We're parachuting in, so to speak, to the middle of Mark's description of Jesus' crucifixion.
As we saw last week in verses 16 to 32, Mark really aimed to express what Jesus endured
in the process of crucifixion itself, namely mockery, brutality, blasphemy.
And we walked through that text last week.
But there's a noticeable shift in the text that we just read.
When we get to verse 33, Mark is still describing the crucifixion, but he has moved away from
a focus on the cross to a focus on the death of Christ itself.
To say it another way, Mark is moving in the earlier section, telling us of the physical
suffering that Jesus endured, to now he is focused on, in this present passage, communicating
the atoning work that Jesus accomplished.
Do you see the difference?
In one sense last week, we focused on this is the physical nature, for the most part, the
physical nature of what Jesus endured.
And now Mark moves on immediately to the most important facet of all of that, which is why
that physical suffering even matters.
What was actually the purpose of it?
It was a finished work of atonement that Jesus was providing for sinners.
So our concern with Jesus' crucifixion then is not merely about the excruciating way that
he died, but about the spiritual purpose that his death achieved, which we would say in one
simple word, it achieved a substitution, a substitution for sinners.
And this substitution is not something that has been looked back upon by Christians and contrived
in an effort to try to piece things together as they've looked at it.
This is actually the pattern of the Bible.
The Old Testament prophesied this substitution.
Jesus himself declared this substitution as we have studied all the way through Mark's gospel.
It was symbolized most recently in our study in Barabbas, who was set free at Jesus' trial,
and then as you work on through the New Testament, it is explained in explicit detail by the apostles.
And of course, we're reminded of Isaiah 53, which we have referenced so often in these last few weeks.
This passage corresponds very hopefully to verses 4 through 6.
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows,
yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
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.
That's the significance of this text.
That's why we care about the cross.
And that's what I'd like for us to explore this morning.
Four things that I want to point out to you.
The first two will take us a good bit of a time, and then we'll move somewhat quickly through the last two.
So if you get to the point after about the second point, and you're just ready to be done with this,
don't worry.
We're close, okay?
Number one, if you want to keep notes,
I want you to see the judgment of God.
The judgment of God.
Look with me at verse 33.
And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
Now I want to go ahead and pause here,
and I want to take just a moment to consider the nature and the purpose of this darkness
that descended upon the region around Jerusalem.
Mark tells us that this darkness enveloped the region at the sixth hour,
which according to Jewish reckoning of time was midday.
It was noon.
And the darkness continued until Jesus' final breath at three in the afternoon.
Now the significance of this is its timing.
Darkness descended upon the land, not clouds.
This isn't a storm that just kind of rolls into the area of Jerusalem.
That's not what we're told in the text.
We're told in the text this is actually a supernatural darkness
that descends upon this particular region at this time.
And the significance is it appears and it descends upon this region
at the brightest part of the day.
There's no natural way to explain it.
The timing of Passover actually renders a full solar eclipse an impossibility
because Passover took place at the new moon, not the full moon.
So it couldn't be that there was, it's not astronomically possible
that there would be a solar eclipse that we could point to and say,
well, this was just kind of coincidental.
That's not what's happening here.
What was taking place at the moment of Jesus' crucifixion
was an astronomical anomaly attributed only to
the supernatural power of the creator God.
Now that shouldn't come as surprising to us if we're students of the Bible
because the kids just quoted just a few moments ago in Genesis 1.26
that God created not only us, but he created everything that we see
and that he rules over those things.
And that part of the blessing of knowing him
is that we can see his hand at work in the creation around us.
So if he created all that there is and he created the things that we see in the world,
including the sun and the moon and the stars,
as the Bible affirms that he did,
then it should come as no surprise to us then
that he would actually have power over those things.
That in his divine power,
he could bring darkness at whatever moment he wanted to bring darkness.
And it appears that that's exactly what is happening here in verse 33.
But this darkness was not an expression of divine mourning.
That's not the reason for it.
It's not that God was so distraught by what man was doing to his son
that almost in a sense, maybe we would imagine it this way,
that there was an expression of his emotional volatility in this moment
that ushered in this darkness,
just so that everybody would know that Jesus was upset at what they were doing
or that God was upset with what they were doing to Jesus.
That's not what this darkness is about.
It's not divine mourning.
This darkness is a divine judgment.
The Old Testament speaks of prophecies,
particularly in Amos chapter 8.
It speaks of prophecies of midday darkness
sent by God in reference to his divine judgment
against sin and sinners.
Many scholars see even in this darkness a parallel to the ninth plague in the book of Exodus,
which was darkness that continued through the moment of Passover
where there was a death that resulted in the freedom
and the exodus of God's people out of bondage in Egypt.
In either case, no matter which one you would want to attribute it to,
or maybe it's to be attributed to both things in some dimension,
in either case, there's no doubt that this darkness
is a sign of the Father's judgment against sin.
It's an expression of it.
But the fact that we cannot overlook
is that Jesus had no sin for which to be judged.
So what is this darkness then about?
It's not about God's judgment on us.
It's about God's judgment on Christ, the sinless one,
who on the cross absorbs the wrath of God in the place of sinners.
And God expresses this in a visible sign through midday darkness.
And then it's affirmed by Jesus' own statement.
Look at verse 34.
And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice,
Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani,
which means, my God, my God,
why have you forsaken me?
So the darkness then is a visible expression of the divine judgment
that Jesus was in that moment genuinely experiencing.
And perhaps for us to understand this best,
we need to be reminded that the ultimate punishment for sin
is spiritual death,
which the New Testament affirms as alienation from God,
separation from the creator.
In becoming a man,
Jesus experienced the fullness of humanity
with one exception up to this point.
The one exception is that his relationship with the father was not broken.
But remember, it's sin that brings death and separation from God.
But Jesus did not sin.
At that moment, in the hours of his crucifixion,
Jesus was truly experiencing what he had foreseen
with profound horror in the garden of Gethsemane.
Remember in our earlier study,
Jesus cries out to God three different times.
He goes back and he cries to the father,
if it be possible,
let this cup of divine wrath pass from me.
And then of course he affirms in that moment,
not my will, but your will.
An amazing pattern for us to follow as we studied that.
But what was his anguish over in the garden?
It wasn't merely what he foresaw in his physical suffering.
His anguish in the garden was about this moment.
For the first time,
experiencing true separation from the father
in the sense of bearing our sin.
And after hours of silent suffering,
Jesus cried out, quoting verse one of Psalm 22,
my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
And it's amazing how instinctively
Jesus expressed himself in biblical language.
Something we see him do over and over and over.
And then here again on the cross,
the way that Jesus expresses himself
is with his very words,
the words of God,
the words of the Old Testament.
I think that might be just as a side note,
a good lesson for us to make note of.
In these moments,
Jesus doesn't express himself in just human feelings.
He expresses himself through the lens of the word of God.
Maybe we would be helped to do that ourselves.
But we don't need to be confused by his statement here.
We shouldn't interpret Jesus's cry here
as a question for which he had no answer.
That's not really what Jesus is doing.
He's not asking the father a question
that he had no answer for.
Jesus knew all along what would happen to him.
He knew all along exactly why this was happening.
And he was willingly enduring it for our sakes.
So he wasn't asking a question.
He was using scripture to give voice
to what he was going through at that moment.
And what he was going through at that moment
in bearing our sin
was the separation from the father
as sin bearer.
And praise God that he made this cry from the cross.
Because had he not made this cry from the cross,
we would have terrible difficulty
grasping the true nature of his suffering in this moment.
But his suffering wasn't just about his body's pain.
His suffering ultimately was about being the bearer of our sin.
You said God's holy nature demanded separation
as the son became sin.
Not even the most evil man, he goes on to write,
including Nero and Hitler,
has ever known in this life
the horror of being completely cut off from God.
But Christ knew it in this moment.
Now I want to take a moment to let this marinate.
And I know that can produce all kinds of other questions
that we don't have time to get into today.
And there's answers for those questions
if you're thinking that we can get to later.
But I want you to just let this marinate for a moment.
On the cross,
the sinless son of God
endured what sinners are destined to suffer
for all eternity.
And I wonder how often we consider the death of Christ
without clearly recognizing
that it is our personal sin
that made it necessary.
I think we tend to view
Jesus' sacrifice for sin in abstraction.
That is that we see sin theoretically
and we understand the dynamic
that Jesus died for sin and for sinners,
but we don't always personalize that
in a way that the gospel demands.
We think that sin is this thing
that's kind of out there,
just kind of this whole big thing
that the whole earth is just kind of
inadvertently plagued by
and that when Jesus died on the cross,
he was dying for like this kind of thing
that's just out there.
And we never really truly bring it
into concrete terms.
We think of it theoretically,
we fail to acknowledge
the words of that song that we just sang.
It was my sin that held him there
until it was accomplished.
The reality is that it is yours and my deceits,
yours and my immoralities,
yours and my slanders,
yours and my rebellions,
yours and my thefts,
yours and my abuses,
yours and my envies,
yours and my sin.
It is our sin,
my sin,
Jared's sin
that made the death of Jesus
necessary for our salvation.
And I'll never forget
when Ashlyn first made
a profession of faith and conversion.
She's always been so good
at memorizing things
and she could explain the gospel
better than some adults could
before she had ever actually professed faith
in the gospel.
Which tells us something
that's helpful
about the nature of conversion.
Just having an intellectual knowledge
of the things of God
is not sufficient for salvation.
And she could tell you
all of those things.
And I remember one day
we're working through all the stuff.
She had been catechized thoroughly
on the fact that Jesus died for sin.
Jesus died for sinners.
But I remember the first time
that she finally realized
that it wasn't just that Jesus died for sin,
this kind of abstract notion
of sinful existence,
but that he died for her sin,
for her lies.
Maybe you know that Jesus died for sin,
but you've just never really seen yourself
as much of a sinner.
And I want to tell you
that Jesus did not die for sin conceptually.
He died for it actually.
And the only way possible for him to do that
is if the sin for which he died
was ours personally.
Your sin,
your rebellion,
your lies,
your fill in the blank,
that's what held him to the tree.
That's what made his death necessary.
That's what he was absorbing in that moment.
God's wrath against you,
not people against you and me.
And just to show you that
I'm not just making this up.
This is in the text itself.
1 Peter 2 in verse 24.
Peter says he himself bore our sins
in his body on the tree
that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness.
By his wounds,
we have been healed,
Peter writes,
quoting Isaiah 53.
Paul says it to the Corinthians,
2 Corinthians 5, 21.
For our sake,
he made him to be sin
who knew no sin
so that in him
we might become
the righteousness of God.
He says it again
to the Galatians.
Galatians chapter 3
and verse 13.
Christ redeemed us
from the curse of the law
by becoming a curse
for us.
For it is written,
quote,
cursed is everyone
who hangs on a tree.
What is the significance
of this moment?
In this moment,
in this darkness,
with this statement
of being forsaken
by the Father,
Jesus becomes our sin bearer.
He takes our sin.
He suffers in our place.
Verse 35.
Just as today,
there were many people
standing by
who didn't get it.
Some of the bystanders
hearing it said,
behold,
he is calling Elijah.
And someone ran
and filled a sponge
with sour wine
to 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.
Now,
I need to leave it
to you
to do some
of the digging
necessary
to mind these verses
or we'll never finish.
As Alistair
regularly says,
you are sensible people
and with a little effort
you can determine
these things,
you can work
these things out.
The basic point here
is that the Jews
standing by
completely misunderstood
and misinterpreted
Jesus' cry
from the cross.
And there's some
explanation from this
we could point to.
If you look at the words
that Mark gives us
the Aramaic language
that Jesus would have
actually cried out,
Eloi, Eloi,
Lema Sabachthani,
and then he translates
it in Greek
which we then have
in English,
my God,
why have you
forsaken me?
In Aramaic,
there's only a single
letter difference
between the phrase
my God
and the name Elijah.
If you take
what for us
in the text
in verse 34
is an O
or in Greek
would be an Omicron,
you take that out
and you just have
the E-L-I,
that would be
the Aramaic word
for Elijah.
So it's possible
that the people
standing,
the Jews at least,
that were standing
by the cross
when they hear
Jesus cry this out,
they perhaps confuse
his language
and say he's calling
out for Elijah.
But why would they
ever think that
he would call out
for Elijah
in that moment?
Scholars say
there was a Jewish
superstition at work
in the first century
where they viewed
Elijah as sort of
a patron saint
in the way that
some religions
would view
sainthood today.
And that Elijah
was the patron saint,
so to speak,
over righteous
sufferers.
And in unique
cases of injustice,
they could cry out
to God
and God would
send Elijah.
Now this is not
actual,
this is just in
some of the
rabbinic thought
of the day.
That God would
send Elijah
and Elijah
would rescue
them in some way
in that moment.
And it appears
that this might
be the best
explanation
for their confusion.
So what did
the people do?
They gave him
some wine vinegar.
This is different
from the drink,
the narcotic
that was offered
to him earlier
that we talked
about last week.
And they gave him
this so that they
could try to
prolong his life
long enough
to see if Elijah
would indeed come
to rescue him.
That's the language.
Some bystanders
hearing it said,
behold,
he's calling Elijah.
They run and fill
a sponge.
John tells us
Jesus had actually
mentioned his thirst
to prolong his life,
to hear his voice
perhaps more clearly.
They usher this
wine vinegar to him
to refresh him
in some way.
And then they say,
wait,
let us see
if Elijah
will actually come.
Let's see
if he'll come
to help him.
Let's see
if this might be
some kind of proof
that we have
messed up here.
James Edwards
affirms this thought.
The bystanders
then,
as some today,
fail to see
that Jesus fulfills
God's plan
of redemption
precisely in
his suffering
by giving his life
a ransom for many
by taking the curse
of humanity
on himself.
And here's the point
I want to get
across to you here.
These people
are staring
directly at the cross
but they can't see it.
and I'm concerned
that many Christian churches
are filled
with precisely
this type of person.
Their lives
are surrounded
by the clear truth
of the gospel
but they keep
fiddling around
with things
that are entirely
irrelevant
to the true purpose
of the cross.
They wear crosses
around their necks
and offer prayers
and public worship
but the idea
that Jesus
absorbed the wrath
of God
in place
of sinners
is the furthest
thing from their minds.
And what a shame
it would be
to sit in service
after service
where the truth
of the gospel
is taught
and preached
and remain ignorant
of its significance
to your life.
It would be like
standing beside
the cross
gazing upon
the crucifixion itself
witnessing Jesus
become the Savior
but your only thought
in that moment
is I wonder
who's going
to save him.
Fiddling around
with things
that don't matter.
Fiddling around
with things
that are irrelevant.
What a tragedy
that would be.
Well that's
the judgment
of God.
Let's look at
the finished work
of atonement.
The finished work
of atonement.
So if verses
33 to 36
reveal the divine
judgment of God
being poured out
on Jesus
verses 37
and 38
communicate
the sufficiency
of Christ's death
as an atonement
for sin.
Okay?
So stick with me.
First few verses
God's judgment
put on Christ.
Now we see
it worked.
Okay?
That's the point.
The word we use
for this
in theological terms
even in biblical terms
is propitiation
which just means
that Christ's death
totally satisfied
appeased
the wrath of God.
We sing this
in Christ alone.
We sing this
till on that cross
as Jesus died
the wrath of God
was satisfied
for every sin
on him was laid
here in the death
of Christ
I live.
Okay?
He took our place.
He appeased
God's wrath
and that Jesus'
sacrifice
was sufficient
to pay for our sins
is proven
in his resurrection.
It's validated there.
We'll get there
in a couple of weeks
but it's also
clearly expressed here.
Look at verse 37.
Jesus uttered
a loud cry
and breathed
his last.
You say,
well that doesn't
really actually
tell us anything,
Jared.
Well you're right.
We have to go outside
of Mark's gospel
to actually piece this together.
Mark doesn't identify
exactly what Jesus cried
only that he did cry out
and I really think
that the reason for that
is in the brevity
of his narrative
he wants us
to really see
the response
of the centurion
to the way
that Jesus cried.
We'll get there
in a minute.
Just hang tight, okay?
We have to go to Luke
and John
to find out
what exactly
Jesus cried out.
They record
two statements
that constitute
this loud cry
that's mentioned
by Mark.
The first one
we find in John 19
and it is the cry
it is finished.
It is finished.
I'll read the verse
to you.
John 19
and verse 30
when Jesus
had received
the sour wine
he said
it is finished
and he bowed
his head
and gave up
his spirit.
So when Jesus
musters up
the strength
to cry out
it is finished
he's not
referring there
to
he is finished
he's referring
to the fact
that his work
is finished.
John chapter 10
Jesus explicitly
said
his mission
was from the
father
was to lay
down his life
and to take
it up again
for an atonement
for sin.
It is finished
is Jesus'
declaration
that the task
he was sent
to accomplish
has been
fully
and perfectly
brought to
completion.
That's the
significance
of this statement.
There's a Greek word
I know you don't care
about that I'm just
going to tell you
because it's helpful
here.
It's tetelestai
tetelestai
it's in the
perfect tense
which communicates
a past action
that has an
ongoing effect
if that makes sense.
So it's in the
past tense
in one way
but it's in the
past tense
not simply
bringing completion
to a moment
but completion
to an action
that has
lasting effects
moving forward
in the present
and into the future.
That's the language
that Jesus uses here
that Mark
communicates Jesus
or John
communicates Jesus'
language as.
So Jesus
was in essence
saying
it has been
and it forever
will be
finished.
And here's
why that matters.
The work
that Jesus
accomplished
for us
on the cross
is an eternally
finished
work
that will not
be withdrawn
and it cannot
be undone.
The sin
that God
poured out
on his son
will never
have to be
paid for
again
meaning
that all
who believe
can rest assured
in the promise
of eternal
salvation.
What Jesus
did on the cross
was a once
and for all
work.
It is finished.
It is accomplished.
And no matter
how much
on your worst
day you feel
like you just
emotionally
may not
be saved
you could
never point
to the sacrifice
of Christ
and say
there was
something lacking
in what he
did.
He covered
it all.
He took
it all.
He drank
the cup
every last
drop
of God's
wrath
and in this
moment
at his
dying breath
he cries
out
my work
is finished
atonement
has been
made.
And Paul
tells us
in Romans
6
we know
that Christ
being raised
from the
dead
will never
die again.
Death
no longer
has dominion
over him
for the
death he
died
he died
to sin
once
for all
but the
life he
lives
he lives
to God
and then
Paul puts
it in
practical
terms
for us.
So you
also
those who
are in
Christ
those who
are
believers
so you
also
must
consider
yourselves
dead
to sin
and alive
to God
in Christ
Jesus.
It's a
finished work
accomplished
by Jesus
alone
which means
that it's
sufficient
to cover
your sin
for all
of eternity.
No more
payment must
be made.
There's no
place for you
to go
and be
sent
after this
life
to suffer
to pay
for what
Jesus
didn't
pay for.
No it's
been paid.
It's
finished.
Tetelestai.
It's
finished.
Well he
says another
statement Luke
tells us this
one in Luke
chapter 23.
Father
into your
hands
I commit
my spirit.
Another
quote from
Psalm 22
Luke 23
and verse
46
then Jesus
calling out
with a loud
voice said
Father
into your
hands I
commit my
spirit.
And having
said this
he breathed
his last.
This final
statement
affirms that
Jesus gave
his life.
It was not
taken from
him.
He gave
it.
Over and
over we
have seen
Jesus'
power and
opportunity
to overcome
his enemies
and escape
the agony
of the
cross.
His
adversaries
as he
hung on
the cross
we saw
last week
even taunted
him to
this end.
If you're
really the
Christ
save
yourself.
Take
yourself
off the
cross they
cried.
But again
they misunderstood
the whole
thing.
Jesus
didn't need
a savior.
this is
what he
had come
to do.
His life
wasn't
taken.
He gave
it.
He didn't
need a
savior.
As we
said last
week he
only needed
a cross
in order
that he
could become
the savior.
He wasn't
overcome by
death.
He willingly
surrendered to
it to
fulfill his
purpose.
And this
is the
mark of
a true
sufficient
sacrifice and
atonement for
sin.
John
chapter 10
verse 17.
For this
reason Jesus
says the
father loves
me because
I lay down
my life that
I may take
it up again.
No one
takes it
from me.
I lay it
down of my
own accord.
I have
authority to
lay it
down.
I have
authority to
take it up
again.
This charge
I have
received from
my father.
So with
his last
cry it is
finished and
into your
hands I
commit my
spirit.
Jesus
says my
life isn't
taken.
I have
laid it
down.
And by
laying it
down I
have finished
the work
that God
sent me to
finish and
to accomplish.
But there's a
second part to
this.
Verse 38.
And the
curtain of
the temple
was torn
in two
from top
to bottom.
So as with
the issue of
God's
judgment,
Jesus'
words of
complete
atonement
are accompanied
then by a
visible sign.
God
we saw
in the
first
section,
right?
There's
this
visible
sign of
darkness,
God's
judgment,
and then
there's
the words
of Jesus
that affirm
it.
My
God,
my
God,
why have
you
forsaken
me?
And we
see the
same thing
happening
here.
With
the
sufficiency
of his
work,
he cries
out,
into your
hands I
commit my
spirit.
It is
finished.
And at
that moment,
at his
last breath,
God sends
another visible
sign.
It is the
curtain,
the veil in
the temple
was torn
from top
to bottom.
There were
two veils
in the
temple,
and there's
some debate
regarding which
curtain the
gospel authors
were referring
to.
We don't
have to get
into that
now.
I believe
that the
evidence suggests
that it
was the
veil that
divided the
holy place
from the
holy of
holies.
The
innermost
chamber
where only
God
dwelled,
or the
presence of
God was
believed to
have
dwelled.
Why does
any of
this matter?
Well,
God tears
it from
top to
bottom.
I think
there's
probably
some
symbolism
in
that,
that this
was not
an act
of man,
this was
a divine
act from
top to
bottom.
Maybe
that's
reading too
much into
it,
that's okay.
But why
does it
matter?
Once a
year,
on the
day of
atonement,
the high
priest,
he's the
only one
that could
do it,
would enter
into the
holy of
holies,
and he
would make
an atonement
for the sins
of the
nation.
And like
all the
other
sacrifices
that God
demanded,
it was
insufficient.
It couldn't
truly atone
for sins
because God
said you
have to
do it
over and
over.
There was
no end
to it.
It was
insufficient.
And so
every year,
the high
priest would
do the
thing the
way that
God had
instructed
for him
to do
it.
By tearing
the curtain,
God
declares
that it
is through
Jesus'
sacrificial
death that
we now
have access
to him.
James
Edwards,
again,
the holy
of holies,
which was
believed to
contain the
very presence
of Yahweh,
is made
accessible not
by the high
priest's
sacrifice on
the day of
atonement,
but by the
atonement of
Jesus on
the cross.
The writer of
Hebrews affirms
this,
therefore,
brothers,
since we
have confidence
to enter
the holy
places by
the blood
of Jesus,
let us
draw near
with a
true heart
in full
assurance
of faith.
That's the
significance.
What does it
mean?
His work
was sufficient.
It did
what it was
supposed to
do,
and nothing
was left
out.
Now,
remember,
the ultimate
tragedy of
sin is that
it separates
us from
God in
eternity,
not only in
this life,
but eternally.
Jesus endured
that separation
on the cross
so that we
might be
reconciled to
God,
the Father,
and in the
rending of
the veil,
we have a
visible expression
of that being
accomplished.
We now,
all,
each of us,
have access
to the Father
through the
work,
the finished
work of
Jesus Christ
on the
cross.
Judgment
of God,
finished work
of atonement.
The last two
will be quicker,
okay?
Number three.
I want you to
see the response
of faith.
The response
of faith.
Verse 39,
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.
This is a
dramatic and
powerful
conclusion that
its brevity
makes it seem
like it isn't
such,
but this is
actually a
pivotal moment
in Mark's
gospel.
In the
centurion's
confession,
we find what
is the
desired result
of Christ's
work.
Salvation
by grace
through faith.
And the
fact of
Jesus'
sacrificial
death does
not automatically
make every
person forgiven
and reconciled
to God.
Please don't
mistake that.
Just because
Jesus died
doesn't mean he
all of a sudden
takes a blanket
of atonement
and just cast it
over everybody
throughout all of
eternity and
everybody is just
saved no matter
what you do
regardless of your
life or your
heart or anything
else.
He doesn't do
that.
That's not
what his
atonement
does.
The atoning
work of
Jesus requires
a response
of faith.
And there's
a lot that
we don't
know about
the centurion.
There's a
lot that
we can
suspect
and maybe
guess as to
what he
meant in
his mind
by this
confession.
But what
we want to
see is what
Mark intends
for us to
take away
from it.
And what
Mark's
purpose is
in recording
this is to
communicate the
only proper
response to
Jesus'
death.
And like I
said it's a
pivotal moment
in his
gospel.
It complements
both his
stated purpose
and Peter's
earlier confession.
And we've
talked about
this so much.
Mark chapter
1 and
verse 1.
The stated
purpose.
The beginning
of the gospel
of Jesus Christ
the Son of
God.
In other
words Mark
says what
I'm writing
to you is
the good
news.
I'm declaring
the good
news that
Jesus of
Nazareth
is the
Messiah
and the
Son of
God.
And we
get about
halfway
through his
gospel.
There's all
of this
build up
for Jesus'
identity.
And we
get about
halfway
through in
chapter 8
and Jesus
looks at
his disciples
and he
says but
who do
you say
that I
am?
And Peter
has this
monumental
confession.
He doesn't
even fully
understand all
of this but
it's a
confession
nonetheless.
And he
says you
are the
Christ.
Check mark
number one
with Mark's
stated purpose.
And then we
go a little
further and we
begin to see
more of
Jesus'
identity
unfolded.
We see
the explicit
details of
his purpose
in becoming
the Messiah
and then we
get to this
pivotal moment
at the
sacrifice of
Christ and
what do we
find once
again?
Another
confession.
This time
it's not
from a Jew
and it's
not from a
disciple.
It's from
a Gentile
Roman soldier
who was just
responsible for
nailing him
to the cross
and he cries
out truly
this is the
Son of God.
God.
This is
significant to
Mark's
gospel.
And what is
it that he's
telling us?
He's telling
us that the
pair of
confessions
from Peter
and the
centurion
constitute
the only
saving
response to
the person
and work
of Jesus
Christ.
No person
merely hears
the gospel
and is all
of a sudden
okay with
God.
No,
there is a
required response
of faith
in who
Jesus is
and what
he has
done.
True
conversion
occurs when
an individual
by faith
acknowledges
Jesus'
identity,
trusts wholly
in his
atoning
work,
and devotes
himself to
the lordship
of Christ.
Now,
it's clear
the centurion
probably didn't
understand all
of those
things but
there's one
thing he
understood in
that moment
in this
confession at
least,
that Jesus
is the
Son of
God.
And Mark
intends for
us to see
that here.
And there's
also something
to be said
here about
the contrast
between the
centurion
and the
Jews in
verse 35.
The Jews
were the
privileged
ones.
They had
the scriptures.
They had
the prophets.
They had
the promises.
They were
the ones
who were
eyewitnesses
to Jesus'
power,
to his
miracles.
They heard
his teaching.
They heard
the authority
with which
he taught.
If anyone
should have
recognized what
was happening
and wholeheartedly
believed,
it was the
Jews.
But it
wasn't the
Jews that
made the
confession.
It was the
centurion who
Mark displays
as the one
with the
proper
understanding
and the
necessary
confession.
But how
can this
be?
How can the
centurion and
the bystanders
witness the
same exact
moment,
but only
the centurion
respond in
faith?
Is it not
the grace
of God
that intrudes
upon the
heart and
heart of
men and
women and
draws them
to his
son?
Is he
intruding
upon your
heart
today?
Today?
Is he
calling you
to make
this
response of
faith today?
Not to
just see
your sin
in a
theoretical
sense,
not to
see Jesus
as a
historical
figure that
we can
learn a
lot about,
but to
see him
as the
only
savior
who has
made a
complete
atonement
for sin
and by
response
you will
cast your
faith
wholly on
him,
following
him as
a
faithful
disciple.
Is God
doing that
work on
your heart?
Do you
sense his
call?
Do you
feel his
draw to
believe?
The only
saving
response is
the one
that confesses
Christ and
trusts wholly
in him.
Response
of faith,
finally,
we see the
provision of
witnesses.
Verse 40,
there were
also women
looking on
from a
distance,
among whom
were Mary
Magdalene,
Mary the
mother of
James the
younger,
and of
Joseph
and
Salome.
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.
So here
Mark,
in conclusion,
introduces us
to a group
of women
present at
Jesus'
crucifixion,
and then he's
going to
mention them
again,
present at
Jesus'
burial,
and then
once again
at Jesus'
resurrection.
Mary Magdalene,
literally Mary
from Magdala,
was healed
by Jesus
according to
Luke chapter
eight,
after being
possessed by
seven demons.
The second
Mary was the
mother of two
individuals who
apparently were
known well among
the early church,
James the
younger,
and Joses.
Salome,
we're told,
in chapter
16,
was the
mother of
the sons of
Zebedee,
the sons of
thunder,
James and
John.
they're from
Galilee,
they were
followers of
Jesus,
they ministered
to him and
to his
disciples in
their travels,
and the
question is,
why does
Mark care to
mention them
here?
Sinclair
Ferguson gives
this a
succinct answer
to this,
because they
were eyewitnesses
of the central
facts of the
Christian gospel,
which were to
be enshrined in
the great creeds
and hymns of
the Christian
church,
as well as in
the rest of
the New
Testament.
Why does
Mark mention
them?
Because by
God's grace,
he provided
witnesses of
all of these
things.
We know
these crucial
truths because
these faithful
women were
willing to
share them
with someone
else.
They were
willing to
tell others.
God used
them in
history at
the very
first evangelist
regarding the
crucifixion and
resurrection.
They probably
hadn't pieced it
all together,
they hadn't
connected all
the dots,
but they
were at least
willing to
be there,
something that
the disciples
were not
willing to
be.
And they
witnessed these
things,
they heard
these words,
they saw
where he
was,
they witnessed
the empty
tomb,
and they
go and they
tell others,
simple thing
to do.
There was
nothing flashy
about them,
there was
nothing charismatic
as far as we
can tell about
their personalities.
these.
As far as the
scriptures are
concerned,
there's no
listing of a
particular gift
that they had
that made
them particularly
suited for this
task.
They were
ordinary women
who loved
Jesus and
were at some
point willing to
share with
others what
they had seen
and heard.
And loved
ones, this is
the pattern we're
called to follow.
Those who
know the
truth and
have been
saved by the
gospel of
God's grace
must lovingly
and willingly
share what we
have seen and
heard with
others.
Tell someone
you don't need
a particular
gifting,
you don't need
a particular
charisma to be
a faithful
witness,
you need only
be a willing
vessel.
through which
God might
use to draw
sinners to
himself.
Some of you
are parents,
your job is
to be these
women to
your kids,
to tell these
truths of the
gospel to
your children.
Most of you
are neighbors.
Your mission,
tell these
truths to
your neighbors.
most of you
have coworkers.
Your mission,
not just to
be a good
employee.
What a waste
that would be
to merely have
an existence
where you're
just a good
employee.
How might
God use
you to
just tell
what you've
seen and
what you've
heard?
God,
Paul tells
us in
Romans
chapter 10
that everyone
who calls
on the name
of the
Lord will
be saved
and then he
immediately
follows that
up.
But how
then will
they call
on him
whom they
have not
believed?
And how
will they
believe
in whom
they have
never
heard?
And how
shall they
hear?
Unless
someone preaches
to them the
gospel.
For faith
comes by
hearing and
hearing comes
by the
word of
God and
we are the
ones who
have the
word of
God.
Which is
why we
gather on
a Saturday
morning every
now and
then to
take 1200
Bibles and
just put them
on the
doorstep of
people's
houses.
It's the
easiest possible
thing that we
can do.
And some
people love
it.
I've already
gotten two
emails about
it from
yesterday.
One was
really positive
and one was
really negative.
We always get
the negative
ones.
That's okay.
But over the
course of the
last year and
a half we've
handed out
4,000 Bibles
in these
neighborhoods and
less than
10 people have
actually sent an
email to comment
on it whether
good or bad.
Some people
might have
thrown it into
a drawer.
Some people
might have
put it on a
shelf.
Some people
might have
given it to
Goodwill as
we've seen.
That's fine.
Some people
have stuck it
in their
community book
sharing things.
That's fine too.
Some people
have thrown them
in the trash
no doubt as
well and they've
been kind
enough to send
us the pictures
when they do.
All of those
things are true.
But there's a
lot of people
who have a
Bible sitting
in their house
right now because
one of you took
it and put it
on their doorstep.
You say,
what does that
even matter?
I didn't even
talk to them.
But you did
something and
maybe at some
point, maybe it's
this week or
maybe it's this
year or maybe
it's five years
from now, maybe
it's ten years
from now and
they're at a
point in their
life where
they're desperate
for answers and
God is doing a
work in their
heart and they
walk over and
they pick up
that Bible and
they open it up
where the bookmark
is which is
John chapter one and
the first thing
that they see is
the word became
flesh and dwelt
among us and
we have seen his
glory.
The glory is of
the only son of
the begotten.
And perhaps God
uses his word in
that person.
It's like, you
see, you don't
have to have a
particular charisma.
You don't have to
be gifted in a
particular way.
You just have to
be willing.
You just have to
be willing to have
somebody over to
your house and in
the process of that
talk about everything
you want to talk
about and talk
about the sports
and talk about the
goals and talk
about work and
the weather and
all the things if
you want to talk
about it.
At some point,
just tell them,
I just can't let
this time go by
without at least
telling you that
I'm a Christian
and I love Jesus
and I care about
your soul.
I care about
your soul.
And you can't do
anything to save
that person, but
you can tell them
what you've seen
and what you've
heard and you can
pray in the process
of that, that God
will intrude upon
their hearts in the
way that it seems
like he might have
intruded on the
heart of that
centurion to which
they would call out
in faith.
You say, you get
all that from these
women?
Yeah.
That's all they had
to do.
They didn't even
understand it all.
They didn't even
understand it all.
People surely would
have asked them
questions.
Well, now what did
he mean by that?
I don't know.
It's just what he
said.
Eventually, they would
figure it out and I'm
sure they told more
people.
And here we are today,
2,000 years later,
we're reading their
eyewitness account so
that we can know the
truth of the gospel and
we can believe and we
can teach our kids and
we can share it with
others.
That's by God's grace.
He has provided those
witnesses.
He has provided us as
witnesses.
The death of Christ is no
ordinary death.
The wrath of God's
judgment was poured out
on him as he bore our
sins on the cross.
His death was a
sacrifice sufficient to
save all who will
believe for all of
eternity.
But his death demands a
response, a response of
faith, trusting in his
finished work, following
him in faithful
discipleship.
And part of that faithful
discipleship is sharing
this glorious gospel with
someone else.
will you receive that
gift today?
Is he intruding upon
your heart?
Will you give the
response of faith that
shows that work that he's
done in you?
And if you have, will you
share it with someone
else?
Will you tell someone
else?
Will you tell someone
else?