Save Yourself

“When they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the purple robe, put His clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him. They forced a man coming in from the country, who was passing by, to carry Jesus’ cross. He was Simon, a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus. And they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means Skull Place). They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it. Then they crucified Him and divided His clothes, casting lots for them to decide what each would get. Now it was nine in the morning when they crucified Him. The inscription of the charge written against Him was: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two criminals with Him, one on His right and one on His left. [So the Scripture was fulfilled that says: And He was counted among outlaws.] Those who passed by were yelling insults at Him, shaking their heads, and saying, “Ha! The One who would demolish the sanctuary and build it in three days, save Yourself by coming down from the cross! ” In the same way, the chief priests with the scribes were mocking Him to one another and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself! Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him were taunting Him.” (Mark 15:20-32 HCSB)

Well, the irony that we’ve noted that is so prevalent in Mark’s story continues. The soldiers now lead Jesus out to the place of crucifixion, Golgotha – the Skull Place. As they do so, Jesus is forced to carry the patibulum or the horizontal piece of the cross. As He does so, it appears that He is unable and may have stumbled, fallen and been unable to get up and continue. So, the soldiers grab (or compel) a man, Simon from Cyrene, to carry it for Jesus. While it doesn’t specifically say that they “grabbed” Simon, it seems entirely appropriate that they turned, saw Simon, grabbed him by his tunic and forced (compel) him to do what Jesus is unable to do.

Mark gives us a surprising amount of detail about this event in just a few words. Simon was a Jew from Cyrene and was returning from the fields (or the country). He appears to be a common laborer who was pulled into the situation against his will. Some believe he was a pilgrim who was in Jerusalem for the festival. But the fact that he was returning from the fields seems to indicate that he had moved to the area from Cyrene and was either working for a local landowner or he may own a small farm outside the city. Either way, he gets thrust into a situation outside of his control and finds himself carrying “the King’s” cross.

Why is this important enough to be highlighted by Mark? The key seems to lie in the fact that Mark notes that Simon of Cyrene is the father of Alexander and Rufus. Mark’s gospel is being written to the church in Rome and in Paul’s letter to the Roman church, he says: “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother — and mine.” (Romans 16:13 HCSB) Is this the same Rufus? We have no way of verifying, but it seems compelling that Mark would highlight who Simon is with a reference to his sons, Alexander and Rufus, and that Paul sends greetings to a Rufus in the Roman church some 25 or so years after these events. I’ll just leave you with a thought…

Was Simon so impacted by these events and his encounter with Jesus that he became an early disciple following the crucifixion and resurrection and his sons are witnesses of these events and their father’s faith? If so, who really compelled Simon into action – the soldiers or the Holy Spirit?

They bring Jesus to Golgotha (Aramaic – the skull place) for crucifixion. We tend to use the Latin equivalent: Calvary. This is probably a low hill just outside of the old city walls and along a major road into and out of the city. (The modern Church of the Holy Sepulcher is probably accurate since nearby excavations indicate it was built on the site of an old stone quarry with caves hewn into the rock.) The Romans used the horrors of crucifixion as a means of deterrence: ‘This is what happens to anyone who rebels against our authority.’

We’re now told that someone offered Jesus wine mixed with myrrh, but He refused it. “They” seems to imply that it was the soldiers who offered it and, if they did, it would seem to be more of their mockery because it was a drink generally reserved for the wealthy or for royalty because of the cost of myrrh. However, there is another possibility that seems more likely, to me. It is noted in historical records that some noble women of Jerusalem would offer this same drink (wine mixed with myrrh) to those being executed as a means of dulling the pain the condemned person was about to experience. The myrrh was reputed to have a narcotic effect and would offer some small relief to those about to die a horrific death. Either way, Jesus refused the drink. He drinks God’s cup of wrath with clear thoughts and purposeful intent – the obedient Son of Man and Son of God.

Mark’s next words are almost startlingly terse: “then they crucified Him.” While Matthew, Luke and John give us more details about the specific details, Mark is very direct and succinct. Perhaps this is because his readers are quite familiar with the horrific details of crucifixion. We tend to think of the crucifixion as being on a lonely hill, far away from the crowd. In reality and as I noted above, the location would have been along a major road with lots and lots of people passing by. In fact, Mark tells us “those who passed by” were yelling insults at Him. That was the entire reason for the Roman inscription placed over His head: “THE KING OF THE JEWS”. Mark does note that His clothes had been stripped from Him before hand as the soldiers cast lots to see which item each of them would receive.

Up to this point, Mark has used wording throughout his story that seems to hurry us along on this journey of Jesus’ life and ministry. He has used words like “again”, “immediately” and “as soon as” to indicate that things were moving quickly and intentionally towards God’s stated purpose and outcome without much reference to specific times or days. Now, his use of words, verb tenses and times seem to cause everything to slow down and the events almost flow by in slow motion. “Now it was nine in the morning when they crucified Him.”

Matthew and Luke do not carry Mark’s reference to this specific time (nine in the morning) over into their accounts and John’s account seems to contradict it. John says the trial took place at the sixth hour or noon which makes the crucifixion at nine in the morning impossible. There is a simple remedy to this seeming contradiction. John could have been using Roman time references for this event since it was seemingly under Roman control and authority that the events are occurring. That would mean John’s account of the trial occurred at six in the morning and resolves any issues and keeps John and the other accounts in sync with an early morning appearance and trial before Pilate and subsequent crucifixion.

Next, Mark notes that Jesus is crucified between two criminals – one on His right and the other on His left. Does anything about that statement stand out or seem odd to you? If Jesus was crucified “between” two criminals, then why does Mark specifically note that one was on His right and the other on His left. It seems Mark might be referencing another event with that same wording: “Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached Him and said, “Teacher, we want You to do something for us if we ask You.” “What do you want Me to do for you?” He asked them. They answered Him, “Allow us to sit at Your right and at Your left in Your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup I drink or to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” “We are able,” they told Him. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with.” (Mark 10:35-39 HCSB)

The sons of Zebedee wanted the privilege of being on Jesus’ right and left side when He received His glory. Jesus tells them, “you don’t understand what you’re asking.” We understand what they ask and want, but what they ask and what they really want aren’t the same thing. In other words, Jesus’ glory does not come or appear in the way they are expecting. He goes on, “Are you able to drink the cup I drink or to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” Everything in this exchange implies that the place of Jesus’ glory is not on a throne in heaven, where James and John expect, but on a Roman cross outside Jerusalem.

Let that sink in a moment…

The place of Jesus’ greatest glory is NOT on a heavenly throne but on a cross. If we want a share in His glory, we must share in His suffering and death. He had already told them, “Summoning the crowd along with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me and the gospel will save it.”(Mark 8:34-35 HCSB) Or as Paul states, “My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…” (Philippians 3:10 HCSB)

Let me state this plainly, the place of glory for ANY follower of Jesus is not a throne or any place of human honor or recognition but on a cross as they give themselves in sacrificial obedience to His commands and to the gospel or Good News He came to proclaim to mankind.

That leads us to the last bit of irony we will consider this week. Those who passed by yelled insults at Him about His supposed claim to be able to demolish the Temple and rebuild it in three days. “You claim you can do that, but you can’t even save yourself?” In a similar way, the chief priests and scribes mock Him, “He saved others, but He can’t save Himself! Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him were taunting Him.

All of them believed that the “real” Messiah could and would come down from that cross. It was not a place that God would ever allow His Son to be placed. The real Son of God wouldn’t be crucified, crushed by human effort or placed in such a cursed position…

They’re right, aren’t they?

Yet, “But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by people. Everyone who sees me mocks me; they sneer and shake their heads: “He relies on the Lord; let Him rescue him; let the Lord deliver him, since He takes pleasure in him.” You took me from the womb, making me secure while at my mother’s breast. I was given over to You at birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb. Do not be far from me, because distress is near and there is no one to help. Many bulls surround me; strong ones of Bashan encircle me. They open their mouths against me — lions, mauling and roaring. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed; my heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength is dried up like baked clay; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You put me into the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of evildoers has closed in on me; they pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people look and stare at me. They divided my garments among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothing. I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the congregation. You who fear Yahweh, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him! All you descendants of Israel, revere Him! For He has not despised or detested the torment of the afflicted. He did not hide His face from him but listened when he cried to Him for help. I will give praise in the great congregation because of You; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You. The humble will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise Him. May your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before You, for kingship belongs to the Lord; He rules over the nations. They will come and tell a people yet to be born about His righteousness — what He has done.” (Psalms 22:6-18, 22-28, 31 HCSB)

Ah, the irony of the cross. It is the epitome of human cruelty, but it is the crowning glory of God’s mercy and love. Somehow, God was cursed and mankind was saved, God died and man was offered eternal life, God was mocked as impotent by men blind to His glory even as His power and glory was on magnificent display for all mankind to see. Those who claimed to know Him, His Word and His will completely missed His very presence right in their midst. God died that day as those who claimed to love Him cruelly mocked Him.

The chief priests believed that Jesus was incapable of saving Himself. In a surprising twist of ironic truth, they were right. He could not save Himself from that cross and be obedient to God’s will. If He had saved Himself then He could not have saved mankind and He would have been truly cursed, guilty of absolute disobedience to the Father’s will. If it is possible, take this cup away… yet, not My will but Yours. If He had saved Himself, both would have been lost… Him and us.

I suggest to you, that’s the sign of a true King. One who deserves my love, adoration and obedience.

What kind of King do you seek?

What kind of King will you serve?

As for me and my family, we will worship and serve the LORD! (Josh. 24:15)