Mark 15:16-32
We order His steps (vs 16-20) We dictate His possessions (vs 21-24) We require His obedience (vs 25-32)
I really don't mean to be controversial with this sermon title. I mean to be accurate. I mean to shine a light upon this reality: That mankind, at this point in time, was handed to them power, from no other source than God Himself, to do with Christ as they saw fit. The application of this is quite apparent. That even in this day that we live in, we have each been handed power, from no other source than God Himself, to do with Christ as we see fit.
For despite the best efforts of man to destroy Christ, to rid the world of Him, He still is. He remains to be the point of division between those within God's favor and those who are condemned.
You recall, He was crucified between two robbers, one who died in his sins, and one who was promised paradise. And there is Christ between them.
We also see in scripture a great divide on judgment day, a group to Christ's left and a group to His right. To those on the left He proclaims one judgment, and to the group on His right another. But once again, it is Christ who is central, who is the border, who is the fulcrum, who is the dividing point.
When man was given opportunity by God, to do with Christ as they pleased, they found that He didn't measure up (for whatever reasons) and they ordered His steps, they dictated what he was given and what he lost, and they required His obedience if they were to repent of the way they were treating Him.
You may say, "Preacher, of course Christ measures up, He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God." And the preacher says to you, "That's the same person who was crucified by man. His Divinity was never placed aside, not then, and not now."
In other words, if our actions line up with the actions of those who measured up Christ and found Him lacking, than it really doesn't matter what flaps from our lips, our actions speak the truth, even when our words spew deceit. In fairness, we may even fool ourselves sometimes, and the truth we would speak, if we only knew it.
I would like to think that I wouldn't be one of the ones condemning Christ, nor torturing Him, nor mocking Him, nor ordering His steps, or dictating what He can have or what He loses, or placing any kind of requirement on Him (or a precondition) before I would acknowledge He is the Son of God (both through words AND action), but don't we all have a natural tendency to quickly accuse others and overlook (or justify) ourselves? That's why talk is often cheap.
Pilate found no fault in Him, but after measuring Him up, Pilate found his life wasn't worth sparing either. The religious leaders measured Him up, and found He didn't meet their requirements of the Messiah. The townspeople, about the same, they joined the chorus, "Crucify Him." They measured Christ up against Barrabbas, and found Barrabbas to be worth releasing back into society instead of Christ. The guards in the Praetorium measured up Christ and decided at best He was the king of the lowly Jews and that didn't amount to much of nothing, any praise they gave Him was in mockery.
I think we have fully established that Christ didn't measure up, at least not by their standard of measure. Perhaps it was the standard that was off, and not the One being measured! Makes no difference, in their view, Christ didn't measure up, so...
They ordered His steps. "The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace.... Then they led him out to crucify Him."
Although in the past, many opportunities were sought by mankind to lead Jesus where they wished to lead Him, and to lay hands upon Him, and to do with Him as they will, this was their first success. Before Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, when He surrendered to His enemies, their was no man, no government, no power, that dictated His path.
Here we see that Christ was not choosing where He went, or when, but He was "led to the palace" and "led out to be crucified." For what Christ did when He surrendered to man, was to allow them to 'measure Him up' and they could decide for themselves what they would do with Him. Any time before this, they couldn't touch Him. For, "His time had not yet come."
It seems strange that the Son of God would be lead by man. That the One who created would yield to the created. That the One who is from eternity past, would remain alive and among them, or depart through death from among them at their discretion. It seems to me that the Christ should be the leader and they should be the ones who follow. It is unwise to just follow anyone. Perhaps they measured up the Christ, and in their estimation He was found wanting. So instead of following Him, they ordered His steps, and led Him to Calvary, the place of the skull.
I don't want you to think that these men were totally heartless. Our next section gives us some insight into the compassion of mankind, even when the Son of God doesn't measure up. For mankind was given power to dictate His possessions. What He kept, what He lost, what He received.
One bit of compassion (perhaps) he received was some assistance carrying the cross that was possibly fifteen feet long and eight feet wide. I choose to give them the benefit of the doubt in this act of generosity. For after they measured up Christ, they didn't initially grant such a helping hand. But now they do. It may have been simply a selfish gift. Perhaps Christ was buckling under the weight of the cross, weakened by the loss of blood, maybe He just wasn't moving fast enough. These men had lives, families, responsibilities at home, maybe a child who needed to be picked up from daycare, or perhaps night-classes to further their education, they didn't have time to wait on this clown who didn't measure up. So since He didn't move fast enough for them, they conscripted someone who was strong and whose body wasn't torn.
Or maybe it was compassion. A helping hand the politician's way. You know, forcing someone else to do the work or make the sacrifice, then taking the credit for being compassionate.
Either way, they dictated what He possessed. Whether help, or no help.
Then, before they crucified Him, He was offered wine mixed with myrrh. Myrrh was a bitter herb, the wine was of the strong type. It was a stupefying liquor that would to some measure deaden the brain and the senses. You have been beaten, you have been scourged to the bone, you have had a crown of thorns pounded into your head with rods, you are so torn you are no longer recognizable as human, how about a drink to ease your pains? This was yet another display of the compassion of mankind, even to a God who apparently didn't measure up.
His clothing was taken from Him. They chose what He kept and what He was no longer allowed to possess. He created the lambs that provided the wool to make the garments, but somehow they felt that such things didn't necessarily merit His continual ownership. Dividing up His clothes, they cast lots, they gambled to determine the new owners.
The last thing I will note about the men to whom God gave power to chose for themselves what they will do with Christ, is they required His obedience in order to repent of their treatment of Him. "Come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe."
Knowing what I know of Who this was that they were speaking of, I find this a most ridiculous request. It doesn't even make sense. Not because it does not fit in God's plan, the Plan that was established firmly before the foundation of the world, that the Son of Man would suffer and die for the sins of the world, no, what is ridiculous is the arrogance of mankind to require the obedience of the Son of God, before they will repent.
I know some of you have served in the military, or police, or in some capacity are familiar with rank and with authority. The best way I can come close to describing this scene is with this analogy:
I was a private once. Not the opposite of 'public' but the opposite of 'rank' or of authority in military service. The lowest on the totem pole. The only thing lower was recruit, and in boot camp I was told that even worm castings outrank a recruit. So you don't get very much lower. But imagine as a private, the lowest of ranks, you see before you a five star general. Well, you're not even sure their is such thing as a five star general, so you approach said 5 star general and you strike up a conversation.
You say, "If you are a five star general, then do what I command in order to prove it, then, and only then, will I listen to you." Those of you who have had military service, I can probably describe your symptoms, that is, if you pictured yourself as that lowly private. Your hands and feet are now sweating, your gut is in a knot, there's terror in your eyes, for you would never dream of being that intellectually deficient. A nervous fear came upon you, for you know that if wrath comes, you will not prevail. You are totally at the mercy of the one who has power to jail you, or worse. In wartime, it could mean death.
But here, these men who measured up God's Messiah and found Him not measuring up, they command Him to come down from the cross in order to prove He is the One in charge.
"If You are the Christ, obey us!" "If You are the Christ, Do as we say!" "If You are the Christ, bow to our demands!" "If You are God's Chosen, and Your miracles are not works of Beelzebub then save yourself!"
In Matthew's Gospel it documents even more. They say, "He trusts in God, Let God rescue him now if He wants Him." So now they command the Father! Who is the blasphemer? Who is the arrogant pile of donkey trash that thinks he can command God, or the Son of God, or even the lowest of the heavenly hosts? "If you are real, obey me!" "God, if You are real, obey me!" Jesus, if you are real, do what I command you to do!"
Let me close this out by saying, when it comes to Christ, they measured wrong. The measure of Christ is beyond their ability to measure. You know the remainder of this story, and we have not yet seen the culmination in it's fullness, but rest assured (or unrest assured), the One who didn't measure up in the eyes of Pilate, or in the eyes of Judas, or in the eyes of the Roman soldiers or the Jewish leaders, He measures up fine.
The real question is, since it has been given to Christ, all authority to measure up each individual soul, will you be placed on His left or on His right? Is He worthy? Is Christ the Lord or not? Let's leave the words out of this.
Do you order His steps? When to come and when to go? How far or how close? When He is welcome in your life and when He must step aside and make room? Do you order His movements, to limit or to rush? In your life, in your church, in your family, in your prayers?
Do you dictate His possessions? What He can have of yours and what He can't. What He can take possession of? Do you dictate the gifts you give to Him? Perhaps you crucify Him all week long, but then you attend church on Sunday and think it compassionate of you to offer Him the stupefying liquor of hypocrisy... once tasting what it was He spit it out and refused it?
Do you require His obedience? That He should do "such and such" before you bow your life to Him? Such are the actions of those that have measured up the Son of God and found Him unworthy to lead, unworthy to possess, and unworthy to follow.
The last verse in our text says, "Those crucified with him also heaped insults on Him." Both of them. Both of them. Both of them measured up Christ and mocked Him. But we know one of them had a change of heart. One of them took a second look, was granted a second chance, and one of them stopped the cursing and declared Christ's innocence. And then, without even knowing the "sinners prayer," simply said, "Remember me when You come into Your kingdom."
God has relinquished to you the power to do what you will with His Son. Order His steps. Dictate what He can have and what He must do without, demand all that you want from Him in trade for your acknowledgement of His Lordship.
He has placed this power directly in your hands. This One who suffered for you, this One who died for you, this one who rose for you, is He your King?
Make Him your King. Let Him order your steps. Let Him have all that you possess and be satisfied with all that He provides for You. Don't require of Him obedience, require of yourself allegiance. And be found on that last day, to be washed in the blood. Your mind in constant renewal of thought, your heart in process of conformity to His heart, and your life a glowing testimony of His presence abiding within you. In the end, there's no other measurement that matters. Who is Christ to you?
