Mark 15:16-32: The Crucifixion

The soldiers led Jesus to the palace, clothed him in purple, crowned him with thorns, and mocked him saying "Hail, King of the Jews!"

They struck him, spat on him, and knelt in false homage before leading him out to crucify him.

Irony

The soldiers unknowingly proclaimed truth through their mockery.

Christ truly is King of Kings, and the crown of thorns represents what God's earthly kingdom actually looks like — suffering for sinners.

The entire scene drips with irony as everyone involved unwittingly confesses the gospel narrative.

Active vs. Passive

Jesus wasn't passively swept along by events. He remained in complete control, actively choosing to endure this suffering.

He could have called legions of angels but chose to be "a lamb led to the slaughter."

It was deliberate submission for our sake.

The Crucifixion

Simon of Cyrene was compelled to carry Jesus's cross.

The soldiers divided his garments by casting lots, fulfilling prophecy.

Jesus was crucified between two robbers while mockers demanded he save himself

Simon of Cyrene

This random man, pulled from his journey, unexpectedly bore Christ's cross.

Church history suggests he became a believer — the fact that he's named indicates the early church knew him.

The Thieves

Both likely mocked Jesus initially (in Mark's account), but one eventually recognized Jesus's innocence and asked to be remembered in his kingdom (in Luke's account).

The Central Truth

Every detail — from the crown of thorns to the divided garments — points to one reality: Christ is dying for sinners.

This is God's work of salvation.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all participated in this redemptive act.

All Good Friday preaching must return to this core truth: Jesus died for you.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Executive Director of Missions and Theology.

Contributor Eli Lietzau is the pastor at Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #jesus

Mark 15:1-15 Uncultured Saints Bible Study

Jesus Before Pilot

Pilate likely doesn't care about Jesus or Jewish religious disputes.

As a Roman proconsul dealing with occupied territory during times of insurrection, he's primarily concerned with security and Caesar's interests.

The charge against Jesus that he is claiming to be "King of the Jews" matters to him because it suggests political rebellion.

When Pilate asks if Jesus is the King of the Jews, Jesus responds, "You have said so."

This non-answer, combined with Jesus's refusal to defend himself against accusations, gradually disarms and confuses Pilate.

Pilate seems to recognize Jesus's innocence, but he likely feels politically trapped.

The Crowd

Who is the crowd? This might be the same Palm Sunday crowd, manipulated by chief priests and scribes.

These religious leaders likely gathered people early in the morning, exploiting their disappointment that Jesus failed to be the revolutionary they expected.

When Jesus doesn't overthrow Roman rule, the crowd turns against him.

Barabbas

Barabbas represents layered biblical irony.

His name literally means "son of the father," creating a striking parallel when the crowd chooses a false "son of the father" while rejecting the true Son of the Father.

Barabbas was an actual insurrectionist and murderer, the very thing they falsely accused Jesus of being.

Why is Jesus silent?

Jesus's silence fulfills Isaiah 53, where the suffering servant doesn't open his mouth.

The discussion emphasizes that Jesus simultaneously stands innocent before Pilate yet guilty before God not because he sinned, but because he took on humanity's sin.

In this section of Mark 15, the conversation highlights how God uses human schemes to accomplish divine purposes.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Executive Director of Missions and Theology.

Contributor Eli Lietzau is the pastor at Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #jesus

📖 Mark 14:53-72

Jesus Before the High Priest

Jesus is led to the high priest, where the entire council seeks testimony against Him.

There is irony throughout the passion narrative — even when trying to lie about Jesus, the accusers can't get their stories straight.

They struggle to find consistent witnesses, highlighting the mob mentality and one-upmanship among the accusers.

The temple destruction claim becomes their focus since it was publicly witnessed.

When asked if He's "the Christ, the son of the blessed," Jesus responds with "I am" — potentially the divine name (Yahweh in Greek).

He adds that they'll see "the son of man seated at the right hand of power," a clearly divine Old Testament reference.

The high priest's dramatic response — tearing his garments and crying "blasphemy" — proves that Jesus' contemporaries understood His divine claims.

This refutes arguments that Jesus never claimed to be God.

Peter's Denial

Peter's threefold denial reveals how quickly human courage crumbles.

The same disciple who promised loyalty and drew his sword now denies even knowing Jesus.

Peter represents all believers. We're sinners in need of redemption, not heroes earning salvation.

Mark (possibly influenced by Peter) intentionally includes this failure to show that apostles weren't sinless leaders but redeemed sinners.

This prevents us from viewing ourselves as superior to Peter.

Jesus' prediction of Peter's denial demonstrates divine omniscience without fatalistic predestination.

The appropriate response isn't "I would never do that" but "thanks be to God" that Christ saves sinners.

We need the gospel preached continually, not just information from a book, because we forget our identity and need as redeemed sinners daily.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Executive Director of Missions and Theology.

Contributor Eli Lietzau is the pastor at Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #jesus

📖Mark 14:32-52

➡️ Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays with deep sorrow.

“Abba, Father,” He pleads, “remove this cup from me.”

It’s a window into His full humanity.

Jesus knows what’s coming: not just the nails and thorns, but the full wrath of God.

He’ll be abandoned, crushed under judgment meant for us.

It shows that we too are allowed to bring our fears to God.

And yet, Jesus finishes with, “Not what I will, but what You will.”

Meanwhile, His disciples can’t stay awake. This isn’t just sleepiness—it may be despair.

Their bodies shut down under the weight of grief and fear.

Jesus tells them, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

➡️ Jesus is Betrayed and Arrested

Then comes Judas. The Uncultured Saints wrestle with what’s really going on with Judas.

Was it greed? Despair? Misguided hope?

Did he think Jesus would escape again and this was just a push?

He calls Jesus “Rabbi,” not “Lord” — a hint he still didn’t truly see who Jesus was.

The kiss, a sign of peace, becomes a signal of betrayal.

Whether his intentions were confused or malicious, the outcome was the same.

Judas’ betrayal triggers the arrest, yet Jesus remains in control, willingly surrendering to fulfill His mission.

➡️ A Naked Man Flees

Mark describes a young man following Jesus, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. When the crowd grabs him, he escapes by slipping out of the cloth and runs away naked.
Many believe this was Mark himself, quietly placing his own story in the margins.
A confession of fear, maybe shame — but also a witness. He was there. He saw it. And even though he ran, he still wrote it down.
Because that’s the point: Jesus didn’t run. He faced the cross — for them, for Judas, for Mark, for us.
Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Executive Director of Missions and Theology.
Contributor Eli Lietzau is the pastor at Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.
#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #jesus

📖Mark 14:22-31

➡️ Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper

Jesus gives His disciples bread and wine and declares, “This is my body” and “This is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many.”

This moment isn’t just symbolic — it’s sacramental. Jesus isn’t speaking metaphorically; He’s delivering His very body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.

As Lutherans confess, Christ is truly present in the Supper, and His gifts are given to sinners in real time. It’s not nostalgia or reenactment. It’s God working here and now.

This meal fulfills the Passover. In the OT, the Passover wasn’t just a remembrance — it was participatory. Israelites didn’t simply recall the Exodus; through the meal, they were joined to it.

Jesus brings that same reality to the Lord’s Supper. No longer are believers just remembering past salvation. In the Supper, they receive it.

Recreating Seder meals today misses the point. Clinging to the shadow when the reality is given every Sunday in the Lord’s Supper turns salvation into nostalgia instead of participation.

➡️ Jesus Predicts That Peter Will Deny Him

Immediately after this, Jesus predicts Peter’s denial.

Though Peter insists that he won’t, Jesus tells him the rooster will crow twice before he denies Him three times.

The disciples all join Peter in pledging loyalty.

This exchange shows the danger of turning Jesus’ words into challenges instead of warnings. Jesus wasn’t testing Peter — He was preparing him.

But Peter, in pride, saw it as a chance to prove himself. Like us, he wanted to be the hero. Salvation doesn’t rest on our performance — it rests on Christ.

The Lord’s Supper isn’t a ritual for the strong. It’s a gift for the weak, the scattered, and the sinful — for Peter, for you, for me.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Executive Director of Missions and Theology.

Contributor Eli Lietzau is the pastor at Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

A Bible Study of Mark 14:1-11

➡️ The Pharisees Plot to Kill Jesus

It was now two days before Passover. The chief priests and scribes sought to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him, yet feared causing an uproar during the feast.

Their need for secrecy spoke volumes — if they were truly doing God's work, why hide in darkness?

Since the beginning of Mark's gospel, they had been at odds with Jesus, looking for ways to destroy him.

Even back in chapter three, they allegedly planted a man with a withered hand in the synagogue to test if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath.

Their secretive plotting revealed their fear — not of wrongdoing, but of the people's reaction.

They were fully committed to silencing Jesus, willing to employ dangerous and evil methods.

➡️ Jesus Anointed at Bethany

While at Simon the leper's house in Bethany, a woman approached Jesus with an alabaster flask of pure nard, costly ointment worth a year's wages.

Breaking the flask, she poured it over his head.

Some became indignant, asking why such waste when it could have been sold for over 300 denarii and given to the poor.

Jesus defended her: "Leave her alone. Why trouble her?

She has done a beautiful thing.

The poor you always have with you—whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me."

He explained she had anointed his body for his coming burial.

What she did would be remembered wherever the gospel was proclaimed. (And it is!)

➡️ Judas Decides to Betray Jesus

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus.

They were glad and promised him money.

Judas sought opportunity to betray him.

The contrast is striking — the woman spent extravagantly to honor Jesus while Judas sought payment to betray him.

While some saw her act as wasteful, Jesus recognized it as faith.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Executive Director of Missions and Theology.

Contributor Eli Lietzau is the pastor at Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #jesus

➡️Mark 12:38-44

Jesus contrasts the ostentatious scribes with a poor widow's humble offering.

While wealthy individuals contribute large sums to the temple treasury, the widow gives just two small copper coins — all she has to live on.

This passage isn't merely about stewardship or tithing percentages.

Jesus is both commending the widow's faith and expressing righteous anger at a religious system that failed to care for its widows.

Her act becomes a Christ-like image — giving all she has just as Jesus would ultimately give everything for our redemption.

➡️Mark 13:1-2

As Jesus leaves the temple for the final time, his disciples marvel at its magnificence.

Jesus responds with the shocking prophecy that not one stone will remain.

This isn't just about physical destruction but marks a theological transition.

The temple had served its purpose as God's dwelling place, but now Jesus himself is the true temple.

When the temple curtain later tears at Jesus' crucifixion, it signifies this transition: God's presence would no longer be contained in a building but found in Christ and his church.

➡️ Mark 13:3-13

The disciples ask when these events will occur, and Jesus describes ongoing signs: false messiahs, wars, natural disasters, persecution.

Rather than providing a precise timeline, Jesus emphasizes faithful endurance amid tribulation.

These signs aren't just about a distant future but characterize the entire period between Christ's ascension and return.

Jesus promises the Holy Spirit will provide words during persecution — not through spontaneous revelation, but through the apostolic teachings and Scriptures internalized by believers.

The central message isn't fear of calamity but faithfulness in confessing Christ until the end.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Executive Director of Missions and Theology.

Contributor Eli Lietzau is the pastor at Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #jesus

Mark 13 may appear frightening with its talk of the "abomination of desolation" and cosmic disturbances, but it actually contains profound comfort for Christians.

When Jesus speaks of the "abomination of desolation standing where it ought not to be," He's giving us a sign.

Some interpret this as the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD, while others see it pointing toward Christ's crucifixion itself — the ultimate moment when the innocent bore what should have been our punishment.

Throughout this chapter, Jesus doesn't aim to terrify us but to prepare us.

The warnings about tribulation, false prophets, and cosmic signs aren't meant to create anxiety but to reassure: "This world, with all its brokenness, is not your final home."

Notice Jesus' practical advice: when things get difficult, flee to safety. Don't try to salvage your possessions.

This is solid spiritual guidance — we aren't called to fix everything that's broken in this world. Some suffering simply can't be eliminated this side of glory.

The good news shines through when Jesus says, "For the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days."

God limits our suffering and preserves us through faith until the end.

When Jesus speaks of the Son of Man coming in clouds with power and glory, He's describing not just judgment but salvation — the angels gathering His elect from the ends of the earth.

The fig tree illustration reminds us that these signs aren't meant to frighten but to encourage — summer is coming! The difficult seasons will end.

Jesus tells us to "stay awake" — not through anxious vigilance but by remaining where Christ has promised to be through Word and Sacrament.

This isn't a burden but a gift.

Mark 13 isn't a chapter of doom but of profound hope.

Even in the darkest times, lift up your heads — your redemption draws near.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Executive Director of Missions and Theology.

Contributor Eli Lietzau is the pastor at Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.