Divine Mercy for the Blasphemers

How powerful is the cross so powerful that those who were there at the time blaspheming Jesus in his face, were redeemed in act six.

Evans, as many of the priest later came to faith in Christ.

They were forgiven and receipt of the centurion was in charge of the execution and some of his soldiers. This is this God's pardon while hanging on his own cross. The other one didn't. What made the difference. Find out today on grace to you as John MacArthur continues a study that looks at critical, yet often overlooked details from Calvary.

It's titled the divine drama of redemption okay before we get to the lesson John. You've been saying recently that despite a year of lockdown in a chaotic election. All of this has resulted in blessing in one important area and that is the church. Maybe you could talk about that for a minute well and I I think we never would've predicted that this kind of extreme pandemic with all its lockdowns, and other mandates would whatever is something you would choose, but God chooses things in his providence that we would never choose and he affects things that we would never be able to see in if we didn't see them in his hand so it's been an incredible incredible journey through this thing for now.

Well basically a year writing within a year into this and I don't even know how to explain what's happened to Grace Church's most stunning year in the history of Grace Church right there is a new category of human beings. Grace Church called grace refugees for people to skip pouring into the church and pouring into the church and obeys in a sort of labeled themselves.

Grace refugees because there were no other churches open and or the good part of that is that they found a church where the word of God is taught and preached and where there is love, and there is loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ and the made new friends. As a result of that, I think. Just looking back over maybe the last couple of months would probably have a thousand new people and it's been that the flow has been nonstop for the full year, the giving has been greater than any one year. In the history of Grace Church and we never took an offering. I know that's amazing, isn't it, surprise it just varies very surprised, but what what what has shown up as people love their church. They love the word and when you shut down everything in their world. The church then because it's there and it's open and it's normal and it's faithful becomes like a little taste of heaven in the midst of a whole lot of hell that's going on around them so that it's been amazing. I I have to say nobody is a set at the beginning would strategize this but it's it's been the most dynamic thing that ever happened in the history of Grace Church and I've been there 52 years now. Yeah, last year was a great reminder that God graciously works even in the darkest of times, and friend. You will see that truth vividly in today's lesson. As John looks at the miraculous salvation of a blasphemer. So let's get to it. Here's John MacArthur continuing his series the divine drama of redemption.

Now we are in Mark chapter 15 and I want to read to you versus 22 down through verse 39 then they brought him to the place Golgotha, which is translated place of the skull. They tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it, and they crucified him, and divided up his garments among themselves casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. It was the third hour when they crucified him, the inscription of the charge against him. Read the King of the Jews they crucified two robbers with him one on his right and one on his left and the Scripture was fulfilled which says and he was numbered with the transgressors.

Thus passing by were hurling abuse at him, wagging their heads and saying half you who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself and come down from the cross in the same way the chief priests also along with the scribes were mocking him among themselves and saying he saved others, he cannot save himself, let this Christ the King of Israel. Now, come down from the cross so that we may see and believe those who were crucified with him were also insulting him in the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, a Lloyd a Lila must select on the which is translated, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me when some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, behold, he is calling for Elijah. Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a read and gave him a drink, saying, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down. Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last, and the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who was standing right in front of him, saw the way he breathed his last.

He said truly this man was the son of God, as we have learned in our study of the previous portions of Scripture, a stunning unparalleled blasphemous farce is being perpetrated on Jesus Christ. He is viewed by the people as a joke as a ludicrous claimant to being the king God's King, God's Messiah, God's son, the chosen one is all a joke as far as the Jews are concerned it is ridiculous. Thus, starting with the treatment of the Sanhedrin in the trial in Caiaphas house.

Jesus is ridiculed he is being treated with scorn and mockery and is much cruel disdain as can possibly be imagined or unimagined and while it was Pilate who was holding the tribunal in which the final verdict was rendered that he would be crucified.

It was not Pilate who declared that verdict. It was the people they said crucify him, crucify him. They pronounced the final sentence.

Pilate will be culpable for his cowardice and his acts of unrighteousness and injustice. The Roman soldiers who carried on the scorn in the mockery and carried out the parody of Jesus as a king.

Certainly, eternally bear the weight of their own scorn.

But in John 1911 Jesus says that it was the Jews who committed the greatest sin is those who delivered me into your hands. He says the pilot who bear the greatest responsibility. Theirs is the epitome of blasphemy. It is that Sanhedrin that started the entire mocking abuse. It was they who first punched him, slapped him and spit in his face and mocked the idea that he could be the son of God or the Messiah or the king. Theirs is the severest apostasy for they have defected from holy Scripture. They have defected from the revelation of the Old Testament in which the details of Christ are prophesied, so as to make the Christ to did appear recognizable to them, for he in fact fulfilled all that the prophets anticipated. Let's go back to the text the outline that we gave you just some little points to kinda keep you involved in the process of going to this text.

The first was the soldiers parody we saw that in verse 16 to 20.

Now today we look at the Savior's punishment.

First of all, the Savior's punishment. Verse 22. Then they brought him to the place Golgotha, which is translated place of a skull.

Why it's called the place of the skull, which is a translation of the Aramaic we don't know. Some say because it was a place where people died and it was associated with death and skulls are associated with death and people were left on the cross in the blazing sun long after they were dead on occasion, then the carrion birds would tear at their flesh and skulls would be revealed.

You can see the connection there.

We don't know where the place is the traditional places inside the city in modern times it would've been outside the city, then, but it was it's inside the city in modern times in many churches built on it could be that that is the actual place the tradition goes back a long way doesn't matter, but it is a historical location known to people which reinforces the reality of this event, then it says in verse 23 they tried to give him wine mixed with murder but he did not take it.

Matthew 2734 and Matthews, parallel account, Matthew says he tasted it and did not take it.

He tasted it and did not take it. What was this for the combination of the wounding through scourging in the wounding through the nails and then suspending a person who's basically hanging on the wounds and to breathe has to push himself up by his feet or pull himself up by his arm and thereby rub his back up the roughhewn cross would make the pain so excruciating that there was at least a small dose of human compassion. This would be a mild analgesic some kind of a sedative some kind of mild narcotic that could help ease the agonizing pain they wanted to mitigate some of the horrendous suffering. By the way that fulfills Psalm 6921 which says that this would be offered to him. He did not take it. He would drink the cup of the father's wrath with full awareness full consciousness and then verse 24 says this and they crucified. That's it. No adjectives and no descriptions and they crucified him. Much has been written about that. I've told you just a few things and that's really all you need to know was death by asphyxiation because eventually, without any kind of relief without any water without any kind of protection with bugs flying in to your eyes and your ears in your mouth and you fighting and wrestling against the wounds exaggerating the bleeding and unable to finally pull yourself up or push yourself up. The weight of the body, drove the lungs to empty, and one couldn't breathe and died a horrible death.

That was what was intended.

Another thing that happened to people who were crucified as indicated in this verse, they divided up his garments among themselves casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. Marcus gives us a general reference to that. That's what the soldiers did. That was kind of compensation for having such a very ugly duty to be the execution squad in a really gory horrific kind of execution. Verse 25 says it was the third hour when they crucified him nine in the morning.

Now remember, this is happened so fast, doesn't it.

It was Thursday night. They were still in the upper room and they sang a hymn and they went out and they went to the familiar mount of olives in the garden of Gethsemane, owned by a believer in the city at where they frequently went and they were there praying or at least Jesus was praying while the disciples were sleeping. Judas shows up with a huge entourage that could have been as large as a thousand people as they feared reprisals of the Jews knew they were going to arrest the one that they had been hailing all week. They arrest Jesus, Judas discloses himself and that's all sometime in the early hours of Friday morning he's arrested he's taken before Annas for an indictment they couldn't find one is taken before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin for a trial there still no crime, but they decide they're going to kill them anyway. They may send them to pilot pilot sensing to Herod, he comes back there's a mock trial in the daylight to give some legitimacy to it for the Jews. Six different phases of his trial three with the Jews. Three with the Gentiles. All that has happened and they have them on the cross by nine in the morning.

But God is really in charge of all of this because it is in the plan of God that Jesus will diet three or around three in the afternoon.

At the very moment when they're slaughtering all the Passover lambs and he will be the one true lamb this horrible form of execution was invented as best we can tell by Darius the Mead, the Medo Persian Empire conquered the Babylonian Empire and history says that Darius crucified 3000 Babylonians and he is credited with sort of inventing this, or at least doing it on a large scale, horrific horrific way to die. Now we looked at the soldiers parody. We look for a moment at the Savior's punishment crucifixion. I want you to look for just a moment, flipping the first letters to pilots sarcasm pilots sarcasm. Now remember, this is being carried off as a farce, a joke and so verse 26 says the inscription of the charge against him. Read the King of the Jews.

That was not the actual crime that placard was written by the Romans. That was really not the charge that the Jews wanted over his head when they first came to pilot your immersive member they had a whole list of possible crimes perverting the nation. They tried that one and it didn't fly any evildoer kind of a generic one, a rebel, somebody leading the Jews sedative did not pay their taxes and all of that disintegrated in a chaotic cacophony of false witnesses who can get their story right and what they finally came up with an Caiaphas hall was blasphemy. Remember that because he claimed to be the son of God, thus making himself equal with God. So the real crime.

He's a blasphemer and they finally said that the pilot he is a blasphemer and by our law. He has to die right. Leviticus 2416 blasphemers are deserving of the death penalty.

That's what they would have wanted over his head.

Blasphemer the pilot gets his petty revenge and he puts this and drags it out in three languages. This is Jesus of Nazareth. That's a joke in itself because nothing good comes out of Nazareth, the king of the Jews, they hated that John tells us in John 19 Pilot Rd. in inscription put it on the cross, Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews.

Verse 20. Therefore, many of the Jews read this inscription for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews were they came to pilot they were saying to pilot.

Do not write the king of the Jews.

You can't have that stated as a fact, but that he says I am King of the Jews and then everybody will know it's a joke you have to put it as a bazaar profession, not as a fact. Pilot said these are his famous words what I have written. I have written. That's pilots petty revenge his way to mock the Jews. He hates the Jews. He's hated them since the day he arrived in town with his banners flying and he hates them more now and is little petty revenge is to slap on this man's cross this is the king of the Jews. He will join joke himself.

We come then to the sneering participants.

Soldiers parody the Savior's punishment pilots sarcasm in the sneering participants. The sneering participants. I think you have to start really with verse 31 but want to back it up first verse 31 says the chief priests also along with the scribes were mocking him. They actually hear are mentioned after the others, but in point of fact, they start the mocking.

If you read Luke 23 verse 35 it says the rulers were sneering at him.

In Matthew 2741 says the same thing that the ridicule and the mockery and the sneering was led by the Sanhedrin there. Still, they are still doing this they started hours before in the deep early darkness of night, there's still in the same mode and will get to them in a minute. Verse 27, however, says they crucified two robbers with him one on his right and one on his left likely these two robbers were involved in the rebellion that was led by Barabbas, and therefore guilty of murder and that's why they were being given the death penalty is one on each side. They are there to add another mocking element to this parody.

They put Jesus between two thieves and may I hasten to say I don't think his cross was bigger and stood up higher. That wasn't the point. The point was to say your king is no better than a common criminal.

Verse 28 draws back to Isaiah 5312. The Scripture was fulfilled which says and he was numbered with the transgressors. Some of the manuscripts have that some don't. Flights in brackets in the NAS but it certainly in Isaiah that he would be numbered with the transgressors in his crucifixion and in fact he was. It is a fulfillment of prophecy go to the end of verse 32 quickly. Those who were crucified within meaning those two thieves were also insulting him.

So the sneering participants are the thieves to start with this amazing isn't me this is now reach them.

These are guys being executed in the same way we can assume they had been scourged. We can assume they had been nailed, we can assume the same agonies are going on and they joined the fun. That's how this wretchedness is contagious. Those who pass by.

Add another adjuster they start wagging their heads and by the way, Psalm 22 I just read to you, says they will do that they will wag their heads at him, shaking their heads, acknowledging that this is all a joke out of their mouth. He saved others, himself, he cannot save and it's the gesture that cancels out the words to show that it's all scorn sarcasm and mockery, and you keep looking for mercy somewhere. But there isn't any to show you that the gesture was tied to what they were saying. It says hi.

You are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days. Sarcasm, save yourself and come down from the cross.

That's all mockery University would destroy the temple in John 219. He said he would destroy the temple of his body and he would raise it in three days they came up with his ridiculous idea that he had said he was going to destroy the temple in three days. They mock that verse 31 in the same way the chief priests.

Now they started and they're still in it along with the scribes. That's the Sanhedrin again were mocking him among themselves and saying he saved others, he cannot save himself. They don't mean that as an affirmation. That's pure sarcasm isn't save anybody. He saved others about that claim to be a Savior. It's all scorn and it's all sarcasm and it's all mockery verse 32 let this Christ say the Sanhedrin members the king of Israel to see the sarcasm there. They don't believe that they don't believe anything they said it's all hypocrisy. I am now come down from the cross so that we may see and believe what they believe what he did come down took them down to put them in a great three days later came out of the grave.

Did they believe when it was reported to them that he rose and the dead were they do. Did they believe know they bribed the soldiers to lie. It's all mockery of they wouldn't believe. If they didn't believe Moses and the prophets. They would believe the one rose from the dead still section ends with a statement we read earlier, those who were crucified with him were also insulting him. That's back to the thieves and this is my final point the sinners plea. Thieves are in on the joke.

In fact, Luke says one of the thieves said, echoing the Sanhedrin, are you not the Christ, save yourself and us. It's all mockery. They joined in on they just took whatever was said there were parents, they were caught up in the ridicule. Even in the midst of imminent death. But then something very dramatic happened. One of those thieves was literally taken captive by the power of God and in a moment that thief said to the other thief why are you doing that were this is the righteous men were getting what we deserve this man's done nothing that he says remember me when you come into your kingdom and he affirms a belief in Christ and a belief in Christ future life. On the other side of death and that he's the king and the conversion takes place in you having that moment. Listen to me, a conversion of a blasphemer. How powerful is the cross so powerful that those who were there at the time blaspheming Jesus in his face, were redeemed in acts 6/7. As many of the priests later came to faith in Christ. They were forgiven and will see that the centurion who was in charge of the execution and some of his soldiers said this is the son of God, and you'll meet them in heaven.

The whole purpose of redemption was for God to give to Christ a redeemed humanity and offspring. People say that every generation of history that was to be God's gift of love to his son. A redeemed people who would spend forever with him, loving him, serving him, praising him, honoring him, reflecting his glory throughout all eternity. That's a father's love gift of the sun. In order for the father to be able to give that gift to the sun. The sun had to bear the punishment for those who make up that gift on the cross so it please the father to crush the one who pleased him so that he could forgive the ones who displeased not just for their sake, but for the son's sake, so that he could give them to the sun as his eternal inheritance and the evidence of the meaning of the cross is there, he became sin for us, who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Paul says Peter says he poured his own body our sins on the tree. Paul says he took the curse for us. God punishes him so that the blasphemers can be forgiven and shows us that with one thing this is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us. John is titled his brand-new series from the Gospel of Mark, the divine drama of redemption.

It's a fast-paced sweeping look at the cross, the resurrection and the major events that led to our salvation, giving you a fresh perspective on Jesus final days on earth now friend.

I encourage you to go to our website and download this study for free. It would be a great resource to listen to with your family as you prepare for resurrection Sunday this weekend the title to look for the divine drama of redemption.

Contact us today. Visit our website TTY.org you find the divine drama of redemption. It includes a lot of material that we didn't have time to err on the radio again. You can download these messages, MP3s, and transcripts free of charge.

Just go to GT Y.and when you're at TTY.org. Make sure you download our study Bible. If you haven't already. It's free and gives you the word of God in the English standard King James or new American Standard version along with instant access to thousands of free resources and for a nominal price you can get the notes from the MacArthur study Bible is an in app purchase. Giving you 25,000 detailed explanations to help you grasp the truth of God's word and see it transform your life. So download the app, it's simply titled study Bible when you visit GT Y.that's GT Y.ORT now for John MacArthur and the entire grace to you staff, I'm Phil Johnson. Thanks for tuning in today and be here tomorrow as John continues his look at the divine drama of redemption with another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to you