Grace Presbyterian Church, Montclair, New Jersey

Mark’s gospel ends with a triumphant picture of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Mark emphasizes that Jesus chooses his fate. The activities of Pilate, the chief priests, the scribes, even the crowds, all play into God’s appointed plan. Jesus’ death goes “as it is written of him” (Mark 14:21). Mark’s Roman audience would have been well aware of all the stories of Redeemer Heroes up to and including the deified Caesar Augustus. Jesus is the ultimate redeemer hero giving his life as “a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus is not portrayed here as weak and broken on the cross, but as the ultimate hero who embraces his chosen God-forsaken destiny. God the Father does not ultimately forsake him, but raises him from the grave. This event is so astounding that it inspires “terror and amazement” in those who first encounter it. The gospel message is complete. Jesus Christ is completely revealed as the “Son of God” (Mark 1:1).

1. The Trial Before Pilate – Mark 15:1-20
   1. The elders, scribes and the council hand Jesus over to Pilate. The charge against him has to be a political one for Pilate to take the case. The accusation is that Jesus is “the King of the Jews,” and therefore a threat to Rome.
   2. Pilate asks him an explicit question, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus’ answer appears evasive, “You say so.” Many accusations are made against Jesus. Pilate asks Jesus, “Have you no answer?” Jesus says nothing and Pilate is amazed.
   3. We know enough about Pilate from secular sources to realize that he had a very negative relationship with the Jews. He realizes that the chief priests had brought Jesus before him to satisfy their own agenda (“he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over,” Mark 15:10). Pilate then attempts to put the chief priests on the defensive by offering to release Jesus to the crowds. Pilate no doubt realizes that Jesus is no threat to Rome while Barabbas clearly is. Yet the crowds have been coached by the chief priests to cry for Barabbas. The appeal of Barabbas for them may have been the perception that he was a “freedom fighter.” Pilate is clearly surprised by the choice. In response to their cry for Jesus to be crucified rather than released, he asks them, “Why, what evil has he done?”
   4. The crowd shouts all the more, “Crucify him!” The exact motivation for their opposition to Jesus is not made clear. What is clear is that Jesus’ prediction of his fate is being fulfilled exactly as he said (Mark 10:33-34). Pilate does not want problems with the crowd during the Passover season, so he agrees to their wishes.
   5. The soldiers bring Jesus out to the Praetorium (a term that would be clear to Mark’s readers, but not to us, so we have an editorial explanation, “the governor’s headquarters.” This further underscores the identity of the Roman audience to which the gospel was originally directed).
   6. The soldiers mock Jesus and treat him as a delusional king. Again, this fulfills the prophecies of Jesus (Mark 10:34). The irony is that what the soldiers say in their mocking of Jesus is, in fact, true. One day, they will bow before the exalted Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:10-11). Mark already seems aware of this irony.
2. Jesus on the Cross – Mark 15:21-39
   1. The soldiers compel Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus’ cross. No reason is given for this. For Mark, Jesus goes to his death as the ultimate Redeemer Hero. It is almost as though it is beneath his dignity to carry his own cross in spite of that being the accepted practice. According to John, Jesus carries his own cross to the place of crucifixion (John 19:17). The scene here may be a continuation of the mocking treatment of Jesus as a king. Hence the soldiers get someone else to carry his cross as though in deference to a king. Jesus has been struck and beaten as well as flogged. How far this ill treatment extended is not emphasized (in spite of the lurid depictions in Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ). This treatment, however, is not out of the ordinary for criminals or those sentenced to death. The emphasis is on his being mocked and humiliated (Mark 15:16-20). Apparently, Simon’s sons, Alexander and Rufus, were known to Mark’s audience.
   2. Jesus will not drink the wine. He is not trying to avoid the pain (Mark 15:23).
   3. He is taken to Golgatha. Once again, Mark has to translate for his Roman audience. It is the place of a skull. The horror of the setting is emphasized.
   4. Apparently, victims of crucifixion were naked. This emphasized both their shame and their vulnerability. The soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ clothes (not just his robe) in fulfillment of Psalm 22:18.
   5. Again, there is irony in the inscription placed above him, “the King of the Jews.” Intended to mock him, this is, of course, true. The theme of mocking continues to be the emphasis of Mark’s account (Mark 15:29-32). Mark’s audience would have known the story of The Odyssey very well. At the climax of that story, Odysseus, in the guise of a beggar, is being humiliated and mocked by the nobles who have taken over his home. They are unaware of the great victory he is about to win over them. A similar motif is taking place in Mark’s gospel.
   6. At noon, darkness comes over the whole land. Jesus cries out in a loud voice. Several things are to be noted about this. Jesus has been on the cross for six hours and he still has the strength to cry out in a loud voice. Earlier, Mark has used the expression of crying out in a loud voice to describe the superhuman outcries of the demonic (Mark 1:26, 5:7). Here, Jesus is confronting the full force of sin, death, hell, Satan and all his demons. His cry (which again has to be translated for the Romans) is the opening verse of Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It is the only statement from the cross which Mark records. It is a cry simultaneously of despair and victory. Mark follows this up with a final loud cry and Jesus gives up his life. The two unusual things about this are Jesus’ strength to give loud cries and the fact that he dies so quickly. The picture of death by crucifixion (ultimately asphyxiation and exhaustion) involved groaning and a slow, lingering death. Jesus’ death is sudden and triumphant. The curtain of the temple is torn in two from top to bottom.
   7. The centurion seeing this says, “Truly, this man was a son of God.” The centurion presumably has no deeper understanding of who Jesus is. For him, Jesus has shown the power of the ancient Redeemer Heroes like Achilles and Hercules. The centurion’s statement contrasts with the reaction of the high priest when Jesus spoke of himself as “seated at the right hand of the Power” (Mark 14:62). The point to be noted here is that Jesus’ death, while unjust, tragic and shameful, is also powerful and victorious (Colossians 2:13-15; Hebrews 2:14; I John 3:8). Even a pagan Roman can recognize the power of Jesus. Pilate later seems surprised that Jesus had died so quickly (Mark 15:44).
3. The Burial of Jesus – Mark 15:40-47
   1. Three women are mentioned as “looking on from a distance.” There may be several reasons for this, not the least was Jesus’ shameful appearance.
   2. We are told that there were “many other women” who had followed him. Too often, this fact has not been appreciated (Luke 8:1-3).
   3. Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the council whom we are told elsewhere did not vote against Jesus (Luke 23:50-51), asks for Jesus’ body. Pilate grants his request.
   4. Joseph places the body in a tomb. The stone rolled against it was probably to guard against the uncleanness under Jewish law of any contact with a corpse (Numbers 5:2). This account ends with the news that Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses see where Jesus is laid.
4. The Resurrection – Mark 16:1-8
   1. When the Sabbath was over, in other words, Saturday night after sunset, the women buy spices to anoint Jesus’ body. Normally, dead bodies were anointed with oil. Spices were used to anoint the body of a king (II Chronicles 16:14).
   2. They come to the tomb “very early on the first day of the week,” but it is after sunrise. They wonder who will roll away the stone so they may enter and anoint the body. This human concern is understandable but, as we will see, it is completely irrelevant.
   3. The women find the stone rolled away and a “young man dressed in a white robe” sitting in the tomb. The white robe is a reference perhaps to the Transfiguration (Mark 9:3). They are alarmed. The reaction of alarm and amazement has run through Mark’s entire gospel (Mark 1:27, 2:12, 5:20, 42, 6:6, 10:32, 12:17, 13:7, 15:5).
   4. The “young man” tells them not to be alarmed and then gives the startling message that Jesus of Nazareth “has been raised.” The focus of the New Testament message is on God the Father raising Jesus from the dead (Acts 2:24, 3:15, 4:10; Romans 4:24, 8:11; I Corinthians 6:14, 15:15; I Peter 1:21).
   5. The women are told to go and tell the disciples. The Messianic Secret is a secret no more.
   6. Peter’s name is added for emphasis both because of Peter’s authorship role and confirmation that Jesus has not denied Peter.
   7. The women flee in terror and amazement. They are afraid and say nothing (for the moment at least).
   8. The oldest manuscripts end the gospel abruptly at this point. Commentators have wondered if the gospel was unfinished, hence the later additions to bring it to a more complete conclusion. Yet this ending is consistent with Mark’s stark and dramatic style throughout.
5. Questions for us —
   1. For Mark, the principal mistreatment of Jesus is the mocking that he endures throughout the trial and on the cross. What does it mean for us to realize that Jesus’ claims were greeted with scorn and derision? Have we been mocked for our faith in Jesus? How does this gospel help us with those experiences?
   2. Jesus is a very powerful figure in Mark, even in his death. The Roman Centurion sees him as “a son of God.” How does this picture of Jesus encourage and challenge us in our walk of faith?
   3. The women at the tomb are amazed and frightened. Do we sometimes take Jesus, and the gospel in general, for granted? What benefit do you think there may be in a reaction of amazement and even fear?

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