Project 119: Mark 15:1-41

 |  Project 119  |  Amy Hirsch

In church history, today is known as Good Friday, the day which marks Christ’s crucifixion. We’ve arranged this reading plan so that you would be reading Mark’s account of the crucifixion on Good Friday as part of your daily Bible reading. You may have read the account of the crucifixion a number of times, but one thing I find is that, each time I read Scripture, the Lord works to open my heart and show me something new about His living, God-breathed Word.

As I read today’s passage, I was overcome thinking about the many ways that Christ fulfilled the prophecy of the suffering servant long foretold in Isaiah 53. As Christ was delivered to Pilate, He remained silent. He had every right to defend Himself, but He was silent–just like the lamb before his shearers (Isaiah 53:7). And while Jesus had never instilled rebellion against Rome, when the people were offered the release of a prisoner, they chose the insurrectionist Barabbas rather than Christ. Barabbas was guilty of the very crime that Jesus was falsely accused of—and Christ took Barabbas’s place on the cross, nailed between two thieves who were likely also rebels. His grave was made with the wicked, “although He had done no violence, and there was no deceit in His mouth” (Isaiah 53:9).

When I’ve read this account in the past, I’ve gotten so frustrated at the inequity we see. Why do the people want to see a condemned criminal released, rather than the sinless Son of God? I believe this exchange was divinely orchestrated, because in some ways, we are all Barabbas, aren’t we? We may not be political insurrectionists, but we are sinners who stand guilty, condemned to die because of our sin. Christ took the penalty for our sin freely and fully. When we deserved to die, He took our place. Christ “was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities, [and] upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace” (Isaiah 53:5). Allow this truth to sink deep down in your soul today as you meditate on the death of Christ and bring you to a place of worship and thanksgiving. Because of His death, we have peace with God. Because of His death, sin and death no longer have the final word. Because of His death, we have hope everlasting.

Lord, we praise You for the grace You have shown usthat You loved us until the very end, that You “bore the sins of many and make intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12), and that, with Your wounds, we are healed.

Mark 15:1-41 (ESV):

 And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

6 Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. 7 And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. 8 And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them.9 And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. 12 And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” 13 And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” 14 And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” 15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion.17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

21 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.22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 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!”

40 There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.