Please do open your Bibles again to Mark chapter 15.
It's on page 852.
I'll be looking at verses 16 to 20 this evening.
!
Lord God, help us to see the glory of Christ this evening.
Help us to see the victory that he has won for us on the cross.
And help us to cling to him all the more.
May we find hope and comfort and all that we need in him.
We pray this in his name. Amen.
Amen.
In 2003, Banksy, the famous street artist,
he painted an iconic parachuting rat on the side of a building in Melbourne, Australia.
And it was a treasured piece of work in Australia.
And many consider it a priceless piece of art.
But one day in 2010, the local council came along.
They saw the spray paint and they destroyed it by cleaning it off.
They thought it was some sort of gang-related graffiti.
And so they destroyed it.
And they thought they were doing the world good by getting rid of it, didn't they?
But what were they actually doing?
They were actually destroying a masterpiece.
There was a real irony here.
They had no idea what they were doing.
And that is what's going on in our passage here.
These soldiers think that they were doing the world good by getting rid of Jesus.
By mocking him.
They thought he deserved it.
But what was the reality?
They were actually destroying a masterpiece.
There is a real irony here.
Now, irony, the word irony is a word I want us to think about for a moment.
Irony in storytelling is when the characters in a story think something isn't true.
But we, the audience, we know that it is true.
That's what irony is.
So think of the film Jaws.
People are swimming in the sea.
They think it's safe.
They think everything's normal.
But then we, the audience, we hear something.
Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun.
We know the reality.
We hear that music.
And we know the reality that there's a shark in the water.
We, the audience, know the reality is the opposite of what the characters think.
That is irony.
That is dramatic irony.
And that is what Mark is doing in this passage.
He's presenting a moment of dramatic irony.
The soldiers mock Jesus by pretending he's a king.
And they make fun of him.
But actually, he is the king.
So look at the scene here.
So verse 16, Jesus is led inside a palace.
And they gather together the whole battalion around him.
He's like a king over an army.
And verse 17, they clothed him in a purple cloak.
Purple was a very expensive and royal color in those days.
They put royal robes on him.
In verse 17, twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him.
He's crowned.
Verse 18, they began to salute him.
And what do they call him?
Hail, king of the Jews.
Verse 19, they struck him on the head, spat on him, knelt down in homage to him.
They bow down to him.
What do these soldiers think is the reality?
They think this man is no king.
They dress him up as a king to show everyone how unkingly he is.
But what is the reality?
What are we meant to know?
This is actually the king.
They think they're doing good, but they're destroying a masterpiece.
They think everything is normal, but we hear the real music.
But it's not the Jaws theme music.
It's the music of a coronation.
It's trumpets and horns and choirs and harps and violins and a royal band, all signaling to us,
this is actually the king.
That is what Mark is presenting us with here.
This is dramatic irony.
He's doing this to emphasize that Jesus is actually the king.
And he's doing this to make a point, to show us the reality of what the soldiers missed,
to show us what's really going on at the cross.
So the past few weeks, we've seen that all the events leading up to the cross have been there to show us what's really happening at the cross.
They're kind of like a red carpet.
You look at the red carpet, and it tells you what's going on at the main event.
And we've seen these events, and we've seen what's going on at the cross.
Jesus is dying for sinners.
He's being condemned by the divine judge so that rebels go free.
Well, here we see something else about the cross.
We see that the cross was the enthronement of Jesus.
It's where he became king.
And that is the big thing to see today, that the cross was the enthronement of Jesus.
But before we unpack that,
we need to see that dramatic irony like this,
it only works if there's an author behind it.
This scene only makes sense and has meaning if it's designed to be like this.
This isn't just a coincidence that these soldiers mock the true king by dressing him up as a king.
Note, there's an author behind this.
But Mark is not the real author of these events.
Mark didn't make these events happen.
No, God is the author of these events.
This was all planned by God.
The cross was planned by God.
And this is the first thing I want us to see today before we get to our main point.
The cross was planned by God.
In all these events we have seen so far,
all these red carpet moments that show us the main event,
the cross, what it's all about,
all these events,
they're not,
this isn't just coincidence.
It's not like,
oh, Jesus was condemned by Pilate.
Oh, and he was condemned by God.
Oh, that's a funny coincidence.
Or, oh, Jesus is mocked as a king,
and he's the true king.
Oh, that's a funny coincidence.
No, this isn't Mark just making up poetic connections.
No, these events took place the way they did,
and they all point to the cross because God planned it.
God authored all of this to show the world what the cross is really about.
And we need to grasp this.
The cross was planned by God.
And we see this all the way back in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 53 speaks of this suffering servant
who will save his people by suffering for them.
Speaking of Jesus.
And Isaiah writes,
it was the will of the Lord to crush him.
It was God's will to crush Jesus.
God crushed his own son.
It was in God's will to do this.
The cross wasn't an unfortunate accident.
No, it was the son's will and the father's will
for Jesus to go to the cross.
It was in God's plan.
It was always his desire.
The cross was planned by God.
And in the New Testament,
the apostle Peter preaches at Pentecost,
and he says this,
Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan
and foreknowledge of God.
It's clear.
The cross was planned by God.
This wasn't an unfortunate accident
that God then turned into a good thing.
No, the cross was planned by God from eternity
to be salvation,
to be the way that Jesus becomes king.
It was God's will to make his son king.
That was his will in heaven.
And God has constructed all these events
so that his will would be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
So that heaven played out on earth.
His will in heaven can be seen in his will on earth.
These earthly events show us
the true spiritual heavenly reality.
That is why the earthly court with Pilate
shows us the heavenly court of God's justice.
And that is why today,
these soldiers mocking Jesus
shows us the reality of the cross.
This happened because God wanted to show us something,
something about Jesus and the cross.
God is showing us actually
the cross is Jesus' enthronement.
The cross was the enthronement of Jesus.
Which brings us back to our main point,
which is where we're going to spend the rest of our time,
back to our main point.
The cross was the enthronement of Jesus.
So we need to answer now,
well, how was the cross the enthronement of Jesus?
We can kind of see how he was a sacrifice, can't we?
Sacrifices need to die for sins.
We can kind of see how he's a substitute, right?
He died instead of sinners.
But how was the cross the enthronement of Jesus?
How does that make him a king?
As the soldiers place a crown of thorn on Jesus,
why is Mark telling us that,
well, Jesus is actually a king?
Well, we need to understand what a king does.
A king does two things.
A king defeats his enemies,
and a king rules his people.
A king defeats his enemies,
and a king rules his people.
And ever since the fall,
the world has desperately needed a king.
A king to defeat the enemies of the world,
and a king to rule the people of this world.
So let's ask, why is the world today the way it is?
It's because we're needing a king to completely rule over this world.
In the fall, we rejected God as king.
We didn't want God to rule over us,
and instead we chose to follow Satan.
And we let sin rule over us instead.
Sin controlled us and governed us.
It had power over us.
Paul says in Romans,
sin reigned in death.
Sin was a king over us.
It reigned.
We were slaves to sin.
That is the problem of this world.
Sin reigns.
It has a king-like grip over the world.
When sin reigns,
we can't help but sin.
Sin is king in the lives of those without Christ.
Lives are destroyed in this life,
and perish in the next,
because sin is king over them.
And because sin reigned over us,
death reigned over us.
The wages of sin is death,
and so death reigned.
Without Christ,
death is like a king over us.
We can't escape it.
We simply do what it says.
We die.
Without Christ,
death has dominion over us.
And not only that,
in the fall,
Satan was let loose into this world.
He's been like a king over us.
Jesus calls him the ruler of this world.
Paul calls him the prince of the power of the air.
Satan's evil forces are called rulers and authorities in this world.
Satan is the enemy of God,
and he's the opposing king in this world.
And so, while this is God's world,
he's in complete control.
He's always the king of creation.
Satan has had a king-like influence over us.
He's had power over us,
making us follow him,
leading us into sin and evil,
and he's accusing us in our sin.
And eventually,
he seeks to drag us to hell.
Death.
This is what's wrong with the world.
These are the enemies.
It's sin, death,
Satan, and hell.
And what do we need?
We need a king to defeat them.
The world has been in desperate need
to end the reign of these enemies,
to end their power,
and to destroy them.
And we need a good king to come in and rule.
The world needs a king to be enthroned.
And in Mark today,
we see that long-awaited king.
Mark is telling us,
this is that king.
While the soldiers think they're mocking Jesus,
what is the music that we hear?
It's trumpets.
It's a royal band,
a king's coronation.
The cross was the enthronement of Jesus.
But if a king defeats enemies,
and a king rules his people,
how does the cross do that?
How does that make Jesus king?
Well, for those in Christ,
on the cross,
our sin was taken off us
and laid on Jesus.
He bore our sins.
He became sin for us.
And so when Jesus died,
he took all our sin to the grave with him.
It was destroyed.
It was dealt with.
So whatever sin,
whatever reign sin had over you,
it's ended.
It's dead.
Sin had guilt over you,
but that was buried,
dead,
in the grave.
There is no guilt living over you.
But also,
sin's power over you
has now been broken.
before,
we couldn't help but sin.
Sin was king over us,
reigned over us,
but on the cross,
Jesus tore that king
off the throne of our hearts.
He broke the power of sin.
So we can now obey God.
We can now stop sinning.
That king's sin
no longer reigns over you.
Now,
it needs to be said,
that doesn't mean Christians
will never sin.
No,
sin will still dwell in us
until glory.
But it does mean
the power,
the reign of sin
is broken.
For those in Christ,
sin is not king
over your heart now.
Jesus is king
over your heart now.
He rules over you.
The love for Jesus
and the desire
to please him
and serve him
and obey him,
that has power
over you now.
When you come to the cross,
you come to a king
and his love
grips your heart.
He becomes your king.
Sin has been dethroned
in your life.
Jesus now reigns.
So if you don't have Christ
as your king here tonight,
you need to know,
you may think you're free,
but actually sin reigns over you.
You have a king
that you don't realize
and Christ can set you free.
You need a better
and perfect king.
So don't be like these soldiers.
Don't miss the king
in front of you.
Come to the cross.
The cross was the enthronement
of Jesus.
But sin
wasn't the only enemy
defeated on the cross.
Satan was defeated
on the cross.
Do you know what
Satan's name means?
Do you know what Satan means?
Satan means
the accuser.
The power of Satan
is to accuse.
He's like an evil lawyer
who sees your sin
and your guilt
and accuses you
before God.
Look what this person did.
Look what they deserve.
And he leads us into more sin
to accuse us all the more.
Satan's power in this world
is to accuse.
Accuses of the debt
we owe
because of our sin.
But Paul tells us
what happened on the cross.
Jesus cancelled
the record of debt
that stood against us
with its legal demands.
This he set aside
nailing it to the cross.
He disarmed
the rulers
and authorities
and put them
to open shame
by triumphing over them.
On the cross
Christ
took the accuser's power
away from him.
He disarmed him.
How?
Because there is nothing
Satan can accuse you
with anymore.
There is no sin
reigning over you.
There is no guilt
hanging over you.
As you stand before
the judgment seat of God
Satan can accuse you
all he likes.
It means nothing.
Because all your sin
has been paid for
Satan can say
nothing about you
before God.
Christ is our king
and on the cross
he has disarmed Satan.
Taken away his weapons
destroyed his power.
Satan has nothing on you.
And now
Satan is just
awaiting his doom
where he will be
gone forever.
And that day
is certain
because Christ
has already conquered
him on the cross.
And so if you're not
a Christian here today
without Christ
Satan can still
accuse you.
He can bring
charges against you
and God will see
those charges
and he'll see
them as true.
Your sin
is not covered
by Christ.
The legal demands
still weigh on you
and you need
a king
to disarm
Satan.
To destroy
any power
he has
to accuse you.
Christ is the king
who disarms
all the weapons
of Satan.
He's disarmed
his accusations
and he's also
disarmed
death itself.
Hebrews says
Jesus destroyed
the one
who has the power
of death.
That is the devil.
When the devil
accuses you
he accuses you
for the punishment
of death.
The wages of sin
is death.
Death is his weapon
as well.
But if there's
no guilt
then there's
no death.
When Christ
dealt with your guilt
he ended
the reign
of death
over you.
Death looks
like it has
its grip
on this world.
Like it
rains,
like it's
winning.
And yes
unless Christ
returns
we will
all die.
But death
will not
win.
Death
has been
dethroned.
Eternal
life is
coming.
That is what
Christ did on
the cross.
He made sure
death will
no longer
rule in this
world.
And who
rules instead?
death,
a new ruler
full of life.
Eternal
life.
He now
reigns over
this world.
The gracious
king who
holds the keys
of death
in Hades.
It's
Jesus Christ.
And he's
conquered death
so that
one day
death will
be no more.
Not just
dethroned
but gone.
Jesus has
defeated the
enemy of
death for
you.
The cross
was the
enthronement
of Jesus.
Did you
see what
they placed
on Jesus'
head in
verse 17?
Twisting
together a
crown of
thorns
they put it
on him.
It's no
coincidence
it's a
crown of
thorns.
Do you
remember what
was a part
of the curse
in Genesis
3?
Cursed
is the
ground
because of
you.
Thorns
and
thistles
it shall
bring forth
for you.
Jesus
carried the
curse of
the world
thorns
on his
head as
he went
to the
cross.
This is
the spiritual
reality.
Jesus
freed the
world from
its curse.
He's a
king who
rescued not
just his
people from
their curse.
He rescued
the whole
universe.
So when
these soldiers
salute Jesus
and say
hail king
of the
Jews
how right
they were
but also
they had no
idea what
they were
saying.
This isn't
just king
of the
Jews.
This is
the king
of the
universe.
As they
place the
purple cloak
on Jesus
the royal
robes
as they
place the
crown of
thorns
on him
as they
salute
him
as they
kneel
before him
they think
they're
mocking
him
but really
their actions
are showing
the world
this is the
king to
restore the
world.
So this
irony that
we see
here it's
really
significant.
This is
telling us
something huge.
This is the
king God
has planned
to bring.
This is how
the world is
going to be
restored and
ruled again.
And what's
even more
ironic
this mockery
was actually
sending Jesus
to his
enthronement
wasn't it?
they led
him out
sent him
out to
be crucified.
These
soldiers
thought they
were nailing
him to
a cross
but they
were seating
him on
a throne.
And now
Jesus rules
over his
people as
we come to
the cross
and find
forgiveness.
It is at
the cross
the enemies
of sin
and Satan
and death
are defeated
for us.
And it's at
the cross
we find a
new king.
A king
who rules
over us
with grace.
We become
a people
united around
this crucified
king.
He's purchased
a people
with his
blood and
now we
belong to
him and
we joyfully
serve this
king.
It is the
cross,
this man,
this message,
this crucified
king that
sends us to
our knees
in wonder.
It is this
king that
gathers us
here today
in worship
and now we
bow before
him in awe
before the
king of
kings.
So don't
be like these
soldiers,
don't miss
what is right
in front of
you.
The cross
was the
enthronement
of Jesus
and now he
reigns as
king of
kings.
Let me
pray.
Let me
pray.
Let me
pray.
Let me
pray.
Let me
pray.
Let me