Holy Week - Pt. 4

 

And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with fmyrrh, 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. (Mark 15:22-32 ESV).

 

So much has been said and written about the reasons for calling this day “Good Friday.” So, I’d like to concentrate on another aspect of the events of the day. What images come to mind when you imagine the crucifixion of Jesus? Please take a moment, perhaps reread our verses for today. Then close your eyes and imagine the crucifixion. Do you see the scene? Three crosses? Crown of thorns? Hammering nails? Christ’s pained face? I think most people, if you asked them, would respond that the mental picture of the crucifixion that first comes to mind includes some of these graphic images.

 

But if you really read Mark’s account of the crucifixion closely you’ll note that the kinds of details that usually jump into our mind aren’t as prominent as you might think off the top of your head. Mark doesn’t place a lot of emphasis on the physical details that describe Jesus’ crucifixion. Mark doesn’t explain how tall the cross was, or where the nails were placed on His body. Nor does Mark describe details about the agony Jesus endured, what it felt like for Him, or provide any other details on how physically difficult the experience was. Instead, Mark devotes almost the entirety of his Gospel account to depicting the insults and mockery that surrounded the crucifixion.

 

Again, rather than focusing on the intense pain of the experience, Mark instead captures the spectacle and humiliating emotional abuse hurled against Jesus in the final moments of His earthly life. If you pay close attention to the theme running through all of the mockery, you can see that it all points to one single idea. Jesus’ oppressors mockingly claimed they’d believe He’s the Messiah if He would come down from the cross. Those who were laughing and cheering on Jesus’ death were fully aware of the things Jesus had said and done. Even the religious leaders noted that they were aware that Jesus had saved others (v. 29), presumably describing the miracles and healings that were a hallmark of His ministry. It makes me wonder what would it have taken for Jesus’ killers to have believed in Him. How many healings would Jesus had to provide before the leaders of the day recognized His awesome power? How many exorcisms would Jesus have needed to perform before they would be convinced that He was a holy man? How many powerful sermons would Jesus have needed to give before they saw His true divine wisdom? Of course, Jesus did something even more remarkable than coming down from the cross – He rose from the grave three days later. That makes it a Good Friday!