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Return to Mockery at the Cross Series Return to Wed. Night Bible Study Implications
of Mark 15:16-32 “Mockery at the
Cross”
On Sunday mornings, we have been journeying through the Gospel of Mark.
In recent weeks we’ve examining what happened on the cross.
In the past two weeks our focus has been on the mockery
Jesus endured at the cross. It’s
been quite a stirring subject to ponder.
But we have a predicament on Sunday mornings.
The Sunday morning sermon is by design a message of proclamation.
Truth is preached. It's
basically one-way communication.
Yet quite often, as we study it, God's Word raised questions.
"What does that mean?" "Why
does it say that?" "How
does that apply practically to my life?"
And we can't stop in the middle of Sunday morning message, and deal with
those important questions. True, we
should investigate them further on our own.
But there's another way we can help.
Tonight, I’d like for us to go deeper, to consider the implications
of Mark 15:16-32. Our approach
will be:
1. A Quick Overview of the
previous study (5 minutes)
2. Discuss questions that the
study raised (25 minutes)
a. Questions to clarify:
What does it mean?
b. Questions to apply:
What difference should this make in my life? A
Quick Review: Main
Idea: We see four acts of mockery at
the cross in Mark 15:16-32. I.
We saw mock worship (16-20). II.
We saw mock concern (21-24). III.
We see mock lip-service to His Word (25-30).
A. They mocked Jesus with
written words (25-27).
B. They mocked Jesus with
spoken words (29-30). IV.
We see a mock profession of faith (31-32).
A. They misunderstood
spirituality.
B. They misunderstood
Christ’s identity.
C. They misunderstood
salvation.
D. They misunderstood the
cross.
E. They misunderstood faith. The
Bottom Line: The cross is
pride-shattering. Discussion
Questions I’ve
suggested that the mockery at the cross supports the following premise. Premise:
People say what they say and do what they do because of what they are
thinking and wanting in their hearts. Let’s
examine the account by asking probing questions.
Some of the questions are for purposes of clarification, others for
application. [Read through all the
questions before beginning to answer them one by one] 1.
I’ve suggested that the Roman soldiers’ actions in verses 16-24
illustrate the depravity of man. Let’s
explore this a.
What kind of men were these soldiers? b.
How did they view Jesus and His crucifixion?
i.e. What were they thinking? c.
How and why did they mock Jesus? i.e.
What were they wanting? d.
How do their actions illustrate depravity? e.
What is the solution for depravity? Use
the Bible to support your answer. f.
In what way are we like the soldiers? g.
Why is it important for us to understand the doctrine of sin? 2.
Pilate ordered the soldiers to place a sign on Jesus’ cross. a.
Why did Pilate give the order? i.e.
What was he thinking? The
soldiers? b.
What was the significance of the sign?
c.
How was the sign an evidence of the Joseph-saying in Genesis 50, “You
meant it for evil, but God meant it for good”? 3.
Jesus was taunted by two groups at the cross, first by those walking by
the cross in verse 29, and then by the chief priests and teachers of the law in
verse 31. a.
How were their taunts similar,
and how were they different? b.
What thinking in the minds of
the first group motivated them to taunt Jesus? c.
What thinking in the minds of
the second group did so? d.
Both groups told Jesus to come down
from the cross! Was this a real
temptation to Jesus? See Hebrews
2:18 & 4:15 e.
Why did Jesus stay on the cross? There
are several reasons. f.
What do we learn from Jesus’ example here about how to overcome
temptation? 4.
The cross reveals how much God hates our sin.
How so? 5.
Suppose your non-Christian neighbor, who has very little understanding of
Scripture, asked you, "Why did Jesus die on the cross?
What made His death different from the death of other great men?
What is it that makes the cross so significant for you Christians, 2000
years after the fact?" How
would you answer? |