Author: Bill Hall

Mark 15:22 “And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.”

   This was called the place of the skull because it looks like a skull. But, more than that, it was evidently a place of death. Jesus and the thieves were just a few of those executed here.

Heavenly Father, this world doesn’t understand what death and suffering is really about. It doesn’t understand the depth of sin. Thank you for Christ! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 15:21 “Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.”

   We know the names of all of these men presumably because they were converted later. Often we see that the skin color of this man is emphasised. But, the Bible makes no particular comment upon this fact. Indeed, it is an extrapolation that is needless. There is nothing in the text to indicate definitively the man’s skin color.
   I am not trying to strip persons of color of their opportunity to find black people in the Bible. But, finding any skin color is a divisive tendency. For instance, those who paint Jesus having very white skin. Jesus was Jewish, and distinctly so. As such his skin was likely not that European looking. To work at identifying certain groups in Scripture as one skin color or another is not generally helpful. Quite frankly, it is a very Jewish book, even in the New Testament. So, it should not be used to substantiate the roles of white, black, Hispanic, or Asian people. Not being found in the Bible would in no way diminish the importance of any one of these groups.

Heavenly Father, I want to be used of you. Any significance we might seek should be folded up into our desire to serve you. We can trust you with our significance. You always have our best interests at heart. You love us, and we can trust you unquestionably. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 15:20 “And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.”

   His own clothes were not what they could have been. He deserves the best this world can offer. He is the King, he is the Creator. Yet he set aside his glory for us. He made himself low, and brought himself to this day of punishment.

Heavenly Father, you are at the center of all we need and know. We can never escape the truth of what you have done. Your plan is our hope, our life. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 15:19 “Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him.”

  Of course the striking would hit the crown they made of thorns. This marred his appearance and rendered him unrecognizable to those who didn’t know him well. The spitting once again highlights the shame of this mocking. Jesus endured much for us!

Heavenly Father, it is we who should be humbled. To think that Christ was made to suffer so much to secure our salvation! We should be humbled, and we should exalt him. We do exalt him today, Father. He is your Perfect One. Thank you on this day of thanks for your great grace! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 15:18 “and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

   These men enjoyed some parts of their job. Unfortunately, that’s not a good thing. The taunting was likely worse on this occasion because the powers of darkness thought this was a victory. How wrong they were!

Heavenly Father, thank you for the victory we can have in Christ. This world wants to tell us victory is only a dream. But that is only because it is a victory over the powers of this evil world system. You have all the victory, and we praise your Name! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 15:17 “And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head,”

   Most of the time we make a big deal out of how big and sharp the thorns were. We talk about how much it hurt. But, we have to remember another facet here that is far more serious. Shame. Degradation. Humiliation. Jesus, being the eternal Son of God obviously had never endured such pain before. But, beyond that, he was used to being treated better. He was used to respect. He was used to worship. This, my friends, is even worse than the pain.
   Pain stings the body, but shame cuts into the soul. Others have experienced great pain. But only Christ endured the degradation and humiliation on the level that he did. He didn’t deserve this even the slightest bit. Not even a tiny bit. He took this upon himself for us. For love for us. Wow!

Heavenly Father, thank you for your leading! If we will look for your will, listen for your will, and long for your will, you will lead us to your will. You love us and have made it possible for us to know you and your will. You desire for us to know you. And you have put desires for your service into our hearts. Thank you! I praise you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 15:16 “Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison.”

   Having a notable Jewish teacher there was quite interesting to the Roman soldiers. Nobody wanted to miss out. Obviously, the whole garrison was hardly needed. But, yet more corruption and cruelty comes forth here.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your foresight. You alone know exactly what to do all of the time. Thank you for your love! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 15:15 “So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.”

   He wanted to gratify the crowd. Justice must never be doled out in this manner. Pleasing the crowd can be a good thing in some cases, but the carrying out of justice is not one of them. But Jesus was Jewish, so Pilate was under no special obligation to carry out justice in any particular manner.
   We might well wonder why the scourging was necessary? There are several reasons for this, none of them very good. First of all, the crucifixion was the choice of the Jews. The scourging was the sentence of the Prefect. The prisoner had to be made to feel the wrath of Rome as well as the sentence of the Jews. It was overkill, but for Pilate it was a matter of principle.
   Secondly, Pilates’ underlings would not take well to having a prisoner in their custody without having the opportunity to “work him over”. Sick, but true.
   Third, and finally, pilot had to illustrate to Jesus his authority. You will remember that Jesus told Pilate that unless someone had delivered Christ, Pilate would have had no power over him at all. Though Pilate did have a fear of Jesus, that fear was based only on his superstition. The scourging was carried out for Pilate to make a point of his power over Jesus. He, like the rest, did not understand what was truly taking place.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your loving kindness and for your truth. Though this world believes it has power over your children, it does not. As your Word says, greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. Thank you for Christ! Thank you for his authority! Thank you for his love. You Father, are worthy of all the praise, honor and glory for ever and ever! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 15:14 “Then Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?”
But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!”

   This is a theme we see throughout the ministry of Christ. He could not be found guilty of any evil. And why? Because he is perfect. Who else could claim this? Nobody. It isn’t possible. He alone is guiltless. And yet he is the One who has taken all of our guilt upon himself and atoned for it. Praise the Lord!

Heavenly Father, thank you for the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus! Thank you for his victory over death, hell, and the grave. Thank you for his power. Your plan is perfect, and your Son is perfect. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 15:13 “So they cried out again, “Crucify Him!”

   You can hear the hate in this answer. And yet, many would come to regret this choice. And, a portion were coaxed into this to begin with.

Heavenly Father, we love you and want to serve you all of our days. Deliver us from this hate-filled world. It is so easy to get caught up in hate, it is the easy path. May we always live to honor you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.