Category: <span>New Testament</span>

As with the other Synoptic Gospel narratives, the crucifixion of Jesus in Mark is recounted with singular objectivity.  Here there is little commentary, only shallow reflection on the gory specifics of the Roman practice.  Yet Mark’s account is not without some measure of the author’s personal view of things—this Gospel accentuates the shame and mockery that may have caused Jesus’ spiritual suffering to eclipse the physical.  Mark 15 continues the legal trial of Jesus begun in the previous, but this time at the hands of Rome, not the Sanhedrin.  Despite the fact that Jesus appeared to be a helpless peasant/criminal, the informed reader knows that the events of Jesus’ life would not culminate on the cross—He had said that the Son of Man “will rise three days later” (Mark 9.31; cf. 8.31; 10.34).

In a most economic fashion, Mark recorded Pilate’s place in the crucifixion.  Mark 15. 15.1-15 offers a brief glimpse into the Roman official:

1. Pilate was impressed with Jesus (vv. 1-5).  When the chief priests began accusing him in front of Pilate, the Roman Governor was “amazed” that Jesus did not feel compelled to defend Himself (v. 5).  Rarely did the accused not seek a defense!
2. Pilate was more afraid of a Jewish revolt than crucifying a man in whom he found no guilt (vv. 6-15).  Mark recorded that Pilate “knew it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed Him over” (v. 10), and so he sought to release Him according to the Passover custom.  But it was not to be; “the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that they would release Barabbas to them instead” (v. 11).  What then for Jesus?  “Crucify Him!” (v. 13), the crowd shouted

While Mark displayed a very judicious style throughout his Gospel, in Mark 15.16-32he liberally catalogued the shame Jesus experienced at the hands of the Roman soldiers, and on the cross:

1. The soldiers “dressed Him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and put it on Him” (v. 17)
2. “They began to salute Him, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’” (v. 18)
3. “They kept hitting Him on the head with a reed and spitting on Him.  Getting down on their knees, they were paying Him homage” (v. 19)
4. “When they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the purple robe, put His clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him” (v. 20)
5. “They crucified two criminals with Him, one on His right and one on His left” (v. 27)
6. “Those who passed by were yelling insults at Him, shaking their heads, and saying, ‘Ha!  The One who would demolish the sanctuary and build it in three days, save Yourself by coming down from the cross!’” (vv. 29-30)
7. “In the same way the chief priests with the scribes were mocking Him to one another” (v. 31)
8. “Even those who were crucified with Him were taunting Him” (v. 32)!

One reads the above list and wonders if Jesus’ mission was worth it.  In Mark 15.33-39 the author notes two events that displayed the effectiveness of Jesus’ endurance:

1. “Then the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom” (v. 38).  This is the symbolic act which verified Jesus’ earlier claims that the temple’s days were numbered (cf. Mark 11, 13).  Christ secured unrestrained access to God for all who approach through Him (cf. Heb 10.19ff)
2. The centurion who was standing opposite Jesus observed “the way He breathed His last” and confessed, “This man really was God’s Son!” (v. 39).  Some believe this to be the theological thrust of Mark’s Gospel: a Roman soldier confessed what the demons had acknowledged all along, while Israel remained recalcitrant against Him

Mark’s account of Jesus’ resurrection has long puzzled students of the Scriptures; why not give more detail?  Why end so abruptly—and with fear dominating the scene—when the other Gospels tend toward a nearly ‘happily-ever-after’ tone?  Perhaps the answer comes in the form of another Markan “sandwich” (cf. Mark 3.13-25; 7.1-8.26; 11.12-25; 14.1-11, 17-31, 53-72).  In Mark 15.40-16.8 the author makes plain the reality that a tepid, fretting allegiance to Jesus will not do:

1. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome had, like the Roman centurion, witnessed Jesus’ death on the cross.  These women, among others, had been supporters of Jesus even in His early days of ministry in Galilee (vv. 40-41).  How would they react now that Jesus had been crucified?  Had they believed that He would rise again?  
2. The “meat” of this sandwich is the boldness of Joseph of Arimathea.  While his past was not as outstanding as the women who had accompanied Jesus in Galilee (cf. Jn 19.38), when it was evening, he “boldly went in to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body” (v. 43).  As he diligently prepared Jesus’ body for burial—a very significant Jewish rite—“Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching where He was placed” (v. 47)
3. The abrupt resurrection account returns to the female characters of the drama.  They had been so faithful in the past—how would they respond when confronted with The supernatural event of Jesus ministry?  Sadly, these ladies were more fearful than faithful: they worried about who would roll away the stone (16.3); they were “amazed and alarmed” by the angel in the empty tomb (16.5); when they were told to go and immediately tell the disciples to head north to meet Jesus in Galilee, instead “they went out and started running from the tomb, because trembling and astonishment overwhelmed them.  And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid” (16.8)

The flow of Mark 14 pointedly sets forth the fact that Jesus had been either betrayed, or directly opposed, by the various players in His trial.  Jesus’ quote of Ps 22.1 in v. 34, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” advances the theme further still.  On Good Friday, Jesus had no one.  This was God’s plan though; the sheep were scattered in fulfillment of Zech 13.7 (cf. 14.27), and God had planned that the Son of Man would give His life as “a ransom for many” (Mark 10.45; cf. 8.31-32; 9.30-32; 10.32-34).  Originally Ps 22.1 was the opening of David’s song, which moves from deep lament of feeling forsaken by God at a time when enemies surrounded, to exalted praise for the sure-hope of deliverance.  It is not a stretch then to consider that Mark wished for his readers to see the storyline of Scripture in the links between Psalm 22 and his account of Jesus’ passion.  David initially lamented, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” but soon boasted that the LORD had listened to his cry for help; the flow of Psalm 22 prompts the reader to recognize God’s resurrection power—the power Jesus experienced in Mark 16!

*For a complete list of references, please see scripturestoryline.com

Mark wasted no words in recording the events of Jesus’ life. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus moved from one event to another on His way to the cross. But the narrative slows in Mark 14. Mark provided a protracted account of the last Passover celebration Jesus enjoyed with His disciples and then detailed how Jesus was arrested and tried by the Sanhedrin. Along the way, Jesus showed His sovereignty over all that was taking place around Him. At key moments, Jesus cited the Old Testament to articulate how His death and glorious return would fulfill expectations established in Scripture.

(1) In Mark 14:12-26, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper during the Passover celebration. Before the Lord sent the tenth and final plague upon the Egyptians, He instructed Moses to have the Israelites put lamb’s blood over their doors so that the death angel would pass over His people (Exodus 12-13). The Passover celebration became a national celebration for Israel, annually recalling their birth as a nation at the exodus. When Jesus was a boy, He went with His parents from Nazareth in Galilee to the Passover celebration in Jerusalem (Luke 2:41). During His final Passover celebration, Jesus instituted a special meal to commemorate His death and resurrection (Matt 26:26-30//Mark 14:22-26//Luke 22:17-20). The bread they ate represented His body and the cup they drank represented a new covenant in His blood.

(2) In Mark 14:27, Jesus quoted Zech 13:7 to inform the disciples that they would fall away when He was arrested. In Zechariah 13, Zechariah prophesied that God would judge His shepherd, strike him, so that the people would be refined. Following the Passover meal Jesus portrayed Himself as the Shepherd who would soon be struck and the disciples as the sheep who would soon be scattered. In quoting Zech 13:7, Jesus thus made it clear—as He did at other times (Mark 8:31-32; 9:30-32; 10:32-34)—that God was the ultimate agent in the affairs of His day. While the Sanhedrin would not remain guiltless, ultimately the shepherd was struck by the sword of the Lord. Immediately after quoting Zech 13:7, Jesus said to His disciples, “But after I have been resurrected, I will go ahead of you to Galilee” (Mark 14:28). Jesus’ statement echoed Zechariah’s theme of God’s gracious restoration of Israel after the period of refining was complete (Zech 13:9).

(3) In Mark 14:62, Jesus cited Dan 7:13 and Ps 110:1 to affirm for His opponents that He was the Messiah. The imagery Daniel used to describe his vision of the Son of Man in Dan 7:13-14 shared points of contact with the language of the psalmist in Psalm 110:1. Both authors portrayed an exalted and powerful figure who enjoyed special access to Israel’s God. If an ordinary human took up phrases from Ps 110:1 and Dan 7:13 and applied them to himself, those with a high view of the Old Testament would be outraged and charge that person with blasphemy. When the Sanhedrin could find no solid testimony against Jesus from the witnesses they had gathered, the high priest turned to Jesus and asked, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” (Mark 14:61). Jesus next affirmed that He was the Messiah and continued by fusing together phrases from Ps 110:1 and Dan 7:13, saying, “And all of you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62). As a result, the high priest was outraged, and the Sanhedrin condemned Jesus to death.

In his Gospel, Mark emphasized Jesus’ teaching on discipleship. As Jesus approached the cross, He warned the disciples to be watchful and endure tribulation knowing that God was sovereign over any persecution they would suffer. In Mark 13, Jesus employed prophetic themes from the Old Testament to inform the disciples that difficult days would precede His glorious return.

(1) In Mark 13:14, Jesus quoted Dan 9:27 to instruct the disciples concerning the period of persecution that would proceed the coming of the Son of Man. Jeremiah prophesied that Israel would be in exile for seventy years (Jer 25:11-12; 29:10). When Daniel read Jeremiah’s prophecy, he turned to God in prayer (Dan 9:1-4). As Daniel prayed, the angel Gabriel came to him with the answer to his prayer. Gabriel informed Daniel that the Messiah would come for a time but when He is cut off, one who opposes God’s people would set up an abominable symbol in the temple (Dan 9:27). In A.D. 68-70, the Romans invaded Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed. Like Gabriel, Jesus described God’s sovereignty over future events—including the tribulation that would come upon God’s people (Matt 24:15-22//Mark 13:14-20; 2 Thess 2:1-12; 2 Tim 3:1-5; 2 Peter 2; Rev 8:7-9:12). Jesus told the disciples that the number of days that tribulation would reign upon the earth were limited so that all of the elect would be saved (Mark 13:19-20).

(2) In Mark 13:24-25, Jesus described a future celestial cataclysm in language that echoed expectations of end-time cataclysm predicted by Israel’s prophets. The authors of the Synoptic Gospels recorded Jesus’ predictions that upheaval of the heavens would signal His return to earth (Matt 24:29-31//Mark 13:24-27//Luke 21:25-28). Jesus said that when the sun was darkened and the celestial powers are shaken, the disciples should look to heaven for the glorious return of the Son of Man. Jesus’ language echoed Isaiah’s prophecy on the Day of the Lord, when Babylon would be judged, the sun and moon would be darkened (Isa 13:10). Joel also prophesied that the sun and the moon would be darkened when the Day of the Lord arrived (Joel 2:10).

(3) In Mark 13:14, Jesus employed imagery from Dan 7:13-14 to describe for the disciples the glory of His return. While Daniel was in a dream, he saw four beasts coming out of the sea, each representing a world power. He then saw the Son of Man coming as the final ruler, coming on the clouds of heaven to rule with great power over all nations (Dan 7:13-14). When Jesus’ disciples heard Him say that after the celestial cataclysm “they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:14), they would have recalled Daniel’s prophecy. Jesus was informing His disciples that the final rule of God on earth would be realized at His return.

When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, the Jewish leadership perceived Him as a great threat. The scenes recorded in Mark 12 further clarify Jesus’ unique role in the storyline of Scripture.

(1) In Mark 12:10-11, Jesus quoted Ps 118:22-23 to portray God’s sovereignty in establishing Him as the foundation of God’s kingdom even though the Jewish leadership rejected Him. The Parable of the Vineyard Owner (Matt 21:33-46//Mark 12:1-12//Luke 20:9-19) echoed themes of Isaiah 5, where the prophet described Israel as an unfruitful vine even though planted by God Himself. In the parable, the tenant farmers represent the Jewish leadership; like their fathers before them, they had rejected and killed the landowners’ slaves. When the tenant farmers saw that the landowner had sent his son to collect produce, they said, “This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours!” (Mark 12:7). Jesus knew what would come of Him. He cited Ps 118:22-23, saying, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This came from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes” (Mark 12:10-11).

(2) In Mark 12:26, Jesus cited the Lord’s self-disclosure to Moses at the burning bush to establish God’s eternality, and not human relationships, as the first principle of the resurrection. The authors of the Synoptic Gospels record Jesus’ interaction with the Sadducees when they approached to ask Him about how earthly relationships would be identified in the resurrection (Matt 22:23-33//Mark 12:18-27//Luke 20:27-40). Citing Moses’ command that a brother should marry his brother’s widow and have children by her, the Sadducees proposed a nearly ridiculous scenario. If a woman married into a family of seven brothers—and they all died—“in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her?” (Mark 12:23). Moses spoke his words on the plains of Moab concerning Israel’s soon-to-be situation in Canaan. There a widow would need children so as to have a means of support in her older years (Deut 25:5). The Sadducees were not so concerned with the specifics of how a widow could survive without support. Jesus chided the Sadducees because they failed to understand “the Scriptures or the power of God” (Mark 12:24). In Mark 12:26, Jesus quoted from Exodus 3 where the Lord spoke to Moses at the burning bush, saying, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” The Sadducees quoted a text that was situational; Jesus replied with a text that concerned the eternal, unchanging nature of God. In the resurrection, each person’s relationship with God will eclipse relationships they enjoyed on earth. In denying the reality of the resurrection, the Sadducees were badly deceived (Mark 12:27), Jesus said.

(3) In Mark 12:29-31, Jesus quoted Deut 6:4-5 and Lev 19:18 to establish the primary commands of the law. Matthew and Mark wrote that just after the Sadducees tested Jesus regarding His understanding of the resurrection, another Jewish leader approached Jesus to ask Him which commandment He thought was most important in the law (Matt 22:34-40//Mark 12:28-34). Jesus offered a twofold reply stating that love for God and love for one’s neighbor (Deut 6:4-5; Lev 19:18) needed to be woven together as the primary commandment in the law. After setting out the ten commandments in Deuteronomy 5, Moses went on to command Israel to love God with all of their heart, soul, and mind (Deut 6:5). In Leviticus 19, Moses commanded Israel to be holy by living with integrity in all that they did. Their love for one another was to reflect God (Lev 19:18). In both texts Jesus cited in response to the question about the greatest commandment in the law, Israel’s ethics were based in the unity of God’s character.

(4) In Mark 12:36, Jesus quoted Ps 110:1 to present Himself both as a descendant of David and superior to David. Matthew, Mark, and Luke wrote that after the various delegations of Jewish leadership had finished interrogating Jesus, He asked them about characteristics of the Messiah (Matt 22:41-46//Mark 12:35-37//Luke 20:41-44). Jesus wanted to know how the Jewish leadership synthesized the tradition that the Messiah would be a descendant of David with David’s statement in Ps 110:1 where David addressed as “Lord” the one seated at God’s right hand (Mark 12:35, 37). Who was David calling “Lord?” Jesus asked His opponents. What the Jewish authorities had failed to realize was that the Messiah was not only the son of David, He was also the Son of God, David’s Lord.

As Jesus moved south toward Jerusalem, the cross became a more significant topic of discipleship in Mark (Mark 8:31-38; 9:30-32; 10:32-35). In Mark 11, Mark reported on Jesus’ triumphal entry—Jesus had finally arrived at the city of David. But the triumph would not be over Roman opponents. Jesus’ success would be in showing how the Jewish leadership had employed the structures of their religion for their own ends. The battleground would be the temple itself. Jesus cited the Old Testament to portray His supremacy even over Israel’s sacred place of worship in Jerusalem.

(1) In Mark 11:1-11, Jesus fulfilled Old Testament expectations of Israel’s Messiah. All of the Evangelists described the events surrounding Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (Matt 21:1-9//Mark 11:1-10//Luke 19:28-40//John 12:12-19). Mark recorded that Jesus immediately directed His disciples to bring Him the donkey that was waiting for Him, upon which He rode into the city. Zechariah prophesied that Israel’s victorious king would come riding on a donkey (Zech 9:9). The prophet described both the gentle character and demeanor of Israel’s Messiah and the peace that He would bring upon Judah through military conquest (Zech 9:9-17). Mark saw in Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem a fulfillment especially of the former. In a peaceful manner Jesus was ready to lay down His life. And the crowds praised Jesus, proclaiming Ps 118:26 in Mark 11:9-10, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” After receiving the accolades of the crowd awaiting His presence at the Passover festival, Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple complex, looked around at everything, and left (Mark 11:11). He returned the next day and cleansed the temple of its distractions.

(2) In Mark 11:17, Jesus quoted Isa 56:7 and Jer 7:11 as He overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the temple during the Passover. Matthew and Luke also noted that Jesus cleansed the temple just after He entered Jerusalem (Matt 21:12-19//Luke 19:45-48). Jesus quoted Scripture as the coins scattered on the floor. Isaiah prophesied that when the Messiah came, the Gentiles would come and join themselves to Israel to pray and seek God together in the temple. The Lord said that He would accept the offerings the Gentiles presented to Him in the temple “for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Isa 56:7). In Mark 11:17a Jesus employed Isaiah’s prophecy to establish the activities that were supposed to take place in the temple and then in Mark 11:17b cited Jer 7:11 to condemn the moneychangers for turning the temple into a den of thieves. In Jer 7:1-11, Jeremiah confronted the people of Judah saying that when they ignored the orphan or the poor, they actually stole from them what God would have them give to the needy among them. Therefore, when the people of Judah, robbers, gathered in the temple, God’s house became a den of thieves.

As Jesus turned toward Jerusalem and the cross, His messages became more specific regarding His suffering and death. Jesus told His disciples that they should also expect to suffer as they faithfully participated in the kingdom of God. In the Gospels, discipleship is never a casual commitment. For the disciples, following Jesus “on the road” (Mark 10:32, 46, 52) to Jerusalem and the cross required viewing marriage, money, and spiritual motives in light of God’s purposes in His Son. As the disciples listened to Jesus confront the Pharisees and the rich ruler, they heard Him describe His authority in light of Scripture.

(1) In Mark 10:6-8, Jesus quoted from Genesis 1-2 to refute the Pharisees when they questioned Jesus regarding His understanding of marriage and divorce. As Jesus traveled toward Jerusalem and the cross, some Pharisees approached to ask Jesus about His views on divorce (Matt 19:1-12//Mark 10:1-12). Jesus replied to their question with a question of His own, saying, “What did Moses command you?” (Mark 10:3). The Pharisees responded by citing Deut 24:1-4, where Moses commanded that if a man wished to divorce his wife, he was required to signify his decision with a paper so that he could not later change his mind and take her back. The paper signified that the divorce was public and permanent. The divorce paper protected the woman from being treated like property after the divorce. Jesus said that Moses made the divorce allowance because of the hardness of men’s hearts in Israel (Mark 10:5). In Jesus’ frame of thought, marriage should be viewed as a place for manifesting one’s discipleship, not maximizing one’s convenience. Based upon the creation of male and female genders and the ordinance of marriage as a permanent institution in which a man and woman leave their parents and are joined as one flesh (Gen 1:27; 2:24), Jesus concluded that “what God has joined together, man must not separate” (Mark 10:9).

(2) In Mark 10:19, Jesus quoted from the Ten Commandments to confront the rich young ruler’s self-sufficiency. Matthew, Mark, and Luke arranged Jesus’ interaction with the rich young ruler in the midst of Jesus’ blessing of children and teaching on possessions (Matt 19:13-30//Mark 10:13-31//Luke 18:15-30). Taken together, this sequence accentuated humility as the foundation of discipleship. The rich young ruler’s question to Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17), betrayed the man’s pride. He thought he was able in and of himself to accomplish whatever commands God had set forth. When Jesus quoted the commandments against murder, adultery, theft, deception, and dishonoring parents, the man replied that he had accomplished all of these since his youth (Mark 10:20). Mark observed, “Then, looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me’” (Mark 10:21). Without a faithful commitment to Jesus, even scrupulous, faithful adherence to the Mosaic law would not gain one an entrance into eternal life.