Mark 15

It's made in Peru, in Arequipa, in the 18th century.

It is actually not a crown for wearing in the sense of a human is to wear this, but it's a crown which is to replicate the crown of thorns that we're told that Jesus is given in Matthew 27, Mark 15, and John 19, during his Passion, where the soldiers are mocking him.

And the crown of thorns is, of course, famously an instrument of torture.

But what we're looking at here, a piece of jewelry made out of gold and other precious materials, sort of adds a counterintuitive distinction to the object, making it into a beautiful piece of jewelry instead of an instrument of torture.

You think Simon would be leading him, but it's prophetic in nature because Jesus says, pick up your cross and follow me.

Mark 15, 21 has an interesting little sub-comment.

Here's the verse.

A pastor by the name of Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross.

And they went to a place called Golgotha, which means place of the skull.

Other accounts kind of repeat a similar story.

Mark 15, 22.

And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means place of the skull.

So they're to choose between one son of the father or the Son of the Father.

Mark 15:7 adds this description of Barabbas's crimes.

"And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas." Barabbas is the very kind of person the religious leaders would have feared.

But no one scares them more than Jesus.

I mean, literally, Jesus took his place on the cross, right? He took all of our place, but he literally took Barabbas's.

But there's no evidence that there was any turning from sin.

Look at Mark 15, and we'll read verses eight to 11.

"And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do what he always did for them.

If you were an investigator investigating what was it that killed Jesus, you'd have to conclude it was not the cross.

Mark 15, 44 says that Pilate marveled when he learned that Jesus was already dead.

That's because Pilate had so much experience crucifying people.

He knew how long it took.

You want to be bold.

Mark 15 says, Mark 15, verse 43.

We're going to look at a character here now.

It says, Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counselor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came and went in boldly into Pilate and craved the body of Jesus.

So these guys are jealous.

Over jealousy, they want to kill Jesus.

So anybody that's associated with Jesus, what do you think they're not going to do to them as well? Mark 15, 43.

Now, Joseph of Arimathea was a secret disciple of Jesus.

Well, this morning, I want you to, uh, keep in mind those great words, that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

And so we're gonna turn to our Bibles this morning, Mark chapter 15, and I'm going to read from verse 37 of Mark 15 down to verse 14 of Mark chapter 16.

Okay, so Mark chapter 15, reading from verse 37.

"And Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the ghost.

Can you see that the truth of the resurrection validates all those precious doctrines we hold dear? If you're saved this morning, you can know it for sure.

You can know your sins are forgiven because He rose.

Back to Mark 15.

We need to 16.