (v. 39). I will spend the majority of my time on the first point, the reality of the cross, because it is the foundation for both the result and the response.

1) The Reality of the Cross (Mark 15:21–37)

And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him.—Mark 15:21–25

A. Carrying the Cross

Verse 21 is so suggestive and instructive for us in many ways. Let me mention just a few. First, this word for compelled or forced was a hated compulsory act that Roman soldiers could impose on the Jews—carry the heavy crossbeam of a condemned man to the cross for them.

Second, Plutarch tells us that “every criminal condemned to death bears his cross on his back” (Moralia 554 A/B). At the cross, the cross beam (Latin: patibulum) was tied/lashed or nailed to the upright post for the cross (Latin: stipes). Therefore, the fact that they forced Simon to carry the crossbeam for Jesus shows that Jesus had been beaten so mercilessly at his scourging (loss of blood and bodily shock) that he was unable to carry his own crossbeam.

Third, the story of Simon and his sons is instructive for Mark’s readers. Cyrene was on the North Coast of Africa. It is possible that Simon was a man of color. Simon’s name is included in both Matthew and Luke, but Mark includes the names of his two sons. It seems as though Simon is not known to Mark’s readers, but Alexander and Rufus are known. In fact, we learn in Romans 16:13 that Rufus was a member in the church of Rome when Paul wrote Romans around 55 AD. Remember that Mark was written with Rome in mind. In fact, it could be that Simon’s participation in carrying the cross was a moment that was so defining for these two brothers that one or both of them became believers and members in the church in Rome.

Fourth, and perhaps more core to Mark’s point, the language Mark uses in 15:20 is the language of discipleship in Mark 8:34—to take up one’s cross and follow Jesus. Simon becomes the first one to obey Jesus’ command in a literal sense. Being a disciple of Jesus is not a “precious moments” picture of what it means to be a Christian. This verse helps erase any shallow, symbolic, glib meaning people often have when they talk about carrying their cross.

B. Wine Mixed With Myrrh

Jesus is here filling up the picture of the suffering of the righteous:

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.—Psalm 69:19–21.

There is no pity and no comfort for the Righteous One—only pitiless reproach, shame, and dishonor. The irony is that a cup of wine would be offered to a victorious king, but the sour wine mixed with myrrh was a narcotic. Its purpose was to deaden the pain of crucifixion but probably was also offered as part of the mockery.

Jesus refuses this act, but we are not explicitly told why. Surely, he wants his final act of obedience to be done in a state that is fully conscious and alert to the will of his Father. But it may also be in fulfillment of his earlier vow at the Passover meal:

“Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”—Mark 14:25

C. Dividing His Garments (Mark 15:24)

And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.—Mark 15:24

Once again, this verse fills up the picture prophesied in the Psalms.

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.—Psalm 22:16–18

This is all part of the mockery. Jesus is stripped naked in shame and reproach and all that is left of his possessions are taken. He has been shamed to the full extent that the soldiers can do. He has no clothes, possessions, or dignity. 

D. The Background Details (When, Why, Who)

And it was the third hour when they crucified him.—Mark 15:25

The Jewish frame of reference for time started with sunrise at 6am. Therefore, the third hour is a reference to 9am.

And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”—Mark 15:26

Roman and Jewish customs required charge for crucifixion to be nailed to the cross as well: “King of the Jews” (Pilate’s accusation in 15:2, 9, 12, 18).

E. His Right and His Left

And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.—Mark 15:27 

The irony here is that James and John had asked to sit at Jesus’ right and left hands in glory (Mark 10:37). Jesus told them that they didn’t understand what they were asking for. Instead of two disciples (his followers suffering next to him) there are two robbers—or convicted criminals. Once again this is a fulfillment of Scripture (Isaiah 53:12):

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.

These events are all horrible, but none of them are accidental; all of them are purposeful. The people involved do not understand the bigger story that they have entered. God’s prophesied plan is unfolding before their eyes, but they do not have eyes to see it.

Rejection: Concentric Circles and the Crescendo of Rejection at the Cross

The crescendo of rejection works in concentric circles starting on the outskirts of the cross and moving closer and closer to it. The progression of rejection and pain for Jesus starts on the outside with those who pass by and moves more and more inward as those nearest to Jesus join in the rejection.

1. The First Concentric Circle: The Outskirts of the Cross – Those Passing By (vv. 29–30)

And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!”

First, the mockers passing by on the road are the furthest from the cross and they do not come close to watch the drama of Jesus’ death. And yet, even though they have no intention to stick around, they cannot resist the urge to hurl insults at Jesus like a hit-and-run accident. They are moved to join the rejection and they give voice to it, even if it is from a distance.

They play the part of the wicked in Psalm 22:7–8 as they wag their heads:

All who see me mock me;
     they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
“He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
     let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” 

There is dual irony here. Not only do they fulfill the truth of Psalm 22, but they also speak more truth than they know. They mock Jesus as the one who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. If Jesus spoke of the temple of his body, then they are witnessing the destruction of the temple. Those passing by will not stick around long enough to see the rebuilding of the temple when Jesus is raised on the third day.

2. The Second Concentric Circle: The Chief Priests – At the Foot of the Cross (vv. 31–32)

So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.”

In the second concentric circle, his original accusers and condemners are there to hurl their abuse at him once again. They have already expressed their rejection of Jesus, but they can’t resist the opportunity to repeat their rejection of Jesus when the moment presents itself.

The irony is once again that they say more than they know when they say, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself. Come down from the cross and we will believe in you.” They are right. Jesus cannot save others and save Himself. He can only save others by staying on the cross. If he comes down, there will be no salvation to believe in. They could not grasp the fact that the nails did not keep him there on the cross.

3. The Third Concentric Circle: The Reviling of the Crucified (v. 32c)

“Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.”

The last act of human insult must have been the most painful thus far. This final wave of human rejection comes crashing down upon Jesus as his fellow criminals mock him. The pointed nature of their rejection is stunning. Victims on the cross would die by suffocating. One would have to push up with their legs and suffer the pain of the nail between their feet in order to get a breath to stay alive. Therefore, it is all the more amazing that they can’t resist the urge to use their dying breath to mock Jesus.

At this point, I marvel that Jesus did not come down from the cross and call legions of angels from heaven to destroy this mass of wicked sinners scorning their sinless Creator.

Let me try to put this pain in perspective. I am ashamed to tell you of the time that I played basketball with my eighth-grade neighbor. I was trying to witness to him because he came over one day and was boasting about the fact that he watched The Passion of the Christ movie and did not cry at all—as if his not being moved by the cross would impress or move me me. So I had determined that I would let him win as we were playing. But then it came to the end of our pick-up game, and my pride simply would not let an eighth grader beat me. How pathetic am I? Because of that experience, I marvel even more at the fact that Jesus let his creation crucify him. The people around him should not have mocked him for being on the cross so that he could save them—they should have marveled at the fact that he didn’t come down from the cross so that he could destroy them.

4. The Inner Concentric Circle: The Ultimate Rejection and Irony (vv. 33–37)

And when the sixth hour had 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, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.

Darkness comes and settles on the land from noon until 3pm (the sixth to the ninth hour). The presence of darkness at what should be the brightest time of the day is an unnatural darkness. What does it signify? The presence of darkness here is not a fluke of the weather; it is a picture of divine judgment.

The Cry of the Condemned

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”—Mark 15:34

This cry from the cross has been called the “scream of the damned.” It represents the deepest possible pain. Jesus and his Father have had perfect, unbroken harmony and fellowship in the Trinity for all of eternity—until now. In the climactic moment, the Father places the sin of the world upon Jesus, the Lamb of God. The Father, who has eyes too pure to behold sin, turns his face away from his Son for the first and only time. Jesus suffers separation from God. Jesus is now enduring not only the pain of mocking, scourging, and crucifixion—he is experiencing the pain of hell, which is separation from God.

The significance of Jesus tasting hell and swallowing up the wrath of God can be seen powerfully in a story from the recent California wildfires. I heard Eddie Cole share the story of a family that had waited too long to abandon their home as the flames quickly came upon them. The blazing fires surrounded them and blocked every escape route. The desperate dad had an idea. He had recently burned part of the field next to their home. They went to the burned area. The children laid down first, then the mother covered the children, and the father put his body on top over all of them. The fires raged around them and they felt the intense heat, but the fire stopped at the spot that had been burned the previous week because there was nothing left to burn. The family was saved from the fire.

In the same way, we are saved from the fires of hell and the wrath of God when we run to the cross and rest there, because it is the place where God’s wrath already fell. The cross is the only safe place for sinners to stay.

The ultimate rejection is the Father forsaking his Son on the cross. The ultimate irony is that the tree of wrath for Jesus becomes a tree of life for us. The place where the Son was condemned becomes the place where we experience “no condemnation.” We truly stand on singed ground—the fire of God’s wrath will not fall there again.

2) The Result of the Cross (Mark 15:38)

And the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.—Mark 15:38

We instinctively know that this is a physical symbol for a spiritual reality, but what is it? There are a couple of clues in the text. This word for the curtain being “torn” only occurs one other time in Mark. It is at the beginning of the book at Jesus’ baptism. Jesus saw “the heavens torn” (Mark 1:10). This is the answer to the prayer of Isaiah 64:1: “O that you would tear the heavens and come down.” Heaven and earth are separated by a barrier—man cannot break it open to come to God—so God breaks the barrier and comes to us. The new creation has invaded this present evil age. The Spirit comes upon Jesus. Jesus carries out his mission of redemption and, through his death, he now opens the way so we can draw near to God without fear of death. Access to God is now available because the barrier is broken; the veil is completely torn.

Another clue is found in the book of Hebrews.

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened up for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.—Hebrews 10:19–22

3) The Response to the Cross (Mark 15:39)

And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Unlike Pilate, this Roman centurion, has a new set of eyes—he sees that Jesus is the Son of God, not Caesar. He is the least likely person to see the cross of Christ is the victory of Christ. Romans knew that the cross meant the defeat of the executed person, not the victory of the crucified. The centurion had seen hundreds of thousands of executions, but this was unlike any other. He saw the way Jesus breathed his last (v. 39; cf. v. 37). Wait a minute! That was not a whimper of defeat, but a shout of victory. No one dies with a victory shout. What was that? What is going on here?

Then his eyes were opened and the truth became clear: This is the Son of God! He really is the King. That means he was not dying for his own sin or paying for his own crimes. He must be paying for mine!

Jesus has died; the way to God stands open. Now we come to the moment of some key decisions. Do you see that God is the author of this story? Christ is innocent, while everyone else is guilty? At this point, we do not stand back and marvel at what Jesus does—we come to understand who Jesus is, which then sends us back to see what he did with new eyes. We say, “He is innocent. He is the Son of God. Why would he suffer? Why would he die if he is the Son of God.”

Suddenly we say, “Wait a minute. I understand. This is not simply Jesus dying. This is not even Jesus dying for sinners in general.” We say, “This is Jesus dying for me—paying for my sins.” O Lamb of God, I come. I receive. I trust. We are in a position to answer the cry from the cross: My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Answer: So that you can accept us.

This is actually the main point of the whole passage: Those who see what the cross is (vv. 21–37) and what it does (v. 38) come to embrace who Jesus really is (v. 39).

This confession of faith is actually the fulfillment of how Psalm 22 ends. The opening question of Psalm 22:1 is why God has forsaken the Messiah. The end of the Psalm answers that question: So that God could accept the nations. The Psalm begins with Jesus’ cry on the cross and ends with the nations worshiping!

All the ends of the earth shall remember
     and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
     shall worship before you.
For kingship belongs to the Lord,
     and he rules over the nations.—Psalm 22:27

The centurion came to know what the author already knew (Mark 1:1), which caused him to write. He came to know what the Scriptures had already revealed, which caused them to be quoted so many times in Mark (e.g., 1:2–3). The centurion came to know what the demons know only too well, which gives them such a fearful expectation of judgment. The centurion came to know and confess what God the Father had already confessed and will confess one more time: Jesus is the Son of God. He confessed it at the baptism: You are my beloved Son, the One in whom I am well pleased (1:11). He confessed it at the middle of the book at the Mt. of Transfiguration: “This is my Son; listen to him” (9:7). He will confess it again in three days at the resurrection. Arise my Son.

Conclusion: The Concentric Circles of Worship

The concentric circles of rejection now give way to the concentric circles of worship as the gospel goes to all the nations and they celebrate the victory of the cross. These concentric circles of intensifying rejection will work back out in intensifying, ever-expanding eternal worship. Listen to Revelation 5:

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,

       “Worthy are you to take the scroll
             and to open its seals,
        for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
           from every tribe and language and people and nation,
      and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
           and they shall reign on the earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

       “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
        to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
        and honor and glory and blessing!”

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

       “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
        be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

When you see all the various heavenly creatures worshiping, the question becomes this: to whom does the cross mean more: humans or angels?

The Difference Between Angelic Worship and Redeemed Worship 

Imagine if you were swimming in the ocean and were caught by a rip tide. You are not a strong swimmer so you feel like you are getting pulled out and the undercurrent pulls you down. You can’t work your way up to the surface, and it starts to feel like all hope is lost. Suddenly a lifeguard comes and grabs you by the hand and pulls you up and takes you back to the shore. Quite a crowd has assembled by this point—waiting to see how this all will end. There is a dramatic pause as everyone waits—will you cough up water and start breathing again? When it finally happens, the crowd starts to cheer! Now in that moment, who do you think is more thankful: the witnesses of the rescue or the recipient of the rescue? The angels are the witnesses of redemption, not the recipients. We are the redeemed—our worship should be even more personal and intense as those who have received redemption—Christ crucified means so much more to us than anyone else in that everlasting choir!

That is why we are going to close with the song “Is He Worthy?” We get to join the choir and get a sneak peak of what it will be like with the heavenly throng: Is he worthy of all blessing and honor and glory? The redeemed cry out responsively: He is! O, he is! 

Sermon Discussion Questions

Outline

1. The Reality of the Cross (Mark 15:21–37)
2. The Result of the Cross (Mark 15:38)
3. The Response to the Cross (Mark 15:39)

Main Point: Those who see what the cross is and what it accomplished come to confess that Jesus is the Son of God who has come to save sinners.

Discussion Questions

• How did it fulfill Scripture ...
  
  • For Jesus to be offered sour wine? (Mark 15:23)
  • When the soldiers divided Jesus’ garments and cast lots for them? (Mark 15:24)
  • For Jesus to be crucified next to two criminals? (Mark 15:27)
• In Mark 15:29–30, how do those who are passing by (1) fulfill Scripture and (2) speak more truth than they know?
• In Mark 15:31–32, how do the chief priests and scribes speak more truth than they know?
• Why is it amazing that Jesus stayed on the cross as the crucified criminals mocked him? How does Jesus demonstrate the truth of 1 Timothy 1:16 in this situation?
• Why is it significant that Jesus is forsaken by the Father? (Mark 15:34)
• Why is it significant that the veil of the temple was torn in two? (Mark 15:38) Where is the only other place that Mark uses the word for “torn”?
• What did the centurion see about the way that Jesus breathed his last that provoked deeper pondering?

Application Questions

• Are you discouraged by all the ways that people mock, slander, and slight the worth of Jesus today? In the midst of that mockery, what hope does this text give you personally?
• The question “Why have you forsaken me?” can only be answered rightly by the children of God. They know that God forsook the sinless Son on the cross so that he could accept sinners like us as sons and daughters of God. Have you received this truth and embraced it? How does it apply to you in your daily life? Explain!
• How does the future and the concentric circles of worship in Revelation 5 help you to not lose heart today?

Prayer Focus
Pray for a grace to join the chorus of those who have their eyes opened to see and to sing that Jesus is the Son of God, who is worthy of all praise and glory and honor!