Mark 15:12-15
And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?" And they cried out again, "Crucify him." And Pilate said to them, "Why? What evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him." So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified."
Under pressure Pilate caved into the demands of the crowd. Under Pilates authority Jesus was judged by the Jews to have committed crimes against God and his law, and against Rome. The primary charge was a crime against the Roman emperor. They said he was a tax cheat. They said he was assuming the position of king. Jesus was being treated like an insurrectionist. They scourged Jesus to get him to confess these crimes. He did not say a word. They accused him of many things, and he never said a word.
Luke 23:7
"And when he [Pilate] learned that he [Jesus] belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time."
And Herod tested Jesus. Accused him of the false rumors that were circulating about Jerusalem. And he directly asked Jesus to perform miracles for him. And again, Jesus did not respond. Herod, a horrible human being, was judging Jesus. He was afraid that John the Baptist had come back from the dead in the form of Jesus. So, Jesus disappoints Herod. In response Herod dresses Jesus in very fine robes and treats him like a joke. He sends him back to Pilate because he's judged Jesus to be of no consequence. He sees Jesus as ridiculous. He ridiculed him and sent him away.
Again Jesus faces Pilate to be judged guilty. Pilate had tried to rid himself of this situation. Pilate washes his hands of this judgment and allows the Jews to have Jesus executed.
The Jews judged Jesus guilty.
Matthew 27:25
And all the [Jewish] people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!"
The Roman soldiers mocked him, beat his head and crowned him with a horrible crown of thorns.
Do you think Jesus was thinking about the curse that God had condemned mankind with for their sin in the garden? Cursing the ground and saying they will sweat and toil in the earth and thorns will be their reward for their work. Now Jesus wears that curse on his head. And soon he'll bear the curse in his cross.
"For he that is hanged on a tree is accursed of God" (Deuteronomy 21:22-23)
Jesus is condemned by all these people. He's been judged both innocent by Pilate, and guilty by the rest. And every day since then, for more than two thousand years now, he's been judged. You. Me. Everyone born into this world since that crucifixion is making a judgement in regard to Jesus. They are judging who he truly is, and to what extent he is of concern to them.
The soldiers led him away for you and me. They clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him for you and me. They mocked him, hailing him as the king of the Jews for you and me. And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him for you and me. They brought him to the place called Golgotha for you and me. And there they crucified him for you and me.
And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And he died there on that tree for you and me.
The veil in the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The Jews are now judged guilty by God. The Spirit of God left them in that hour. The covenant was broken in that hour. They had murdered the Son of God.
Though it was still daytime there was darkness over the whole land.
Mark 15:39
And when the Centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"
Another judgement.
Do you agree with the Centurion? Do you trust his eyewitness testimony?
How could this happen?
Who's to blame?
You decide.
You be the judge.
But understand this. Jesus has already judged the world. So, no matter what you conclude, nothing you say, in objection or affirmation, has any bearing on his decision. His determination for the future of all mankind is finished. Now it is only a judgment you make for yourself. You can't make it for anyone else. You are your own judge. It is on you.
What will you decide?
No pressure.
Genesis 1:26-28
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them.
The first time that our Creator God said that something WASN'T good, was in the garden of Eden. There is his perfect creation he found something that wasn't good. Up until then everything was some form of what he determined WAS good.
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.
God created the earth, the waters, the dry land, and God saw that it was good.
God created all the growing things. The plants that bore seeds and fruits, and God saw that it was good.
God created the heavenly lights and bodies. He separated the dark from the light. He created the seasons and established time, and God saw that it was good.
God created the living creatures in the waters, on the dry ...
Mark 12:10-11
Have you not read this Scripture:
"‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?"
The vineyard, Jesus tells the temple leaders, is the house of Israel. God had promised the Messiah for Israel, and Israel rejected the Messiah.
Jesus said in Matthew 15:24, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
From the OT book Exodus to the NT book of Hebrews. The term "house of Israel" occurs about 150 times. The phrase refers to the nation of Israel, which was brought out of slavery in Egypt. Rachel and Leah "built the house of Israel"
Ruth 4:11
All the people who were in the court, and the elders, said, "We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem."
The Lord made his covenant with this bloodline. As Jesus points out...
Mark 12:1
"A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for ...
Matthew 24:6-8 "You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these events are the beginning of labor pains."
There has been thirteen years of war for every one year of peace since the time of Christ. Mankind loves war.
"Many will fall away, betray one another, and hate one another." (v.10)
Love grows cold. Lawlessness spreads faster than the gospel. But through endurance the kingdom of God will be preached. And the angels will fulfill this mission:
Revelation 14:6 "Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, 'Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.'"
And just as a side note, for all ...
Mark 16:1-2
"When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb."
They had been disturbed about how they might remove the stone that closed up the new tomb where Jesus' dead body had been laid. According to the story, the women expected no resurrection. They went there fully prepared to anoint his dead body which had been hastily placed there because of the Sabbath. The women come up to the sepulcher and find the stone already rolled away. And they encounter a young man who announces to them that "he is risen". He was there in the tomb sitting on the right side and dressed in a white robe.
I don't think the stone was rolled away to let the risen Jesus out. He no doubt could have passed right through it. He certainly does later in rooms and through walls. I think the stone was rolled away because the women were worrying about that.
Mark 16:3
And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the ...
Mark 15:21-22
"And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull)."
I find it interesting here in chapter fifteen all these "passerby's" having some influence on the narrative. We begin with Simon who is called the father of Alexander and Rufus. In Romans chapter sixteen there's a man named Rufus. Maybe Simon's son? We don't know. If Simon and his sons are well known among the early church communities in Rome, it's likely that Simon would be a person of interest having been so closely involved in the crucifixion of The Lord.
We know he was from what today we would call Libya, but we don't know much else. Was he a visiting traveler on business in Jerusalem or possibly a pilgrimage. Was he a resident there? We don't know. Probably visiting or pilgrimage since he was coming in from the country.
What do we know?
In Luke's gospel account we know that Simon carried the cross for Jesus from behind him, which is interesting in ...
Jeremiah 3:15-16
"‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the Lord, they shall no more say, "The ark of the covenant of the Lord." It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again."
God is our Father, Abba and Adonai [Lord]. And he sees mankind, and especially those whom he has called his people. He sees them as a rebellious people who are polluting the land. They've made the land unclean in their disobedience, and disregard for the Law. They've played the harlot with many unclean lovers. Yet in his great mercy and love, he longs for them to return to him.
God's prophet describes the depths of their sin. He draws a picture of a lawless people who are acting like whores. But worse than that they are polluting the whole land with their garbage spiritualized with pagan energy. And there is no place that is not touched by their religion.
"Lift up your eyes to the...
