Mark 15:16-32

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

16The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" 19Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

21A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 23Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

25It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. 29Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30come down from the cross and save yourself!"

31In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! 32Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

BACKGROUND READING:


Psalm 22


Luke 23:26-43



Dig Deeper

Even the best occupying armies in the world have their bad moments. One of the toughest things for an armed force to do is to go into a foreign land and occupy it for any length of time without violence breaking out, particularly when the natives are hostile towards them. The task is so difficult that even soldiers who are in a place to keep peace can build up a storehouse of anger and resentment. When they do take prisoners or finally have someone in a vulnerable position, a great of pent up hostility can explode on that one individual. Sadly, this has taken place on a few occasions in Iraq, as even a handful of soldiers inexcusably unleashed their frustration on a few Iraqi civilians.


This is something of the scene here, but with a few differences. There was no danger of cameras or news crews poking around, and their was little danger of public opinion back at home disapproving of any such actions in the land of the Jews. With a chance to take out their frustration on the always resistant and arrogant Jews, the Roman soldiers seized the opportunity. Even better was the fact that this man was claiming to be the king of the Jews. They would do to him what they would really like to do all the Jews, and especially the king of the Jews.


What the Romans do to Jesus is part mocking and part base cruelty. Mark will emphasize again and again, the stark horror and brutality of this scene. The purple robe, which was a symbol of royalty, was certainly an act of mockery. The rest of it, however, was just the Roman soldiers being deeply violent and offensive, two things that they did quite well. The crown of thorns and the extra beating are clearly signs of their rage and hatred for the Jews in general being unleashed in full force on one man.


Normally a prisoner would carry his own cross beam to his crucifixion. The vertical pole would already be in the ground as a semi-permanent structure, and a cruel reminder for anyone who passed by that they were only a whim away from being up on that pole themselves. Jesus, though, has been beaten so severely that he cannot carry his own cross. Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, is snatched from the crowd, as the Romans use their legal privilege to force him to carry the cross-beam. Simon was most likely a Jew on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, living in the Jewish settlement in Cyrene in Northern Africa. Unusual special attention is given to the names of his sons. Rufus was a rather uncommon name at the time, yet Paul sends his greetings to a Rufus in Romans 16:13. It is possible that this is the same person, thus the specific mentioning of his name. Simon was forced to take up Jesus’ cross, yet we can’t help but hear the echoes of Mark 8 and Jesus’ words that his followers must be prepared to take up their own cross. In some respects, as I believe Mark is stressing here, when we take up our cross, we are really taking up Jesus’ cross, just as Simon did.


Mark then draws our attention to the place where the crucifixion would take place. It may have been called The Place of the Skull, because of the look of the hill, but more likely it meant something like ‘the place of executions’. It is just another detail that heightens the sense of horror.


Jesus is determined to drink the full cup of God’s wrath, so he refuses the drink mixture that would dull his senses and his pain. He is brought full shame as his clothes are taken and gambled for. Despite what the movies of this scene show, the Romans stripped people fully naked for crucifixion. This scene is eerily similar to the words of Psalm 22, a point Jesus was well aware of (he will quote from this Psalm in verse 34). It was a Psalm that the early church also used heavily to help them define and fully understand the full meaning of the crucifixion.


It was common for a placard to be placed on the cross, informing people of the crime of the prisoner. Jesus is no different as the charge that mattered to Pilate and the Romans is placed on his cross. We now find out who had the two spots reserved at Jesus’ right and left as he took his crown and came into his glory: two revolutionaries (these were not just thieves as the word is often translated). Mark stresses for us that Jesus is put to death in the midst of the very kind of people that he came to denounce as destructive to Israel’s true calling.


The scene ends as it began, with Jesus being mocked. This time it is the Jews who are mocking, what we, as the readers know, is their true king. Their point is clear. He has been proven to not be any type of Messiah, because in their mind, the Messiah would be killing Romans, not the other way around. What they don’t realize is the same point that the disciples struggled so mightily to understand. This is precisely the way that Jesus was beginning his reign, taking his throne, and coming into glory. This unlikely scene is the way that God’s kingdom would enter the world.



Devotional Thought

Jesus came into his full glory only through pain, suffering, and trial. What does this mean for those of us who would seek to be like him? Do you shy away from pain and struggles or do you embrace it as a situation through which God can teach you and you can grow? What situations in your life have you been avoiding that you need to confront so that you can become the new creation that God wants you to become?