Sabbath School lessons are a global study initiative undertaken by members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As we enter the third quarter of 2024, we will explore the book of Mark. This week’s lesson, titled ‘Taken and Tried’ covers the week from September 14 - September 20. Join Pastor Mark Finley for a brief preview of what to expect in this week’s study.

<p>Sabbath School lessons are a global study initiative undertaken by members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As we enter the third quarter of 2024, we will explore the book of Mark. This week’s lesson, titled ‘Taken and Tried’ covers the week from September 14 - September 20. Join Pastor Mark Finley for a brief preview of what to expect in this week’s study.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

HopeLives365

Mark Finley

Sabbath School 3rd Quarter: The Book of Mark

01 The Beginning of the Gospel

02 A Day in the Ministry of Jesus

03 A Day in the Ministry of Jesus

06 Inside Out

07 Teaching Disciples Part 1

08 Teaching Disciples: Part 2

09 Jerusalem Controversies

10 The Last Days

11 Taken and Tried

12 Taken and Tried

13 The Risen Lord


In our journey through the Gospel of Mark, it seems like we've really sped through these lessons. The next 2 lessons on the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ are 2 of the most powerful in the entire series. Here, the lesson, chapter number 12, is called Tried and Crucified. It reveals powerful truths about the death of Jesus. So let's jump right into our lesson.

When Christ is brought before Pilate, the question that is asked is, are you the King of the Jews? Now, this is a significant question, and you'll notice in Mark chapter 15, that this question is raised 3 times. Mark 15, verse 2, Then Pilate asked him, Who are you, the king of the Jews? And he answered and said to them, It is as you say. Pilate comes back in verse 9 and says, But Pilate answered them, saying, Do you want me to release to you what?

The King of the Jews. He comes back in verse 12, and Pilate answered and said to them again, what then do you want me to do with him who you call the King of the Jews? So as Jesus comes to the crucifixion, He is actually King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But 3 times Pilate calls him the King of the Jews. It was rather fascinating.

Pilate is trying to release Jesus. He's looking for every possible reason to release him. And the Jewish leadership is looking for every possible reason to crucify him. Pilate says 3 times, I find no fault in him. When we look at the corollary reading of Mark 15 and Luke 23.

When you come over to Luke 23, we have the parallel reading to Mark's gospel, Luke 23 and verse 14. And here Pilate is struggling to find any fault with Jesus at all. Luke 23, verse 14, he said to them, you have brought this man to me as 1 who misleads the people. And Indeed, having examined him in your presence, now notice, I find no fault in him concerning those things which you accuse him. Neither did Herod, for I sent him back to him.

And indeed, nothing worthy of death has been founded by him. So Pilate says very clearly, I find no fault in him. So what's Pilate's next move? If you found no fault in a man, what would you do? What would you do?

You'd let him go, right? But what does Pilate do? He makes his first Fatal error here. He says in verse 16, I'll chastise him and let him go. So once the crowd sees blood, they cry for more and more and more blood.

And so then Pilate says, I'll give him a choice. Who do you want? Do you want Jesus or Barabbas? Why do you give him a choice between 2 criminals if you found no fault in him? And again, Pilate makes his second mistake in giving him the choice, and they yell out, away with this man, release to us Barabbas.

And then he says to them, what should I do with this man called Christ? And they yell out in verse 21, crucify him, crucify him. Verse 24. So Pilate gave it the sentence as it should be requested. Now let's follow the downward spiral of compromise.

First, Pilate says, I find no fault in him. Then they yell and scream for his blood and Paul says, oh yeah, I'll give you a little taste of blood. I'll scourge him and let him go, mistake number 1. Then they're still not satisfied and he says, wait a minute, I got a plan. I'll put 2 prisoners.

I know they'll choose to have Jesus go free and I know they'll choose to have Barabbas crucified because Barabbas is a no-good downright scoundrel, robber, murderer. Who should you choose Jesus or Barabbas? Barabbas. And then he says, I find no fault in him. What am I gonna do with this man?

Why do you keep going down that road, pilot? Why do you keep compromising after compromising after compromising? And they yell out, crucify him, crucify him. Here's a vital truth. Once you start going down the road of compromise in your life, there's no stopping.

You make 1 step and another step and another step and another step. When the Holy Spirit convicts you of divine truth, the only way to be sure that you're not going to go down the slippery slope of compromise is to surrender the thing that Jesus convicts you of, to surrender the error, the sin, the rebellion in one's heart. The slippery slope of compromise leads you down quickly. Now there's another thing that we noticed back in Mark chapter 15. Under intense questioning, Jesus responds simply and not defensively.

When Pilate says to him, are you the King of the Jews? Jesus simply said, it is as you say. And then under that intense questioning on 2 occasions, verse 3, it says he answered them, nothing. Verse 5, but Jesus still answered nothing so that Pilate marveled. Had Jesus been defensive, Pilate would have argued with him, but Jesus' silence was a rebuke to Pilate.

So when we are under the withering sting of criticism, simply to answer very, very simply, very kindly, or sometimes not to answer at all, and that really puts the other person on the defensive. So in that Sunday's lesson, are you the King of the Jews? Response of Christ by his very silence is, Pilate, you've got it right, I am. In Monday's lesson, the soldiers begin to yell, scream, Hail the King of the Jews. I want you to look at this in Mark 15, verse 15 to 20, if you have your Bible, we'll start there.

So Pilate wanting to gratify the crowd. He wants to gratify the crowd. Pilate played to the crowd. Anytime you play to the crowd, anytime you listen to the voice of the crowd, you are going to compromise. Jesus invites us not to play to the crowd, not to listen to the voice of the crowd, but to listen to his voice as he speaks to us, to yield to the convictions of the Holy Spirit.

The soldiers begin to mock Jesus, verse 16, Mark 15. Then The soldiers led him away into the hall of the praetorium. They called together the whole garrison. They clothed him with purple and a twisted crown of thorns put upon his head. And they began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews.

They struck him on the head with a reed and spat on him and bowing the knee they worshipped him and they mocked him they took the purple off him put his own clothes on him and they led him to crucify him they put a twisted crown of thorns upon his head they said hail king of the Jews When Christ comes with as King of kings and Lord of lords, look at Revelation 19. Revelation 19 is the opposite of Mark chapter 15. Revelation chapter 19. It says, Then I saw heaven opened, verse 11, and behold, a white horse. And he was sat in him called Faithful and True.

In righteousness he judges, makes 1. Now Jesus is going to judge. They were judging him, but they were being judged all the time. It says, his eyes like flame of fire, his head, on his head were many crowns, and he had a name written that no 1 except he himself knew. He's clothed with a robe dipped in blood.

Is he representing his bloody robe that he wore at Calvary? Now he comes. He comes to be worshipped. They kneel and mock him and worship him. They put a crown of thorns on his head.

Now he wears a crown of glory. Now he comes to be worshipped by 10, 000 times 10, 000 angels in the whole universe. Now he comes wearing the crown of righteousness. And who is he? Verse 16.

He is King of kings and Lord of lords. So, they kneel to worship before Him. 1 day the whole world will worship before Him. 1 day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord. They put a crown of thorns upon His head.

The Father anoints him with the diadem, the crown of glory. They put a reed in his hand. The father gives him a scepter. They put a old purple robe around him And Jesus wears the glorious robe of eternity. Christ is King of Kings.

Christ is Lord of Lords. The significance of Monday's lesson is this. It is the exact opposite of the second coming of Christ, where Jesus comes in might, in splendor, and in glory. We look at the crucifixion theme in Tuesday's lesson. Mark 15, Verse 21 to 38.

Verse 21 is an interesting verse. It says, they compelled a certain man, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by to bear the cross. So Jesus, after that horrible beating in Pilate's judgment hall in the praetorium, after he hasn't eaten since Thursday night, after the blood drains from his body, He is so weak that he can hardly carry the cross. Jesus, the divine son of God, the 1 who's worshipped by 10, 000 times 10, 000 angels, the 1 at whose very word worlds come into existence. And the earth is carpeted with living green and he speaks the sun, moon and stars into existence.

This creator of the universe falls beneath the load of the cross 3 times and the Roman soldiers see Simon of Cyrene. Where is Cyrene? Northern Africa. And they see him with a look of sympathy and compassion on his face. Hey, you there, you there, take up that cross.

Simon takes up the cross. Now notice something interesting. It says he's the father of Alexander and Rufus. Well, keep your finger here. We're coming back to Mark 15.

Turn to Romans 16, 13. Who were Alexander and Rufus? Romans chapter 16, verse 13. Who were Alexander and Rufus? Romans 16, 13, greet Rufus chosen in the Lord, his mother in mine.

Rufus chosen in the Lord. When you look at the references here to Alexander and Rufus in the New Testament, this is what you find. They were faithful followers of Christ. Simon did not know Jesus. And Simon comes from Northern Africa.

And can you imagine he rounds a corner? He's looking for his boys. He's wondering about these sons of his. Are they following some cunningly devised fable? Are they following some foolish, cultish, religious liturgy?

He's looking, and as he rounds the corner, he sees Jesus lying in a pool of blood with the cross, that heavy cross crushing out his body. He looks with sympathy. And as he looks with sympathy, the soldiers say, you there, if you have such sympathy, pick up the cross, you carry it. He begins to carry the cross. Do you think Jesus thanks Simon for carrying the cross?

Or do you think that Simon thanks Jesus for the opportunity to carry it? Because although Simon was carrying the cross, Jesus was carrying him. He was bowing his heart with faith, bowing his heart with courage. And Simon, as he walked up that hill with Jesus, saw the kindness and the compassion and love on his face. He heard Jesus say, Father, forgive them as they know not what they do as he hung on the cross.

He saw the Roman centurion and listened as the Romans said, truly this man is the son of God. And in the bearing of the cross, Simon himself found Christ. Now the crucifixion is the most horrible death that you can imagine. A person dies, not simply from the draining of blood, as horrible as that is, nails driven through the base of his palm, because you drive it through the, directly through the hands, it's going to rip right out. And how does that man live when he's on the cross?

He has to pull himself up with the pain shooting up his arms, convulsing in agony. Hard to breathe, he pushes himself with his feet that are nailed to the bar. Struggles in agony on the cross. But if you look at Wednesday's lesson, the physical pain, as horrible as it was, was not the greatest pain. Jesus cries out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

We find that in Mark 15 and you look there at verse 33 and onward. Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, Eloi, Eloi, lemma sabachthani, which is translated, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Jesus hung on the cross as 1 God forsaken. He could not see through the darkness that enshrouded the cross.

He could not see the tear in the father's eye, the pain in the father's heart, the sorrow on the father's face. In a sense, father and son were there together, but Jesus couldn't see it. And Jesus did not recognize himself coming through the portals of the tomb. It appeared to Jesus that he would go into the grave and never come out. Second Corinthians 5, verse 21 says, he who knew no sin became sin for us.

Jesus bore all of the agony. All of the grief, all of the suffering, all of the pain, all of the condemnation, all of the guilt that the human race would ever experience as a result of sin. And as Jesus hung there on that cross, he became the propitiation according to 1 John 2, not only of our sins, but the sins of the whole world. He bore the guilt, the shame, the grief of the whole world there on that cross. Now we can't receive God's forgiveness unless we ask for it.

But forgiveness is in God's heart all the time. When we confess our sin, it doesn't create forgiveness in God's heart. It allows us to receive the forgiveness that was there at all times. And so here, Jesus on the cross dies the second death, but he's willing to go into the grave and never come out. He's willing to be separated from his father forever.

He's willing to endure the pain and suffering of an agony of sin for you, for me. Galatians 3 verse 13 says, Cursed is everyone that hangs on the tree. So Jesus hanging on the tree was cursed for your sake and mine. You know, I'm interested in a note under Friday's lesson that it says, and this is the second paragraph down, upon Christ as our substitute, this is from Desarvages, page 753. Upon Christ as our substitute in surety was laid the iniquity of us all.

He was counted as a transgressor. Did Jesus ever sin? No, but was he counted as a transgressor? Yes, he was counted as a transgressor. He who knew no sin became sin for us, that he might redeem us from the condemnation of the law.

The guilt of every descendant of Adam was pressing upon his heart. The wrath of God against sin, the terrible manifestation of his displeasure because of iniquity, filled the soul of his son with consternation. All his life, Christ had been publishing to the fallen world the good news of the Father's mercy and pardoning love. Salvation to the chief of sinners was his theme. But now, listen to this, don't miss this, but now with the terrible weight of guilty bears, he cannot see the father's reconciling face.

The withdrawal of the divine countenance from the savior in his hour of supreme anguish, pierced his heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood by man. So great was this agony that his physical pain was hardly felt. Think about the excruciating pain of the cross, but the pain of sin is greater. The pain of the condemnation of your guilt and mine is greater. Jesus died on the cross, not because they drove nails through his hands, but because he was bearing the sins of the whole human race.

We can be thankful for a love that is that great. We can be thankful for a grace that is that abounding. We can be thankful for a mercy that is that deep. We can be thankful for a mercy that is that deep. We can be thankful for a Jesus that loves us so much that he would have been willing to go into the grave and never, ever, ever come out.

For us, We look to Thursday's lesson laid to rest. Mark 15, verse 42 to 47. We notice it here. Mark 15, verse 42 to 47. Now, when evening had come because it was the preparation day, that is the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went into Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

Pilate marveled that he was already dead and summoning the centurion, he asked him if he had been dead for some time. And when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body of Joseph. Joseph bought fine linen, took him down, wrapped him in linen, and he laid him in a tomb which had been ewed out of the rock and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. So look, Jesus is hanging there and Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus take his broken, bruised, bloody body off the cross. And they give him a death worthy of a noble man, worthy of a rich man.

Jesus is placed in the tomb. There are a couple of things here that I think are significant. 1 is that Jesus was provided for by Joseph of Arimathea Nicodemus in his death, that God provided for him. God always makes provisions for us in the darkest and deepest moments of our life. But there's something else.

On that Friday when Christ died, it was dark, dark Friday. The flowers hung their heads. The birds stopped singing. Judas betrayed him. Peter denied him.

Pilate compromised and passed the sentence of crucifixion. The Roman soldiers crucified him. His disciples forsook him. When you look at what happened on that Friday, it's dark, dark Friday. But out of the darkness of that Friday, which we'll study in next week's lesson, God rose Jesus from the dead.

Often our deepest despair is followed by our greatest joy. Often the sorrow, the disappointment that we go through when our heart is ripped apart is because God is planning something better for us. So never let your disappointing moments, your discouraging times, keep you from the recognition that God, my friend, is gonna do something wonderful with your life. As we look back over this week's lesson, we learn a number of things. We learn first that although things appear on earth to be 1 way, they're not necessarily that way.

Although Pilate and the soldiers mocked Christ, Jesus would be 1 day anointed as King of Kings. We learn in this lesson this week as well, that Jesus, the divine Son of God, is truly the King of Kings, And even his crucifiers spoke out, hail Jesus, King of the Jews. Even those who were trying him, namely Pilate, acknowledged that he was the king of the Jews. We noticed from the crucifixion passages that Christ was willing to enter the grave and never come out if that would redeem us. We noticed a love abounding, a grace rich and full.

We noticed also that he's laid in that tomb and that God had a place prepared for him. God prepares always a place for you and me. In the deepest darkness of our life, there's a place prepared. In the sorrows of our life, there's a place prepared. In the heartaches of our life, there's a place prepared.

Cling to that, know that, grasp that reality by faith. As we pray in Jesus name, Amen. Father in heaven, we thank you for the reality that you've always prepared a place for us. We open our hearts just now to be blessed by you. We thank you that in the midst of the darkness, The light of Christ's truth shines.

In Jesus' name, Amen. If you would like to know more about Audioverse, or if you

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Series

Sabbath School 3rd Quarter: The Book of Mark

12 Taken and Tried

Description

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Other Teachings in Series

01 The Beginning of the Gospel

25m

02 A Day in the Ministry of Jesus

25m

03 A Day in the Ministry of Jesus

29m

06 Inside Out

22m

07 Teaching Disciples Part 1

23m

08 Teaching Disciples: Part 2

22m

09 Jerusalem Controversies

19m

10 The Last Days

25m

11 Taken and Tried

22m

12 Taken and Tried

23m

13 The Risen Lord

26m

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