Introduction: 

Now, at Golgotha, all that Jesus foretold is coming to pass. Jesus was crucified, the most painful and shameful form of execution reserved for enemies of the Roman Empire. Now hanging on the cross, Jesus is taunted and reviled by his executioners, enemies, curious bystanders, and even the rebels crucified with him. Even Jesus himself feels abandoned by his Father and cries, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Most sensible people would look upon this moment and see nothing but failure and defeat. However, as we will see, God can take the vilest scheme of man and turn it into the most beautiful expression of love on which the salvation of all men rests.

Scripture Reading: 

Mark 15:21-41: And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

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, lema 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 someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it 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 were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

Opening Prayer: 

Father God, as we come before you tonight reflecting on the cross of Christ, I pray that you would open up hearts and minds to receive the message you have prepared for us. Help us to give this sacred moment the reverence it is due. Help us not to become so transfixed on the ugliness of the cross that we miss the beauty of your love shown through us in Christ. May we never cease to be amazed by the wonders of your love. Amen. 

The Journey to Golgotha:

After being mocked and beaten, we see Jesus led by his captors toward Golgatha to suffer crucifixion. He had received beatings at the hands of the servants of the religious leaders as well as from the hands of roman soldiers under Pilate’s command. He had also suffered scouring by whips under Pilate’s orders, which left the flesh on his back bloody and torn. Jesus’ physical body, having already undergone so much trauma and blood loss, may not have been able to carry the cross. For context, historians believe a typical roman cross would have weighed nearly three hundred pounds. It was common practice for soldiers to take the larger vertical beam and for the condemned to have the smaller cross beam tied onto their shoulders. This made carrying one’s cross more manageable, but at one hundred pounds, carrying a crossbeam was still difficult for one man. The soldiers escorting Jesus seized a man named Simon from Cyrene to take Jesus’ cross for him. I doubt they would have done this out of kindness or mercy toward Jesus. More likely, Jesus’ broken body could not keep up with the soldiers. Rather than waiting, they decided to grab someone from the crowd to carry the cross for Jesus.

People have wondered about the identity of this man who took up the cross of Christ. His name, Simon of Cyrene, helps us to make an educated guess that he was a Jewish man who had come to Jerusalem to observe the Passover. He just so happened to be entering Jerusalem as Jesus was being led out of the city and suddenly found himself tasked with carrying the cross of Christ. It is interesting how Mark’s gospel tells us that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus. It would be unlikely that Mark would have included these names if his readers did not know who they were, which means that Simon and his two sons presumably became followers of Christ. These were people that the early Christians knew by name. It might even be possible that the Rufus whom Mark mentions here in passing is the same Rufus to which Paul sends greetings in his letter to the church in Rome (Romans 16:3). However, there is no way to know with certainty. 

One thing is clear. Simon of Cyrene serves as a real-life metaphor for the Christian life. As Jesus himself said;

 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me”

Luke 9:23, ESV

The cross is not only a reminder of the sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf but also a symbolic reminder that the Christian life is one of love, sacrifice, and humble submission. It is bearing the burdens of another and following in the footsteps of Christ, even when the path is bloody and marked with pain. The Christian life is a life of grateful service to our savior, who loved us first by taking our sins upon him and suffering in our place. Soldiers forced Simon to take up the cross of Christ that day, but we have reason to believe that after this, Simon chose to take up his own cross and followed Christ under the compulsion of the Holy Spirit as a born-again believer. 

The hill towards which they journeyed was just outside of Jerusalem. “Golgotha” is a name meaning “place of a skull.” It was a fitting name for a place where the Roman empire publicly displayed suffering and death. It is hard to imagine that anything redemptive could come from such an awful place, but though Christ would experience death in the flesh, death would not have victory on Golgotha. As the author of Hebrews wrote; 

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

Hebrews 2:14-15, ESV

Satan may have thought he was winning, but in truth, he was setting a snare for himself. Satan thought death would claim the Messiah, but the grave could not hold him! Satan thought that sin would forever break the Trinity, eternally separating God the Father and God the Son, but when the dust settled, sin was dead, and Christ had risen! God would turn what man meant for evil into an act of love that would undo the curse of sin and set humanity free from the eternal grip of death! 

The Crucifixion of Christ:

We see that “they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it” (Mark 15:23, ESV). Some historians believe this drink was yet another cruel act of mockery; myrrh would have made the wine bitter to taste. Others think it served as a way to numb the pain of crucifixion. In either interpretation, Jesus refused to drink the bitter wine. It is my conviction that Jesus rejected the wine so that he could fully drink of the cup of wrath that the Father had given him to drink in our place. Again, as the author of Hebrews wrote: 

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 

Hebrews 2:9, ESV

Jesus had chosen to suffer in our place, and the pain he endured physically and spiritually was not the type that any narcotic could numb. Sparing us the horrific details, Mark writes: 

And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 

Mark 15:24-25, ESV

We know from the ancient historian Tacitus that those condemned to execution forfeited their property under Roman law, but these cruel soldiers did not even wait for Jesus to die before they began to cast lots for his clothing. While the Son of God suffered and died for the world’s sins, his enemies were gambling for a dirty cloak taken from his back. Even this was in fulfillment of the scriptures: 

“They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” 

Psalm 22:18, ESV

Never in all of time eternal was a more extraordinary act of love met with greater indifference and indignity. Though the thought repulses me, sometimes I wonder if we resemble these soldiers more than we would care to admit. How often are we guilty of being more concerned with material things than we are with Christ and the salvation he won for us at such a cost? Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took on flesh to suffer and die for our sins. He rose again, forever defeating the powers of sin and death on our behalf. Because of Christ, no condemnation exists for those who believe but only everlasting life. If we could only understand the power of the cross, so many worldly cares and concerns would pale in comparison. 

The Romans had a sign placed over Jesus’ head that read “The King of the Jews,” a title intended to mock Jesus’ claim to authority. He was mocked by the crowd even as he died. Even the condemned crucified beside him joined in the mockery. In humility, he endured this indignity for us. 

When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 

1 Peter 2:23-24

Though we see a meek and humble Jesus on the cross, let us not make the mistake of thinking of Jesus as weak or helpless. The only thing that held Jesus to that cross was his love for sinners and his unwavering desire to finish the work of salvation on our part. Scripture tells us that Christ has risen, ascended to the Father’s right hand, and claimed his heavenly throne. While he remains patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, he will one day return, and all will bend the knee to King Jesus:

“And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” 

Philippians 2:8-11, ESV

The times of mockery are at an end. Christ is victorious, and when he returns, the choice will not be if we bend the knee but rather whether we bend the knee as joyful servants or as conquered enemies. 

The Death On The Cross:

Mark’s gospel records two miracles that took place as Jesus died. The first miracle was a great darkness that fell upon the land from the sixth hour until the ninth hour. Those who mocked Christ experienced supernatural darkness that mirrored the darkness and spiritual blindness of their heart. I am reminded of Jesus’ words to Nicodemus the Pharisee when he sought Jesus out under cover of night: 

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

John 3:19-20, ESV

In the darkness, Jesus cries out, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 14:34, ESV). We see that some in the crowd misheard “Eloi” for “Elijah” (Elahi in Aramaic). In their spiritual blindness, they did not realize that Jesus was reciting Psalm 22:1, a psalm that prophecies events fulfilled in that very moment. 

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest… [I am] scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”… I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots…”

Psalm 22:1, 6-8, 14-18, ESV

The details of this psalm describe Christ’s sufferings in such detail that it is easy to forget that the psalmist, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote this psalm a thousand years before Jesus was born. This truth is a reminder that God’s plans are greater than our limited human perspective. From the foot of the cross, the crowd could only see a defeated man who failed to bring about his kingdom, but from heaven’s perspective, we see God’s plan of redemption unfolding exactly as He planned. This realization should give us hope. The things on earth that we struggle to comprehend are the same things God has been orchestrating for His Glory and our good long before we even entered the story. Many moments in our life will only make sense once we have the hindsight and knowledge that heaven gives us. Still, for the time being, we can walk in faith, knowing that our good Heavenly Father is in control and works all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purposes. 

Not only does the psalm Jesus quoted from the cross describe the crucifixion in detail, but it also foreshadows the resurrection and the beginning of the gospel going forth into all the nations. 

“For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him… All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations… it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.“

Psalm 22:24, 27-28, 30b-31, ESV

God planned all of this from the beginning. The cross, the resurrection, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the great commission of the church; all occurred just as God planned for them to happen so that generations yet unborn might come to know of God’s saving work through Jesus. That includes you and me. On the cross, Jesus bore our sins. The only thing that separates anyone from the love of God is sin, and since Christ was perfect and sinless, we know that it was not his sins that held him on the cross. Christ took our sin, guilt, shame, and curse. The one who knew no sin became sin for us so that we could be counted righteous. 

At the fullness of time, Jesus “uttered a loud cry and breathed his last” (Mark 15:37, ESV). This was not a death whimper but a shout of triumph. John, who was the only disciple present to witness the crucifixion, recorded the final words of Christ, “It is finished!” (John 19:30, ESV). What was finished? Salvation was finished. Jesus broke the gates of hell, dealt Satan a death blow, shattered the unbreakable chains of sin, overturned the power of death, and won atonement for you and me. 

At the very moment when Jesus breathed his last, the temple veil, which had served as a barrier between the people of God and the Holy of Holies, was torn from top to bottom. Since the Law of Moses was established, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies on one day of the year, on the Day of Atonement, when the High Priest would offer a sacrifice on behalf of the sins of the nation. Now, nothing separated God and man for the first time since Eden. The veil was torn, and the once and for all sacrifice had been made. 

In Mark chapter one, we see Jesus baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River before beginning his public ministry. 

“And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Mark 1:10-11, ESV

Then in Mark chapter fifteen, we see Jesus on a cross at the end of his ministry: 

“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!”

Mark 15:38-39, ESV

Mark’s gospel begins Jesus’ ministry with heaven being torn open and the voice of God declaring Jesus to be his beloved Son and ends with the veil of the temple torn from top to bottom and one of the men who crucified Christ saying, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” 

I believe that the Apostle Paul said it best, 

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” 

Ephesians 2:13-19, ESV

Conclusion:

As we prepare to depart from this time of worship, I hope you will consider the cross of Christ. While the cross has been a stumbling block for many, it is the only through the cross that we have hope of salvation. If tonight you feel the need to begin a walk with Christ or to renew your commitment to the Lord, I would love to talk with you during our time of decision or after the service has concluded. I ask that you not leave this place without celebrating the truth that “it is finished!”  

Closing Prayer: 

Father God, thank you for sending your Son Jesus to save us from our sins. I pray that if any here tonight needs your forgiveness, you will send your Holy Spirit to lead them into repentance and salvation. If any here tonight needs to recommit themselves to you, I pray that you will renew their faith and show them how to have a fresh relationship with you. Thank you for the cross and the price you paid on our behalf. Teach us to live a life of love in response to the love you first showed us. Amen.