Mark 15:33-47

Our text for today is going to be Mark chapter 15 verses 33 through 47.

Mark 15:33–47

It's a bit of a chunk for today.

I must admit that I'm pressing a little bit through the text so that we can preach in a verse-by-verse expositional manner as we've been doing throughout Mark on Easter, the resurrection.

I think we'll find that the themes are very well connected here and can be done quite readily.

Let me begin, though, with an exhortation to you and an apology from me.

I'm growing increasingly frustrated by the trend in America and our consumer-driven churches, by the need to be entertained in all things, including preaching.

All across our country this morning, businesses are opening up their doors and clicking on their open signs and people are coming in and they're consuming.

People are looking for churches or they're floating from place to place to place and they're coming in and they're getting a snapshot of a presentation given to them and passing judgment on it.

The church is a people.

It includes things like this, getting together, the preaching of God's Word.

But I think that because of this growing trend, the standard of good preaching has shifted.

It's no longer enough that a man simply speak the truth on any given text, but that he'd rather speak in such a way that he keeps the attention of everybody and leaves you feeling really good.

And it is very possible to do this without saying much at all.

In fact, this is happening in many places this morning.

Very little is being said and many times heresies are being uttered, but everyone is so very entertained.

Now, I'll say that this is much less the case among you.

Case in point, you're here this morning and I don't believe that I make much of an effort to entertain,

but I still feel this pressure to get up and give a presentation of the Word of God rather than just telling you what it says.

And this is as much my fault as it may be yours, and it may be even that I'm making it all up in my own mind.

I want to be sure that you guys understand that the preaching of God's Word is not meant to be entertainment.

It's supposed to be good for your souls.

Preaching is probably 10 to 20% of my week, both in preparation and in the presentation.

There are many, many other things I do as a pastor, but I know that this is the major thing that you guys see.

What does Nathan do all week?

He prepares a 45-minute sermon.

It's loose.

45 to an hour.

Right?

It's what he's up to every single week.

But there's so very much more that goes into this.

And I carry with me throughout the week, while it may be 10 to 20% of the work I'm doing,

the pressure of presentation.

And I'm making some corrections in my own heart to this degree.

But I want to encourage you all, as a part of a culture, a subset, Christ Family Church,

as part of a greater culture, to have a right understanding of what good preaching is.

A great place to go and see that.

You don't need to turn here.

I'll read it to you carefully and clearly.

1 Corinthians 2, 1 through 5.

Paul's writing to the Corinthian believers.

The Corinthians were people who consumed Greek oration in high degree.

They loved, loved grand speeches.

And many of these speeches, I read a few of them, say very little.

But boy, do they sound so good.

The Corinthians worshipped the silver tongue.

And Paul says this to them.

1 Corinthians 2, 1 through 5.

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God

with lofty speech or wisdom, which Paul was certainly capable of doing.

Read any of his epistles.

Verse 2,

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling.

And my speech and my message were not implausible words of wisdom,

but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men,

but in the power of God.

He intentionally spoke simply to them that the Spirit might work

and that they would have to give all credit and praise to Him.

Earlier on in 1 Corinthians, he says,

verse 27, chapter 1,

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.

And we're presented with a bit of a challenge in our day

because we have access to so much preaching.

In fact, I think, and this is not your fault at all,

but the fact that I'm being recorded right now places a pressure on me.

I hate that my sermons go out on the World Wide Web.

It causes me to tremble.

That people who are going to potentially visit our church,

whether they do or not, I don't know,

probably go and preview the preaching.

Last week's sermon may not have been a very good sermon.

I've said this to you continually.

I'm just hoping to get on base most of the time,

much less hit a home run.

Oh, if we could just get a score home,

that would be fantastic.

I hope for this.

I long for this.

And I pray for it.

There's so much access out there.

A hundred years ago,

you would have just been so happy to get to come

and hear the Word of God preached.

You would have visited the church

that gathered closest to your home.

So my exhortation to you this morning is

ask yourself,

by what standard do you measure

quote-unquote good preaching?

What is the standard for you?

Is it the truth is proclaimed?

Or is it that you were entertained?

You must ask yourself this question.

So if I were to pause and stop

and take a long drink of water,

is this awkward to you?

Are you feeling nervous for me?

Could be because you think I'm giving a presentation.

And how could I dare pause?

When I fumble with words,

did your heart tighten?

It shouldn't.

I encourage you to ask that question.

How do you measure good preaching?

And become an active listener.

Become an active listener.

And what I mean by that is

a passive listener is just going to sit.

And I'm hoping that I say enough things

in the right way,

that I use my hands in an exuberant fashion,

that I raise my voice at the right time,

and I lower my voice at the right time,

so that something will get through

whatever else is happening inside of your head.

We're so easily distracted as a people.

I'm the same way.

Become an active listener.

This will help you.

Pick a pen up in your hand

and write down notes.

It's such a massively helpful way

to stay on point with what's going on.

I try to lay sermons out

in an organized fashion.

I don't always,

but I certainly try.

Now, participate a bit in this.

We're a Baptist church,

and there is never an amen in our church.

And I think that's in large part

because most of you are students,

and so you're studious,

and you would never amen a professor

in the classroom.

And you shouldn't.

Amen?

A head nod now and then would be great.

I've got to tell you,

there's usually three things going on in my brain

at one time when I'm preaching.

There's typically the next thing that has to be said.

I'm trying to get my head going in the right direction.

There's what's actually coming out of my mouth,

and when I do mess stuff up,

that's usually because I switch to the future,

and what's coming out of my mouth

just doesn't come out of my mouth,

and I get yanked back to the present.

And then there's also the,

what in the world is everybody thinking?

Many of you have the strangest listening faces.

Usually look mad,

like I've really, really said something wrong,

so then my head goes into the past

to figure out what I messed up

and if I need to correct it.

So an occasional nod my direction

to let me know that you agree,

and you're being changed by the Word of God preached

is helpful.

And then take what's preached

and go talk about it.

Not all of you,

but most of you came with somebody,

you know somebody here,

you're going to see them throughout the week.

Carry on a conversation

about what was preached,

even what I may have erred in,

because I may,

and I need to be told of these things,

but have conversations about it

and be sure you as the congregation

are accountable for what I preach.

I need your help in that.

And I want your help in that way.

So pen in hand,

participate,

and discuss later.

That's the exhortation to you.

The apology on my part,

Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones,

who is a phenomenal preacher,

I would encourage you to read his sermons.

He's a 20th century Welsh Protestant.

He said,

Preaching is theology on fire,

which I think is a fantastic definition.

Simple, but fantastic definition

of what preaching is.

And I'll tell you that I need to spend

more time catching fire each week.

Less time concerned about presentation.

Really, I just need to say,

damn presentation,

it doesn't matter.

And I need to be catching fire

and coming and preaching to you.

Because the embers of my heart

often grow cold.

Just like you.

I am a man.

And they often grow cold

and they need to be fanned into flame.

And I need to spend more time

doing that in my weeks.

I apologize that I haven't always

done this well.

I want to process sermons in this way.

It's a fantastic quote,

Charles Spurge,

on how to best prepare to preach.

It's been a habit that I often read this

every single week.

It's been a few weeks since I've read it.

Let me read this to you.

Let us, dear brethren,

try to get saturated with the gospel.

I always find that I can preach best

when I can manage to lie a soak in my text.

I like to get a text

and find out its meaning

and bearings and so on.

And then after I have bathed in it,

I delight to lie down in it

and let it soak into me.

It softens me or hardens me

or does whatever it ought to do to me.

And then I can talk about it.

You need not be very particular

about the words and phrases.

If the spirit of the text has filled you,

thoughts will leap out

and find raiment for themselves.

Become saturated with spices

and you will smell of them.

A sweet perfume will distill from you

and spread itself in every direction.

We call this unction.

It's not a word we use these days.

Do you not love to listen to a brother

who abides in fellowship with the Lord Jesus?

Even a few minutes with such a man

is refreshing.

For like his master,

his paths drop fatness.

I love that.

Dwell in the truth

and let the truth dwell in you.

Be baptized into its spirit

and influence that you may impart

therefore of to others.

If you do not believe the gospel,

do not preach it

for you lack an essential qualification.

But even if you do believe it,

do not preach it

until you have taken it up into yourself

as the wick takes up the oil.

So only can you be a burning

and a shining light.

And with that,

I say to you and to me,

this is God's word to us.

It's written for His glory

and our good.

We would all do well

to listen to it

in order to believe its promises

and obey its commands.

Let's read together

Mark 15.33-47.

And when the sixth hour had come,

there was darkness

over the whole land

until the ninth hour.

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?

And some of the bystanders

hearing it said,

Behold, He is calling Elijah.

And some ran and filled a sponge

with sour wine,

put her on a reed,

and gave it to him to drink,

saying,

Wait, let us see

whether Elijah will come

to take him down.

And Jesus uttered a loud cry

and breathed his last.

And the curtain of the temple

was torn in two

from top to bottom.

And when the centurion

who stood facing him

saw that in this way

he breathed his last,

he said,

Truly, this man

was the Son of God.

There were also women

looking on from a distance,

among whom were Mary Magdalene

and Mary the mother of James,

the younger,

and of Joses and Salome.

When he was in Galilee,

they followed him

and ministered to him,

and there also were

many other women

who came up with him

to Jerusalem.

And when evening had come,

since it was the day

of preparation,

that is,

the day before the Sabbath,

Joseph of Arimathea,

a respected member

of the council

who was also himself

looking for the kingdom of God,

took courage

and went to Pilate

and asked for the body of Jesus.

Pilate was surprised

to hear that he should

have already died,

and summoning the centurion,

he asked him

whether he was already dead.

And when he learned

from the centurion

that he was dead,

he granted the corpse

to Joseph.

And Joseph bought

a linen shroud

and taking him down,

wrapped him in the linen shroud

and laid him in a tomb

that had been cut

out of the rock,

and he rolled a stone

against the entrance

of the tomb.

Mary Magdalene

and Mary the mother

of Joses

saw where he was laid.

Pray with me.

Father, I would ask

this morning

for the preaching

of your word

to be blessed

by your spirit,

and for all of us

who are hearing it,

even me as I speak,

and that you would

work through me

that certainly today

preaching would be

theology on fire.

And we pray this

in Christ's name.

Amen.

Kind of stealing once again

from Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones.

Many people call him

the doctor.

He did have a format

for the way in which

he preached,

which I've always

really appreciated,

and I tend to do this,

although it's often

a little more hidden,

but he has this kind

of pattern where he

would do exegesis,

doctrine, and application.

So that's the way

we're going to walk

through this text

together this morning.

So first, exegesis.

If you don't know

what that means,

it means literally

to lead out of.

It's a critical

explanation of a text,

simply that.

It means that we

get out of the text

what God intends

to say to us,

which would be

the opposite of

eisegesis.

If we read into

the text,

to apply something

here that I have

some idea I want

to prove to you,

and therefore I go

to the text to prove it,

but rather that we

look at the text

and we pull the

teaching out of it.

So simply,

we'll exegete the

text together.

I looked back

before we jump

heavily into that,

just for the joy of it,

to see when it was

we started Mark's

gospel.

We did so on

September 22nd

of 2013.

How about that?

So we've been

now,

we'll have two

more Sundays

in Mark,

and it'll be

a year and a half,

plus a little,

about 21 days,

to finish it

all up.

And we have

noted across

that time,

as we've seen

the life of Christ,

leading up now

into the Passion Week,

this is Friday

of that week,

the day,

obviously,

that He is

crucified,

His active

obedience.

Jesus Christ

was commonly

called His

active obedience,

and that was

Him submitting

His will

to that

of God

the Father.

Doing the things

that God

had asked

Him to do,

His active

obedience.

John 8,

28,

Jesus said,

I do nothing

on my own

authority.

He just did

whatever God

the Father

told Him

to do.

Mark 8,

34,

we get this

passed along

to us,

in this charge

He gives

to a crowd,

if anyone

would come

after me,

let him

deny himself

and take up

his cross

and follow

me.

This is the

way in which

we follow

God the

Father,

is in

active

obedience.

Last week

and some

Sundays before

and this

Sunday,

particularly,

we're going

to be looking

at Jesus'

passive

obedience.

And that

was what

He suffered

on our

behalf,

the way in

which He

was obedient

to the

Father

in His

suffering,

which was

something He

did throughout

His life.

He suffered

as He

lived in

the world,

but certainly

is highlighted

the great

high point

of His

passive

obedience

is in

His

suffering

and death

on the

cross.

And I'll

share with

you shortly

why the

two types

of obedience

are absolutely

necessary

for our

salvation.

Let's look

at verse

33.

When the

sixth hour

had come,

there was

darkness

over the

whole land

until the

ninth hour.

Last week

in 1525,

we saw that

it was the

third hour

when they

crucified Him,

which would

have been

hour 9 a.m.

Beginning

of the day,

6 a.m.

The third

hour was

9 a.m.

So He's

on the

cross at

9 a.m.

And then

at noon

until 3 p.m.,

Mark says,

there is

darkness

over the

whole land.

We don't

know how

exactly this

came to

pass.

I read

some things

this week

that said

that it

was impossible

for there to

be an eclipse

at this time.

I don't know how

people know

these types of

things,

but this is

what they

said.

So likely

some cloud

cover,

something else.

It doesn't

really matter,

but ultimately

there was

darkness,

darkness,

which is

symbolic of

God's

displeasure

and His

judgment.

Listen to

Amos 8,

9,

And on

that day,

declares the

Lord God,

I will make

the sun go

down at

noon and

darken the

earth in

broad daylight.

You can look

at some other

texts concerning

this,

Deuteronomy

28,

29,

Jeremiah

15,

9 are some

examples of

those places,

symbolic of

God's

displeasure

and judgment.

It's likely

that Mark

wanted his

readers to

recall the

final plague

at the time

of the first

Passover,

the way in

which he

has written

this.

Exodus 10,

21-23,

you can take

a look at

that,

but the

final plague

before the

Passover

happened,

when the

Israelites

were captive

in Egypt,

was the

plague of

darkness.

For three

days,

there was

absolute

darkness.

In Exodus

Exodus 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10,

we see that

they couldn't

even see

each other.

It was so

incredibly dark.

It would

seem that they

couldn't even

light lights.

For three

days,

it was dark,

but the

Israelites

had light

in their

homes.

And this

was the

last judgment

given before

the Passover

came to be,

that when the

angel of death

came and the

posts of the

door were

painted with

the perfect

spotless lamb,

this whole

celebration

that's happening

in this week,

the Passion

Week,

is about

celebrating

that,

Jesus,

or God,

leading the

people out

by the blood

of the lamb,

and that is

who Jesus

is.

This is

likely why

Mark is

recording it

in this way,

that people

would see

that and

remember who

Jesus is.

Verse 34,

this three

hours of

darkness,

we don't know

if the

darkness lifts

or if it

still exists,

it does not

really matter,

but Jesus

cries out with

a loud

voice,

Eloi,

Eloi,

lama sabachthani,

!

which means

my God,

my God,

why have

you forsaken

me?

This is a

quote,

he draws

this directly

out of

Psalm 22,

1.

Last week

we talked

a bit about

the physical

pain of

the cross.

As far as

capital punishment

is concerned,

the divisement

of death

on a cross

was one

of the most

heinous

capital punishments

that exists

in all

of history.

Certainly

our Lord

suffered

greatly

on the cross.

He was

beaten

beyond

recognition

even before

he was there.

There were

punishments

added on

top of

the punishment

of him

hanging on

the cross.

But we

cannot

forget,

beloved,

we cannot

forget about

his spiritual

suffering.

The spiritual

suffering is

the most

important thing

that he

accomplished

on the cross.

And I can

say this to

you with

a confidence,

although I

would do it

with a great

deal of

trembling,

and actually

presented with

the case,

it would be

hard to

say it

out loud,

but I

would suffer

physically

what Jesus

suffered for

you all.

There's some

guarantee of

great good

for you all.

I would

suffer

physically

the way

Jesus

suffered,

but I

could not

the way

he suffered

physically.

Isaiah 53,

6,

all we like

sheep have

gone astray,

we have

turned everyone

to his own

way,

and the

Lord,

that's God

the Father,

has laid

on him,

God the

Son,

the iniquity

of us

all.

Galatians 3,

13,

Paul writes,

Christ redeemed

us from the

curse of the

law by

becoming a

curse for

us.

For it is

written,

cursed is

everyone who

is hanged

on a tree.

Really incredibly

difficult for us

to even understand

what he may have

experienced on

the cross.

The only perfect

man to have

ever lived,

living without

sin,

living in

perfect union

with the

Father.

None of us

can relate to

this in any

way whatsoever.

Also,

the only one

to have had

all of that

fellowship,

and all of

that perfection

stripped from

him,

and all of

God's wrath,

all of the

punishment given

to him,

poured out on

him.

There are

times in our

life when

we're punished

unfairly,

unjustly,

something may

happen.

I try to

intervene with

my two boys

when they're

fighting about

stuff,

and sometimes

I'm really

afraid that I

made the

wrong call,

like who

actually had

the toy

first?

Sometimes I

don't know.

I take a

gamble and go

with it.

I'm sure at

times I deliver

justice

unjustly.

We don't

have any

idea what

it would

be like to

be completely

free of

guilt,

and yet have

wrath and

punishment poured

out on us.

Jonathan Edwards

wrote of

Christ's

atonement and

his suffering.

Besides what

our Lord

endured in

this excruciating

corporeal death,

which means

bodily death,

he endured

vastly him,

and to put

him to grief,

now he poured

out his soul

unto death,

as in Isaiah

53.

And if the

mere forethought

of this cup

made him

sweat blood,

remember Christ

actually sweat

blood considering

what was to

happen to him

on the cross,

how much more

dreadful and

excruciating must

the drinking

have been.

Many martyrs

have endured

much in their

bodies, while

their souls have

been joyful and

have sung for

joy, whereby

they have been

supported under

the suffering of

their outward

man and have

triumphed over

them.

So see what he's

saying, all the

martyrs, many,

many martyrs

have had a great

deal of joy as

God gave them

grace to suffer

well in those

times, but this

was not the

case with

Christ.

He had no

such support.

The Father

turned his back

on him even as

he poured

wrath out on

him, wrath

that was due

us.

Charles Spurgeon

wrote,

Isn't that

good?

Verse 35,

And some of

the bystanders

hearing it said,

Behold, he is

calling Elijah.

And this just

points to the

ignorance of the

Jewish people.

The Jewish people

had been led by

religious leaders

that had built

a whole system

that was not

proper worship

of the true

God.

They had

developed an

eschatology,

kind of a growing

eschatology,

which is a

theology of the

end times,

with a view

that Elijah

would return

to restore

all things,

which included

the hope that

he might appear

from heaven to

help in times

of need.

In one sense,

he had kind of

become the

patron saint

of sufferers,

that they had

hoped that Elijah

would come and

rescue in times

of need.

This is entirely

false,

not true

whatsoever.

The Old Testament

doesn't speak in

these terms at

all.

That ignorance

is not an

excuse for

disobedience.

Acts 3,

17-19,

which is when

Peter's delivering

the second of

his wonderful

sermons at

the temple.

They've healed

a man who

was a cripple

from birth,

and a great

crowd has

gathered around

him.

I'd encourage

you to read

that.

And then at

the beginning

of chapter 4,

we see 5,000

people come to

faith at this

time.

And he says,

starting in

verse 17,

And now,

brothers,

I know that

you acted in

ignorance,

as did also

your rulers.

And he gives

credit to them.

You acted in

ignorance,

but this is no

excuse.

He goes on,

but what God

foretold by the

mouth of all

the prophets,

all of that

great grand

literature that

you had at

your fingertips,

that his

Christ would

suffer,

he thus

fulfilled.

Repent,

therefore,

and turn

back that

your sins

may be

blotted

out.

Ignorance

is not an

excuse for

disobedience.

So they

thought possibly

he was calling

out to this

Elijah.

And in

verse 36,

we see,

And someone

ran and filled

a sponge with

sour wine,

put it on a

reed,

lifted it up to

where he was

and gave it

to him to

drink,

saying,

Wait,

let us see

whether Elijah

will come

to take him.

It's likely

that they were

trying to

prolong his

life to see

if maybe

Elijah would

come,

right?

Keep him

alive long

enough to

see if that

is something

that would

come to

pass.

And this

sour wine

would have

been like

a vinegar

that they

lifted up

to him.

And he

drinks of

it.

We see

in other

texts,

and this

is a

fulfillment

of prophecy.

Psalm 69,

21 says,

They gave

me poison

for food,

and for my

thirst they

gave me

sour wine

to drink.

So we see

Jesus,

in last week's

text,

not drink

the wine

mixed with

myrrh,

which we

think was

possibly some

type of

light drug

that would

have eased

the pain.

But he

does drink

this,

and he

does so

because of

Psalm 69,

21.

And then

verse 37,

And Jesus

uttered a

loud cry

and breathed

his last.

Verse 38,

and the

curtain of

the temple

was torn

in two

from top

to bottom.

John 19,

30 records

that in

that final

cry,

he cries

out,

It is

finished.

It is

finished.

And there

are so many

implications that

we don't even

have the time

for today,

but his

work was

done.

It is

finished.

Your salvation

and mine

were accomplished

in this

moment.

The work

was completed.

The temple

curtain

is torn.

This is

the curtain

that would

have separated

people from

the presence

of God

in the temple.

Now,

interestingly,

historically,

the presence

of God

had left

the temple

long before

these days.

The whole

worship was

a huge

farce.

The high

priest going

into the

presence of

God

wasn't

actually

happening

in this

day,

but it

still

symbolically

separated

people from

God

through this

sacrificial

system.

One man,

one day a

year,

got to

pretend

to enter

into the

presence

of God.

And this

curtain

is torn,

symbolically

showing us

that we

now can

have full

access.

It's been

granted to

us full

access to

God

through the

sacrifice

of Jesus

Christ.

A great

text that

speaks to

this is

Hebrews 10

19-22.

Therefore,

brothers,

since we

have confidence

to enter the

holy places

by the blood

of Jesus,

you hear that?

We have confidence

to enter the

holy places

by the blood

of Jesus,

by the

new and

living way

that He

opened for

us through

the curtain

that is

through His

flesh.

And since

we have a

great priest

over the

house of

God,

let us

draw near

with a

true heart

and full

assurance

of faith.

You see

all that

language

there?

We've

now been

given

full

granted

access.

No

longer

have to

go

through

some

intermediary

because

Christ

is now

the

perfect

high

priest.

He

makes

propitiation

for us.

And when

Jesus dies

in this

way,

the

centurion

in verse

39

stands

facing

him,

saw the

way he

breathed

his last

and he

says,

truly,

this man

was the

Son of

God.

Now it's

interesting in

Mark's

account,

Mark is

so bullet

point as

he moves

through

things.

Sometimes

you just

go,

come on

Mark.

And it

makes me

so thankful

that we

have other

gospel

accounts,

which isn't

to say

that Mark's

is a

lesser

account.

But you

wonder when

you read

this,

you say,

the way

he breathed

his last,

here it

just says

that he

cried out

with a

loud cry.

So you

go,

so he

was loud?

And the

centurion

said,

truly,

this was

the Son

of God.

But we

do get

some detail

in Matthew's

account,

chapter 27,

verse 51,

verse 54,

when the

centurion

and those

who were

with him

keeping

watch over

Jesus

saw the

earthquake

and what

took place,

they were

filled with

awe and

said,

truly,

this was

the Son

of God.

So something

cataclysmic

happens.

You've got

this darkness

over all

of the land.

Jesus cries

out this

last cry.

He dies

and then

there was

a massive

earthquake.

These

centurions

didn't see

the temple

curtain

torn,

but they

certainly

felt the

earthquake

that

happened

and it

turned

their

doubt

to

faith.

Truly,

this was

the Son

of God.

And praise

God,

he is

the Son

of God

today.

And then

Mark goes

on in

verse 40,

verse 41,

to speak

about the

women,

the women

looking on

from a

distance.

We talk

about the

two different

Marys,

who they

are,

and how

we can

notify

them as

we go

through,

note

them,

I should

say.

They

followed

him

around,

they saw

his life.

We see

these women

again in

chapter 16,

verse 1.

And Mark

is likely

recording their

presence as

they were

witnesses to

the life,

the death,

and the

resurrection

of Jesus

Christ.

You note

that they

traveled with

him,

they ministered

to him

when he

was in

Galilee,

they observed

his life,

they were

there,

they observed

his death,

they saw

where he

was buried,

Mark records

that for

us,

and later,

chapter 16,

they're also

witnesses to

his resurrection.

They witnessed

all of the

central facts

of the gospel.

He's giving

them credibility

in who they

say Jesus

is.

A moment

ago,

Wes sang a

song based

on the

Apostles'

Creed,

that Jesus

suffered under

Pontius Pilate,

was crucified,

dead and

buried.

The third day,

he rose again

from the

dead.

They saw

all of

these things.

And then Mark

goes on,

beginning in

verse 42,

to give us

this account

of Joseph

of Arimathea,

who was a

respected member

of the council.

And the council

that's being

referred to here

is the Sanhedrin,

this group of

people that

would have

passed the

judgment on

Christ to

have him

crucified to

begin with.

We saw

back in

chapter 14

these trials

that take

place before

the council.

Some people

have guessed

that maybe

Joseph of

Arimathea

wasn't there.

Mark's account

in verse 43

says he was

also himself

looking for

the kingdom

of God.

And so they

say maybe

he was

absent that

day,

but Mark

says that

the whole

council

was gathered.

So it

would seem

to me,

at least,

my opinion

on the

matter,

is that

Joseph

has now

changed

his tune.

He has

seen and

witnessed

Christ

crucified,

and has

now realized

that he

is in

fact the

son of

God.

And I

want you

to note

two things

as he

goes to

Pilate.

First,

awkward

water-drinking

moment.

It's not

awkward,

it's okay.

Note first

the doubt

of Pilate.

Note first

the doubt

of Pilate.

Verse 44,

notice Pilate's

attitude,

doubting that

Jesus had

died,

and he

does so

because it

usually took

two days

for a man

to die

on the

cross.

Jesus died

in six

hours,

not because

he was

weak,

not because

he couldn't

bear the

punishment,

although his

physical

punishment

had been

so much

greater than

most people

hung on a

cross,

but because

he bore

the wrath

of God

for our

sin.

That is

what

killed

him.

Mark 15,

15,

look at the

attitude of

Pilate.

Pilate,

wishing to

satisfy the

crowd,

released for

them

Barabbas,

and having

scourged

Jesus,

he delivered

him to

be crucified.

Kyle Webb,

a couple of

weeks ago,

said very

well that

Pilate,

for fear of

the crowd,

in order to

please the

crowd and

make them

happy,

to make

men happy

rather than

God happy,

because Pilate

knew that

this man had

no fault in

him whatsoever,

yet he

condemned him

to death.

So notice

first this

doubt of

Pilate.

Note,

second,

the courage

of Joseph.

Joseph

risked

everything to

be associated

with Jesus.

Everything.

Likely,

Joseph no

longer sat

on the

council.

All of

his power

and prestige,

all of

his financial

gain,

he risked

in going

and claiming

Christ's

body to

be buried

probably in

his tomb,

probably the

tomb that

he had

prepared for

his own

burial.

He is

very bold

in this.

Seems like

a massive

turnaround.

If he

was in

fact at

the council

that condemned

Jesus to

death,

maybe hesitant,

maybe not

knowing,

is this man

who he

says he

is,