Mark 15:16-20

5th Midweek Lenten service

March 25, 2009

Mark 15:16-20 (New International Version)

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

¹⁶The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. ¹⁷They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. ¹⁸And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" ¹⁹Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. ²⁰And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

LORD, FORGIVE THEM FOR OUR MOCKERY OF YOU!

Over the last several years there has been an ongoing debate about the use of torture while interrogating enemy combatants. We’ve heard a lot about things like “water boarding.” I’m not sure what all is involved, but apparently the prisoner is laid out on a board and you start pouring water on the prisoner’s face. The sensation you try to create is that he is going to drown and in that way force him to talk. We don’t like to hear about such things, because we usually associate torture with evil regimes, like Nazi Germany or Imperialist Japan from W.W.II, or people like Saddam Hussein.

But the one question that often makes us sit up and rethink the morality of torture is “the ticking time bomb” question. In other words, what if a prisoner has information about a bomb that is about to go off and if you don’t get that information many people are going to die? Under those circumstances of trying to save lies, torture seems not only permissible but the right thing to do.

No one would ever suggest that the torture Jesus endured at the hands of his enemies was justified. It wasn’t. Evil men committed the most terrible crime in the history of the world, yes, even more heinous than the attack on 9/11. And tonight we are going to look at the torture and be reminded that even though it was an evil act, the torture Jesus endured was necessary to save lives. As we consider that event recorded in Mark, we need to pray LORD, FORGIVE THEM FOR OUR MOCKERY OF YOU!

Let’s hear from Mark’s gospel the horrible torture and mockery Jesus endured at the hands of his enemy “16The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" 19Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.”

Whenever prisoners are tortured, usually the goal is to get a confession out of him. The picture that comes to my mind is a criminal sitting under a hot light and a barrage of all kinds of confusing questions and then, maybe, a detective starts roughing him up a bit. Again, the purpose is to get a confession out of the prisoner.

As the Roman soldiers tortured Jesus, they were not doing it to get a confession out of him, but because of the things that had already been confessed about him and by him. This confession was not an admission of guilt, but a declaration of the truth. From the gospel accounts we know that Jesus remained silent before his accusers. That was in fulfillment of what Isaiah prophesied, “As a sheep is silent before her shearers so he did not open his mouth.” But there was one critical moment when Jesus did speak. As the perfect Redeemer he answered Pilate’s questions even then obeying the 4th Commandment for us. To Pilate’s question, “Are you a king then?” Jesus said, “Yes, it is as you say!” This was the cause of the mockery and torture Jesus endured. They were torturing and mocking him because of his claim to be a king.

Did you ever wonder why the Roman soldiers were so brutal when they tortured Jesus or did you ever wonder why they called the whole company of soldiers to participate in that torture? Scripture doesn't really answer that for us but remember what they had witnessed. They saw the crowds follow Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. They heard about the miracles and the accusations that he claimed to be a King, and surely they heard about the trial before the Jewish ruling council and how the people seemed to be ready to rise up in revolt if Pilate didn’t crucify this man. It was their job to keep the city safe and quiet under Roman law and to defend to the death the crown of Caesar. They must have sensed the danger and the fight that might be on their hands, all because of this one man. So it was only natural that the one, who had caused this stir and could have put them in harm’s way, would pay a price for all that trouble. So when they finally did get their hands on him and saw how “helpless” and “weak” he really was, it was an golden opportunity to show who had the real power over who lives and who dies and that there was only one king to whom they answered, Caesar.

But there was something more to this torture and mockery that Jesus endured. The real reason why this torture took place isn’t because Roman soldiers were more brutal than others or because they really did have power over Jesus. Do you remember what he told his disciples? “We are going to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him.” So you see, Jesus was mocked and tortured because he said it was going to happen.

As we watch this terrible scene it pains us to know that the Jesus we love would go through all that. Here were sinful men torturing and mocking the sinless Son of God who made heaven and earth and who had the power to send down thunderbolts to destroy them! And yet he willingly endured all. If we truly take to heart what Jesus did endure, we can hardly bear to hear how men could spit in Jesus’ face, how they pushed sharp thorns in his head, how they took a piece of hard wood and hit him again and again, and all this after the Temple guards had already beaten him to a pulp. When we think about this then we begin to grasp what Isaiah meant when he wrote, “Just as there were many who were appalled at him--his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness...he was one from whom men hide their face...” The bleeding, the swelling, the wounds! Who can stand to watch! If only we had been there to help!

We were there, but we didn’t help Jesus. We helped contribute to his suffering. Recall that God has said, “Be not deceived. God can not be mocked. A man reaps what he sows!” What have we sown? We have sown the sins of despising his claim to be our king and mockery of that claim in our lives! Are there times when we were ashamed of the teachings of the Bible? Do we ever join in the world’s laughter at the truths about creation, the God-ordained roles of husbands and wives, the teachings about closed communion? And what about the sacred assignments Jesus has given us as fathers, mothers, husbands, wives? What about our Christian duty as children and friends and fellow believers? Whenever we go at these sacred things with only half-heated or begrudging devotion, aren’t we just like the Roman soldiers who bowed before Jesus and mockingly said, “Hail, king of the Jews?” We have sown dishonor on Jesus too. We have reason to hang our heads in shame. We deserve to reap destruction in hell.

Yes, we wish we could have helped him and we know that our sins caused that mockery and torture too, but we are glad that we couldn’t help him and we are glad that his heavenly Father did not intervene. You see, the very reason he was willing to endure that mockery and that torture at the hands of his enemies is so that one day he could place a crown on our heads, not a crown of thorns but the crown of life. He endured all this so that we could be wrapped in a robe, not a purple robe of mockery, but the robe of his righteousness. He endured all this so that one day he could shower on our faces, not the spit of men but the kisses of welcome into his heavenly kingdom. He endured all this so that one day we could be struck, not with the beating of a wood on our heads, but struck with the beauty and majesty and glory of heaven! Yes, Jesus endured all this, that we might receive all that!

What shall be our response to this mockery Jesus endured for our salvation? May we honor him not just with our lips, but with a sincere heart of faith in all that he claims, and actions that are sincere in obeying all that he commands. Why after all, he is our King!