Lesson 2489

(Lesson 2489)(10-11-18) Mark 15:21-39
    “ And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. And the superscription of his accusation was written over, The King Of The Jews. And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him. And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.”

   Today’s lesson describes, in horribly vivid detail, how the Jewish leadership, and the Romans, mocked and killed Jesus, our Savior, the Son of almighty God.
    There are many today who, while professing themselves to be scriptually knowledgeable Christians, often stress the emotional element of the crucifixion of Christ as a means by which they can lay a burden of guilt upon their listerners in order to compel them to express their faith in Jesus out of human compassion, committing themselves to things they will probably forget immediately after the emotional high wears off.
    There is no doubt that the horrible physical suffering Jesus withstood on that fateful day, is by nature, something that would stir the emotions of any normal human who learns of it; However, by concentrating on that aspect of today’s lesson, one might overlook the real necessity, intent, and purpose of that horrible suffering. Jesus was not tortured and crucified so that we would feel sorry for Him. He was crucified because of the death penalty that God the Father imposed upon all mankind after Adam disobeyed Him in the garden. Jesus, by suffering crucifixion in the form of a human man, paid the debt, owed by all of us, so that we, through faith in Him, can restore ourselves to God and have eternal life. This is the much more important out-take, that should be gleaned from today’s lesson instead of dwelling on the physical suffering that Jesus indured.
   We should praise and thank God every minute of every day for the suffering that Jesus overcame on our behalf.~