Mark 15-16 - And...

You've been bought at a price. Be reminded of how high that price was.

Read / Listen to the chapter:

Mark 15-16 Summary

v1-5 - The Jewish establishment handed Jesus over to the Roman establishment so that Jesus could be legally executed and His blood 'technically' wouldn't be on Jewish hands.
v6-15 - The establishment manipulates Pilate to release Bar-abbas instead of Jesus (so the Jews chose 'son of man' instead of the 'Son of Man').
v16-47 - The crucifixion of Jesus.
16:1-8 - The resurrection account.
16:9-20 - Read more about why I, along with most Reformed theologians, don't consider these verses to be scriptural

Dig Deeper

You may have noticed that we're using the English Standard Version (ESV) for the Bible resources that are embedded in the DIG DEEPER posts this year. The primary reason for this is quite boring and has to do with more lenient copyright permissions from the ESV publisher.

It's often said that the ESV is a more 'literal' translation than the NIV, and while I would disagree with that, it often does follow the actual Greek cadence more closely, which sometimes makes it more difficult to read in English.

But there are examples like today's chapters where the clunky grammatical expressions the ESV uses really capture the feeling of what Mark intended. If you haven't already, take a look at the chapter in the Outlined Format (linked above), especially from v16 on, and notice how often the sentences begins with the word 'and.'

When Mark's crucifixion & resurrection account is read in the ESV, it has the feeling of one great big long run on sentence. Most scholars think that Peter was Mark's primary source in writing this account of Jesus. You can almost imagine Peter telling Mark about Jesus' torture, crucifixion and then resurrection, going from one awful memory to the other - "and... and... and... and...," punctuated only by Peter's tears & sobs, and Mark writing as fast as Peter was talking.

Be reminded today of the sheer awfulness of the price that your Savior paid for your redemption, and be grateful for the victory over sin and death that this sacrifice culminated in.

This Sunday, we will be remembering the awful death of our Savior along with His glorious resurrection as we come before the Lord's Table at Worthington CRC. Prepare yourself by being reminded often on your complete dependence upon Christ's forgiveness and righteousness.

AAA Prayer:

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Your Father, who will not forsake you because Christ atoned for your sin on the cross (v34)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask the Holy Spirit to continually remind you of the fact that the centurion discovered at the foot of the cross: that surely Jesus is the Son of God.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: