Bible ReadingMark 15 As soon as it was morning, having held a meeting with the elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin, the chief priests tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. Pilate questioned him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many things they’re accusing you of.” But Jesus still did not answer, and so Pilate was amazed. At the festival Pilate used to release for the people a prisoner whom they requested. There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion. The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them as was his custom. Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release the king of the Jews for you?” For he knew it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. Pilate asked them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Again they shouted, “Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. After having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.
[44:39]Isaiah 53 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him. Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds. We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not open his mouth. He was taken away because of oppression and judgment; and who considered his fate? For he was cut off from the land of the living; he was struck because of my people’s rebellion. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, but he was with a rich man at his death, because he had done no violence and had not spoken deceitfully. Yet the Lord was pleased to crush him severely. When you make him a guilt offering, he will see his seed, he will prolong his days, and by his hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished. After his anguish, he will see light and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many, and he will carry their iniquities. Therefore I will give him the many as a portion, and he will receive the mighty as spoil, because he willingly submitted to death, and was counted among the rebels; yet he bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels.
[53:57]2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
[01:12:27]Observation questions- In Mark 15, what reasons or motives show up behind Jesus being handed over to Pilate, Barabbas being released, and the crowd shouting for crucifixion? [47:05]
- What details in Isaiah 53 describe both the suffering of the servant and the fact that he submitted willingly instead of resisting? [55:14]
- In Mark 15, who are the different groups of people mocking Jesus, and what are some of the specific things they say or do to him? [01:01:37]
- According to 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, what does God do for people in Christ, and what does he then give them to do? [01:14:21]
Interpretation questions- Jesus stayed silent before Pilate even though he could have defended himself. What does that silence show about his purpose, and how does it change the way the cross is understood? [49:46]
- Isaiah 53 says the servant was pierced for rebellion, crushed for iniquities, and punished so that peace could be given. What does that teach about what sin deserves and what Jesus was carrying on the cross? [54:34]
- Jesus was mocked by soldiers, religious leaders, passersby, and even criminals, yet he did not come down from the cross. What does that reveal about the kind of love that held him there? [01:03:02]
- 2 Corinthians 5 says reconciled people are ambassadors for Christ. What should that word “ambassadors” mean in real church life and ordinary daily life? [01:15:22]
Application questions- Salvation costs the believer nothing, but it was unimaginably costly for Jesus. Where has gratitude for grace grown thin or casual in life lately, and what might it look like to remember the cost of the cross more intentionally this week? [01:10:19]
- Jesus was not driven by comfort, self-protection, or public approval. Where is there a temptation right now to choose comfort over obedience, or convenience over faithfulness? [01:08:06]
- The crowd was easy to stir, and the religious leaders were driven by envy and blindness. In what settings is it easiest to be shaped by other voices instead of by Christ—friends, family, politics, social media, workplace pressure? How can that be recognized sooner? [48:19]
- Reconciled people have been given the ministry of reconciliation. Who is one person in life right now that needs to hear “be reconciled to God,” and what might a faithful first step toward that person look like? [01:18:00]
- The church is not the bread of life; it is a group of beggars pointing other beggars to where the bread is. What helps keep a person humble in evangelism, and what tends to make a person silent or proud instead? [01:18:10]
- Christ’s righteousness is counted to sinners through the great exchange. When guilt, shame, or old patterns keep coming back, what helps a believer live from Christ’s righteousness instead of from self-condemnation? [01:14:52]
- The love of God must be prioritized, and other loves often compete with it. What competing priorities are most likely to choke spiritual growth right now, and what would it look like to put them in their proper place? [01:25:04]
