Prepare – Mark 15:21-41 (Friday)
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. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. 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, come down from the cross and save yourself!” 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! 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.
Devotional
After the arrest Thursday evening, from what we can tell from scripture, Jesus went through 6 trials starting at 1:30 am lasting until 9:00 am. By this point, everyone, including His own disciples, had abandoned Him. He heard the words shouted at the trials – “Crucify Him!” Remember, just five days ago, He heard the words “Hosanna” which meant – “Please, save us!” The irony of it all is that the week began by Jesus being questioned for who He was and now it was ending with the same questions. “Are you or aren’t you who you claim to be?” This passage reminds us of all that Jesus had to go through, not only for us but the entire human race. It’s true – our sin is what nailed Him to the cross. On this day, He suffered and died, making it possible for all to receive eternal forgiveness of sins.
Let’s not rush through this week untouched by the Savior. The hope that we have today is only because of cross. As Tony Compollo once said, “IT’S FRIDAY – BUT SUNDAY IS COMING!” Today we mourn the cross and Sunday we will celebrate the resurrection!
~ Pastor Andy Veith
Praise
Watch and listen to “You Were On The Cross” by Matt Maher and “Is He Worthy?” by Andrew Peterson.
