Sermon Notes – Jesus: The Suffering Savior

Jesus: The Suffering Savior, Mark 15:16-39
J. Josh Smith, MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church, attended March 28, 2010

Molokai, a leper colony in the Hawaiian Islands, had no minister for seven years before Father Damien. He began his sermon one Sunday with the words, “We lepers.” After twelve years with them he had contracted the disease. He died in his early forties.

God came to where we were and lived among us. He took upon Himself our disease. (Isaiah 53:1-12)

His suffering was not just physical. It was also spiritual, emotional, relational and psychological. It encompassed all human spheres of existence. The suffering He endures is the suffering we deserve. He isn’t suffering because of His sin, but ours. What will you thus do with this Jesus? Will you, like the centurion in this text, acknowledge Him as God and King?

1. The humiliation of Christ – Mark 15:16-32

Mark tells of the scourging and the crown of thorns. He mentions the beating of Jesus. He also mentions that He was unable to carry the cross. He says, “…they brought Him…”, implying that He couldn’t go on His own. He was physically spent, almost to the point of death. Then He was crucified.

Mark communicates all of this in a terse, matter-of-fact way. He doesn’t provide much detail on the physical suffering. It is almost as if it is a secondary issue. He was communicating to people who were going to understand this so there isn’t an overriding reason to provide much detail. Perhaps a greater reason that he doesn't provide much detail, however, is that we are often overwhelmed with the physical and stop there. Mark may be trying to tell us that the most painful suffering isn’t physical.

Mark is trying to communicate the humiliation of Christ by everyone – it was public. He was mocked while naked (complete humiliation). They put a sign above His head while they hurled (meaning to “throw them up” to Jesus) abuse while the crowd was laughing. The passersby, the religious leaders (entertaining themselves rather than being with the crowds) and those crucified with Him all participated in the humiliation.

The truly painful thing was that those hurling abuse, mocking and humiliating were the ones He loved. Could there be a worse kind of humiliation than from those you love? If He were to save Himself then He couldn’t save them.

2. The abandonment of Jesus – Mark 15:33-36

The “cup” of suffering was the wrath of God. He knew the physical suffering was coming. It was the separation from His loving Father that was the most painful. Mark 15:34 was His darkest moment. He was isolated and separated from all the intimacy He had experienced in eternity past because He was taking on the sin of the world. His abandonment leads to our adoption.

Think of all the heartache, pain, and sleepless nights you have experienced because of your sin and because of other’s sin. God is placing all of that upon Jesus Christ. He is taking the wrath, the death, the punishment and the pain that we deserve. God is demonstrating His righteous judgment. He cannot tolerate sin. He is also demonstrating His great love, at the same time.

Sin is man substituting himself for God. Salvation is God substituting himself for man.

Sin is man putting himself where God deserves to be. Salvation is God putting Himself where man deserves to be.

Sin is man claiming the authority that only belongs to God. Salvation is God accepting punishment that only belongs to man.

Mark 15:33 is an outward symbol of the internal darkness Jesus is experiencing.

We are often unmoved by this because we don’t understand the sweet fellowship of God – but Jesus does. He also understands the suffering that those who don’t know about that fellowship will experience.

They walk by Him and don’t have a clue. No one seems to get it. So it is today.

3. The death of Christ – Mark 15:37-39

Mark 15:37 is not so much a conclusion as an introduction to two miraculous events in Mark 15:38-39. It isn’t the end of the story but the beginning of a new story.

Mark 15:38 is not a symbol or a metaphor but a physical reality. Anyone in the temple at the time would have seen this. Only one person could go into the holy of holies and then only once a year. A person couldn’t just walk in or they would die. Hebrews 9:11-12 shows us the reason for this miraculous event. He paid for sins once and for all! It is open to everyone now if they come through Christ.

Mark 15:39 shows us another profound miracle. We don’t know anything about this soldier. He was probably a part of the mocking and scourging before. He was right in front of Jesus and something made him realize this was God in the flesh. The phrase, “Son of God” has not been uttered by another human being in all of Mark until this time. Mark mentions it in Mark 1:1 and the demons say it in Mark 3:11 but no human has acknowledged his true identity yet. It is at the cross that Jesus is revealed for who He is by this man. Someone finally sees Him for who He is, as we all must – at the cross. There is no salvation apart from the cross of Jesus Christ.

He tells us that on the cross the Son was abandoned by the Father because of our sin.

He tells us that on the cross God initiated a relationship with us.

He tells us that on the cross alone is the place we find salvation.

There is no escape, no forgiveness and no relationship with God outside of Christ and every person who wants to come to Him must bow down at the foot of the cross in humble admission that they deserve to be there and to acknowledge, and receive, His death as payment for their sin.

The sad reality of Mark 15, however, is that the vast majority of people will reject Jesus as failed and humiliated.

There are many reminders of this suffering throughout scripture, specifically Hebrews 12:3 and 1 Peter 4:13-14.

NOTE: These are my notes, taken as I listened to the sermon live. Any errors, misunderstandings or misinterpretations are my responsibility entirely and not the fault of the preacher.