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Bethel Lutheran Church - Pastor Luke Bernthal
Soli Deo Gloria

Forgive Us for Despising the Claim of Our Savior! ; Mark 15: 16 - 20; 2009-03-25

We think that we are more important than He
Father let Jesus be our foundation

Text: Mark 15: 16 - 20;
16 Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison. 17 And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, 18 and began to salute Him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 19 Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him. 20 And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Um, actually they did! They most certainly knew what they were doing when they crucified Jesus, and from the words of our text it appears as if they very much enjoyed what they were doing! I wonder what the Roman soldiers thought when Jesus spoke those words from the cross. I would guess they were probably more than a bit surprised to hear these words. They, no doubt, were used to hearing those whom they crucified using their last breaths to cry out in agony, or shout out curses on the men who had tortured them and nailed them to the cross. But they hear this man Jesus instead asking for their forgiveness because “they do not know what they are doing”?! I would guess the soldiers were even a bit insulted at Jesus’ words. What did they need His forgiveness for? They were doing their jobs! They were executing “justice” at the bidding of the Roman government—and also carryin out what was obviously the desire of the mob of Jews that had gathered there who had been crying out repeatedly, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Who was this “joker,” this man who was called the “King of the Jews,” to say they needed forgiveness for torturing and crucifying Him?

Obviously, we would never dream of joining this group of soldiers in such acts of insult, torture, and outright blasphemy—not to mention the execution—of the very Son of God! We definitely would not want to be standing anywhere near the vicinity of those soldiers on the day Jesus Christ returns in His glory on Judgment Day, wearing—not a crown of thorns—but a crown of His divine authority. True, we may never have an inclination to join in their blasphemous mocking and disrespect. But we do when we don’t know what we are doing; when we “drift” in the direction of these blasphemous Roman soldiers. When we do, we must catch ourselves quickly and pray to God: Forgive Us for Despising Our Savior’s Claim!

It seems obvious from the accounts of the Gospels that the Roman soldiers were especially cruel and insulting to Jesus, as opposed to the other men He was crucified with. In addition to the mockery we read about in our text, we also read in the Gospel of Luke, Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?" And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him (Luke 22:63-65). Why such especially cruel contempt and treatment of Jesus? Well, it also seems obvious that they didn’t take a thing about him seriously.

What led these Romans to such a cynical attitude? There was, of course, their attitude as conquerors that made them despise anything that was not Roman. Rome was the superpower of the day, and its soldiers were the greatest warriors that the world had ever seen. They looked down on anyone and everyone.

To such men, everything about Jesus of Nazareth was a big joke. “King of the Jews” sounded like foolishness to them since there was no ruler but Caesar and his legions. How could the great Romans care any less about the loser religion of a loser nation? To them all the religious debate surrounding Jesus and whether He was or wasn’t the “King of the Jews” or the Messiah was just childish and foolish. “Some king,” the soldiers must have thought. Where were his armies? Where was his glorious crown and scepter? Was this fool of a carpenter the best that Judea could come up with for a monarch? And in so mocking him, they also mocked the rebellious people of his nation. They let every single Jew see what the legions of Rome thought about their lofty beliefs of being the chosen people of God with a Messiah-King to lead them to everlasting glory. It was all a joke! That is why there was a crown of thorns, a scepter to beat Him with, and a rough cloak thrown over His torn and bloody back. That is why, as we read in our text, they “began to salute Him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him” (Mark 15:18-20).

The same attitude is rampant in the world around us, where Jesus’ claims and his Word’s claims and promises are despised by so many. This attitude is seen in those who mock the very ideas that true Christianity teaches. Think of those who feel they are the wise and learned of our day and age, who feel we are just too childish, too foolish and “simple minded” to believe what is in the Bible. Think of those who think we are enemies to the so-called “freedom” to sin as much as they wish. Think of those who have become so jaded about life itself that they make fun of anyone who, like us, thinks there is a deeper meaning and purpose to this life, or actually believe in a life after death.

The results of this cynicism can be seen all around us. I’ve read about one college professor in a secular university who felt it was his called duty to argue, and ridicule the Christianity out of any believing student who happened to enroll in his class. He actually boasted about this! The worst part about it was that this man was the professor of a class that the university was offering about the New Testament!!! The sad thing is we can be certain that there are many others like this professor. Such an attitude is also seen in the contempt with which Christianity is often treated in the media, or in the constant crying of people who tell us to “shut up” and keep our religion to ourselves.

It’s easy to find ourselves tempted to edge toward such an attitude. As we know too well, there are times when life would be easier for us without our Christian faith or the cross of Christ we bear on our backs or around our necks. Sometimes you just don’t want to be the one who is being made fun of for your beliefs. Sometimes our religion demands something we don’t really want to do or condemns something we’d really like to be doing. And it is then, especially, that the siren song of the cynics and skeptics seems strongest. It is then, especially, that the temptation comes for us not to take all this religion stuff so seriously, but to “grow up” and join the 21st century like everyone else!

If that kind of thinking starts up in your head or your heart, with the Spirit’s help stamp that thought out immediately! It is not only foolish it is the beginning of the sin of idolatry! It is replacing our Lord and our God with ourselves. We become the foundation of ourselves and will eventually let no one claim to have any authority over us. Before we get that close to the cynical soldiers of ancient Jerusalem, let us pray fervently, “Father, let Jesus be the foundation of our lives.”

By God’s grace we know much better than the soldiers did what is our true place in the world. We, who are citizens of a modern superpower, might be tempted to feel as arrogant as the Romans did. But we as Christians have learned better at the feet of our God.

We know our place: On the one hand, we are merely creatures put here by a God who has every right and authority to demand our obedience to his laws. This means we have no call on deciding that one or any of these laws don’t really apply to us. We don’t have the right to decide that this or that commandment can’t really fit into our lives in this time and this place. God’s moral code—His 10 commandments; His moral laws stand for all time. This means that we must approach His laws with the greatest of awe and respect and trust—trust that the Lord God knows better than we do how we ought to lead our lives.

But that is only on the one hand. On the other hand, we are much, much more. We are the redeemed children of God through faith in Christ! The reason Jesus was in the hands of the sadistic mockers was to save us from our sins. Through His suffering and crucifixion he would wipe away all our guilt and make us the sons and daughters of the Almighty. As the Apostle John tells us, “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

This means that out of love for him and out of respect for our Redeemer’s wishes and with full and absolute trust in his wisdom, we will gladly obey his Word. We understand how great a claim he has on us as our Savior, our God, and our King. How could we deny that we belong to him who paid so great a price to make us his own? We will no longer look at ourselves in the way the world looks at itself but will see the greatness of the claim Jesus Christ has on us. We now belong to him, not to ourselves. We are his people upon the earth, put here to do his will as it is clearly recorded in his Word.

Christ and his Word, then, are the very bases and foundations of our entire lives from here on in. But this is not some burdensome and unwelcome imposition upon us. Rather, we are glad and honored to be the servants of this great King. Jesus once said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). His “burdens” are not “burdensome;” they are a blessing and a joy! Service to Him is what we were truly made to do. It gives delight to our very souls! How could anything but Jesus Christ and his Word be the foundation on which we build our lives?

Yes, Jesus is denied and mocked by many, but we pray that he may always be honored and acknowledged by us. The Roman soldiers had no time for His assertion to be the King of the Jews, and they made it clear in the shameful way they treated Him. But we bend our knees before Him who shed his blood to save us from hell and to make us His own. Let the whole world mock or ignore His claim. We will gladly confess him as King and pray for the strength to obey his Word. Let us pray, “Heavenly Father, make us ever more truly Jesus’ subjects in his wonderful kingdom of grace. Forgive us for the times we have despised His claim as the Lord of our life and the King of all. Make Him the foundation of our lives today and always! In His loving, ruling name we pray, Amen.”