Daily Bible Reading (Wednesday, February 28th)

11

Mark 15 (ESV)

 

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

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. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked.And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. 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 scourgeda]">[a] Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters),b]">[b] and they called together the whole battalion.c]">[c] 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.

The Crucifixion

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 hourd]">[d] 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.e]">[e] 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.

The Death of Jesus

33 And when the sixth hourf]">[f] had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.g]">[g] 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 heh]">[h] breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Soni]">[i] 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.

Jesus Is Buried

42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died.j]">[j] And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46 And Josephk]">[k] bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

Footnotes:

  1. Mark 15:15 A Roman judicial penalty, consisting of a severe beating with a multi-lashed whip containing embedded pieces of bone and metal
  2. Mark 15:16 Greek the praetorium
  3. Mark 15:16 Greek cohort; a tenth of a Roman legion, usually about 600 men
  4. Mark 15:25 That is, 9 a.m.
  5. Mark 15:27 Some manuscripts insert verse 28And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “He was numbered with the transgressors”
  6. Mark 15:33 That is, noon
  7. Mark 15:33 That is, 3 p.m.
  8. Mark 15:39 Some manuscripts insert cried out and
  9. Mark 15:39 Or a son
  10. Mark 15:44 Or Pilate wondered whether he had already died
  11. Mark 15:46 Greek he

11 Comments

I just echo, the reminder that my sin is the reason Jesus endured this. "My God, my God why have you forsaken me." I probably don't understand the depth of these words and the drama of this moment as I ought. But from what is clear and obvious, Jesus was forsaken by His Father. Makes me think of how it feels to be forsaken, and that often for our own sin, and that not in perfect unity as Christ and the Father had prior in eternity past. But Christ forsaken for my sins.

I pray his name would be hallowed. He is worthy of honor and glory. Not shame and mocking, not casual treatment. I pray His name hallowed more in my own heart, and then in the hearts of those around us.

Dee, it is a humbling privilege to encourage and serve the Lord's flock. We need to pray that the Lord would bring life to the many pulpits in our land that are denying the person and work of Christ. They too crying out for the destruction of Christ. Let us be like the Centurion that declared, Christ truly is the Son of God!

Amazing how even the way Jesus breathed His last breath testified to His divinity, as even the Centurion can see that “truly, this man was the Son of God”. Lord, please humble us and help us to always be in awe and wonder at how you willingly gave up your life for your church.

What a great passage to follow up what we have studied in LIFE group and 1 Peter. Jesus our Ark, saved us from the wrath of God, delivering us to safety and new life. How much more compelled I am to stand firm in Christ through life's trials and sufferings. Praise Jesus!

This is always such a sobering passage. This is what my sin cost Jesus. He not only suffered the cruelty of men, He endured the full wrath of God to atone for my sin. My sin put him there. How can I ever sin when I realize the cost to Jesus? I pray this passage will help me to hate my sin as much as God does. I pray that for us all.

The chief priests stirred up the crowd so that they would be against Jesus. What a contrast of those priests and the leaders of the true church today; men who stir our hearts to love, honor, and obey Jesus Christ. Thank you BF elders.

Jesus was unjustly condemned. He was beaten. He was mocked. He was crucified. He was mocked some more. He bore the full fury of God's holy wrath. He loved me and gave Himself up for me. Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.

Today's passage highlights the depravity of our hearts and just how much we need Christ to transform them. Vs. 10 highlights that Pilate knew why he had Jesus... He just want willing to do what was right because of the consequences. Vs. 39 highlights the stubbornness of the Jewish community... The Gentile crucifying him recognized Christ for who He was. Yet, these incidents can we'll be applied to our hearts... If it were not for the grace of God in our lives. What amazing love! Love that will die a shameful death and face the wrath of God for people who hate Him; so that, He can save their souls and make them fellow heirs... What a Savior!

As leaders in our homes, in our church, or in our daily work, we must learn from the poor example of Pilate and have the courage to do what is right, even if it isn’t what will please the crowd. I pray that I will stand for truth and for what is right an in doing so, demonstrate the righteousness of God in everything I do.

The eye opening reality of the chief priests faith is pretty scary. In v. 31 we read, “The chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, He saved others; he cannot save himself.“ Christ came to save all people by willingly sacrificing himself on our behalf so that we may know God and be with him for eternity. Praise God Jesus didn’t get off the cross or else we wouldn’t be afforded eternal life! God I pray that my heart would not be hardened to the reality of your sacrifice. I pray for those who do not recognize the weight of your sacrifice, send your Holy Spirit upon them. Save them. Amen!

v 15: “Wishing to satisfy the crowd...” Pilate didn’t want to satisfy God, he wanted to satisfy the crowd. The chief priests wanted to satisfy their hatred of Jesus’ position. Father, may I find satisfaction in a clean conscience towards you in Christ. Please do not lead me into the temptation of satisfying the world. v16-19: God may have used centurions elsewhere in Scripture to demonstrate His saving love, but the actions of these soldiers is the epitome of disgrace; their hatred and mockery almost comes out of nowhere, revealing the sinfulness of the human heart. v39: This centurion is likely the first convert after Christ’s death—a military officer just like Cornelius.

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