Mark 16:14-20 14  Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves ... 15  And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17  And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18  they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19  So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20  And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.  

These are the last words recorded in the book of Mark describing the events surrounding the life of Jesus Christ beginning at His baptism and ending with His ascension into heaven where He is at this very moment.  Jesus came on a mission to provide for our salvation.  He is at the heart of the Gospel message.  He is the Good News as it is through the very actions of Jesus Christ that anyone can be justified in the sight of God.  It is only through Jesus Christ and His finished work upon the cross that anyone can be saved.  Jesus confirmed the Gospel message (even before it was truly understood by anyone) with many signs and miracles.  All of these actions confirmed His authority and proved that He is indeed the very Son of God.  

The man, Jesus of Nazareth, is a real person who walked upon this earth and is fully man and fully God.  This God-man called upon the Jews as well as the Gentiles to repent and to turn away from their wicked ways, just as John the Baptist before Him preached this message.  But the difference was that Jesus called all of mankind to look upon Himself.  Look to Jesus- the author and perfecter of our faith who alone is the instrument of our salvation.  Any person who is born again believes in Him- not only that He exists and is real and is a God-man but that He died a horrific death upon a cross for me.  He died for me personally because I have been corrupted by sin and cannot have a relationship with God apart from Him.  He died to restore my relationship with God as His perfect righteousness is imputed to me (given to me and covers me) and my depravity was imputed to Him (given to Him and destroyed in Him) as He suffered the punishment that I deserve upon the cross as God the Father punished Him.  He rose from the dead proving that the victory had been won and that He had pleased God the Father in every way and I live in Him as I have been set free and given a new heart and a new nature that not only desires to love God with a genuine desire that is not self serving and selfish but that also actually can love God by living a life of obedience to Him as given the power to overcome sin by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
As Jesus ascended into heaven He left the eleven disciples behind.  They were to carry on the work that He had begun.  But at this point the New Testament had not been written.  The only written Scriptures were found in the Old Testament.  Why would anyone believe the eleven who were left behind?  Because Jesus would “work with them and confirm their message by accompanying signs.”  The eleven disciples were first hand witnesses to what Jesus had said and done.  This, in and of itself, is enough proof to believe that Jesus is who He says He is and that although He walked upon this earth over two thousand years ago, every person alive today should still examine His life.  But their testimony doesn’t justify another compilation of books nor would it convince people to join the Church instead of continuing to follow all of the Jewish laws (all 613) and customs.  And so the end of the book of Mark emphasizes that these eleven men had unique and powerful external signs that would accompany the Gospel message that they preached.  They were able to cast out demons, to speak in new languages and tongues, to pick up serpents with their hands, and to drink any deadly poison and not be harmed, as well as when they laid their hands on the sick, the person recovered.  Does this mean that all who are born again Christians today can do similar things?  While it is possible for God to do similar miracles in our day, it is not necessary for God to confirm the Gospel message that we share in the same manner as He did with the apostles.  For the New Testament is recorded in the completed Bible.  The Gospel message is written in a clear and straightforward manner for all to read and to hear.  The Gospel message was present but hidden in the Old Testament writings but as soon as Jesus rose from the dead He made the plan of salvation clear to all who followed Him.  Every Christian today has the complete Word of God and can look back to the cross of Jesus Christ and can learn exactly what transpired including all of the spiritual significance involved in Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.  If we shared the Gospel message with those around us we do not need the message confirmed by signs and wonders in order for people to believe.  We can believe based upon the historical account and the witnesses, but also we can believe the Word of God is true based upon the accompanying signs that were performed by the Apostles.  Just because they occurred over 2,000 years ago does not diminish their significance.  
The greatest need in our day, as a Christian shares the Gospel message, is not the need of accompanying signs of wonders or miracles, but the fruit of a converted soul based upon a proper declaration of the Gospel message as found in the Word of God.  If a person is declaring to others the true Gospel message and not a perversion of it, the end result will be that the Holy Spirit will use it to convert the soul of an unbeliever.  Only God knows who will be saved but if the Gospel message is proclaimed in the same manner as the Apostles declared it, people will repent and believe and be baptized and be saved.  Unfortunately, often what is presented as the Gospel is nothing but a false Gospel message.  Jesus will not confirm a message that is not true and a message that does not point to Him as the only means of a person’s salvation. But He absolutely will confirm a message that does present the true Gospel.  The greatest need in our day is not more signs and wonders to be seen within the Church but rather a message preached and declared to a lost and dying world that is the same message that Jesus taught and that the Apostles also shared that turned the entire world upside down.  
How well do you know the Gospel message?  Can you share it with someone else?  Has Jesus confirmed the message that you have shared with others by the evidence of a converted soul?  I’m not talking about leading a person through a prayer of salvation.  This is not what is meant by Jesus confirming the message.  I am talking about a person who has been completely transformed by Jesus Christ Himself as you have shared the Word of God with them.

Pastor Murray Hack

Mark 16:9-14 9 Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10  She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11  But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. 12  After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13  And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. 14  Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.  

After Jesus rose from the dead on the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week which we call Sunday,  He appeared to the women who went to the tomb.  Mary Magdalene was among those who saw Jesus.  The book of John gives a more detailed account of her encounter with Jesus:
John 20:11-18 11  But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12  And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13  They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14  Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16  Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17  Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18  Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.  

It is easy to judge all of the followers of Jesus for their unbelief and their hardness of heart.  How could they not believe that Jesus was going to rise from the dead when He had clearly told them?  How could the apostles not believe the report of the women who saw Jesus risen from the dead?  Jesus did rebuke them for not believing but there was not a single person who understood beforehand.  He rebuked everyone equally and no one was better than anyone else.
It is easy for us as Christians to be frustrated when we see the sin in another person and ask the question, “Why will they not repent?”  “Why do they not understand that what they are doing is a sin against God?”  “Why do they not believe the Gospel that we can see so clearly?”  “Why can’t they see their wickedness before God and believe in Jesus Christ who came to save them?”  We can just as easily struggle with other born again Christians who have not yet overcome certain sins in their lives or who are unwilling to believe certain Biblical truths that we now know clearly.  “Why can’t they believe?”  “Why are they still struggling?”  We need to be constantly reminded of the work of God in each of our lives.  Without the Father drawing us to Himself and the Holy Spirit revealing Jesus Christ to us we will never repent, we will never believe, and we will continue in our sin.  
All of us have hearts that are hard, even if we personally know Jesus Christ.  We are all like every single one of the apostles and the women also who would not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead.  But what is fascinating is how Jesus responded to each and every person whom He loved and appeared to.  He restored them in the perfect spirit of gentleness.  He loved them perfectly back to Himself.  For Mary Magdalene, all He had to say was her name and she responded in love.  She clung to Him and would not let go- with all of her heart she loved Him.
Our time in this world is a life of great urgency and at the same time great patience.  No matter how long we may live, it is but a moment in light of eternity.  We are only given so much time to respond to the Gospel message when we have the opportunity to hear.  If we do not, and rather harden our hearts, we will be lost forever.  There is an urgency in our response and yet at the same time Scripture calls us to “count the cost.”  No one is expected to respond immediately as the Gospel message must be clearly examined and understood.  Dogmatism is to believe something blindly without actually knowing what you believe.  There is an urgency and yet there is patience as God waits for us to respond to Him.  Jesus’ public ministry in Israel only lasted three and a half years.  This wasn’t very long to hear Jesus in person and yet you could repent and believe in Him after He ascended into heaven as the Apostles continued to preach the Gospel to the Jews.   But then in A.D. 70 Jerusalem was completely destroyed by the Romans.  There was great urgency and yet great patience in how God responded to the Jews.
The same applies to our spiritual growth.  We are given a limited amount of time to grow in holiness after we surrender our life to Jesus Christ.  There is much change needed for all of us to reflect the glory of God and the Holy Spirit acts with great urgency and at the same time with great patience in the heart of every true believer in Jesus Christ.  We cannot become complacent and neglect our relationship with God.  We cannot think we have arrived when there is so much more to be known and discovered and experienced in the Word of God.  There are so many changes that we need to make in our lives to honor God with all of our being.  There are so many challenges that we face in our day to day lives and it is so difficult to always respond in a manner that is pleasing to God.  We must respond with great urgency when God speaks to us and yet He continually shows us great patience.  We must urge other Christians to respond quickly to the Truth of His Word and at the same time show great love and mercy when they fail to do so.  Why?  Because our hearts are also hard, and at other times very responsive.  We are all slow to learn and yet God can quickly accelerate our obedience and love to Him.
We all need to pray that we will be quickened by the Spirit of God.  In the three days associated with Jesus’ death and resurrection there was an amazing amount of transformation that occurred within each of the followers of Jesus.  The three years of following Jesus was to prepare them for these three days where all that was important was to be ripped out from under them.  It would appear that they would all fall and collapse under the sheer weight of the cross that Jesus had to bear.  And yet their faith remained; their foundation was secure.  Jesus rose from the dead.  He removed the hardness of their hearts which struggled to believe in Him as He had spoken to them.  Do you understand this great urgency and yet this great patience?

Pastor Murray Hack

Mark 16:1-8 1  When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2  And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3  And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4  And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6  And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7  But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8  And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.  

None of us can predict the future.  Mankind is always curious to know what will happen in the next year, decade, century, etc., especially as it relates to ourselves.  Fortune tellers make all kinds of money by picking up on physical gestures and social cues and by asking leading questions in order to deceive the person who wants to hear their future.  They use psychology and tricks to give false assurance that they actually can predict the future.  Others rely on demonic powers who have greater knowledge of the world around us as they can also see into the spiritual realm and these demons use knowledge of ancestors and past events to deceive the present and to lure people into allowing demonic influence into their lives.  Christians as well can become preoccupied with the future and they end up using the Holy Spirit in exactly the same manner as the fortune teller and yet they claim that what they are doing is of God because it is within the Church.
While the Holy Spirit can speak to a born again Christian about future events, we will always remain in the dark about most things as God expects us to walk daily with Him.  If we know exactly the plans that He has for us we would no longer need God and pride could creep into our hearts and we could turn away from Him.  But there was no pride in Jesus Christ and no concern about Him ever turning away from the love of His Father.  Also, 
Colossians 1:19  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell  

Jesus knew the end from the beginning and the Holy Spirit gave Him insight into all things as revealed from the Father.  Jesus spoke beforehand about His death and resurrection- not once, but multiple times.  Jesus Christ came to this earth to die for our sins and to bear the punishment of what our sins deserve.  He came to bring new life and to regenerate our wicked hearts of stone into hearts of flesh that can love Him without sin and selfish motives.  We, as born again Christians, can love Jesus truly with all of our heart for who He is and not for what we might receive from Him by knowing Him and being united to Him.  We love Him because we know Him intimately and we long to show Him our love in an ever increasing way.  We know that our love to God is nothing compared to the infinite love of God who is love and is perfect love and infinite love beyond measure.  We know that we can never repay Jesus of Nazareth for dying on the cross in our place.  
It is so natural to think these thoughts in light of the events surrounding the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  But there is something else described here in the book of Mark that seems almost out of place.  It makes sense for the angel to tell the women to examine the place where Jesus’s body was laid in the tomb as a proof to know that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead but why did the angel say in verse 7, “But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you”?  This is especially confusing as John 20 describes Peter and John also examining the tomb with their own eyes.  Why were they told to go to Galilee which was far away from Jerusalem especially as Jesus was going to appear to the disciples that very day in Jerusalem as described in John 20:19-23?  Because although they were in Jerusalem, all of the disciples had yet to be prepared to return to Jerusalem.  
At this point every single follower of Jesus was an absolute mess.  They all had been disillusioned by the death of Jesus Christ.  The Son of God whom they worshipped as the Christ had died in apparent weakness and in what they thought was complete failure.  They did not understand what Jesus had done for them until after the resurrection.  No one understood.  But more importantly none of the disciples yet understood what it meant to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.  This was the purpose for their return to Jerusalem from Galilee as was shown later:
Acts 1:4-5 4  And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5  for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

In spite of the fact that the disciples of Jesus had followed Him daily and learnt so much from Him, they did not understand what it meant to live and walk in the Spirit.  In spite of the fact that they saw the Kingdom of God manifest in the very life and actions of Jesus and through their own actions as Jesus worked through them (as He sent the disciples out on a variety of assignments), they did not know the Spirit filled life.  The disciples had, up to this point, followed God in a sense only in their own strength.  They had only drawn near to God as following the physical person of Jesus.  They did not know the intimacy that could be found only through knowing the Spirit of Christ.  
In the death of Jesus Christ, not only did Jesus provide the means of our salvation but also the disciples of Jesus were shown the weakness of only following Him in the flesh.  They all thought that they were more spiritual than they actually were.  No one expected to abandon Him and yet they all did.  They all needed to be restored in their relationship with Jesus Christ and Jesus did exactly this as He appeared to His disciples in His glorified body.  But they also needed to return to Jerusalem seeking something greater- something beyond what they already knew.  Ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4).  
Do you know the deeper life that can be found in Jesus Christ or do you only know Him in the flesh?  Have you ever come to a realization of your weakness in the Christian life or do you have a false confidence in your walk with Him?  He will bring all of us to a state of brokenness to realize our need of the Spirit filled life.  Have you returned to Jerusalem a second time?

Pastor Murray Hack

Mark 16:1-8 1  When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2  And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3  And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4  And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6  And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7  But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8  And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.  

Not only did Jesus have to die upon the cross in order to be the Christ but in order for anyone today to believe that these events are actual history, Jesus had to be buried in a sealed tomb.  On the first day of the week (what we call Sunday), on the day after the Sabbath (which is the seventh day of the week), Jesus rose from the dead.  Many people throughout human history have been thought to be dead but later came back to life.  Sometimes it is simply a misdiagnosis where a person’s pulse and breathing are so weak that people just assume that the person is dead.  Sometimes it is a genuine miracle of God whereby the person has actually died and is brought back to life by the very hand of God as in the case of Lazarus as recorded in John 11.  But in every instance the person eventually died again.  There was always a final end of their life in the body and the temporary physical revival of the body was eventually met with an absolute ending.  Everyone eventually dies.  Some people appear to be near the end of their life and by God’s mercy their lives are extended a little bit longer but in every instance their wages are paid in full: Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death.
Every employee is due their wages and in the case of all of mankind, we deserve death for the sins we have committed and for the original sin of Adam in his rebellion against God which brought the curse of death into this world.  Every person will get what they deserve one day: death, no matter how good or evil they may claim to be.  
 But there is one man who has walked upon this earth who did not deserve to die.  There is only one man who has ever lived that was actually perfect in every way.  This of course is Jesus Christ.  The life of Jesus proves this beyond a shadow of a doubt.  If you truly examine the actions of Jesus as recorded in the Bible you can’t but be amazed at how perfect He acted in every instance.  There is no flaw to be found.  There is no way He could be tricked or deceived or overcome.  The only reason why Judas Iscariot was able to betray Jesus and the only reason why the religious leaders in Jerusalem were able to successfully crucify Jesus is that it was the will of God and that Jesus gave Himself over to them.  He died to fulfill all righteousness.  He died in perfect obedience to God the Father in order that His perfect righteousness could be given to all who will repent and believe in Him.  Every born again Christian is clothed in Jesus Christ’s righteousness because He, who did not deserve to die, died in our place.  
Just as Jesus Christ is the only person who has ever lived that did not deserve to die, He is the only person to ever live who was brought back to life never to die again.  Jesus did not recover from death only later to die again, He rose from death victorious!  He defeated death!  He overcame the grave!  How could this be?  Because He was raised back to life in a body that was different from and yet the same as the body that died upon the cross.  He was raised from the dead in a glorified body that was no longer in a state of decay as our bodies are as a consequence of sin.  His glorified body is as perfect as He is perfect and is eternal.
But why did Jesus have to be buried in a sealed tomb?  Because if Jesus never really died, it all could be smoke and mirrors.  If somehow Jesus’ body was smuggled away after He had died, maybe He never rose again.  It all could be a lie.  And so, Jesus, who had no earthly wealth (Matthew 8:20) and means by which to afford a tomb with a large stone covering, was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea who donated it for this purpose (Mark 15:46).  The tomb of Jesus was sealed and guarded to prevent any sort of tampering (Matthew 27:62-66).  There is no doubt that Jesus died.  But it is equally true that Jesus rose from the dead in a glorified body.  How could this be proven?  The greatest body of proof could only be found in the last place where Jesus had been seen in a state of physical death: in the tomb itself.  And so when the same women who had witnessed the death of Jesus of Nazareth upon the cross came to the tomb where Jesus was buried, Jesus did not appear to them outside of the tomb before they first saw the evidence inside.  But how would they enter in?  The book of Matthew describes how the stone was rolled away:
Matthew 28:2  And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.  

The stone was rolled away not so that Jesus could leave the grave (He was able to pass through walls in His glorified body) but rather so that the witnesses could enter in to see the evidence.  As the women entered the tomb of Jesus, the angel proclaimed the message that Jesus had risen from the dead but also pointed to the place where Jesus was laid in His graveclothes following the crucifixion.  Jesus’ glorified body was raised up through the graveclothes proving He was not unwrapped by someone or that His body was taken.  John 20:6-7 also describes the appearance of the face cloth that had been on Jesus’ head.  William Nicholson writes, “There they were in exactly the position the body had occupied.  And the napkin was "in a place by itself" on the very spot where the head had rested.  It was also "wrapped" or rolled "together," that is, the head being removed, it had collapsed and was shrunken.  It had not been unfolded, and none of the fastenings were loosened, indicating that it had not been taken off the head but that the head had been taken from out of it.  There, then, they lay- linen clothes and napkin too- no bandage undone, none of the folds disturbed, no change in position, but only shrunken.”  The greatest evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ was found in the very tomb where He was buried.  As Jesus next appears to His followers in His glorified body it was no trick or show but rather the truth as shown by the evidence within the tomb.  Isn’t the resurrection of Jesus Christ utterly astounding?  Can you believe it?  How great is the Son of God who came to save us from our sins!  He is worthy of all our praise!

Pastor Murray Hack

Mark 15:37-47 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. 
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. 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 Joseph 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.  

The events surrounding the burial of Jesus of Nazareth are extremely important.  In order for anyone today to believe in faith in a God-man dying for their sins over 2,000 years ago it better be true and not some fable or made up story.  And so the Gospels (the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Bible) not only provide great details describing the crucifixion of Jesus but also His burial and resurrection.  There had to be witnesses to Jesus’ death, there had to be witnesses to Jesus’ burial, there had to be witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, and there had to be witnesses to Jesus’ ascension into heaven where He is right now.  Without witnesses and the supporting miracles and the fulfilled prophecies and the events surrounding Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension why would anyone believe the Gospel?  
This is where a person must see the need to examine these events in detail.  People have been dying throughout all of human history.  Usually the only people who have any real interest in the death of any individual person are the immediate family and friends who know the deceased personally.  The average person is long forgotten after their death and it is only those who have left their greater imprints upon mankind as a whole that anyone in the future cares to look back upon.  Even among the “great” men and women of human history, typically their significance fades in time.  Anyone who desires to live for the glory of man will be sorely disappointed even if they somehow achieve human greatness.  The only wise person lives for eternal life.
So what motivates a person to look in depth at the events surrounding Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension?  For some it might just be idle curiosity.  But ultimately for anyone who becomes a born again Christian, Scripture is clear that it is the Law of God that produces a knowledge of sin (and conviction of sin) that motivates a person to examine the life of the sin bearer Jesus Christ in detail and especially the events surrounding His death and resurrection.
Romans 3:20  through the law comes knowledge of sin. 
Without a real and personal need to be set free from sin, the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus are meaningless and unimportant.  But when a person is under conviction of sin these details are seen as significant and there is a longing to understand what truly happened in Jerusalem over 2,000 years ago.  Did Jesus really die for my sins?  Did He really rise from the dead?  All of the small details associated with Jesus’ death are important as they are proof that this is indeed true and not fiction.  The Christian does not believe with blind faith.
The female followers of Jesus are very important in helping us to believe that Jesus of Nazareth did die on the Friday and then rise from the dead on the Sunday (the Lord’s Day).  Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome all were witnesses of Jesus’ death upon the cross as they watched from a distance.  Most of the disciples were not present.  These same women also saw where Jesus was buried and then later would see Jesus in His resurrected body.  Their witness of all these events help us to believe that it is true.  
The fact that Joseph of Arimathea risked everything in going to the Roman Governor Pilate and asking for the body of Jesus is very important.  By Jesus being buried in a rich man’s tomb that was sealed with a stone and that was even guarded (Matthew 27:62-66) meant that there was no way that somehow Jesus’ body could be removed or tampered with.  We can believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ in part because there are no loopholes by which some type of deception and trickery could have been performed.  Jesus died and was buried and then rose again.  This is a historical fact.
There is another aspect to Jesus’ death that is significant as recorded here in the book of Mark.  In verse 44 we read that Pilate was surprised to hear that He should have already died.  Jesus did not die as a superhero.  In fact he died much quicker than what was typical for anyone crucified.  It could take days for someone crucified to die but Jesus died within six hours.  This in and of itself shows that something greater was happening as Jesus died upon the cross.  As He bore the sin of mankind and the wrath of God the Father was poured out upon Him, this punishment that He endured led to a quickened death.  None of us can comprehend the suffering that He endured that is infinitely beyond the physical suffering of crucifixion.  Again, this was all according to God’s perfect plan.  Jesus had to die swiftly in order for Him to be buried before Friday evening when the Sabbath would begin and no work was allowed to be performed.  The very fact that Jesus died on a Friday showed the utter hatred and urgency of the religious leaders among the Jews in having Jesus killed.  Jesus was arrested on Thursday night.  The religious leaders needed to act while the iron was hot.  Instead of waiting until Sunday to take their case to Pilate to persuade him to kill Jesus, they acted immediately thus forcing the other two men who were crucified to have their legs broken to accelerate their death before the beginning of the Sabbath (John 19:31-37).  But Jesus was already dead.  This fulfilled what had been prophesied thousands of years earlier when God gave the institution of the Passover Meal to Moses in Egypt (Exodus 12:46).  He was the perfect sacrifice.  Do you believe this?  Do you know that Jesus died for you and that you can have new life in Him?

Pastor Murray Hack

Mark 15:33-41 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.  

How easy it is to understand what is written in the Bible?  For many people they think it is just an interesting collection of history, poems, and statements about the Jewish and Christian God.  They simply take it as an old book of folklore and never once consider its claims to be the inspired Word of God.  But this is the wisdom of wicked man who intentionally tries to deny the Truth for if it is indeed the inspired Word of God then there is a requirement to submit to its authority of which the unbeliever has no desire to do.  There is a bias in their minds preventing them from accepting the Word of God for what it really is:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 16  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17  that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.  

Then there are others who claim to believe in the authority of Scripture but who misinterpret it.  The Jews not only recognized the blessings of having the oracles of God given to them directly by God but they also knew the Scriptures very well.  The Old Testament Scriptures were continually studied and taught before all the Jewish people in the days that Jesus walked upon this earth over 2,000 years ago.  And yet in the events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus there is an interesting contrast between the bystanders who thought Jesus was crying out for Elijah as He was dying upon the cross as compared to the response of the Roman centurion who had no knowledge or respect for the Scriptures and who was at the crucifixion because it was his job.  
First, why did the Jewish bystanders think Jesus was calling for Elijah in verse 35?  Because as Jesus said, “Eloi,” meaning “My God” as He was crying out to His Father, they thought he said “Eli” which is short for Elias or Elijah.  There are only two people in all of history who never died.  Enoch and Elijah.  There is little describing the events surrounding Enoch going up into heaven:
Genesis 5:24  Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.  
But with Elijah there was a great scene as described in 2 Kings 2.  Elijah was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire led by horses of fire!  But it is the prophecy associated with Elijah that led to the Jewish bystanders thinking that Jesus was calling out Elijah’s name.  Because Elijah did not die and because of this prophecy it came to be that it was a common belief among the Jews that the Christ would not be revealed until Elijah had returned to Israel in the flesh:
Malachi 4:5  “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.  

But he had already come.  Jesus earlier made known to Peter, James, and John that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Elijah’s coming:
Mark 9:11-13 11  And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 12  And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13  But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

It is hard to comprehend how blind anyone can become in believing a misinterpretation of Scripture.  Any of us are capable of falling into this same trap of claiming that the Scriptures must say something that they do not.  In spite of all the miracles that Jesus performed, in spite of the amazing manner in which He preached and revealed the Word of God, in spite of all the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled, in spite of the many many times that he absolutely made it clear that He is the Son of God in the flesh, these Jews would not believe that He was the Christ unless Elijah came before Him.  But it is the events surrounding the crucifixion that make their misinterpretation of Scripture even more condemning.  As Jesus died upon the cross, darkness covered the land from noon until three becoming darker and darker until Jesus breathed His last and then suddenly light of the sun was restored.  As Jesus breathed His last there was also an earthquake, the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, and many tombs among the Jews were opened.  (These were Old Testament believers who were raised from the dead following Jesus’ resurrection on the Lord’s day as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection beyond the grave (Matthew 27:51-52)).  None of these miracles or events would convince these Jewish bystanders who had hardened their hearts into believing that Elijah had to come first and yet the Scripture had been fulfilled exactly as God intended.  
What a contrast with the Roman centurion who did not believe in the authority of the Word of God at all.  He was just there doing his job making sure that this person condemned to death did not somehow escape or that a riot did not occur among the people.  But in the events surrounding the crucifixion God had removed his spiritual blindness.  The hardness within his heart to believe the Word of God as given to this little nation that had been conquered by the great Roman empire had been removed.  There was no stumbling block with him to believe that Elijah had to come first.  He knew nothing about Elijah.  The Roman centurion had been drawn to Jesus Christ.  He looked at Jesus with astonishment as He died.  He was able to see that the Christ could suffer and die.  There is no doubt that the centurion did not yet fully understand what he had witnessed and yet he believed.  He did not yet understand about the resurrection and yet he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”  
Is there any misinterpretations of Scripture that are preventing you from seeing Jesus for who He really is?  Are you still waiting for Elijah or can you say in your heart, “Jesus is the Christ?”  

Pastor Murray Hack

Mark 15:33-41 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.  

The moment that Jesus died upon the cross there was a strange miracle.  A curtain was torn in two in the Temple in Jerusalem.  This miracle coincided with the last breath of Jesus as He cried out, “It is finished.”  (John 19:30).  Why was this so significant?  The Temple and the Tabernacle before it (the Tent of Meeting that Moses was commanded to build in the wilderness when the Law was first given on Mount Sinai) had three main divisions.  There was the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place.  No person entered into the Most Holy Place except the high priest and this only once a year with the blood of atonement and the smoke of incense.  As Bishop William Rufus Nicholson writes: 
“In the outer Court, in the sight of the people, stood the brazen altar and the brazen basin- symbols of what is needed in order to draw near to God.  There can be no approach to Him without passing the place of blood sacrifice, and in that blood being cleansed as in a basin.  In the Holy Place, in the sight of the priests who had just come from the bloody altar and the cleansed basin, were the table of showbread, the golden candlestick, and the golden altar of incense- symbols of union and fellowship with God.  In the Most Holy Place, for the eyes of the high priest alone, were the Ark of the Covenant, its golden cover- the mercy seat, the cherubim, and the Shekinah- the cloud of glory, symbols of the throne of God's presence and power and grace.  Thus, in the structure of the Tabernacle we have God's own symbolism of such truths as are involved in a sinner's acceptable worship of Him.  Also it was symbolized that there were obstructions to such worship.”  
Most people today, if they actually believe in God, don’t seem to think that there is anything interfering with their worship of God.  But God made it absolutely clear to the Jews who were given the very oracles of God that there was something separating them from direct access and worship of God.  Even though the Jews could and should worship God in the manner that God had declared to them through Moses, there were curtains involved.  Not one but two.  The ordinary Jew could not enter into the Holy Place.  Only the priests were allowed in past the first curtain but they were allowed to go no further.  Only the high priest was allowed in past the second curtain and this only once a year.  I can just imagine how curious the people must have been wondering what it was like past the first curtain and for the priests there must have been the same curiosity and desire to even get a glimpse past the second curtain.  How special was the high priest to have the honor to be the only person in the entire nation to enter into the Most Holy Place.  
The two curtains reveal the privilege and intimacy that could be known with God that only a few special and chosen men within the nation of Israel could realize.  Again, how cheap and trivial and insignificant do many people today view their relationship with God.  There are many people who believe that they can live as sinful a life as they want and still have a relationship with God.  The two curtains, the high priest, and the sacrificial system makes it clear that this is not true.  The Jews knew that holiness was required to enter into the presence of God and to be among the chosen to go beyond the curtain and for the high priest himself to go even closer.
But when Jesus Christ died upon the cross the inner curtain was torn in two.  As Nicholson also writes:” It was "torn from the top to the bottom"- in a straight line downwards, and completely through.  It was not jerked apart by some intruder from below, but cleanly cut by an invisible hand from above.”  This was a miracle but it was also meant to be witnessed.  Jesus died at 3 pm.  This was the very time of the beginning of the evening sacrifice so there were priests in the Holy Place in the witness of the second curtain.  Can you imagine how shocked they must have been?  I suspect they were afraid for their very lives.  How could this be?  What had just happened?  In all likelihood they would have been confused by the darkness that began at noon until three but now they witnessed this miracle inside the Temple.  All of a sudden the inner curtain was torn.  They could now see everything inside the Most Holy Place.  But now what could they do as priests?  With the inner curtain being destroyed the outer curtain held no purpose and in turn the entire sacrificial system also served no purpose.  What had happened in Jesus’ death to bring this about?  The priests would have been astonished and confused.
When Jesus died upon the cross He paid the penalty for sin.  Our ransom was paid in full.  The curtains revealed that although a Jew could have fellowship with God and worship God and intimacy could be known with God, there was still a veil, a curtain that needed to be removed.  The penalty for sin had not yet been fully paid.  The animal sacrificial system was a type that God accepted when a person acted in faith in the Christ who was to come.  But no animal could die for your sins: only the Son of God could; only the God-man born in our likeness could.  Only the perfect man could be sacrificed in our place.  Intimacy with God can be known because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ no matter who you are.  You do not need to be a high priest or a priest.  You do not even need to be a Jew.  Anyone can know intimacy with God and have a direct relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  The curtain had been removed not only for the common people in Israel but also for all the nations.
How intimate is your relationship with God?  Is it precious to you?  Is God special to you?  Are you eternally thankful that the curtain has been torn?  Or do you act like this miracle never happened?  Does the blood of Jesus Christ mean nothing to you?  Jesus Christ alone is our Lord and our Savior.  The curtain that was torn in the Temple proves this.

Pastor Murray Hack

​Mark 15:33-41 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.  

Jesus was crucified at 9 a.m. on the Friday (based upon the Jewish clock from sunrise this was the third hour).  Mark 15:25  And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 
At noon (the sixth hour), something unusual happened.  There was darkness over the whole land for three hours (until 3 p.m.).  What could this mean?  No eclipse of the sun lasts for three hours?  It is obvious that this darkness was in direct relation to Jesus’ crucifixion.
In the events leading up to the crucifixion, absolutely everyone involved came against Jesus revealing the wickedness of all of mankind.  The end result of the attacks of the devil and the actions of Judas Iscariot, of the religious leaders, of the crowds, of the Roman governor and soldiers, was that Jesus of Nazareth was pinned to a wooden cross and left hanging until He would breathe His last breath and no longer be among the living.  But this would only be temporary.  In spite of all this He was in complete control.  Jesus became the sin bearer of all of mankind unbeknownst to all who witnessed His crucifixion.  
For the first three hours of His crucifixion, it did not appear any different than the agonizing deaths of any other person who had been crucified by the Romans in their punishment of evildoers within the Roman Empire.  But there was a fundamental difference.  Not only was Jesus innocent but He was also perfect.  He was righteous in every way.  He obeyed God perfectly at every moment of His 33 years upon this earth.  Many innocent people have been abused and convicted criminally and even killed unjustly but there was none before and none since who actually died in a state of complete guiltlessness.  All of us are guilty in the sight of God.  All of us were born in sin and inherited the sin nature of our first father Adam.  The curse that fell upon him for eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil with Eve has fallen upon us.  And this wickedness from within will lead us to even be willing to kill the very one who came to save us- Jesus Christ.  We would rather kill the King of Glory than to turn away from our evil desires.  Yet in spite of this, Jesus still died for our sins.  He would bear our sins.  His state of guiltlessness was a prerequisite.  Without being a spotless lamb, without being a perfect sacrifice, our sins could not be forgiven.  He needed to be a descendant from Adam and to fulfill the original covenant with God that Adam had failed in keeping.  No one, no matter what injustices they have faced in their life, can claim to have died in a state of guiltlessness.  Only Jesus Christ has done so.
The perfect sacrifice was on the altar.  But it wasn’t until noon, three hours after He was first hung on the cross to die, that this became no ordinary death.  From nine until noon there was much ridicule of Jesus but after there was none.  Why?  Because of the darkness.  Bishop William Rufus Nicholson writes in the Six Miracles Calvary:
“The great Sufferer is silent, as if underneath that darkness some huge horror hung over His own soul.  And all else is silent.  No taunt or insult is flung at Him now.  The crowds are transfixed with amazement.  The blood is heard dropping.  The suspense is frightful.  As all hearts drink in the darkness, they are trembling at a certain mysterious fearfulness of the crucifixion.”
With the coming of the darkness at noon, the sin bearer was suffering the wrath of God as our sins were punished within Him.  The darkness could represent our sins being placed upon Him but it could also represent the darkness of what was transpiring as our sins were punished in the Son of God as the wrath of God the Father was being poured out in full measure on the perfect sacrifice.  In all likelihood the darkness increased from noon until three as Nicholson argues: “because we hear the cry of the Sufferer at about the close of these hours.  It would appear that the silence of His endurance could no longer be maintained, for more and more intense had grown His sufferings.”
Jesus Christ suffered the infinite wrath of God as all sin is an infinite evil the sight of God.  Only God in the flesh could endure the full measure of suffering required to pay the penalty for our sins.  The suffering that Jesus endured upon the cross is inconceivable.  The wrath of man that He endured before the cross and before noon was nothing compared to the wrath of God:
Isaiah 53:4-6 4  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

At 3 pm Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  He was completely alone.  By becoming the sin bearer He had been separated from God the Father.  He had become sin who knew no sin.  By this point the darkness had grown such that no man could even witness His suffering.  His face was hidden from all to see.  This is the darkness that fell on Calvary’s tree.  But then He declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30) and breathed His last and immediately the darkness was lifted.  The sun shone in its full brightness.  Our sins had been paid for!  Jesus had died and would soon rise again on the Lord’s Day!  Do you see how amazing the death of Jesus Christ is?  Over 2,000 years later it is still the most significant event in relation to your own life and your very soul.  If you repent and believe in Him as your Lord and Savior you are forgiven of all of your sins!  Praise Him who died for you and for me!

Pastor Murray Hack

Mark 15:21-27, 29-32 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.  
 
The book of Mark clearly shows the depravity of mankind in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. At the last supper, as the disciples celebrated the Passover meal together with Jesus, He made it known that one of them would betray Him (Mark 14:18).  This did not stop Judas Iscariot who that very night betrayed Jesus to the chief priests and the scribes in the garden of Gethsemane.  After the arrest of Jesus, the chief priests and scribes then looked for any possible way to legally have Jesus of Nazareth put to death.  Jesus gives them what they desire as He publicly and directly admits to them that He is no ordinary man but is equal with God as the Christ- the promised Savior of Israel and of all of mankind.  They use His Words as a justification to kill Jesus as the punishment of claiming to be equal with God is death (Leviticus 24:16).  But in Jesus’ case it was true and all of Jesus’ actions proved that this was a true statement.  They took Jesus to the Roman governor Pilate and tried to persuade him.  Pilate could see through the wrong motives of the chief priests and the scribes and tried to gain the favor of the people.  Pilate assumed that the people, when given the choice between letting a convicted murderer or Jesus free, would choose Jesus but they did not.  They chose the murderer and Pilate did not stand against the evil but gave them what they wanted in order to protect himself.  The soldiers then mocked and beat and abused Jesus and placed a crown of thorns upon His head.  But this was not enough.  More was to come as Jesus died upon the cross.  
As Jesus went to the cross He was too weak from the beating that He had received at the hand of the Roman soldiers to carry the cross.  A man named Simon was forced to carry it.  If there is any doubt of the humility of the Son of God who entered into creation and lived as a man this scene shouts it loud and clear.  Jesus, who created the heavens and the earth, humbled Himself to be like us and was willing to die in apparent weakness.  He was willing to bear the shame that sin brings and He was willing to bear all of the evil of mankind.  He was willing to become nothing.  In spite of the power of God that had been seen in Jesus Christ as the Kingdom of God was manifest in Him and around Him as He had performed many miracles and preached with great authority for over three years, now Jesus is weak; now He is silent; now He appears powerless.  The man who walked on water could not even carry a cross.  He was defeated.
2 Corinthians 13:4  For he was crucified in weakness...

How sick and evil is man to get pleasure out of such a scene but this is exactly what happened.  Jesus was taken to Golgotha which means Place of a Skull- a place of pure evil.  What would happen to this great man?  The people were curious.  Jesus was offered a drug to drink to numb His sense about what was about to happen to Him but He refused.  Jesus would not run from or try to hide from the evil of sin.  He was fully committed to be our sin bearer.  The soldiers had no shame in dividing the spoils of His garments.  The Son of God who owned all things as the Creator of the universe was left with no possessions.  They were not afraid to take what little He had in His very presence.  After all, Jesus was utterly pathetic.  
How mankind loves to abuse the person who is weak and is vulnerable.  Especially a man who was declared to be great and then has been brought low.  There is something about a fall from greatness that the wickedness in man especially gets pleasure from.  There is something about someone great who is now below us that makes us have satisfaction in our wickedness.  Jesus was crucified between two robbers.  The chief priests and the scribes acknowledged that Jesus had demonstrated power and He had saved others but now He was completely weak and unable to save Himself.  Everyone did all that they could to display their power over Jesus while He died in the most cruel form of torture created by mankind.  How evil is mankind?  Even the robbers who were dying condemned Jesus.  But Jesus had not been overcome.  Not for a moment.  He had willingly submitted Himself to be crucified in weakness for our sake.  He was in complete control as He was led to the slaughter.  He was dying for you and for me.
Those who passed by Him mocked Jesus and told Him to save Himself.  It was easy to tell Jesus to come down from the cross.  But if He did come down from the cross no one could be saved.  All of mankind is evil at the core.  The cross of Jesus Christ proves this.  Every single person alive today has exactly the same absolutely wicked and profusely evil nature as all these people who were alive upon this earth when Jesus of Nazareth was crucified.  It is absolutely insane that any of us, or that any of them who mocked Jesus at His death, could claim to be good enough that we can save ourselves.  But that is exactly what most people will try to get away with.  Any person who will not recognize their own sinfulness and look to the Lamb who was slain as providing for their personal salvation is someone who tries to save themselves.  The sinner who does not recognize their own sin and their absolute need of a Savior will be found guilty at the final judgment.  And it will be none other than the One who died in weakness that will tell them that they cannot save themselves no matter how they may plead their case.  Jesus Christ will condemn them for although He was crucified in weakness He rose from the dead in power.  He lives for all eternity in the glory that was hidden as He humbled Himself in death:
2 Corinthians 13:4  For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. 

Do you see yourself deserving such a death as Jesus suffered?  It is what we all deserve and much worse in our treatment of God.  No one can argue that eternal suffering is unjust in light of how we are all willing to treat the Son of God.  And yet in spite of all this, anyone can be saved if they only repent and believe in Jesus Christ.  Are you still trying to save yourself or can you see what Jesus did for you upon the cross?  Do you understand why He was crucified in weakness?

Pastor Murray Hack

Mark 15:15-20 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.  
 
A soldier is a man of war.  A soldier is used to bring a people in subjection to a king.  At this point in the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion we see what was in the hearts of the soldiers in how they respond to Jesus.  As the Jews were a conquered people, the Roman soldiers were to do whatever was necessary to keep the nation of Israel under control of the powers of Rome.  These same Roman soldiers would have been used in battle to conquer and subdue foreign nations and were the means by which the Roman Empire could be expanded or they were used to defend it against any attacking enemy.  They were also used to collect taxes.  If anyone refused to pay what the tax collectors in Israel had declared, the Roman soldiers were brought in to force what had been demanded.  Because the Roman soldiers were trained and skilled in battle and were armed and allowed to use force, their power could be abused.  They were able to extort money by threatening the Jews and would even make false accusations in order to become rich themselves.  We know this was true because John the Baptist called on the soldiers to repent of such behavior as they came under conviction of sin under his preaching:
Luke 3:8, 13-14 8  Bear fruits in keeping with repentance...13  And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 14  Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.” 

There were perhaps some soldiers that were honorable and kind to the Jews but this was probably quite uncommon.  The Jews were taught to hate the Gentiles or anyone who wasn’t a Jew.  They misinterpreted the Scriptures based upon the commands of God declaring that they were to be separate from the Gentiles.  They had no desire to have anything to do with the Roman soldiers and so it is entirely probable that the Romans soldiers hated the Jews in return.
Joshua 23:6-8 6  Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, 7  that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, 8  but you shall cling to the LORD your God just as you have done to this day. 

Adding to their motivation for why the Romans soldiers acted the way in which they did with Jesus, was the fact that Jesus had accepted the praise of the people on Palm Sunday, just a few days earlier.  Pilate knew that Jesus had accepted the praise of the people as their king.  Some of the soldiers may have even been watching as Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt.  What kind of a king was this as compared to the leading men of Rome who would ride in a procession before the people in the back of a chariot led by a powerful horse suited in armor?  What kind of power did Jesus possess?  Surely He was not as powerful as the Romans.  Surely He was not a great king as any great king was full of military power and physical strength.  In their eyes this king must be weak and they would prove it.  
So while Pilate, even as an unbeliever was amazed at Jesus, the soldiers did not care.  They would use their power and authority over Jesus.  They would absolutely abuse Him and shame Him.  They would do all that they could to use their skills of brutality upon Jesus.   But all of this was according to God’s perfect plan of salvation.
Isaiah 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

The soldiers scourged Jesus.  They used a multi-lashed whip with embedded bone and metal to severely beat Jesus.  They made Him wear a purple cloak that would stick to His open wounds only intensifying the pain.  They put a crown of thorns on His head and then struck His head with a reed causing the blood to flow from His head.  They spit upon Him and mocked Him by kneeling before Him.  When they were done toying with Him they ripped off the purple cloak reopening the wounds from His beating.  The soldiers had their way with Jesus and appeared to have complete authority over Jesus.  But this was not the case.  The crown of thorns was the exact crown that Jesus had entered into Jerusalem to wear.  It was the blood stained crown of the Savior of mankind.  Jesus Christ came to this earth to endure the wrath of man.  The wrath of man reveals the depravity of sin.  The Roman soldiers did not hide the evil nature that was within them. They would beat and mock and destroy.  The chief priests and the religious leaders and Pilate and the crowd would try to hide the wickedness within their own hearts but the Roman soldiers publicly revealed what is in man.  They had no shame to manifest the evil within the heart of man.  This is the very heart of every man.  
Isaiah 59:7  Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways.

Do not try to deny the wickedness of your own heart.  All of us are corrupt at the very core of our being.  This is our fallen condition as the Roman soldiers so clearly reveal.  And yet herein lies the power of God.  In spite of this truth and the apparent weakness of Jesus at the hands of the Roman soldiers, the infinite power of God was soon to be revealed.  Soon Jesus would die removing the penalty for my sin and for your sin for all who believe.  Soon Jesus would rise from the dead.  But first, the full evil of sin had to be revealed.  Everyone involved in Jesus’ crucifixion was absolutely guilty.  Everyone had a hand in the crown of thorns that was placed upon His head.  Do you see your hand in the brutality that Jesus suffered?  Do you see your guilt in placing a crown of humiliation upon His head?  None of us are innocent.  Our sins caused the King of King and Lord of Lords to wear a blood stained crown of humiliation and shame.  

Pastor Murray Hack