Previous messages by Rev. B. A. Shields found here
Gospel of Mark
Part 87: Death and Burial of Jesus
By Rev. Bruce A. Shields
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SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
Mark 15:21-32 “And when the sixth hour came [noon], darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour [3 p.m.]. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 35 And when some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Look, He is calling for Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.” 37 And Jesus, uttering a loud cry, breathed His last. 38 And the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
40 And there were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome, 41 who, when He was in Galilee, were following Him and serving Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.
42 And when evening had already come, because it was Preparation for the Sabbath day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent Sanhedrin Council member, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 And Pilate wondered if He had died by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He already died. 45 And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 And when Joseph had bought a linen cloth and took Him down, he wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He had been laid.”
INTRODUCTION
It is Friday, the week of Passover. Our verses begin at the sixth hour, which is noon. By this time Jesus has been on the cross for three hours.
This followed a night and morning of torture and ridicule. But three hours on that cross at noon was not the end of it for Jesus. He would not relinquish His spirit to the Father until the Nineth hour, 3:00 p.m.
This makes six agonizing hours upon the cross in suffering, pain, and shame as onlookers ridiculed and mocked our Lord and Savior.
Today we will examine the verses of the death and burial of Jesus Christ.
I. THE DEATH OF JESUS
a. Darkness upon all the land
i. Lasting from the sixth hour (noon) until the nineth hour (3 p.m.)
ii. What could the significance of this event portray?
1. A sign of mourning
2. A sign of judgment
3. A veil covering the shame of the crucifixion
iii. Yes. There are ancient historical writings outside the Bible that describe an extraordinary darkness or solar eclipse during the period of Jesus' crucifixion.
1. Two ancient historians, Thallus and Phlegon of Tralles
2. Neither were Christian
3. Phlegon was a Greek chronicler who wrote of an extraordinary eclipse during the reign of Emperor Tiberius, which was when Jesus was crucified.
a. Preserved in Jerome's Chronicle, describes an eclipse during the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, approximately AD 32–33.
b. It reports that an eclipse occurred approximately at noon, and an earthquake occurred in Bithynia, damaging buildings in Nicea.
4. Thallus recorded a historical record that the Christian historian Julius Africanus said, “This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun.”
5. This was recorded by many, including the Romans, because it was not a normal seasonal eclipse.
iv. Remember, Passover occurs around a full moon. A natural eclipse can only occur during a new moon.
v. The gospel of Mark records approximately 3 hours of darkness.
vi. A natural eclipse only lasts minutes. NASA records indicate a maximum duration of 7 ½ minutes at any location.
· Julius Africanus, Chronography, Fragment XVIII, preserved by George Syncellus. Read the ancient text.
· Phlegon of Tralles, Chronicles, fragment preserved in Jerome's Chronicle. Read Jerome's account.
· Origen, Against Celsus, Book II, Chapter 33. Read Origen's testimony.
· Tertullian, Apology, Chapter 21. Read Tertullian's argument.
· N. P. L. Allen, “Thallus and Phlegon: Solar Eclipse in Jerusalem c. 33 CE?” Akroterion 63 (2018). Read the scholarly examination.
b. The cry of agony
“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Mark 15:34
i. The first complete printed Bible with numbered chapters and verses was the Latin Bible translated by Santes Pagnino in 1528. However, its verse divisions differed from those used today.
ii. The 1560 Geneva Bible was the first complete English Bible to use the chapter and verse numbering system familiar to modern readers.
iii. Before this, believers would say the first verse to indicate a section of scripture they were referring to.
1. Which is how we get the names of the books of the original five books of Moses, from the first verse.
2. Genesis = Bereshit = in the beginning
3. Exodus = Shemot = Names
4. Leviticus = Vayikra = and He called
5. Deuteronomy = Devarim = words
iv. Same with Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes
So why did Jesus say “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” in Mark 15:34?
1. Because He wanted those who could hear to know He was referring to the proverbial expression of distress from Psalm 22:1
v. This is not to imply or deny there was real anguish that Jesus was experiencing. But His cry expresses what Psalm 22 expresses, beginning with bitter despair and ending with supreme confidence.
vi. Jesus was expressing His trust that God will intervene and ultimately vindicate Him.
c. The mockery and sympathy
i. The mockery continues throughout His suffering
ii. Yet one offers a gesture of sympathy…a sponge full of sour wine
d. The death
i. Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last
“Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Luke 23:46
ii. He “yielded up” His spirit, revealing a voluntary death – Matthew 27:50
e. The curtain of the sanctuary
i. The veil in the temple torn in two, from top to bottom (Mark 15:38)
ii. This is of symbolic significance. From top (heaven) to bottom (earth)
1. God’s doing
iii. The veil which once separated the Holy place and the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies) indicates God removed the barrier putting an end to the Old Covenant, and its fulfillment with the beginning of the New Covenant – Hebrews 10:19-20
f. The centurion
i. Observing the manner in which Jesus died, confessed faith in Jesus.
Mark 15:38-39 “And the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
There are three confessions one can make, but only the third will save you
Believe Jesus exists and claims to be Lord, but reject His lordship. (Judas, who addressed Jesus as Teacher but never truly submitted to Him.)
Believe Jesus exists and recognize that He is Lord, but refuse to submit to His authority in obedience. (The demons, who know who God is but remain in rebellion against Him. “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” James 2:19)
Believe in Jesus, acknowledge Him as Lord, and willingly submit to His authority through faith and obedience. (A genuine Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ.) “If you love Me, you will keep My commands.” John 14:15
1. Are those who do not love Jesus going to have their names in the Lamb's Book of Life?
2. Are those who do not love Jesus going to spend eternity with Him? Of course not.
3. So do not say you are a Christian, or you love Jesus, if you do not strive to be obedient to Him.
ii. We do not know if the centurion had faith like the demons and remained in rebellion, or if He truly loved Jesus.
g. The ministering women
i. Looking from afar
1. Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her sister – John 19:25
2. Mary Magdalene
3. Mary (wife of Clopas), mother of James the Less and Joses – Matthew 27:56
4. Salome, the mother os Zebedee’s sons (James and John)
5. And many others (John 19:25)
ii. Women who had followed Jesus and ministered to Him in Galilee (Luke 8:1-3) and had come with Him to Jerusalem.
II. THE BURIAL OF JESUS
a. The time of burial
i. Mark 15:42 “…when evening had come…”
ii. The preparation day refers to the day before the Sabbath.
iii. What day is the Sabbath? Saturday. This took place the day before the Sabbath on preparation day. Therefore, this all takes place on Friday. So says Scripture.
1. Sorry, Kent Hovind, you have a lot of great messages; however, you are incorrect to say the crucifixion did not take place on Friday, because Scripture says it does.
b. The request for the body of Jesus
i. The request is made by Joseph of Arimathea (which is the city of Samuel)
1. He was a prominent member of the council (the Sanhedrin)
2. He was a rich man (Matthew 27:57) who had become a disciple of Jesus, and was awaiting the kingdom of God.
3. Though he was a disciple of Jesus, he was so in secret because of his fear of the Jews (Matthew 27:57; John 19:38)
ii. Together with Nicodemus (John 19:38)
1. Who was the ruler of the Jews who came to Jesus by night in John 3:1-2
2. He was also a member of the Sanhedrin (John 7:50)
3. He brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes
c. The burial
i. The body was wrapped in fine linens
ii. P.s. Scripture reveals to us why the shroud of Turin is fake
1. Firstly, God does not want any “relics” because people will end up worshipping them instead of Him
a. The Roman Catholic church has many relics that are paraded around for them to kiss and bow to, most of which are probably fake as well.
b. This is a form of idol worship which is forbidden by God.
2. Secondly, scientifically speaking, there are several differences between scripture and the Shroud of Turin.
a. Scripture states Jesus was wrapped in linen wrappings, not covered with a sheet. (John 19:40)
b. John describes plural wrappings and that Jesus was bound with them.
c. Jesus had a separate cloth covering His face (John 20:6-7)
d. The shroud has the face and body on one big sheet
e. John 11:44 confirms a distinction between the body wrappings and the face cloth.
f. Also, neither Peter nor John are recorded as seeing any image on the linen wrappings when they entered the empty tomb in Luke 24:12; John 20:5-8…seems like it would have been an important detail.
And for those who do not take the word of God for evidence, in 1988, three independent laboratories examined samples of the Turin cloth. Their results, published in Nature in 1989, dated the linen to approximately 1260–1390 AD, more than 1,200 years after Jesus' crucifixion.
3. We do not need relics, idols, or anything other than God’s Word to believe. Those things have been used through the centuries as “proof” for those with weak faith, and for control and manipulation of God’s people.
4. This is why it is imperative you read the Word of God daily, so you will not be led astray with theatrics, performances, false teachings, or by heretics preaching another gospel than the one given to us in the word of God.
CONCLUSION
Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, gave His life for our sins and was buried. However, the story is not over yet. Next we will examine His resurrection from the dead.
FINAL THOUGHT
Until then, remember what we have learned from His death
Hebrews 12:2-3 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary, fainting in heart.’
1 Peter 2:21-25 “For to this you have been called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps, 22 who did no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 who being reviled, was not reviling in return; while suffering, He was uttering no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously. 24 Who Himself carried our sins in His body on the tree, so that having died to sin, we might live to righteousness; by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
What exactly did His “wounds” from the cross heal us from?
Matthew 1:21 “…and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
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