WATCH THE LAMB: a message

I am not much of a cryer. As I tell my wife: I'm crying on the inside. There are "triggers", however, that bring tears to my eyes, or come very, very close. And one of those is the old song: "Watch The Lamb". It has been around forever (it seems) but still touches my heart every time I hear it. I asked a friend from another church to come and sing this song at the end of my message that bears the same title as the song.

If you would like to read the lyrics, go to:
http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/r/rayboltz8182/watchthelamb285245.html

During the message, we sang the song: Jesus Messiah. For these lyrics, go to:
http://www.sweetslyrics.com/609650.Chris%20Tomlin%20-%20Jesus%20Messiah.html



WATCH THE LAMB
Mark 15:1-39
Please turn in your Bible to Mark 15. If you are using the Bible in front of you, it is page 882 or 900


John lived in a remote forest at the northern edge of Canada. His one and only friend was his faithful German shepherd, Duke. John was a trapper, and every few days he and Duke would take the overnight trip to check the traps. Their simple life was sustained by the animal pelts they sold in a distant town. Duke loved his master and would do anything to protect him. John loved his dog and came to trust him fully.


But, eventually, on one of John’s trips to town, he fell in love with a beautiful woman and married her. Within a year, they had a beautiful baby daughter. But, tragically, his wife died during childbirth, and John was left alone to raise his daughter. He had no choice, but to leave Duke watching over his precious baby girl while he went overnight to check his traps. Returning home early in the morning one day, John’s heart began to pound wildly as he noticed the front door of the cabin pushed open. Throwing down his pelts, he ran to the open door and his worst fears were realized.


The 2 year old baby’s little bed was covered with blood. In that moment he caught sight of Duke cowering in the corner, covered with blood. Enraged, the man cocked his rifle and pointed it directly at Duke. You killed my baby! You killed my baby! John’s cry awoke the baby, who began to cry underneath the bloodstain blanket. And then John saw it. The dead bobcat, which must have threatened the life of his daughter, was opposed and killed by his trusted and faithful friend – his daughter’s protector – Duke.


The one whom he was about to kill was actually the one who had saved his daughter’s life; and thereby his as well. This is the story of the religious leaders in the last days of Jesus’ life and ministry. They viewed Jesus as the problem: the one who killed their dreams of religious superiority; the one who pointed the finger at them as being hypocrites and far from God. They determined to destroy Him. Yet, they were unwilling and unable to recognize the truth: this one they sought to destroy was the One who was there to save them.


The forerunner of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, said this about Jesus:
John 1:29 – “…Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
In these passages from Mark 15 this morning, we are going to watch the Lamb of God and learn more about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We begin in verses 1-5, where we watch the Lamb of God:

Tell the truth, without defending Himself (vs.1-5)

Mark 15:1 – “And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole Council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.”

Just after daybreak (probably between 5-6 a.m.) on that Friday morning, the Sanhedrin had their verdict: guilty; and they had their plan set for having the Roman government put him to death. They knew they could not do this on their own. That is why they had to be ready, at the break of dawn, to bring him before a Roman authority.

Pilate was known as being harsh as he governed, and actually despised the Jews.
He had the authority, on his own, to make decisions on behalf of the Roman court. When he held court, normally in public, the accusation against the defendant would be read, followed by Pilate asking whatever questions he desired. The one standing trial would be allowed to answer his accusers, and any other witnesses would be called to testify as well. Once he heard enough, he would receive some legal counsel and then make the final verdict. Once the verdict was in, the sentence was to be carried out immediately.

The Sanhedrin had brought Jesus to Pilate, having already pronounced him guilty and deserving of death; and now it was Pilate’s prerogative to judge the matter and give his own verdict. The Sanhedrin could pronounce a death sentence, but they could not carry it out. Pilate had the authority, as Roman Governor, to either support the Council’s sentence or to rescind it. The Sanhedrin had to convince Pilate to carry out the sentence.

Mark 15:2 – “And Pilate asked him, are you the King of the Jews? And he answered him, You have said so.”

The accusation that was first introduced to Pilate is recorded by Luke:
Luke 23:2 – “And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”
So, Pilate’s first question was: “Are you the King of the Jews?” This was a crucial question, because anyone who claimed authority, outside of Caesar, would be considered to have committed treason, which did carry a death sentence. Jesus answered with a yes, but qualified it by saying that Pilate had chosen the words, not He. Mark included this brief statement; but I do think it would be helpful for us to hear some more of the conversation, as Jesus explained how His Kingdom differs from any other ruler. Let’s listen in, as recorded by John:

John 18:33-38 – “So Pilate…said to him, Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus answered, do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world. Then Pilate said to him, So you are a king? Jesus answered, You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. Pilate said to him, What is truth?..”

Jesus was making it clear that He was not a king in the sense of coming to take over rule at that time. His kingdom was a completely different kingdom – a spiritual one. While Pilate put the focus on his willingness to accept the title of King, Jesus put the focus on whether or not he was willing to accept the truth: the truth of who Jesus was and all He was teaching.

Pilate came back to the chief priests, after questioning Jesus; and John reports:
John 18:38 – “…he went back outside to the Jews and told them, I find no guilt in him.”

Mark 15:3 – “And the chief priests accused him of many things.”

You probably have been falsely accused before…of something. For me, as I shared a few weeks ago, it was in the context of ministry, that a couple church leaders (in one of my previous ministries) decided to get rid of me. Thankfully, they just wanted me out of the church, not dead! But, in order to do so, they had to start throwing around accusations. Some of them had some truth sprinkled in, but at the heart of the accusations, were lies, not substantiated by the facts. Statements were taken out of context, and I was even accused of not preaching the gospel any more.

When Pilate told them that he didn’t see Jesus doing anything worthy of death; especially since he realized that Jesus was not trying to overthrow the Roman government, the religious leaders just started throwing accusations around. These were probably a lot of the accusations that were reported to them by false witnesses. They were hoping something would stick. After making those accusations:

Mark 15:4,5 – “And Pilate again asked him, have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you. But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.”

One reason he was amazed, was because everyone else he had ever judged pleaded for mercy, and tried to defend themselves in any way possible; but not Jesus. In fact:

John 19:10 – “So Pilate said to him, You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?”

Interestingly enough, it was Peter (who previously denied that he knew Christ) that would, later, encourage Christians to follow Jesus’ example in this regard:

I Peter 2:21-23 – “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 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.”

SO WHAT? Tell the truth about Jesus, and be prepared to suffer for it.
No, you might not have to suffer the way Jesus did. But, if you live your faith out loud and are willing to talk about the truths of Christ with others, there will be times when you are opposed, mocked or shunned, at least. Consider Jesus and what He was willing to go through, for your salvation, and then decide whether or not you are willing to tell the truth about Him and how He has changed your life.
Jesus was obviously different than any other who had stood trial before Pilate. This amazed Pilate. He felt trapped. There was not enough evidence here to sentence Jesus to death; but he definitely did not want to just let him go, at the risk of having the religious leaders and then the crowds against Him.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary reminds us of what Pilate did next, recorded only in Luke’s account in Luke 23: “Learning that Jesus was a Galilean and hoping to avoid making a judgment against Him, Pilate sent Him to Herod Antipas, governor of Galilee, also in Jerusalem at the time. But Herod soon returned Him to Pilate.”

Now what was he going to do? An opportunity opened up as he was reminded of his tradition during the Passover festival. Now, in verses 6-15, we will watch the Lamb of God:

Get what He did not deserve (vs.6-15)

Mark 15:6-10 – “Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews? For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.”

In keeping with his tradition, he demonstrated goodwill each Passover festival, by allowing the people to vote on whom they would like to have released from prison. Pilate was certain they would choose to have Jesus released, feeling he had suffered enough already. His perception was that the religious leaders were just jealous, envious of Jesus’ appeal; and certainly the crowd would choose to have Jesus released. And this was another opportunity to show his distaste for the Jews, by offering to release to them their King.

Mark 15:11-14 – “But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him. And Pilate said to them, Why, what evil has he done? But they shouted all the more, Crucify him.”

Barabbas had been accused of murder, a part of a rebellion against Roman authority. He was now on “death row”, waiting for his execution. The religious leaders were fearful of Pilate trying to get out of executing Jesus by releasing him at the crowd’s request. So, they stirred up the crowd, suggested that Barabbas be released instead, and had them convinced that the best thing that could happen, the only choice, was for Jesus to be crucified. They had no answer for why Jesus deserved it – He didn’t. But that didn’t matter. Crucify Him!

How ironic: the crowd wanted a man of violence released and wanted to crucify the prince of peace. They wanted to release a man of hatred and have crucified a man that personified God’s sacrificial love. They wanted to release a man who deserved the death penalty and crucify the only one to have lived a perfect life on earth.

Pilate didn’t anticipate this. What Barabbas deserved and was waiting for was now put on Jesus. So, at the demand of the crowd, Pilate had to do what He promised:

Mark 15:15 – “So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus he delivered him to be crucified.”

Matthew reports it this way:

Matthew 27:24, 25 – “So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves. And all the people answered, His blood be on us and on our children!”

Pilate decided to listen to other voices, rather than the voice of truth. Max Lucado, in his book: No Wonder They Call Him Savior, puts it this way:

“Pilate could have listened to the voice of Jesus. Pilate stood eye to eye with him. Five times he postponed the decision hoping to gratify the mob with policies or lashings. Yet Jesus was always sent back to him. Three times he stood eye to eye with this compelling Nazarene who had come to reveal the truth. ‘What is truth?’ Pilate asked rhetorically (or was it honestly?). Jesus’ silence was much louder than the crowd’s demands. But Pilate didn’t listen.”

We might easily read over the words from verse 15: “having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.”

In 2004, I saw a depiction of this scourging in the movie “The Passion of the Christ”. Even though it was just a movie, with makeup and actors, I had not and still have not seen anything as that realistic depiction of what Jesus may have really gone through during these hours of trial, on his way to the cross. The scene that was most disturbing depicted this scourging, this flogging, mentioned here in verse 15. It is so easy for us to read it, and not really consider what He went through. After seeing the scenes in that movie, I have at least a little better idea of the blood, the pain, the cruelty that Jesus endured for my salvation.

I read this in the Bible knowledge Commentary: “A Roman flogging was a brutal beating that always preceded the execution of a capital sentence on male offenders, though it could also be a separate punishment. The prisoner was stripped, often tied to a post, and beaten on the back by several guards using short leather whips studded with sharp pieces of bone or metal. No limit was set on the number of blows. Often this punishment was fatal.”

Will the worship team please come forward?
Now, in verses 16-20, watch the lamb of God:
Be mocked and humiliated (vs. 16-32)

Mark 15:16 – “And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion.”

The flogging was over, which may have been public, and they took Jesus back into the palace courtyard. Scholars believe the whole battalion may have included anywhere from 200-300 soldiers. This may have been the group of soldiers that came with Pilate to Jerusalem.

Mark 15:17-19 - “And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him.”

This was not a fun, innocent skit they were performing, poking a little fun at Jesus. This was detestable, hate filled, and genuine physical torture! They were doing this to God (in the flesh)! They were mocking Him, using the King of the Jews phrase. They were hitting Him, spitting on Him and mockingly kneeling down to Him. They put the crown of THORNS on His head.

Mark 15:20- “And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.”

This was no surprise to Jesus and should not have been a surprise to His followers. Jesus said this would happen:

Mark 10:33,34 – “saying, See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

Would you stand with me please? Before we continue on, it is appropriate for us to sing about the one we are reading about. This was Jesus, God’s Son, here to take away the sins of the world. He was Jesus, the Messiah, promised from the Old Testament; but rejected by the religious leaders (who knew the Old Testament!) and by the ones He came to save. We sang it for you before the service this morning; and we invite you, as you learn the tune, to sing with us now:
.
Sing: JESUS MESSIAH (by Chris Tomlin)

Mark 15:21 – “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.”

According to historians, a condemned man would carry his own crossbeam of the cross, which would weigh about 100 pounds, through the city streets and out to the place of crucifixion. But, in this case, Jesus was so weak from the beatings, that He could not.

So, they “compelled a passerby” says Mark; and His name was Simon. Most scholars believe He was a pilgrim, being so far from home, there for the Passover celebrations. Mark is the only one to mention his sons (Alexander and Rufus); but it is interesting that there is a Rufus mentioned in Romans 16:13. Some believe that Mark mentions them because his readers in Rome would be familiar with them. There seems to be some significance here, in that Mark names this man, tells us where he is from, and names his sons. It may be, that these boys that witnessed their dad carry Jesus’ cross, eventually become followers of Jesus! At the end of today’s message, we are going to hear a song that imagines this story.

Mark 15:22 – “And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).”

Outside, but close to the city wall, was Golgotha, the Greek rendering of the Aramaic word meaning The Place of the Skull. According to commentators Walvoord and Zuck, “The word Calvary comes from the latin variation of calva, which means: “a skull” Golgotha was a rounded, rocky knoll (not a hill or mountain) vaguely resembling the shape of a human skull.”

Mark 15:23 – “And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.”

The Roman soldiers offered him this drink that would act as an anesthetic, to dull the pain. But after He tasted it (Matthew 27:34), he decided not to take it; maybe wanting to take the full affect of the pain.

Mark 15:24 – “And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.”

Mark does not go into a lot of the crucifixion details. Historically, the criminal would be stripped, except maybe for a loincloth. He would be laid on the ground, with his outstretched forearms nailed to the crossbeam. This crossbeam then would be fastened to the pole already fixed in the ground. A wooden peg would be placed in the post so that the criminal could support his body with his feet. The criminal would then slowly die from thirst and exhaustion. At times, the process would be sped up by breaking their legs.

By tradition, the guards who served as the execution squad, were able to take the personal belongings of the dying criminal and split them up. In this case, they cast lots, to determine who would get what. There was probably an outer and inner garment, sandals, maybe a head covering that would be split up. They didn’t know it, but they were fulfilling prophecy, showing the Scriptures to be true, once again; and adding to the humiliation of Christ that was predicted:

Psalm 22:18 – “They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”

Mark 15:25 – “And it was the third hour when they crucified him.”

Mark is the only gospel writer saying this happened at the third hour; which according to the Jewish counting of time, would be 9 a.m.

Mark 15:26, 27– “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.”

Because verse 28 is not in many of the Greek manuscripts, the English Standard Version did not include it. Verse 28 out of the New King James Version reads this way:

Mark 15:28 – “So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, And He was numbered with the transgressors.” (NKJV)

Mark doesn’t go into the details the other gospels do, but to let us know that Jesus was crucified along with two other criminals, who both deserved to die. And the humiliation of Christ continued:

Mark 15:29,30 – “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!”

More verbal abuse, now as Jesus was hanging there dying. Again they mocked him, saying that if he could do what he had said (destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days) then certainly he could get himself down from the cross. Little did they realize, that when he had made that statement, he was referring to the events that were now taking place: his body (temple) was being destroyed; but in 3 days, he would rise again.

Mark 15:31, 32 – “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.”

The religious leaders joined in the mocking, as they talked to one another: “He could do miracles and heal others; but he cannot heal (save) himself. What they didn’t realize is that He could not save himself, so that he could truly save others – all who would believe on Him. They mockingly said they would believe if He was the Messiah, if he came down from the cross. By staying on the cross, he proved that He was! We know from Luke that one of those crucified with Jesus eventually showed belief and was saved from his sins. In the whole crowd of non-believers, it was another condemned man that found the faith to believe that Jesus could be His Savior.

SO WHAT? Thank God that Jesus Christ took your place.
He didn’t just take Barabbas’ place; but He took yours and mine as well. We deserved to be convicted for sin, not Him. We deserved to die on the cross, not Jesus. He took our place. He paid our debt. He was beaten and mocked, for our benefit. He was falsely accused, spat on and whipped – even though He was dying for them. He took your place. Don’t forget to thank Him – continually! You do that as you sing to Him. You do that as you pray in thanksgiving. And you do that as you live a life that honors Him: as you pursue Christ-likeness.

Finally, in verses 33-39, watch the Lamb of God:
Die alone, providing the only way to get to God (vs. 33-39)

Mark 15:33-35 - “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.”

Although Jesus said several things from the cross, this is the only one recorded by Mark. He is emphasizing Jesus, throughout his gospel, as the Son of Man, God’s Son: fully man, fully God. And this relationship with God the Father was tested greatly, as Jesus died alone. This was the only phrase Mark included.
Jesus hung on the cross for 3 hours and then total darkness came for another 3 hours, until about 3 p.m. The darkness may have pictured the sin being died for; and/or a visual expression of Jesus’ words of loneliness. When Jesus said these words, He experienced the separation from God that sin brings; since He took our sins in dying for them.

The crowd mistook his words or mocked him, saying he was calling for Elijah for help. Many Jews believed that Elijah came to people’s rescue when in distress.

Mark 15:36 – “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.”

We know from the gospel of John that Jesus said: I thirst; and verse 36, here, was probably a response to that, as someone went to get this for him. They continued the taunt, however, thinking if he continued to live, they could see if Elijah was going to deliver Him or not.

Mark 15:37 – “And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.”
We know, from Luke, that that loud cry is translated: “It is finished.” The debt is paid.

Mark 15:38 – “And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.”

This is significant- no coincidence. And it is recorded here. The curtain, or veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This was the action of God. It would have been the time for the priests to perform the evening sacrifices. No longer would there need to be animal sacrifices for sins. And no longer would there be this obstacle between God and man. Man would no longer need to go through a priest to get to God; and he would no longer need to offer sacrifices to be right with God. The sacrifice was here. Speaking of Jesus Christ:

Hebrews 7:27 – “He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and the for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.”

Mark 15:39 – “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!”

This Roman guard saw all that had taken place, as he would have been in charge of the execution detail. Whether this guard fully understood the meaning of his own words, we don’t know; but they were true, none the less. Even this Gentile had no barrier now – he could even see the truth found in Jesus Christ.

SO WHAT? Place your complete faith and trust, for salvation, in Jesus Christ alone.

John the Baptist had said, when He saw Jesus Christ approaching:
John 1:29 – “…Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Jesus was that Lamb, to be sacrificed, just once, for the sins of the world. So that, everyone who would place their complete faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, would indeed inherit eternal life. Regardless of how religious you are, if you have never placed your complete trust in Jesus Christ, gaining a personal relationship with Him and being 100% sure you are going to Heaven: we would like to talk and pray with you about that. You can come up to see me once the service is over, if you would like to talk further.

Would you bow your heads in prayer please? I would like you to take a few minutes to consider what you have heard from God’s Word today; and to decide how God would want you to respond to His truth. As you think and pray, listen to a song that illustrates the truth we have heard today.

Special: Watch the Lamb – sung by Brandon Bennett - music by Ray Boltz