Tried and Crucified

Lesson 12

Tried and Crucified

(Mark 15)

Copr. 2024, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Introduction: If you ever doubt Jesus’ love for you, consider our study this week. Jesus suffered for you everything that humans fear: embarrassment, humiliation, pain, suffering, desertion, and death. What happened to Him is horrific. While Jesus’ suffering as a human is terrible, Jesus’ suffering as God is unfathomable. Let’s take a painful look at what our sins caused Jesus.

1. The Pilate Hearing
   
   1. Read Mark 15:1. What do you suppose is the reason for the “consultation” among the Jewish leaders? (Read Luke 22:66-71. They were finishing Jesus’ “trial.”)
   2. Look specifically at Luke 22:70-71. Has Jesus admitted the “crime?” (No. Plus, we previously discussed the “two or three witness” rule that protected Jesus against self-incrimination.)
   3. Read Mark 15:2. Why is Jesus before Pilate if the Jewish leaders agreed He should die? (They did not have the authority to crucify Jesus.)
      1. Why would Pilate ask this question? (The Romans had no interest in killing Jesus over a religious dispute with the Jewish leaders. What they were concerned about was sedition, an attempt to overthrow the government. The two different charges had the same fact basis: Does Jesus claim to be the Son of God, the King of the Jews?)
      2. Does Jesus admit His guilt to Pilate? (No. He simply repeats the charges against Him.)
         
         1. Why do you think that is? (Jesus was not going to aid them in their unjust act. Especially since the charge was not true, He did not come to establish a kingdom on earth.)
   4. Read Mark 15:3-5. Why would Pilate be amazed that Jesus decided to be silent?
   5. Read Mark 15:6-10. How would Pilate decide the case against Jesus? (He thought it was simply a rivalry between the Jewish leaders and Jesus. That is likely the reason why he was amazed that Jesus did not make a spirited defense.)
      1. Has Pilate read the evidence correctly? (Yes!)
   6. Read Mark 15:11. Have you ever been involved in wrong-doing and at some point asked, “What am I doing? I need to stop this?”
      1. Should the chief priests be asking themselves what they are doing? (Mark 15:7 reports that Barabbas was guilty of “murder” and “insurrection.” Why would the priests be working to free a murderer?
   7. Read Mark 15:12-15. Pilate obviously disagrees with the crowd. The people did not have a conflict with Jesus, they were blessed by Him. How do you explain that they called for the most painful and humiliating death for Jesus? (The only explanation is that Satan and his fallen angels were promoting this.)
      1. Step back a moment and consider some of the illogical, ridiculous, and evil things going on in the world. How do you account for them?
2. Humiliation
   
   1. Read Mark 15:16-20. How do you like to be humiliated?
      1. Consider that the “whole battalion” was:
         
         1. Seeing you naked;
         2. Spitting on you;
         3. Pretending to coronate you as king;
         4. Mocking you as king;
         5. Hitting you on the head; and,
         6. Further hurting you.
   2. Let’s go back and re-read Mark 15:15. What else happened to Jesus at the hands of the soldiers? (He was whipped. The Bible Knowledge Commentary says that the flogging before a crucifixion involved being tied naked to a post, beaten by several guards who used leather whips embedded with bone or metal. There was no limit to the number of blows, and this beating often proved fatal.)
      1. Once again consider the source of this torture. Do you think that Satan is going to treat you well when you fall into his hands?
      2. When you sin do you contemplate the fact that you are supporting something so evil?
3. Crucifixion
   
   1. Read Mark 15:21. After all of this, including being up all night, are you surprised that Jesus could not carry His cross?
      1. Where are Jesus’ disciples? Why do they not come forward to carry Jesus’ cross?
   2. Read Mark 15:22-23. Why would Jesus turn this down? Crucifixion was incredibly painful!
   3. Read Proverbs 31:4-7. Isn’t Jesus precisely the person who should drink wine according to this text? (Jesus is “perishing,” but His concern is undoubtedly about wine perverting the judgment of leaders. Jesus was in the most difficult temptation and He wanted His mind to be absolutely clear.)
      1. Why would the Romans suddenly show mercy to Jesus? (John MacArthur’s commentary speculates this is not about compassion, but limiting the victim’s struggling while being nailed to the cross.)
   4. Read Mark 15:24-26. This shows us once again that Jesus is naked, but this time He is visible to all. In many cultures nudity is common. One commentator wrote that in Jesus’ culture public nudity was abhorred - held in extreme contempt. Did the Jewish leaders anticipate this would be done to Jesus?
   5. Read Mark 15:27-31. What made this ridicule so difficult for Jesus? (Not only was He God, but He could have come down from the cross. If you mock me about something I have the power to do, I will show you!)
   6. Read Mark 15:32. After Jesus died, why didn’t He fly off the cross and go to heaven in front of all these haters? (This makes no sense except that Jesus was going to celebrate His victory over sin by resting on the Sabbath in the grave.)
   7. Read Mark 15:33. Why would it be dark at noon? (Read Joel 2:1-2. God is showing His disapproval of what is going on.)
   8. Read Mark 15:34. Put yourself in Jesus’ place. Do you think He expected to feel this way? (Read what Jesus was doing for us in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. He took all our sins on His shoulders. He paid the price for our sins. The terrible weight of our sins seemed to separate Him from His Father.)
   1. Read Romans 8:32. I sometimes read about the “wrath of God” being on Jesus as He bore our sins on the cross. What does Romans say about God’s attitude at the cross? (As we have been discussing, in the terrible things that happened to Jesus we see the hand of Satan, not God. Although God will execute judgment on the wicked, I think most all “judgment” upon humans comes from Satan because, as with Jesus, God allows it for His glory.)
   10. Read Mark 15:35-36. What does the suggestion that Elijah will save Jesus tell us? (Likely, they thought Jesus said, “Elijah,” not “Eloi.” Thus, they thought He was calling for Elijah. The worst part is that up to the end the people misunderstood Jesus and the nature of His power.)

4. Reaction
   
   1. Read Mark 15:37-38. Why would the curtain in the temple be torn? Why mention the way it was torn? (Read Hebrews 10:19-22. The curtain that separated the holy from the most holy compartments of the temple is believed to have been 60 feet high. This height and the nature of the event tell us this was done supernaturally. The significance of this is that upon the death of Jesus, we can now enter into the presence of God. The symbolism of the sacrificial system is fulfilled.)
   2. Read Mark 15:39. Think about all this centurion witnessed in the last hours of Jesus’ life. Instead of being swayed by the crowd who mocked Jesus, he was convinced of Jesus’ divinity. Why?
   3. Read Mark 15:40-41. Why did these women look on from a distance? (It was just too terrible to fully take in.)
      1. What do you make of the fact that Mark mentions only women as being present, and does not mention any men? (Read John 19:25-27. At least John was present. Mark’s point is that these women cared for Jesus during His life, and they wanted to help now.)
   4. Read Mark 15:42-43. Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the group who decided to kill Jesus. Is he like the centurion, converted by the facts of the last few hours? (Read John 19:38. He was previously a believer who is now willing to declare he is for Jesus.)
   5. Read Mark 15:44-47. Is the discussion with Pilate important? (Yes. This is official proof that Jesus died on the cross. This is not a trick to make people simply think He died.)
   6. Friend, this account breaks my heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring these events to mind whenever you experience loss or temptation. Jesus loves us and Satan is the enemy we should not support.
5. Next week: The Risen Lord.