Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

Wednesday after Judica

Posted on March 21, 2018 by Pastor Dulas under Devotions
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Scripture: St. Mark 15:20-47 (NKJV)

15:20 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.

21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.

22 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.

23 Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it. 24 And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.

25 Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. 26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

27 With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. 28 So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.” 29 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

33 Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

35 Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, “Look, He is calling for Elijah!”

36 Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.”

37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.

38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”

40 There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, 41 who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

42 Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. 45 So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.

Devotion

During Jesus’ trials before Pilate, three times he used the word “king.” Now it was time for others to join in the mocking: “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” (v. 20). Jesus had borne the abandonment of His followers, the insults of religious leaders, the neglect of Roman authority, and now the mocking of those who crucified Him. Poured on top of all that was the physical agony of the crucifixion itself. There was the unbelievable pain of having His hands and feet nailed—and the additional pain of having to push and pull Himself up just to catch a breath. All of this was added to the scourging He’d just endured—and the continual scorning from passers-by.

But as bad as all of this was, surely it paled in comparison to His suffering for the sins of all time. Even one single sin justified eternal damnation, and Jesus had taken on the burden of countless sins committed by innumerable humanity—past, present, and future. Let us never cease to marvel at this immeasurable sacrifice. Let us never cease to praise our infinite God who became finite man that He might endure the suffering we deserved—that we may be His redeemed children.

Prayer: “Upon the cross extended,
See, world, thy Lord suspended.
Thy Savior yields His breath.
The Prince of Life from Heaven
Himself hath freely given
To shame and blows and bitter death.”
(TLH 171:1)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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