The Enthronement of the King Text: Mark 15:22-41
Introduction: The Inverted Triumph
We have come to the center point of all human history. All the lines of the Old Testament converge on this crude, bloody instrument of Roman execution. All the lines of history that flow from this moment are redefined by it. The cross is not a tragic interruption of a good moral teacher's career. It is the hinge upon which the door of salvation swings. It is the throne from which the true King of the world rules. And we must understand that everything about it is an inversion of worldly wisdom and power. The world sees shame; God displays glory. The world sees defeat; God establishes victory. The world sees a dead criminal; God reveals His Son.
Mark’s account of the crucifixion is stark, brutal, and without sentimental flourish. He does not give us long, flowing discourses from the cross. He gives us the raw facts of the event, and in those facts, the gospel is presented in its most potent form. We are shown the absolute wickedness of man and the absolute sovereignty of God, colliding in a public spectacle outside the walls of Jerusalem. Man, in his rebellion, does his absolute worst. God, in His wisdom, accomplishes His absolute best. The rulers of this age, in their envy and pride, thought they were getting rid of a nuisance. What they did not know was that they were fulfilling a plan ordained before the foundation of the world. Had they known it, Paul tells us, "they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 2:8).
What we are about to read is not the story of a victim. It is the story of a conqueror. It is the account of the second Adam obeying on a tree, undoing the disobedience of the first Adam at a tree. It is the story of how God used the most public and shameful form of execution to make a public show of the principalities and powers, triumphing over them in it (Col. 2:15). This is not a funeral; it is a coronation. This is not a defeat; it is the central victory of all time. Let us therefore approach this sacred text with the sobriety it demands, but also with the triumphant joy it provides.
The Text
Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. And they tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide who should take what. Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And the inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” And they crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”] And those passing by were blaspheming Him, shaking their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself by coming down from the cross!” In the same way, mocking Him to one another, the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him. And when the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” which is translated, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” And when some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Look, He is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.” And Jesus, uttering a loud cry, breathed His last. And the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” And there were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome, who, when He was in Galilee, were following Him and serving Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.
(Mark 15:22-41 LSB)
The Royal Execution (vv. 22-28)
We begin with the grim details of the crucifixion itself, where every action is dripping with prophetic and theological significance.
"Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull... And they tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them... Now it was the third hour... And the inscription of the charge against Him read, 'THE KING OF THE JEWS.' And they crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left." (Mark 15:22-27)
They bring him to Golgotha, the Place of a Skull. This is not just a geographical note. The true Adam has come to the place of death to crush the serpent's head. He is offered wine mixed with myrrh, a narcotic to dull the senses and the pain. He refuses it. Christ will not be sedated. He will face the full wrath of God and the full agony of the cross with a clear mind and a resolute will. He is not a passive victim being dragged to His death; He is a priest, consciously offering Himself as the sacrifice.
Then they crucify Him. And as He hangs there, the soldiers gamble for His clothes. This is a direct fulfillment of Psalm 22:18: "They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." These pagan soldiers, in their callous indifference, are unknowingly acting out a script written a thousand years before. God's sovereignty is so meticulous that it extends even to the random roll of the dice at the foot of the cross. Nothing is left to chance.
Pilate, in an act of defiant mockery against the Jewish leaders, places an inscription over Jesus' head: "THE KING OF THE JEWS." The chief priests protest, wanting it to read that Jesus claimed to be king. But Pilate, in a moment of unwitting prophecy, declares the truth. "What I have written, I have written" (John 19:22). The Romans intended this as a cynical joke, a statement of contempt for Jewish aspirations. But God intended it as the central truth of the event. Here is your King, enthroned not on gold, but on wood. His crown is not of jewels, but of thorns. His royal robes have been gambled away. And His courtiers are two thieves, crucified on His right and on His left. This is the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:12: "He was numbered with the transgressors." This is the strange and glorious enthronement of the King of all creation.
The Royal Mockery (vv. 29-32)
The crucifixion was a public event, designed for maximum shame and deterrence. And the public, from the casual passerby to the religious elite, joins in the mockery.
"And those passing by were blaspheming Him, shaking their heads... 'Ha! You who are going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself...!' In the same way, the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were saying, 'He saved others; He cannot save Himself. Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!'" (Mark 15:29-32)
Every word of mockery is a profound, unintended declaration of gospel truth. They mock His claim about the temple. "Save Yourself!" they cry. But this is the one thing He cannot do if He is to save them. The logic of the cross is substitution. He must be forsaken so that we might be accepted. He must die so that we might live. The great irony is that their taunt is the very heart of the gospel. He saved others precisely because He would not save Himself.
The chief priests and scribes, the theological experts, reveal their complete spiritual blindness. "Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!" Their demand is for a salvation of raw power, a salvation on their own terms. They want a king who conquers by force, not by sacrifice. But a Christ who comes down from the cross is a Christ who cannot save anyone. Faith does not come by seeing a man magically un-nail himself from a piece of wood. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, which declares that this man, hanging on this wood, is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. They think they are setting the terms for belief, but they are actually demonstrating their unbelief. They want a king who fits their categories, but God is giving them a King who shatters all categories.
The Cosmic Darkness and the Cry of the Forsaken (vv. 33-37)
At the height of the crucifixion, the cosmos itself bears witness to the gravity of the event.
"And when the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, 'ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?' which is translated, 'MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?'" (Mark 15:33-34)
From noon until three in the afternoon, a supernatural darkness covers the land. This is not an eclipse. This is the judgment of God. The light of the world is being extinguished, and creation itself groans. This is the hour of the power of darkness (Luke 22:53). But more than that, this is the hour when the Father turns His face away from the Son. On the cross, Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, was made to be sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). He became the ultimate sin-offering, and the full, undiluted, holy wrath of God against all human sin, your sin, my sin, was poured out upon Him.
This is the context for the most terrible and mysterious cry in all of Scripture: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This is the opening line of Psalm 22, a psalm that details the crucifixion with stunning accuracy. Jesus is not expressing surprise or doubt. He is identifying Himself as the righteous sufferer of that very psalm. But it is more than a quotation. For the first and only time in all of eternity, the perfect communion between the Father and the Son was broken. He was judicially cut off, abandoned, so that we who believe in Him would never be. He drank the cup of divine abandonment to the dregs so that it might pass from us. This is the hell we deserved, endured by the one substitute who could bear it.
The bystanders, in their ignorance, think He is calling for Elijah. They offer Him sour wine, a gesture of either mockery or misguided pity. But then, with a loud cry, He breathes His last. John tells us the content of that cry: "It is finished" (John 19:30). This was not the whimper of a defeated man. It was the shout of a victor. The debt is paid. The sacrifice is complete. The work of redemption is accomplished.
The Divine Commentary (vv. 38-41)
The moment Jesus dies, God Himself provides the interpretation of the event through two dramatic signs.
"And the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, 'Truly this man was God’s Son!'" (Mark 15:38-39)
First, the veil of the temple is torn in two. This was the massive, thick curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, barring access to the presence of God. And notice the direction: it is torn from top to bottom. This is not the work of man; this is the act of God. By the death of His Son, God has ripped open the way into His presence. The old system of sacrifices and priests is now obsolete. Access to God is no longer restricted. It is available to all who come through the torn flesh of Jesus Christ (Heb. 10:19-20). The temple was the center of the old covenant world, and its central barrier has just been destroyed by divine decree.
Second, we have the confession of a pagan. A Roman centurion, a hardened professional soldier who had likely seen countless men die, witnesses the manner of Christ's death. He sees the authority with which Jesus cried out and gave up His spirit. This was not a man whose life was taken from him; this was a man who laid it down of His own accord. And this pagan soldier, standing at the foot of the cross, makes the confession that the high priest and the scribes refused to make: "Truly this man was God's Son!" The first person to understand the true identity of Jesus at the cross is not a Jew, but a Gentile. The gospel is already going out to the nations.
The chapter concludes by noting the faithful women who had followed and served Him, watching from a distance. While the male disciples had scattered in fear, these women remained. They are the first witnesses of the crucifixion, and they will be the first witnesses of the resurrection. Their faithful presence is a quiet rebuke to the cowardice of the men and a testament to the fact that in the kingdom of God, the last shall be first.
Conclusion: Your King, Your Cross
The cross of Jesus Christ is not an event to be pitied. It is a victory to be celebrated. It is the wisdom and power of God on full display. At this cross, the justice of God was satisfied, the love of God was demonstrated, and the power of God was unleashed. The powers of sin, death, and Hell were broken. The way to God was opened. A new covenant was inaugurated in blood.
The question that the cross puts to every one of us is this: Who is this man? The world, like the mockers at Golgotha, sees only a failed revolutionary, a religious fanatic, a tragic figure. But faith, like the centurion, looks at this same scene and confesses, "Truly, this is the Son of God." Faith sees not a victim, but a King. Faith sees not shame, but glory. Faith understands that He did not save Himself, so that He might save you.
Therefore, the call of the gospel is not to come and mourn a dead martyr. The call is to come and bow to a living King. It is a call to die with Him. Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20). The cross is where your old self, your pride, your rebellion, and your sin are put to death. You must come to this cross and see your own sins laid upon this perfect substitute. And then, you must look beyond the cross to the empty tomb, for the one who died for you was also raised for your justification (Rom. 4:25). He is not on the cross now. He is risen, ascended, and ruling from the right hand of the Father. And He calls you to abandon your foolish attempts at self-salvation, to trust in His finished work, and to receive the forgiveness that He purchased at so great a price.