Mark 15:25-32
25It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. 29Those 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, 30come down from the cross and save yourself!”
31In 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! 32Let this Christ, 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.
Mark 15:37-39
37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
Related Text:
Psalm 22
Isaiah 53
Matthew 27:33-56
Luke 23:26-48
John 3:13-16
John 19:16-37
Commentary
First off, if you never read the related textx, today would be a wonderful day to start!
Crucifying someone on a cross was one of the most abusive punishments ever devised because of its slow, torturous death by suffocation. The inscription that was put over the head of Jesus was not uncommon. The signs usually informed onlookers of the crimes that were worthy of this type of brutal death. Typically, the people that were crucified were done so publicly so everyone could see the consequences of their time. Think of it like a public death by electric chair for a murderer. If you actually see someone cooked to death by electricity running through their body, you might be less likely to kill someone because you will have that visual image of what will happen to you if you are caught. The government hoped to instill fear and control in people by allowing them to witness what could happen if you got out of line.
(Take some time to think about the disciples. For those of them who didn’t stick around to even see Jesus on the cross, they surely heard about it. Think how scared they were, knowing that being crucified was the penalty their leader was experiencing. They were probably freaking out, wondering if someone was about to knock down their door and drag THEM right up on a cross too.) Jesus’ sign above His head meant that He was being crucified for being “King of the Jews”. Jesus died a real and painful death. He died to take away all of our sins. He died so you can take your next breath. Praise God for Jesus and thank Him for His sacrifice so that we may spend life with our Father in Heaven.
