WEBVTT 00:00:03.839 --> 00:00:11.039 Stories can be windows to a truth far greater than the story itself. 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:14.080 One such story is C.S. 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:17.519 Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:24.640 Many of us remember the scene when Aslan quietly walks into the witch's camp. 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:31.120 There is no struggle, no resistance, no last-minute escape. 00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:43.600 The great lion, the true king of Narnia, gives himself up willingly in the place of Edmund the Traitor. 00:00:45.039 --> 00:00:50.719 And what follows is painful to read or watch. 00:00:50.880 --> 00:01:00.799 If you watch the movie, Aslan is shaved, bound, mocked, spat upon. 00:01:01.359 --> 00:01:03.840 The creatures jeer at him. 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:11.359 The one who could tear them apart with a word allows himself to be humiliated. 00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:23.200 There's nothing about Aslan in this moment that looks strong or noble, only shame and apparent weakness. 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:31.120 And when the knife finally falls, it appears that evil has won. 00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:37.200 But there's more to the story, and that makes all the difference. 00:01:38.079 --> 00:01:50.400 When Aslan walked willingly into the witch's camp, he was guided by a higher law, a law written long before the witch ever claimed her rights. 00:01:50.959 --> 00:02:03.840 A life was given for a traitor, a ransom was paid, and beneath the appearance of defeat, a hidden victory was already at work. 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:05.760 C.S. 00:02:05.840 --> 00:02:13.680 Lewis, of course, wasn't inventing something new, he was retelling an older, truer story. 00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:23.280 As we turn to Mark 15, we see the true king, not of Narnia, but of heaven and earth. 00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:33.039 Like Aslan, Jesus doesn't resist, doesn't plead, nor does he call down legions of angels. 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:36.080 Rather, he submits. 00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:42.319 He is mocked, crowned in cruelty, and led to death. 00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:49.520 And everything about this scene seems to say this is failure. 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:57.759 But our gospel writer Mark wants us to see that this is the ransom being paid. 00:02:58.479 --> 00:03:01.759 This is Scripture being fulfilled. 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:11.439 This is God's plan of salvation unfolding step by step, even as human sin does its worst. 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:18.879 The question Mark lays before us is this who is this king? 00:03:19.280 --> 00:03:24.479 And the harder question, will we follow him on his path? 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:35.840 Now, as we turn to Mark 15, 1 through 39, we fix our eyes on Jesus, the suffering servant King. 00:03:36.800 --> 00:03:47.360 He lays down his life as a ransom for many, and he calls those he has ransomed to trust the God who brings victory through the cross. 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:56.960 Let's go to the Father now in prayer, asking him to help us see Jesus clearly and give us courage to follow him. 00:03:58.400 --> 00:04:12.479 Heavenly Father, as we turn to your word this morning, help us to see your Son Jesus as the fulfillment of what Isaiah wrote long ago of the suffering servant. 00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:31.040 And God, as followers of Jesus, give us boldness and courage to live out our faith and to walk as he walked, even through suffering, yet empowered by your Holy Spirit. 00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:33.920 We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. 00:04:35.920 --> 00:04:41.519 Mark chapter fifteen, beginning with verses one through fifteen. 00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:55.759 And early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Sanhedrin immediately held counsel, and binding Jesus led him away and delivered him to Pilate. 00:04:55.920 --> 00:04:59.759 And Pilate questioned him, Are you the king of the Jews? 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:03.360 And he answered him and said, You yourself say it. 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:08.000 And the chief priests began to accuse him of many things. 00:05:08.240 --> 00:05:12.399 Then Pilate was questioning him again, saying, Do you not answer? 00:05:12.959 --> 00:05:16.079 See how many accusations they bring against you. 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:18.720 But Jesus made no further answer. 00:05:19.040 --> 00:05:20.959 So Pilate marvelled. 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:26.720 Now at the feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested. 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:34.639 And the man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection. 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:40.560 And the crowd went up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them. 00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:46.720 Then Pilate answered them, saying, Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews? 00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:52.000 For he was aware that the chief priests had delivered him over because of envy. 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:57.920 But the chief priest stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. 00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:05.040 And answering again Pilate was saying to them, Then what shall I do with him whom you call the king of the Jews? 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:08.319 And they shouted again, Crucify him. 00:06:08.959 --> 00:06:13.680 But Pilate was saying to them, Why, what evil did he do? 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:23.360 But they shouted all the more, Crucify him! And wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them. 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:29.040 And after having Jesus scourged, he delivered him over to be crucified. 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:38.879 Jesus is on trial again, this time before Pilate, the Roman governor. 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:45.040 Unlike the Sanhedrin, Pilate had the power to decide Jesus' fate. 00:06:45.519 --> 00:06:59.759 Yet Jesus doesn't defend himself, he doesn't argue, he doesn't try to justify his actions, he remains completely silent, like the lamb described in Isaiah 53 7. 00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:15.040 As Isaiah writes, He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth, like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shears, so he did not open his mouth. 00:07:16.319 --> 00:07:20.319 To the world, this silence looks like guilt. 00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:27.600 In a Roman court, refusing to speak usually meant you were admitting your crime. 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:30.800 Pilate is astonished. 00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:33.199 This doesn't make any sense to him. 00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:36.959 Why would an innocent man remain silent? 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:52.240 But what Pilate can't see is this even in his silence, Jesus remains fully in control because everything is unfolding according to the sovereign will of God. 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:58.560 If there was ever a moment for Jesus to escape, this was it. 00:07:59.199 --> 00:08:05.519 Pilate could have released him, but Jesus refuses to save himself. 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:09.839 His mission is bigger than avoiding punishment. 00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:16.000 Then the crowd enters the story, the Jewish leaders stir them up. 00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:25.920 Instead of choosing Jesus, they demand that Barabbas, a known rebel and murderer, be set free. 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:29.040 Think about that for a moment. 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:36.639 The guilty man goes free, and the innocent man is condemned. 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:41.519 The irony here goes even further. 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:47.440 The name Barabbas means son of the Father. 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:58.240 Here we have a son of the Father who is guilty of rebellion, sentenced to death, yet goes free. 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:10.000 While the true son of the Father, Jesus, is innocent, falsely accused, and will die in the other's place. 00:09:11.120 --> 00:09:19.840 The one who truly deserves punishment is spared, and the one who is righteous is punished instead. 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:22.879 This is substitution. 00:09:23.919 --> 00:09:27.519 The righteous for the unrighteous. 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:33.039 Jesus takes the place of those who deserve death. 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:45.360 Just as he said back in Mark ten forty-five, for even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. 00:09:47.039 --> 00:09:53.919 Everything in this scene seems chaotic, unfair, even frightening. 00:09:55.200 --> 00:10:05.039 Many of us know what it's like to go to bed after an ordinary peaceful day, only to wake up to news that changes everything. 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:11.759 In just a few hours, life can move from calm to chaos. 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:17.759 Jesus begins the night sharing a meal with his disciples. 00:10:18.320 --> 00:10:24.960 By morning, he is bound, accused, and standing before Pilate. 00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:27.919 It's a quick turn of events. 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:36.320 But what feels sudden and senseless to us isn't sudden or senseless to God. 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:50.159 Pilate, the Sanhedrin, the crowd are all acting freely and selfishly, and yet God's plan moves forward without fail. 00:10:51.120 --> 00:11:01.919 Jesus' silence, Barabbas' release, Pilate's hesitation, all of it is part of God's plan for salvation. 00:11:02.799 --> 00:11:05.279 Nothing is out of God's control. 00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:09.279 Nothing takes him by surprise. 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:14.799 He rules over every detail to accomplish his sovereign will. 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:19.200 For us, this is a powerful lesson. 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:27.360 Faithfulness doesn't always mean avoiding hardship, injustice, or misunderstanding. 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:37.759 Sometimes it means standing firm and quietly trusting God, even when the world seems to be against you. 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:42.399 That is exactly what we see in Jesus here. 00:11:42.879 --> 00:11:46.159 He doesn't retaliate evil for evil. 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:49.679 He doesn't answer injustice with anger. 00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:55.840 He entrusts himself to the Father and walks the path set before him. 00:11:56.799 --> 00:12:02.240 And Scripture tells us plainly, this is how God's people are called to live. 00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:20.879 As Peter writes in 1 Peter 3:8 and 9, all of you are to be like-minded, sympathetic, brotherly, tender hearted, and humble in spirit, not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but giving a blessing instead. 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:26.480 For you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. 00:12:27.519 --> 00:12:34.000 To be humble in spirit, like Jesus, is to lay aside pride. 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:41.039 And that's hard for us, because our natural instinct is self-preservation. 00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:46.799 Because of sin, we want to pay back evil with evil. 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:50.480 And often we want to pay it back with interest. 00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:55.279 If somebody strikes us once, we want to strike them back harder. 00:12:55.919 --> 00:12:58.480 That's how sin multiplies. 00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:03.440 Evil begets evil when we give in to our impulses. 00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:07.120 But Jesus shows us a different way. 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:10.879 He endures suffering without complaint. 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:20.879 He blesses those who curse him, and in the economy of God's grace, he repays evil with good. 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:28.879 Jesus walks the path the Father laid before him, even when it leads through suffering. 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:35.360 And he calls us to follow him and to walk that same path. 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:38.879 Let's continue with verses sixteen through twenty. 00:13:41.039 --> 00:13:57.200 So the soldiers took him away into the palace, that is the Praetorium, and they called together the whole Roman cohort, and they dressed him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on him, and they began to greet him. 00:13:57.519 --> 00:14:18.320 Hail, King of the Jews, and they kept beating his head with a reed, and spitting on him, and kneeling, they were bowing down before him, and after they had mocked him, they took the purple robe off him, and put his own garments on him, and they led him out to crucify him. 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:31.200 If you noticed in verse sixteen, Mark tells us that the whole Roman cohort is called together to carry out Jesus' execution. 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:33.039 That's significant. 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:37.600 A whole battalion is more than just a squad. 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:43.759 It shows that Rome is treating Jesus as a real enemy of the state. 00:14:44.159 --> 00:14:52.080 And what happens next is meant to be sarcastic homage to this so-called king of the Jews. 00:14:52.799 --> 00:15:00.639 They dress him and undress him, mock him, strike him, and humiliate him in public. 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:08.480 This is part of the punishment for anyone who dares to reject the authority of Rome. 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:16.480 They put a purple robe on him and make a crown of thorns, mocking his kingship. 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:22.960 And the words they speak, Hail King of the Jews, are meant to be ironic. 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:35.600 Just as soldiers would salute Caesar with Hail Caesar, here they give Jesus the semblance of honor, but in the most cruel, sarcastic way. 00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:44.320 They are mocking both Jesus and the Jewish people, essentially saying, Look, here is your king. 00:15:44.720 --> 00:15:46.159 How pathetic. 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:55.919 The beating is excessive, like a cop who ruthlessly beats up a person who is already in handcuffs. 00:15:56.639 --> 00:16:03.759 In this scene, we see the brutality and moral corruption of Rome on full display. 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:08.240 And yet none of this takes Jesus by surprise. 00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:15.759 Again, back in Mark ten, thirty-three and thirty-four, Jesus had already predicted this very moment. 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:40.000 He says, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and will deliver him over to the Gentiles, and they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him, and kill him, and three days later he will rise again. 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:53.840 Jesus is the suffering servant Isaiah described, oppressed, afflicted, and like a silent lamb led to the slaughter. 00:16:54.159 --> 00:17:03.279 And yet, ironically, he truly is the king of the Jews, the king above all kings, even Caesar himself. 00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:11.759 And what the Roman soldiers did in jest, in cruelty, was actually an unwitting proclamation of truth. 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:18.960 They meant to mock him, but God used their actions to reveal truth. 00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:23.920 And we see a similar irony in Caiaphas, the high priest. 00:17:24.480 --> 00:17:34.880 In John 11, 49 through 50, he tells the council, It is better for you that one man should die for the people and that the whole nation not perish. 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:41.039 Caiaphas thought he was making a purely political calculation. 00:17:41.440 --> 00:18:03.119 But as the Apostle John points out, now he did not say this from himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:14.480 What Caiaphas, the high priest of the Jews, intended for his own advantage, became through God's sovereignty the announcement of redemption. 00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:22.480 The one he wanted eliminated turned out to be the ultimate sacrifice, the Savior of the world. 00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:27.440 And this is exactly what we see with the soldiers' mockery. 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:38.880 Their thorns, purple robe, and taunts were meant to humiliate, but in God's sovereignty they proclaimed truth. 00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:44.640 Jesus is king, messiah, and redeemer. 00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:50.559 Even the sins and cruelty of men cannot escape God's plan. 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:55.200 They only end up playing their part in his story. 00:18:55.920 --> 00:19:07.440 In the same way, when we follow Christ today, we shouldn't be surprised if our allegiance earns criticism, ridicule, or outright opposition. 00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:17.279 The culture around us may reject God's word, resist his ways, and try to make a mockery of him. 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:22.640 But nothing can stop God's truth from shining through. 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:33.920 Even in the midst of ridicule, weakness, or injustice, God is at work, and his kingdom is advancing. 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:41.200 When we live in obedience and faithfulness, we get to participate in his unstoppable work. 00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:46.000 Let's continue with verses twenty-one through thirty-two. 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:58.319 And they pressed into service a passer by coming from the countryside, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 00:19:58.559 --> 00:20:04.319 Then they brought him to the place Golgotha, which is translated place of a skull. 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:18.640 And they tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it, and they crucified him, and divided up his garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide who should take what. 00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:35.519 Now it was the third hour, and they crucified him, and the inscription of the charge against him read The King of the Jews, and they crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. 00:20:35.839 --> 00:20:55.440 And the scripture was fulfilled which says, And he was numbered with transgressors, and those passing by were blaspheming him, shaking their heads and saying, Ha! You who are going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days, save yourself by coming down from the cross. 00:20:56.400 --> 00:21:06.079 In the same way, mocking him to one another, the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were saying, He saved others, he cannot save himself. 00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:14.319 Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe. 00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:19.920 Those who were crucified with him were also insulting him. 00:21:21.440 --> 00:21:28.240 Jesus is now outside the city walls, on the road to Golgotha. 00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:37.920 According to both Roman custom and Jewish law, the condemned had to be executed outside the city. 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:41.839 This wasn't a detail added for dramatic effect. 00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:49.200 It reminds us that his suffering was public, shameful, and fully visible. 00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:58.799 The path of the cross was like a march of defeat, meant to warn all who might oppose Rome. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:04.400 But it was also the path that would lead to the salvation of God's people. 00:22:05.680 --> 00:22:14.880 Because of the abuse and exhaustion Jesus had already endured, he couldn't carry the crossbeam alone. 00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:23.839 The soldiers compelled Simon of Cyrene, a man coming from the countryside, to help bear it. 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:30.000 Simon's unexpected involvement is also more than a historical detail. 00:22:30.400 --> 00:22:33.119 It's a picture of discipleship. 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:44.319 Following Jesus often requires stepping into burdens we did not anticipate, carrying the weight he calls us to bear. 00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:57.920 And in another ironic twist, here is a Simon walking with Jesus on the way to Golgotha doing what Simon Peter failed to do. 00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:05.359 This scene also reminds us that crossbearing is rarely planned. 00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:11.519 It is imposed, misunderstood, and often leads through suffering. 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:22.000 For those who follow Christ, obedience sometimes looks like walking a path that the world would never choose or understand. 00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:32.799 Like Simon of Cyrene, we are called to step into unexpected burdens and to carry weight for the sake of the kingdom. 00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:42.559 Like Jesus, we are called to endure shame and misunderstanding, trusting that God is accomplishing his plan. 00:23:43.599 --> 00:23:52.079 And as Jesus makes his way to Golgotha, the procession itself is a display of public humiliation. 00:23:52.559 --> 00:23:58.960 And in just a few words, Mark writes that Jesus was crucified. 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:10.160 Compared to the other gospel accounts, Mark's gospel is the shortest when it comes to details about Jesus' crucifixion. 00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:16.799 And this seems strange considering that it's one of the most important events since creation. 00:24:17.839 --> 00:24:34.480 After all, crucifixion was the ultimate and horrifying means of publicly warning everyone not to rebel against the authority and power of Rome if they wished to avoid the fate of the one crucified. 00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:39.920 Crucifixion was cruel and shameful. 00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:46.319 It caused death through a brutal cycle of exertion and collapse. 00:24:47.200 --> 00:24:56.640 It required constant muscular effort, pushing upward with the legs and pulling with outstretched arms. 00:24:57.680 --> 00:25:00.400 All of this just to breathe. 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:11.839 Relaxing meant having body weight pulling downward, which compressed the lungs, making breathing impossible until another exhausting push upward. 00:25:12.720 --> 00:25:22.160 And after so long, it's inevitable that the person becomes too weak to continue the cycle and dies of suffocation. 00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:39.680 On top of that, having nails driven through the wrists and feet caused massive blood loss, and with each movement to try and breathe, the person would scrape their shredded back against splintered wood. 00:25:40.880 --> 00:25:49.519 If it wasn't suffocation or the massive blood loss, the ultimate cause of death was typically heart rupture. 00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:59.119 As the racing pulse and elevated blood pressure eventually caused the heart to burst under extreme stress. 00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:08.720 All of this was taking place, and yet our gospel writer Mark doesn't make it the focal point. 00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:25.200 Instead, he draws our attention to the abandonment and suffering of Jesus, the Son of God, who willingly endures this punishment to fulfill God's plan of salvation. 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:38.079 Mark's focus is on the loneliness and cost of obedience, the weight of the mission Jesus bore for the sins of his people. 00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:43.839 And we'll see that even more clearly in the next section of our passage today. 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:49.440 The loneliness Jesus experiences only intensifies from here. 00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:56.400 Yet through all of the suffering, Scripture is being fulfilled at every turn. 00:26:57.039 --> 00:27:03.200 Jesus' suffering is intentionally meant to echo what was written in Psalm 22. 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:12.400 The taunts, the mockery, the piercing of his hands and feet, all of it is unfolding just as it was written. 00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:20.480 Even the part about dividing up his garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide who should take what. 00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:29.599 In verses 27 and 28, we see two robbers crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 00:27:29.839 --> 00:27:34.960 And the scripture was fulfilled which says, And he was numbered with transgressors. 00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:47.759 Once again, in irony, we are reminded of James and John's request of Jesus to sit, one on his right and one on his left in his glory. 00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:55.119 To which Jesus replied in Mark ten, thirty-eight through forty, You do not know what you are asking. 00:27:55.440 --> 00:28:02.400 Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? 00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:05.359 And they said to him, We are able. 00:28:38.960 --> 00:28:43.279 Yet in the midst of this, God's sovereignty is still at work. 00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:57.359 What was meant for evil, the cruelty of Rome, the scheming of the Jewish authorities, the scorn of the crowd, all of it becomes the stage for redemption. 00:28:58.240 --> 00:29:04.880 And as we will see in the next section, Psalm 22 continues to illuminate Jesus' suffering. 00:29:05.359 --> 00:29:18.400 Every moment, every taunt, every gesture points to his identity as the suffering servant, the innocent Lamb who gives his life as a ransom for many. 00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:29.680 Even in the most shameful public moments, Scripture is being fulfilled, and God's plan is advancing toward salvation. 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:34.000 Let's close out with verses thirty-three through thirty nine. 00:29:37.599 --> 00:29:53.839 And when the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, and at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, Eloi Eloi Lama Sabakhthani, which is translated, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 00:29:54.319 --> 00:30:00.480 And when some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, Look, he is calling for Elijah. 00:30:00.880 --> 00:30:09.680 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave him a drink, saying, Let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down. 00:30:10.400 --> 00:30:15.839 And Jesus, uttering a loud cry, breathed his last. 00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:23.920 And the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. 00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:35.279 And when the centurion, who was standing right in front of him, saw the way he breathed his last, he said, Truly this man was God's son. 00:30:37.680 --> 00:30:46.000 As Jesus hangs on the cross, Mark draws our attention to God's sovereign purpose. 00:30:46.720 --> 00:30:53.759 From noon until three in the afternoon, darkness covers the land. 00:30:55.119 --> 00:30:57.599 This is no ordinary darkness. 00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:08.720 It signals the weight of judgment, the seriousness of what is taking place, and the depth of God's involvement in the world. 00:31:09.359 --> 00:31:14.240 Even creation itself bears witness to this moment. 00:31:15.599 --> 00:31:22.400 Amid the darkness, Jesus cries out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:31.920 In that cry, he bears the full weight of human sin and God's righteous judgment. 00:31:32.559 --> 00:31:42.880 Yet he speaks directly to the Father, modeling trust and obedience in the midst of extreme suffering. 00:31:44.000 --> 00:32:00.079 His words echo Psalm twenty two, which moves from despair to hope, showing that even in apparent abandonment, God is working toward vindication and salvation. 00:32:01.279 --> 00:32:06.880 Every detail of the crucifixion demonstrates his obedience. 00:32:07.599 --> 00:32:18.799 He endures the full agony of the cross, refusing wine mixed with myrrh that would numb the pain, yet accepting the sour wine offered. 00:32:19.519 --> 00:32:31.759 Every nail, every strain to breathe, every moment of exhaustion, all of it is part of the mission he came to accomplish. 00:32:32.640 --> 00:32:34.319 And then it happens. 00:32:35.039 --> 00:32:37.839 Jesus breathes his last. 00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:40.799 It is finished. 00:32:41.759 --> 00:32:44.799 The mission is accomplished. 00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:55.920 Through his perfect obedience and his precious blood, Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many. 00:32:57.680 --> 00:33:02.720 We are reminded again that nothing here is outside God's control. 00:33:03.680 --> 00:33:11.039 Jesus' suffering is purposeful, redemptive, and sovereignly ordained. 00:33:11.839 --> 00:33:16.319 And God underscores this truth in a visible, cosmic way. 00:33:16.880 --> 00:33:25.599 The inner curtain of the temple, the veil separating humanity from his presence, is torn from top to bottom. 00:33:26.559 --> 00:33:30.880 Through Jesus' death, the way to God is opened. 00:33:31.279 --> 00:33:36.799 Access is no longer limited to a place, a priest, or a system. 00:33:37.680 --> 00:33:40.880 It's granted to all who trust in him. 00:33:42.480 --> 00:33:50.240 The work is finished, the debt is paid, and God's victory is soon to be revealed. 00:33:50.880 --> 00:33:58.960 Even a Roman censurian, a man accustomed to death and military justice, sees what others cannot. 00:33:59.359 --> 00:34:02.319 Truly this man was God's son. 00:34:04.240 --> 00:34:12.320 What the world calls weakness, shame, or defeat, God calls victory. 00:34:12.960 --> 00:34:19.360 What looks like failure is actually the moment when Jesus accomplishes his mission. 00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:22.719 And here we're reminded of Aslan. 00:34:23.760 --> 00:34:30.480 Remember how he was shaved, bound, mocked, and led to his death. 00:34:31.199 --> 00:34:35.199 For a moment it seemed that evil had won. 00:34:35.760 --> 00:34:41.519 But Aslan endured all of this suffering for someone who didn't deserve it. 00:34:42.400 --> 00:34:47.440 Edmund was a traitor who only looked out for his own interests. 00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:54.079 He should have been the one bearing the consequence of his sin, not Aslan. 00:34:54.960 --> 00:35:06.480 Aslan was good, he was righteous, and yet it was the life of the righteous that was laid down for the life of the unrighteous. 00:35:07.599 --> 00:35:11.360 That is exactly what Jesus did for us. 00:35:12.079 --> 00:35:15.039 We are Edmin in this story. 00:35:15.760 --> 00:35:20.159 We have all gone astray and turned to our own way. 00:35:21.360 --> 00:35:29.840 But as Isaiah writes, Yahweh has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him, the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:35:30.639 --> 00:35:34.800 The innocent suffers in place of the guilty. 00:35:35.199 --> 00:35:39.199 The righteous gives his life for the unrighteous. 00:35:39.760 --> 00:35:44.559 And Jesus' story is infinitely greater than Aslan's. 00:35:44.960 --> 00:35:53.039 He rises again to secure his eternal kingdom and to conquer sin and death once and for all. 00:35:54.079 --> 00:36:00.000 And he calls us, those he has ransomed, to follow him. 00:36:01.119 --> 00:36:09.840 Not because the path is easy, but because it's the path that leads to life and victory in God's eternal plan. 00:36:11.360 --> 00:36:16.719 God often works in ways we do not immediately recognize or understand. 00:36:17.920 --> 00:36:26.880 Our suffering, seasons of loneliness, or the rejection we experience may feel like defeat. 00:36:27.440 --> 00:36:31.519 But in God's hands nothing is wasted. 00:36:32.400 --> 00:36:38.079 Even what man intends for evil, God intends for good. 00:36:39.440 --> 00:36:47.840 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 00:36:49.280 --> 00:37:03.440 The cross reminds us that God's timing is perfect, his plan is unstoppable, his grace is sufficient, and his power is perfected in our weakness. 00:37:04.159 --> 00:37:11.039 The God who ordained the cross has also ordained the resurrection and the reign that follows. 00:37:11.360 --> 00:37:15.920 Therefore, suffering is not a sign of abandonment. 00:37:16.239 --> 00:37:23.679 Obedience is never wasted, and vindication may be delayed, but it's guaranteed. 00:37:24.239 --> 00:37:30.400 Christ didn't stumble into death, he offered himself according to the Father's will. 00:37:30.639 --> 00:37:42.559 And the same God who held him through his darkest hour holds you today with the same wisdom, the same faithfulness, and the same promise of glory. 00:37:43.199 --> 00:37:44.400 Let's pray. 00:37:47.199 --> 00:37:56.000 Father in heaven, how deep is your love for us that you gave your son Jesus to die for us. 00:37:57.760 --> 00:38:03.280 God, we are so unworthy of anything good. 00:38:03.920 --> 00:38:07.119 We are the Edmin of the story. 00:38:07.840 --> 00:38:23.280 We all have sinned against you, sinned against each other, turned away, lived ways that have made us deserving of your wrath. 00:38:24.159 --> 00:38:32.719 And yet, God, you love us so much that you made a way where there was no way. 00:38:33.599 --> 00:38:44.800 Jesus, while we were still sinners, you died for us and you accomplished your mission and gave your life as a ransom for many. 00:39:11.119 --> 00:39:20.960 That we would respond in faith and repentance, and that through your Holy Spirit we would bear much good spiritual fruit. 00:39:21.199 --> 00:39:23.440 We pray all these things in Jesus' name. 00:39:23.760 --> 00:39:24.400 Amen.