Though Jesus is the King of all kings, no one in our passage is recorded here as recognizing it. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Jesus had been condemned to death for claiming to be the King of Jews. That was the final charge that warranted the Roman death penalty. And so in this passage, we finally see Jesus crucified. And in these last few scenes, we see Jesus mocked as king. We see him suffer and die as king. And sadly, we see people completely miss him as king. And so whether it was the mob mentality, or just plain the sinfulness of man, everyone in this passage seems to be turning against Jesus, denying that he is the Christ, and therefore denying that he is the King. The inscription that identified him in verse 26, “The King of the Jews” was ironically so right, and yet so fully denied. ANd yet even as the masses mocked and denied him as king, God’s Word was being fulfilled that foretold that this king would suffer exactly in this way.
Passage: Mark 15:16-32
Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/15/2009 in Novato, CA.
Manuscript: That We May See and Believe
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