Slices
Prepare
Jesus said, ‘You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that’ (John 1:50). Why do you believe in Jesus?
Bible passage
The crucifixion of Jesus
21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means ‘the place of the skull’). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.
27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!’ 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. ‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.’ Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
Explore
‘Seeing is believing’ goes the old saying. The reality is that it’s not always so. Over and over we are tricked by the lens of a camera or the illusionist who appears to do one thing, while doing something else. Truth is not just what we can see.
Here Jesus had pre-empted the mockers (vs 29–32; John 2:19). In Capernaum he said: ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders … you will never believe’ (John 4:48). To the crowd who asked, ‘What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you?’ (John 6:30), Jesus replied, ‘You have seen me and still you do not believe’ (John 6:36). Yet still, like those earlier doubters, the mockers at the cross demand actual proof. Jesus died to the sound of their insults.
Two thousand years later, however, we have not seen Jesus but still believe and are blessed (John 20:29). More than that, we love him (1 Peter 1:8)! Have we been tricked? No, we see beyond the insults to the crucified Jesus who was raised to life. His silence challenges us: can our faith ride over the mockery of doubters?
Respond
‘Lord, in my blindness, help me to see your truth and your glory in the inglorious and scathing insults which you bore on the cross. For the sake of your own name. Amen.’
Deeper Bible study
Pray for a stillness of contemplation as we arrive at the cross.
When Mark arrives at the cross, he tells the story with the minimum of words and does not concentrate on the awful reality of crucifixion. There are two things that seem to have priority for him. One is the fulfilment of the Scriptures and the other the continuing insults directed at Jesus. The words and actions reflect Psalm 22; in verse 34 exact words from the psalm are quoted by Jesus himself. This underlines the fact that all that is happening to Jesus is not just the random actions of hostile people, but according to what God’s ‘power and will had decided beforehand should happen’.1
While the psalm assures us of the working out of God’s purposes, we still see the deeds of people responsible for their actions. Simon stands out as the conscripted cross-bearer. The unexpected mention of his sons’ names would seem to indicate that they were known to some of Mark’s readers. It is lovely to think that the family of the forced cross-bearer become followers of the crucified. On the positive side we also have the anonymous person who offered the drugged wine to minister to the pain of Jesus. The other characters are opponents, who taunt him. People passing by hurling insults remind us of the treatment of Jerusalem in Lamentations 1:12. Here is the king suffering on behalf of Israel. There is no repentant thief2 in Mark’s story: just more abuse.
The ironic content of the taunting is the call for Jesus to save himself. Here is the paradox of what is happening. Rather than Jesus being disqualified as a Saviour by his inability to save himself, it is this self-giving that will lead to the salvation of others. We believe not because he came down from the cross, but because he remained there.
Give thanks for all that Jesus achieved for us by not coming down from the cross.
1 Acts 4:28 2 Cf Luke 23:40–42
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Joshua 23,24; Romans 15
Pray for Scripture Union
Last autumn, development worker Geoff Brown worked with a church in Northumberland to run a new popup Lifepath event. The feedback from the school and volunteers has been very positive. Please pray for wisdom about how best to develop this and how we might work with other churches to roll it out in their area.
