COMMENTARY ON MARK
LESSON NUMBER 167
Mark 15:29 “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, 30 Save Thyself, and come down from the cross. 31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; Himself He cannot save. 32 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. 33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.”
(Mark 15:29-33; Matt 27:39-45; Luke 23:35-44; John 19:25-27)
JESUS IS MOCKED AS HE HANGS ON THE CROSS
INTRODUCTION
As if it was not enough that Jesus had been beaten and maligned by His own people and Pilate, and then affixed to a cross by nails, He is then subjected to all kinds of mockery. The contemptuous treatment comes from a variety of sources – from free men and condemned men, from common people and religious leaders, from Jew and Gentile. The only people who display any interest in Him are four women, one of His disciples, and a thief. The women and John linger at the foot of the cross, although in this hour, they are helpless to give Him any aid, for the penalty for sin is to be paid, and He must tread the winepress of the wrath of God “alone” Isa 63:3). This awful hour is the result of man’s sin. Jesus is not dying because of the devil’s transgression, but because of the sins of those who were brought down by iniquity. When Jesus died, all comforts were removed from Him. There was no good Samaritan to pour oil and wine into His wounds. None were allowed to show mercy upon Him, or minister the slightest bit of physical comfort. The only elixir of comfort that He will be given was the word of a thief. There is no record of any other word of kindness or concern being spoken to Him while He hung suspended between heaven and earth. This is surely an awful spectacle, providing a most vivid commentary of the effects of sin upon both heaven and earth – upon both God and man. It is a sobering scene, indeed!
THOSE PASSING BY RAIL ON JESUS
“ Mark 15:29 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, 30 Save Thyself, and come down from the cross.”
In these verses we have a fulfillment of the Scripture, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not” (Isa 53:3). Once again, this is a stunning display of the depravity of men, and how sin is “exceeding sinful” (Rom 7:13). Sin causes men to be callous and unfeeling, so that they can stand before one who is enduring unspeakable suffering, and actually scoff at Him. Even ordinary human kindness is struck down to the ground when sin rules over a person. It should not surprise us that those who defer to sin conduct themselves in a stupid manner, confounding us with their insensitivity and words. Sin has caused them to react in such a manner, just as it moved the people in our text to deride Jesus in a heartless and insensitive manner.
THEY THAT PASSED BY. “They that passed by railed on Him.” Other versions read, “made sport,” BBE “hurled insults,” CJB “blasphemed,” DOUAY “derided,” ESV “insulted,” GWN “hurling abuse,” NAS and “kept reviling Him and reproaching Him abusively in harsh and insolent language.” AMPLIFIED To “rail” means to speak reproachfully. This speaking is the exact opposite of “speak evil of no man” (Tit 3:2). Matthew says they “reviled Him” (Matt 27:39).
These were not the people who hauled Jesus off to Pilate, or cried out “Crucify Him!” They had apparently not taken an open stand against Him until this time. They were simply people who were passing by – going either in or out of the city.
They were “wagging their heads,” or “shaking their heads” NIV – like moving their heads too and fro in disgust or derision. Their physical posture will match the words that they say. They should have placed their hands over their mouths at the sight of this awful spectacle, but instead, they wagged their heads too and fro, as though they were capable of properly assessing the situation. It was kind of a “I knew there was nothing to Him” response.
THOU THAT DESTROYEST THE TEMPLE. Now we learn that these were not merely passers-by. They had been exposed to reports about Jesus, and had probably even heard Him say, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). Those words were spoken over three years before this day, after He had turned the water into wine, and then cleansed the Temple. It was a public saying because “the Jews” responded, “Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?” (John 2:20).
Now, more than three years later, these passers-by challenge Jesus to save Himself and “come down from the cross.” They chide Him as though to say, “If you can rebuild the Temple in three days, it will be but a small thing to come down from the cross!” But they did not know what they were saying. Matthew adds that they said, “If Thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross” (Matt 27:40). Therefore we see that they not only were familiar with the sayings of Jesus, but also that He had been identified as “the Son of God.” You see that while truth has a sanctifying effect on those who believe it, it hardens those who reject it. It is no wonder that we are admonished, “See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh . . . from heaven” (Heb 12:25). Casual and disinterested people are not aware of how hard they become when they do not seriously consider the truth to which they are subjected. All it takes is a circumstance that appears to contradict the truth, and the railing begins. It may take the form of a circumstance that appears to negate the affirmation of the love and care God has for His people. When such a thing occurs, railing erupts from those who did not embrace the truth by faith. Perhaps they say, “If God really loves us, why does He . . . ” In so speaking, they take their place by the side of the passers-by who railed oln Jesus.
THE PEOPLE STOOD BEHOLDING. Luke speaks of some others, who were standing there looking at Jesus. “And the people stood beholding” (Luke 23:35). Matthew also mentions some (probably the soldiers) who simply were watching the whole affair. “And sitting down they watched Him there” (Matt 27:36). What a display of absolute indifference! And the progeny of that crowd remains today. They appear to be neither for or against Jesus, but are mere spectators. However, be sure that such people are classed with Christ’s enemies.
THE SOLDIERS MOCKED HIM. As if the reviling of the people was not enough, the soldiers join in the derision. “And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming to Him, and offering Him vinegar, and saying, If Thou be the king of the Jews, save Thyself” (Luke 23:37). For them, the sign over the head of Jesus was like a contradiction of the truth. It appears that they did not actually give Him soured wine, a narcotic, but rather offered it to Him in mockery, thinking that He was incapable of taking it from them. Their chiding suggested that if He was really a king, He could at least save Himself. Thus, they joined the Jews in a chorus of derision, railing on Jesus when He appeared helpless. One day, those soldiers will face Him, and He will be their Judge!
THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND SCRIBES MOCK JESUS
“ 31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; Himself He cannot save. 32 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.”
THE CHIEF PRIESTS MOCKING. First, the passers-by mocked Jesus. Then the soldiers mocked Him. Now the chief priests and scribes join in the mocking. Matthew says the elders also joined in (Matt 27:41). Mark said they spoke “among themselves,” as though analyzing the situation and suggesting what could be done if Jesus really was who He said He was. First they said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save.” Luke reports that the people who were beholding Him and the rulers of the people joined in saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself” (Lk 23:35). Note that they do not say Jesus claimed to save others, but that He did “save others.” They could not deny the miracles of deliverance that had been wrought by Jesus. Nor, indeed, could they forget that at least once He told them that He caused a man to take up his bed and walk to prove that He had “power on earth to forgive sins” (Mk 2:10). Ignoring the great works that Jesus had done, and unaware that He was fulfilling the will of God upon the cross, they now chide Him for not saving Himself. To them, it made no sense not to have a prevailing interest in self-preservation. They were truly “lovers of their own selves” (2 Tim 3:2).
In mockery they refer to Jesus as “Christ the King of Israel,” challenging Him to “descend now from the cross.” Should He do so, they say they will “see and believe” – even though they had not responded in that manner to the works that had testified of Him. Matthew reports that they said, “If He be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him” (Matt 27:42).
HE TRUSTED IN GOD. Matthew records the mockers said, “He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him: for He said, I am the Son of God” (Matt 27:43). Oh, how much truth had been spoken to and around them! Behold what things had been associated with Jesus: Christ, King of Israel, He saved others, He trusted in God, Son of God. But sin so hardens the heart and dulls the conscience that men will not even consider the truth of God.
THE THIEVES MOCKED HIM. Matthew reports, “The thieves also, which were crucified with Him, cast the same in His teeth” (Matt 27:44) – i.e. “He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him” (Matt 27:43). Luke reports after both thieves had “cast the same in His teeth,” one thief particularly railed on Jesus. “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If Thou be Christ, save Thyself and us” (Luke 23:39). What a way for an impenitent thief to refer to Jesus: “If Thou be Christ!” Thus he joined in the mocking chorus with passers-by, soldiers, those beholding, chief priests, scribes, and elders. What a despicable chorus it was, tuned and orchestrated by the devil for his willing subjects.
ONE THIEF CHANGES. It is precisely at this point, amidst a united chorus of blasphemy that one of the thieves reassesses the situation. He has apparently taken particular note of the sign over Jesus’ head, and of the ways in which the mockers have referred to Him. Perhaps he had even been acquainted in some way with the ministry of Jesus. He turns to his partner in crime and rebukes him. “Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this Man hath done nothing amiss” (Luke 23:40-41). This is what faith does – it moves the believer to make a proper assessment of the situation. In the case of the penitent thief: (1) We ought to fear God, seeing we ourselves have been condemned to death. (2) We are receiving our just due. (3) Jesus had done nothing worthy of such a judgment. Keep in mind that this sound manner of thinking was expressed while the thief was himself suffering on a cross.
The thief then turns his attention to Jesus Himself, referring to Him as “Lord” – something no one else has done to this point. “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom” (Luke 23:42). He believes that Jesus is a King, and does not judge that fact by current circumstances. He concludes that Jesus is yet to come into His kingdom, and simply asks that Jesus remember him when He does. “Remember me!” Those are the words Samson said in Dagon’s temple (Judges 16:28). Nehemiah said them when he had to contend with the rulers (Neh 13:14,22,31). Job said them when he was suffering (Job 14:134). David also did (Psa 106:4), as well as Jeremiah (Jer 15:15). These men believed that the Lord’s remembrance of humble and contrite people would yield a harvest of mercy.
Jesus responded immediately, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Thus Jesus would bring a trophy with Him when He entered the realm of the dead. This confirms that Jesus did not go to the lake of fire when He died, as some allege. He rather went to “paradise,” which is place of blessing. There are no definitive statements made concerning “paradise,” other than its association with heaven (2 Cor 12:4; Rev 2:7). The means by which this thief was saved were not intended to be the standard. They do, however, confirm the eagerness of Jesus to save, and the effectiveness of a plea for mercy.
DARKNESS FROM THE SIXTH TO THE NINTH HOUR
“ 33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.”
There are three divisions of time mentioned in association with the death of Christ: 1– The third hour, when He was crucified (Mk 15:26). 2–The sixth hour, when darkness commenced (Mk 15:33). 3–The ninth hour, when the darkness concluded and Jesus yielded up His spirit to God, dismissing it from His body.
FROM THE SIXTH HOUR. Mark states that there was darkness over “the whole land” until the ninth hour. I gather that the land of Israel, in which Jesus had ministered, is the land of reference. Matthew says that the darkness was “over all the land” (Matt 27:45). Luke reports “there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour” (Luke 23:44). The same Greek word is used in all three texts (Matt 27:45; Mk 15:33; Lk 23:44) – gh/n. The meaning of the word is rather broad, referring to the earth as a whole, or to a mass of land, such as the land being separated from the waters. This is the word used in Matthew 5:5: “The meek shall inherit the earth.” It is also used in Matthew 10:34: “peace on earth,” and Romans 10:18: “their sound went into all the earth.” This word is used 249 times in the New Covenant Scriptures, and is applied to everything from a particular country, to a specific piece of lane, to the earth in which seed is planted. The extent of this darkness is not known for certain, although it must have been wide-ranging. “Phlegon, a Roman astronomer, speaking of the 14th year of the reign of Tiberius, which is supposed to be that in which our Savior died, says “that the greatest eclipse of the sun that was ever known happened then, for the day was so turned into night that the stars appeared.” ALBERT BARNES Judging from the extent of redemption, and the greatness of the price Jesus paid, it should not surprise me if that darkness did, in fact, cover the whole earth, although it is not necessary to make an issue of it.
Here were three hours of darkness when there was no mocking, no reviling, no blasphemies. It was all silenced as God imposed a change upon nature itself, confirming that the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof. It was during this time that God turned His face from the Son, and He suffered the curse of the Almighty. When no favor was upon the Son of God, it was unfitting that any light should shine upon men who despised Him.
THE WOMEN AT THE CROSS. John informs us that there were four women standing by the cross: Jesus’ mother Mary, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene (John 19:25). The identity of Mary’s sister is not certain. Some have conjectured that she was “Mary the wife of Cleophas,” but it is unlikely that sisters would have the same name. I prefer to see this as four separate women standing near the cross of Jesus. It also ought to be noted that it required confident boldness to be there while the jeering crowd cast aspersions at Jesus. The Lord no doubt protected them from any personal harassment, as it must have been evident that they were not enemies of Jesus, or indifferent to Him.
It was at this point that the prophecy of Simeon was fulfilled – a word that had been uttered to Mary thirty-three years earlier when Jesus was dedicated: “Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also” (Luke 2:35).
At this time, the reality of Christ’s resurrection had not yet burst upon any of Jesus’ followers, this cluster of women and John included, who was also standing with them. For them, this was the conclusion, and they were sorrowing and lamenting, just like Jesus said they would (John 16:20). The following three days would be exceedingly difficult for them all, for darkness had settled upon their hearts as well as upon the land.
JESUS PROVIDES FOR HIS MOTHER. During this moment of darkness, suffering, and Divine cursing as well, Jesus “saw His mother.” He took the time to ensure that she would be properly cared for, and was most particular about who would do it. John writes, “When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple standing by, whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home” (John 19:26-27). Notice that Jesus does not provide an extensive explanation – He spoke only seven words Yet, John is alert enough to immediately pick up on
what He says. It is apparent that up to this time, Jesus had been caring for His mother. Now, He ensures that her care will be continued.
John does not go home and make some special arrangements to receive Mary. The record is specific at that point, that “from that hour” he took her into “his own home.” The NIV reads, “from that time on,” indicating that it was a permanent arrangement. It is no wonder that John is referred to mas the disciple Jesus loved! He was the only one of the eleven that remained with Jesus until “the end.” He also maintained his composure during that time, being able to instantly discern what Jesus intended, and immediately responding to it. Ordinarily, great sorrow robs men of some of their capacities. But in this hour, John was upheld by the Father. Remember that Jesus had asked God to keep His disciples while He finished the work He had been given to do (John 17:11,15). That is precisely what God is doing with John!