Mark 15:16-20

New King James Version

And when they had mocked Him…They led Him out to crucify Him.

For Meditation

The crowd asked for a murderer instead of Christ, the righteous One. Pilate vacillated, torn between truth and public opinion, and released Jesus for crucifixion (Mk. 15:15). What took place after that was a mockery of unimaginable proportions.

See the Savior in the hands of the company of Roman soldiers in the Praetorium, how they maltreated Him. Dressed in a purple robe, a staff in his right hand, and a crown on His head, they mocked Him. What crown fits Him but that of thorns, the produce of the curse of the ground after Eden’s catastrophe (Gen. 3:17-18)? They mocked and spat on Him, hitting Him on the head with the crown of thorns. How cruel, but why did Jesus accept such suffering when He could have easily walked away?

Contemplate how His disciples deserted Him in Gethsemane. Picture the young man fleeing for his life, naked with no shame. In a feeble display of bravado, see how Peter cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant but trailed at a distance when they led Jesus to the high priest’s court and finally hid among the crowd around the campfire. Three times, Peter would deny knowing the Master he pledged to die for. Yet Jesus continued through all the suffering and pain up to the cross. Why?

They lifted and hung Him between two convicted criminals, displaying His shame and humiliation to the world. Even there, as He cried in thirst, gasping for breath, and stretched with His bones on display (Psa. 22:14-18), the soldiers divided His clothes and cast lots for them (Mk. 15:21).

The crowd and passersby joined in the mockery, and the chief priests and other officials also taunted Him. However, what is truly unbelievable is the audacity of one of the two criminals they crucified with Him, who mocked the King of Glory! (Lk. 23:39). So, I ask again, what kept Him there? Why did Christ take it in stride?

Consider the women of Galilee who followed and cared for Jesus. They stood with Him to the end, their loyalty unwavering, while the men had gone into hiding except for John (Jn. 19:26-27).

Ask yourself. Would Christ have died looking to them or us for appreciation and support? What if He had not looked to the Father and set the joy of His satisfaction before Him (Hebrews 12:2)? If His love were not so “wide and long and high and deep…that surpasses understanding” (Eph. 3: 18-19), where would we have been right now and our eternal state? So, you ask, what kept Him there?

LOVE, my friend! The demonstration of God’s love for us sinners (Rom. 5:8).

Only when we remind ourselves of these extreme sacrifices of our Savior, can we appreciate and worship Him acceptably. Let us, therefore, give our all to Him in worship, for He is most worthy.

Pray with Me

Father, we acknowledge your Son’s unbelievable sacrifices to put Himself on the cross for our salvation. Help us focus on Him alone with the joy that sustained Him to the end, so we, too, will endure.