Jesus Crucified on the Cross (2)

 

[Mark 15:21–32]

Mark 15:22–23 says: “They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means ‘the place of the skull’). Then they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it.”  Before Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, the place of execution also known as “the place of the skull,” He was offered wine mixed with myrrh, but He refused to drink it. This wine, mixed with myrrh, acted as a sedative and was commonly given to those being crucified to dull their pain. Jesus rejected it because He did not want to be under the influence of sedation. He chose to fully endure the suffering in His mission to save us.  In order to save people like us, who are worse than robbers, and to transform us into saints who resemble the Son, Jesus fully embraced the suffering. This complete suffering that Jesus willingly accepted for our salvation brings glory to the Lord.  We, who believe in this Jesus by the grace of God, should also possess a mature and abundant faith, and willingly embrace suffering for the sake of Jesus and the gospel (see Mark 8:35; 15:23; Philippians 1:29).

John 12:23–24, 28 says: “Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds... Father, glorify Your name!’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.’”  Among those who came up to Jerusalem to worship at the Passover festival were some Greeks (Gentiles). They approached Philip and asked to see Jesus. Philip then went to Andrew, and together they went to Jesus to relay the request (John 12:1, 12, 20–22). Jesus responded to this inquiry in verse 23.  When Jesus said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified,” it can be understood in two ways:
(1) Like a seed that falls to the ground and dies (v.24), Jesus was saying that the time had come for Him to die on the cross.
(2) Just as the seed produces many fruits when it dies, Jesus’ death on the cross would yield “many fruits” (v.24).
These “many fruits” refer to the Gentiles, like the Greeks who had asked to see Jesus, who would also be saved through His crucifixion. That is why it is referred to as glory (v.23).

John 12:28 says: “Father, glorify Your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.’”  Jesus prayed to God the Father, asking Him to glorify His name. In response, a voice came from heaven declaring that it had already been glorified and would be glorified again.  What does it mean that God the Father had already glorified His name? Luke 2:14 says: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”  This refers to the incarnation (birth) of Jesus: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:11).  Thus, God was already glorified through Jesus’ incarnation (John 12:28).  What does it mean that He will glorify it again? It refers to God glorifying Jesus through His death on the cross, His resurrection on the third day, and His ascension to the right hand of God.
The Apostle Paul describes this in Philippians 2:9–11: “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  The “therefore” refers to Jesus humbling Himself and becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross (v.8). Because Jesus submitted to God the Father, even to the point of death, God highly exalted and glorified Him (vv.9–11).

John 12:32–33 says: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” He said this to show the kind of death He was going to die.  When Jesus said “lifted up from the earth,” He was referring to His crucifixion, as mentioned in John 3:14: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.”  See Numbers 21:9 in the Modern Version: “So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.”  Just as Moses lifted the bronze snake on a pole, Jesus was lifted up and crucified (John 3:14; 12:32–33).  Jesus also said, “I will draw all people to Myself” (John 12:32), meaning that through His crucifixion, He would draw to Himself all those whom God had chosen before the foundation of the world (“all people”), and bring them into the kingdom of God.  The word “draw” here implies a loving drawing, like that of the Good Shepherd in John 10 who leads His sheep.  Hosea 11:3–4 says: “It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love... I bent down to feed them.”  Just as a father teaches a young child to walk, God led the Israelites (“Ephraim”) out of Egypt, embraced them with His arms, and guided them with cords of love.  In the same way, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down His life for the sheep (John 10:11, 15), lovingly drawing them with ties of love.  Because Jesus drew and saved all of God’s chosen people, He glorified the name of God the Father (John 12:28).  Therefore, to fulfill the Father’s will for salvation, Jesus went to “the place called Golgotha (which means the place of the skull)” and refused the wine mixed with myrrh. He was crucified and fully suffered (Mark 15:22–24), thereby glorifying the name of God the Father (John 12:28).

God the Father, who was glorified through His only Son Jesus Christ, said, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again” (John 12:28).  This means that God was glorified through Jesus’ incarnation (birth) and again through His crucifixion and death.  Ultimately, the Son came into the world according to the Father’s will (His birth/incarnation) and died on the cross according to the Father’s will (His death), thereby glorifying God’s name.  In other words, both the beginning (birth) and the end (death) of Jesus’ earthly life fully glorified God the Father.

We, too, should follow Jesus. From the moment we become new creations by believing in Jesus Christ through God’s grace (the beginning of new life) until the day we die, we must glorify God.  1 Corinthians 10:31 in the Modern Version says: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  As long as we live on this earth, we must live for the glory of God. 

 

Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 1:
“What is the chief end of man?”
The answer: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”
When we eternally enjoy God, we do not glorify Him only during our earthly lives, but even through our deaths—just like Jesus—we glorify Him.

Furthermore, like Abel, the father of faith, even after we die, we must continue to speak through our faith to our descendants and to all people, thus glorifying God.  (Hebrews 11:4, Modern Version) says: “Though he is dead, by faith he still speaks.”