We Beheld His Glory! - Mark 15:37-41

“WE BEHELD HIS GLORY”

Mark 15:37-41

Introduction: April 15^th is fast approaching, and it may be that a few of you at least are still under pressure to get your tax returns in order! A few of you prepare taxes and are hard at work helping others get their returns in order!  An axiom of American life is that only two things are certain: death and taxes! That has not always been so, both of those are part of life in a fallen world! I don’t think we’ll worry about taxes in the New Heaven and the New Earth, but for now, they must be paid! It is also true that with the Fall of Humans recorded in the Bible in Genesis 3, came the certainty of death. From that time, until the future resurrection, “It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgement...” (Heb 9:27). As the Apostle Paul said in Romans 5:12, “…sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…” Since the Fall, humans, born in sin, are by nature children of wrath, and, apart from Christ, deserving judgment, separated from God by sin. The Good News is that God was, in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself (2 Cor 5:19). God so loved the world that He gave His only Son... At the baptism of Jesus the heavens were “ripped open” [schizo] and the Father testified that Jesus is the Son. Now at His death, the Veil of the Temple is “ripped open,” [same verb, schizo] and a centurion confesses that He is the Son of God.

     We will look at these verses from three perspectives, 1) Unveiled Glory: His death opened the Way to the presence of God. 2) Unqualified Confession: A gentile, a Roman Centurian, recognizes the King, confessing Him as the Son of God; and 3) Unrestricted Discipleship: All are called to follow Him, there are no social or cultural barriers to being a Christ-follower, whosoever will may come! These three points lead us to…

The Maine* Idea: The death of Christ opened the way into the presence of God for all who believe.

I. Unveiled Glory: The Way is now open to the presence of God (37-38).

³⁷ And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.  ³⁸ And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 

      First let’s look again at v.37 and the death of Christ: After scourging, mocking, and crucifixion, Jesus breathes His last (37). Death came into Creation as a result of sin, but Jesus died not because of His own sin—He was sinless—but because of the sins of humans. As the Apostle Peter wrote, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed…” (I Pet 2:24). Mark wants us to see the immediate connection between the death of Christ, and what follows…

       As He dies, the veil of the Temple is torn, from top to the bottom (38). There were a few “veils” or “curtains” in the Temple, Mark isn’t specific, but when we put the gospel accounts together we realize this was the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies (or, The Most Holy Place) which housed the Ark of the Covenant. Mark gives no commentary about what this meant or why it happened, he simply reports the direct connection between the death of Jesus, and the rending of the temple veil, from top to bottom.

       The Veil separated the Holy of Holies, the place of the Presence (Exod 26:31-33; Lev 16). The Tabernacle in the wilderness was the forerunner of the “House of God” that would later be built by Solomon in Jerusalem. It would be stripped by the Babylonians in 586 BC and later rebuilt during the return of the remnant during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. Finally, it would be rebuilt during the reign of Herod the Great, continuing to the time of Christ. The basic layout was the same, emphasizing the Sanctity and Separation of the Holy of Holies which housed the Ark of the Covenant.  We read the instructions concerning the “veil” in Exodus 26:31-33,   

³¹ "And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it.  ³² And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver.  ³³ And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy.

       The Temple in the time of Jesus was described by the Jewish Historian Josephus, and according to him the veil was about 30 feet wide, and 60 feet high, and it was the thickness of a man’s palm, about 4 inches! He said it was so heavy it took 300 men to hoist it into place! That is impressive, but the sanctity of that inner part of the Temple emphasized still more the transcendence of God, His unapproachable holiness. You recall that when Moses came down the Mountain his face glowed from having been in the presence of God, so much so that he needed to wear a veil to shield his face from the people. God’s presence descended on the Tabernacle in the Wilderness and later on the Temple in Jerusalem, and the veil shielded the people from his glorious presence. Only the High Priest, once a year, on the Day of Atonement, after offering a sacrifice for himself and for the people, could enter the Holy of Holies. Some traditions say they actually tied a rope on his foot so that in case he fell unconscious or died they could pull him out! God’s presence was unapproachable. Now think about the significance of the rending of the veil, not from below, as it might be done by some human means, but from the top to the bottom!

       Jesus, by the sacrifice of Himself, gave access to all who know Him. The language Mark uses to describe this event is remarkable. In chapter 1, at the baptism of Jesus, the heavens were “ripped open” [schizo] and the Father testified from heaven that Jesus is the Son. Now at His death, for only the second time in this Gospel, that same verb is used again, this time as the Veil of the Temple is “ripped open,” from above! The Father testified verbally to the divine sonship of Jesus at His baptism. Now He testifies in action, as God Himself rips open the veil, symbolically showing that the old way of sacrifice is finished, and that the way into His presence is opened. We’ll see that He uses a Roman Centurion to make the verbal declaration that this is indeed the Son of God!

       More than any other New Testament author, the writer to the Hebrews fleshes out the parallel between the earthly Temple and the throne of God in Heaven. It seems like Isaiah got a glimpse of the heavenly temple in his vision in Isaiah 6, and the glorious presence of the King. Hebrews talks about Jesus, as our great High Priest, entering the presence of God on our behalf. We read in Hebrews 9:11-12,  

¹¹ But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent ( not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)  ¹² he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

And so, as Paul says in Colossians 1:21-22,  

 ²¹ And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,  ²² he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him…

Now get this: as result of what Jesus has done for us, we are holy, righteous before God! And so, we have direct access opened into His presence. Hebrews 10:19-22 says, 

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,  ²⁰ by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,  ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God,  ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

So, we see Unveiled Glory, as the way is opened, that points to the Maine* Idea: The death of Christ opened the way into the presence of God for all who believe. Next we see an “Unqualified Confession,” as a Gentile recognizes the King (39).

II. Unqualified Confession: A Gentile Recognizes the King (39).

³⁹ And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!" 

      The Centurion was a Roman soldier who traditionally would have had about a hundred men under his command. It was probably a small team of only 4 or 5 that, under his command, accompanied the condemned men to their execution. This man had witnessed and carried out many crucifixions, no doubt. But he had never seen anything quite like what happened that day.  Think about all that he had seen. We only have a part of it in Mark, but we know the rest from the other Gospels: The way Jesus endured in silence the mocking and the insults; The way he prayed for His executioners, “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing”; How he made sure his mother was cared for, how he offered hope to a condemned man at his side; The hours of darkness in the middle of the day had to be terrifying; The cry from Cross, did he understand what Jesus said?; Then a final strong cry, as He “breathed his last.” He had seen many die before, this was not his first crucifixion, but it was unlike any he had seen or would ever see. And so, Mark tells us, “When he saw that in this way he breathed his last…”

       Not only what He said, but the way He said it seems to have astounded the Centurion. Was it the power of His voice, impossible it seems after scourging and six hours hanging on the cross? Was it the way He seemed to be in control through it all, talking to his mother and John, speaking so confidently to the condemned man at his side? Was it His seeming control over the moment, when it was finished, when He breathed His last, and committed His Spirit to His Father? Mark takes us from Calvary, as Jesus dies, to the Temple, and the veil is rent, and then back to the Cross, where the Centurion says more correctly than anyone so far in Mark, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” Notice the strategic references to Jesus as the Son of God earlier in this Gospel:

Mark 1:1  - The opening verse of the Gospel, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

Mark 1:9-12 -  At His baptism we read “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  ¹⁰ And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."  ¹² The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.

Mark 9:7-8 - On the Mount of Transfiguration, three disciples present, Peter, James, and John, and Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus, “And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him."  ⁸ And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

How much did the Centurion know and understand about Jesus? We can’t say for sure. But Mark wants us to see that this Gentile soldier seemingly got it right, at least in terms of the title he ascribes to Jesus. As readers of the Gospel the believing reference to the Divine Sonship of Jesus must command our attention. The reference to the “rending” of the heavens at the baptism, and again the “rending” of the Temple veil here, draws these events together. As the heavens were rent and the Father testified to the Divine Son at His baptism, so the Temple Veil is rent, and this Roman confesses Him as God’s Son… The best the disciples have done so far is call Him “Messiah.” Until now, the only positive confession of Jesus as the Son of God came from the Father (1:11; 9:7). A couple of demon possessed people, in fear of judgment, had used the title, but clearly in fear, not in faith. The first believing confession by a human comes from this Gentile, apparently the one who had been in charge of His execution!

       That is the Maine* Idea: The death of Christ opened the way into the presence of God for all who believe.  We’ve seen 1) Unveiled Glory and 2) Unqualified Confession, let’s touch on a final point…

III. Unrestricted Discipleship: ALL are called to follow Him, regardless of racial, economic, or social standing (40-41; Gal 3:28). We’ll see more on the women the next two Sundays…

⁴⁰ There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.  ⁴¹ When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

      This detail, the mention of faithful women, who are at least nearby, watching in the distance, is striking. Women had no standing to testify in legal proceedings, they were truly second-class citizens in the first century. That does speak to a couple of things,

       1) First, the authenticity of Mark’s account, if you were making this up you wouldn’t make women, in that context, the faithful witnesses to his execution and the first witnesses of his resurrection! Mark records it that way because it is history, that is the way it happened!

       2) I think there is also a lesson here. He also would remind us that God is no respecter of persons. In God’s eyes social status, gender, race, the things in our past, our level of education, the size of our bank account, the kinds of things that humans have allowed to stratify our standing in society, none of it matters to God. The ground is level at the foot of the Cross!  So Paul could state so emphatically in Galatians 3:28, confirming in a didactic context exactly what we see happening already in the ministry of Jesus:  “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Heaven is going to be a colorful place, and the kinds of things that we foolishly allow to divide us now will be forgotten.

What is God saying to me in this passage? Why did Jesus come? To open the way for us to have unrestricted access into the Presence of God. Who is Jesus? Yes, a descendant of David according to the flesh, but not merely that. He is the Son of God. What does it mean to follow Him? Like these woman, following, serving, loving Him and trusting Him. That is the Maine* Idea: The death of Christ opened the way into the presence of God for all who believe.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? If you have not yet submitted to Uncle Sam his due, He will come knocking! Death and taxes. It is appointed unto men once to die… and then what? Either we’ll stand before the Great White Throne and be judged for our unbelief, or, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, we will come to His judgment seat, and stand before Him forgiven, at peace with God, reconciled to Him. If you are not certain about where you stand with God, now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. None of us knows how much time they have left. Are we ready?

       On Wednesday night Pastor David said he had gotten a call from a friend from his former church. She found out she is dying, and they told her that it might be that very day. Only God knows when. The question is, then what? Pastor David’s friend said yes, she was ready. Are you? If you feel a tug at your heart, something drawing you to Him, calling you to make sure, could it be that God, by His kindness, is leading you to repentance and faith? Jesus said, “I stand at the door and knock, if anyone open the door I will come into him and sup with Him, and he with Me…” Paul said it this way: Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Make certain, the price has been paid, the gift is being offered, trust Him!

       We celebrate the Lord’s Table monthly at our church. It is a visual, palpable reminder, that Christ gave to the church, of the glorious message of the Gospel. The disciples were celebrating Passover with Jesus, a time to remember the deliverance of the people from slavery in Egypt. The blood of the Lamb over the door in the Jewish homes promised life in the home, instead of judgement. That deliverance was a picture of what Jesus accomplished this last Passover in Jerusalem. He was without sin, a spotless Lamb, and He was slain so that by His blood we are redeemed and justified, declared righteous before God. The ordinance is a perpetual reminder of what Christ Has done for us.   AMEN.