Jesus crucified (2)
[Mark 15:21-32]
Mark 15:22-23 says, “Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it.” Jesus did not receive the wine mixed with myrrh before He went to the place of the skull, that is, Golgotha, and was crucified. This wine mixed with myrrh was given to those who were crucified as an anesthetic so that they could suffer lesser. But Jesus did not take it because He did not want to get drunk with anesthesia. The reason is because Jesus did not reduce the suffering in saving us but was willing to fully receive it. Jesus suffered enough in this way to save us, who were worse than the robbers, and to become saints who resembled Jesus. It is to the Lord's glory that Jesus suffered enough for our salvation. We, who believe in this Jesus by God's grace, must also have mature or full faith and undergo sufficient suffering with a willing heart for Jesus and the gospel (Note: Mk. 8:35; 15:23; Phil. 1:29).
John 12:23-24, 28 says, “Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, 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.’” There were also some Greeks among those who came to Jerusalem to worship on the Passover feast, and they went to Philip and begged to see Jesus. So Philip went and told Andrew, and Andrew and Philip went and asked Jesus (Jn. 12:1, 12, 20-22). The answer to that question was given to Jesus (v. 23). Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” This word can be thought of in two ways: (1) Just as “a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies” (v. 24), Jesus said that the time had come for him to die on the cross (v. 23) and (2) just as “a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, ” Jesus said that He would bear much fruit (v. 24). Here, “much fruit” means that it is an honor to bear fruit because Jesus saved all the Gentiles, such as the Greeks who came to Philip and begged to see Jesus, because Jesus died on the cross (v. 23). Look at John 12:28 – “’Father, glorify Your name.’ Then a voice came out of heaven: ‘I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.’” Jesus prayed to Heavenly Father, “Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, that is Heavenly Father, said, “I have already glorified it.” What is the content of the statement that God the Father has already glorified Jesus? This is Luke 2:14 – “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” This word speaks of the incarnation (birth) of Jesus: “for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (v. 11). In this way, Heavenly Father has already received glory through the incarnation (birth) of Jesus (Jn. 12:28). Then, what does Heavenly Father mean by ‘I will glorify it again’? (v. 28) This word is the word that God the Father will glorify Jesus through His crucifixion, resurrection on the third day, and sitting at the right hand of God. The Apostle Paul described it this way 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, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 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, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” Here, “Therefore” refers to Jesus appearing in the form of a man, humbled Himself, and became obedient to the point of death, that is, by dying on a cross (v. 8). God highly exalted and glorified Jesus, who obeyed Heavenly Father even to the point of death on the cross (vv. 9-11).
John 12:32-33 says, “’And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.’ But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.” When Jesus said, “if I am lifted up from the earth,” He was saying that Jesus would be crucified, as in John 3:14, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” Look at Numbers 21:9 – “And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.” Jesus said that just as Moses made a bronze serpent and hung it on a pole (Num. 21:9), Jesus would also be lifted up and nailed to the cross (Jn. 3:14; 12:32-33). Also, Jesus said, ‘I will draw all men to Myself’ (Jn. 12:32), which means that Jesus was lifted up and crucified to lead all the people God chose before the foundation of the world, to save them and to lead them to the kingdom of God. The word “lead” here means that Jesus, the Good Shepherd mentioned in John 10, leads His sheep with love, just as He leads them. Look at Hosea 11:3-4: “Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in My arms; But they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love, And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; And I bent down and fed them.” Just as a father teaches a child to walk, God delivered the Israelites (“Ephraim”) out of Egypt, taught them to walk in the wilderness, and embraced them in His arms to lead them by the cords of love. Likewise, Jesus, the good Shepherd, led them by the cord of love until He laid down His life for the sheep (Jn. 10:11, 15). In this way, Jesus led and saved all God's chosen people, so that He glorified the name of God the Father (12:28). In this way, in order to fulfill Heavenly Father's will of salvation, Jesus did not come to the place called Golgotha (translated, Place of a Skull) and receive the wine mixed with myrrh and was crucified and suffered enough (Mk. 15: 22-24) so that He glorified the name of God the Father (Jn. 12:28).
Just as Heavenly Father said to Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son who glorified the Father's name in this way, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again" (Jn. 12:28), He has already glorified Jesus through His incarnation (birth). He glorified Jesus again by dying on the cross of Jesus. In the end, the Holy Son Jesus came to this world according to God's will (Jesus' birth/incarnation) and died on the cross according to God's will (Jesus' death), thereby glorifying the name of God the Father. In other words, the beginning (birth) and end (death) of Jesus on this earth completely glorified Heavenly Father. We too must imitate Jesus and glorify God from the time we became a new person (the beginning of a new life) by believing in Jesus Christ only by God's grace until we die on this earth. Look at 1 Corinthians 10:31 – “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Whatever we do while we live on this earth, we must live for the glory of God. This is question 1 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism: “What is the chief end of man?” The answer to this question is, "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever." When we enjoy God forever, we must glorify God not only while we live on earth, but even through our death like Jesus did. Furthermore, like Abel, our ancestor of faith, we must glorify God by speaking to our children, descendants, and all people now and still (Heb. 11:4) by faith even after we die.