Mark 15:16–16:8
|
|
This passage is the climax of Mark. This is what the whole Gospel has been moving toward from the beginning. We have seen hints earlier in Mark that this Gospel account would climax in Jesus’ death (e.g., Mark 10:45), and three times in the immediate wake of Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ, Jesus predicted his imminent suffering (8:31; 9:31; 10:33–34). Now this suffering is upon him. But not only will he suffer and die, he will also rise again—as all three predictions also foretell.
|
|
Mark 15:16–16:8 recounts the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
|
|
Read through the complete passage for this study, Mark 15:16–16:8. Then review the questions below and write your notes on them concerning this phase of Jesus’ life and ministry. (For further background, see the ESV Study Bible, pages 1931–1933; also available online at www.esvbible.org.)
The presence of “the whole battalion” (Mark 15:16), which at full strength would be about six hundred men, when Jesus is led away assumes that Jesus is a rebel against Rome. What are ways in which the Romans ridicule Jesus? Do you notice any irony in what they say to him in verse 18?
According to both Jewish and Roman custom, Jesus had to be taken outside the city walls to be crucified. What might be the theological significance of this, in light of other passages in the Bible such as Exodues 29:14, Leviticus 16:27, and Hebrews 13:11–12?
Crucifixion1 was the final public deterrent to warn people not to rebel against Rome. In his crucifixion Jesus’ hands were nailed below the wrist on the horizontal beam of the cross, and his feet were placed with one above the other and then nailed to the vertical beam. Consider the significance of the entire Old Testament sacrificial2 system and reflect on the significance of what was happening when Jesus Christ was crucified.
Many Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in the death of Jesus as recounted in Mark 15. Read Deuteronomy 21:23, Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, and Malachi 4:5–6, and jot down connections between these Old Testament passages and what takes place in Mark 15, especially in vv. 21–36.
As Jesus breathes his last, the Roman centurion standing nearby exclaims, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). Aside from the words of demons (Mark 3:11; 5:7), there is only one other place in Mark where Jesus is called the Son of God. Read Mark 1:1. How might Mark 1:1 and 15:39 function in the Gospel of Mark as a whole?
What is the significance of the curtain of the temple being torn in two, from top to bottom, in Mark 15:38? Consider the role that the temple has played throughout the Gospel of Mark.
Along with Luke, Mark emphasizes the role of women in the final week of Jesus’ life (Mark 15:40–41, 47; 16:1ff.). What might be the reason for this?
What details are given in Mark 15:42–47 to make clear that Jesus did indeed die? Why might Mark have wanted to make this clear?
On the third day, after the Jewish Sabbath, three women bring spices to anoint3 Jesus (Mark 16:1). What do they see there? What is their reaction? How does Mark 16:6 fulfill numerous statements throughout the Gospel of Mark?
Note: Your Bible may have in brackets what is known as the “Longer Ending of Mark” (Mark 16:9–20). Some ancient manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel contain these verses and others do not. This presents a puzzle for scholars who specialize in the history of such manuscripts. This longer ending is missing from various old and reliable Greek manuscripts, and early church fathers (such as Origen and Clement of Alexandria) did not appear to know of these verses. On the other hand, some early and many later manuscripts contain verses 9–20, and many church fathers (such as Irenaeus) evidently knew of them. As for the verses themselves, they contain various Greek words and expressions uncommon to Mark, and there are stylistic differences as well. Many think this shows verses 9–20 to be a later addition. In summary, verses 9–20 should be read with caution.
Read through the following three sections on Gospel Glimpses, Whole-Bible Connections, and Theological Soundings. Then take time to reflect on the Personal Implications this passage from Mark may have for your walk with the Lord.
|
|
REFUSING TO SAVE HIMSELF. The mocking religious authorities taunted Jesus, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself” (Mark 15:31). The deep irony of this is that it was by refusing to save himself that he did save others. Jesus could have called an army of angels to his side (Matt. 26:53). But he did not. He allowed himself to be condemned so that others could be saved. This is the glory of what Martin Luther called “the great exchange.” Jesus took our condemnation on himself and gives us his righteousness as we look to him in faith.
GOD-FORSAKEN. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). The horror of the cross of Christ was not mainly its physical torture. The physical agony was truly horrific, but the greatest pain Christ underwent was his sense of divine abandonment. Jesus, echoing Psalm 22:1, does not call God “Abba,” Father, in this moment, but “My God.” Jesus was experiencing the full fury of the wrath of God—in our place. For believers, the judgment Jesus experienced on the cross is the judgment they deserve; it is what they would have experienced in the final judgment had they not repented and believed. When Jesus laments being forsaken by God, we see the reason that we are never forsaken by God (note Josh. 1:5; Heb. 13:5). For Jesus was forsaken so that you and I never have to be.
|
|
DARKNESS AND LIGHT. In the beginning, darkness covered the earth (Gen. 1:2). God created light (Gen. 1:3–5) and called his people, the children of Abraham, to be “a light for the nations,” bringing blessing and peace to the world (Isa. 42:6; 49:6; 60:3). Darkness, on the other hand, represented divine judgment (Ex. 10:21–23) and lament (Amos 8:9–10). When Jesus died on the cross, once more, as in Genesis 1:2, “there was darkness over the whole land” (Mark 15:33). In this way God was judging all sin and unrighteousness. He was doing more than this, though. He was re-creating. He was starting over. The death and resurrection of Jesus marked a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17–6:2). And once more, God separated light from darkness, calling his people to be light in a dark world (Eph. 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:5; 1 Pet. 2:9; 1 John 2:8–9). One day, in the new earth, the nations will walk in the light of the Lamb, whose bright shining eliminates the need for the sun (Rev. 21:22–26).
SON OF GOD. “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). The great hope of the Old Testament is the coming of a deliverer, a king, a Messiah (which means “anointed one,” i.e., king), who would rescue the people of God and usher in God’s glorious kingdom once and for all. This king was called God’s “son” in the Old Testament (e.g., 2 Sam. 7:13–14; Psalm 2). When this Messiah finally showed up, however, it slowly became evident to his followers that he was more than a mere man. He walked on water, forgave sins, and identified himself as the true temple—all things that only God himself can do. Thus in Mark 15:39, when the centurion exclaims that Jesus was the Son of God, we are to join the centurion in seeing that Jesus is not only the Son of God in that he is the Messiah, but also that he is the Son of God in that he is divine.
|
|
ATONEMENT. “And they crucified him . . .” (Mark 15:24). The Bible teaches that in Jesus’ death on the cross, he suffered the penalty for all the sins of his people as their substitute. Theologians call this penal substitutionary atonement: Jesus paid sin’s penalty (penal) in our place (substitutionary) to restore us to God (atonement). Perhaps the single clearest verse explaining what Jesus did in the event narrated in Mark 15 is 1 Peter 3:18, which says that Christ “suffered once for sins [penal], the righteous for the unrighteous [substitutionary], that he might bring us to God [atonement].” As we look in trusting faith to Christ, this atonement becomes effectual for us, and we are restored to God as his beloved children.
RESURRECTION. “He has risen,” said the angel, “he is not here” (Mark 16:6). Three times throughout Mark, Jesus had said that he would suffer and rise on the third day (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34). Christ’s resurrection had implications for himself, for history, and for his people. First, for Christ himself, his resurrection vindicated him and established him as the Messiah he claimed to be (Rom. 1:4). Second, regarding history, Jesus’ resurrection fulfills God’s promises to raise up and restore Israel (Hos. 6:1–3), for Jesus embodied in himself true Israel (remember, for example, his testing in the wilderness, succeeding where Israel had failed [Matt. 4:1–11]). And third, as the “firstfruits” of the resurrection, Jesus in his raised body is the first instance of the new order of humanity in which believers are promised to participate in the new earth (1 Cor. 15:20–22).
|
|
Take time to reflect on the implications of Mark 15:16–16:8 for your own life today. Make notes below on the personal implications for your walk with the Lord of (1) the Gospel Glimpses, (2) the Whole-Bible Connections, (3) the Theological Soundings, and (4) this passage as a whole.
1. Gospel Glimpses
2. Whole-Bible Connections
3. Theological Soundings
4. Mark 15:16–16:8
|
|
Take a moment now to ask for the Lord’s blessing and help as you continue in this study of Mark. And take a moment also to look back through this unit of study, to reflect on a few key things that the Lord may be teaching you—and perhaps to highlight or underline these to review again in the future.
Definitions
1 Crucifixion – A means of execution in which the person was fastened, by ropes or nails, to a crossbeam that was then raised and attached to a vertical beam, forming a cross (the root meaning of “crucifixion”). The process was designed to maximize pain and humiliation, and to serve as a deterrent for other potential offenders. Jesus suffered this form of execution, not for any offense he had committed (Heb. 4:15) but as the atoning sacrifice for all who would believe in him (Mark 10:45; John 3:16).
2 Sacrifice – An offering to God, often to signify forgiveness of sin. The Law of Moses gave detailed instructions regarding various kinds of sacrifices.
3 Anoint – In Scripture, to pour oil (usually olive oil) on someone or something to set the person or thing apart for a special purpose. (The Hebrew word Messiah and its Greek equivalent Christ both mean “anointed one.”) In Mark 16:1, the women anoint Jesus’ body as part of the embalming process.
The Place of the Passage