What Law Hast Thou Broken?
Morning
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Read Mark 15:1-15
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1 And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And he answered him, "You have said so." 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, "Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you." 5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. 6 Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. 7 And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. 8 And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. 9 And he answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" 10 For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. 12 And Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?" 13 And they cried out again, "Crucify him." 14 And Pilate said to them, "Why? What evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him." 15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
O dearest Jesus, what law hast Thou broken
that such sharp sentence should on Thee be spoken?
Of what great crime hast Thou to make confession,
what dark transgression?
- Johann Heermann
(Lutheran Service Book, 439)
This day our Lord stood trial, given a verdict of ultimate guilt when, in truth, he was innocent of all sin. In Pilate’s attempt to free the innocent Jesus, he offers the accusers an opportunity to choose between innocent Jesus and the horribly guilty Barabbas. In a twist of irony, the corrupt and wicked one is pardoned in order to make sure the innocent one will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. What those shouting “crucify him” do not realize is that their desire for Jesus’ death is part of God’s twist of grace. Jesus the innocent one is punished to the fullest extent of the law in order that we, being corrupt and wicked, can be pardoned.
Prayer
Father, for my sake, my Lord was willing to be betrayed, handed over to the hands of sinful men, and condemned to death. Do not look upon my sin but look upon me with your mercy and hold me in your gracious care in Jesus’ name. Amen.
My Sins Put Him There
Noon
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Read Mark 15:16-32
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16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. 21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews." 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!" 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
Whence come these sorrows, whence this mortal anguish?
It is my sins for which Thou, Lord, must languish;
yea, all the wrath, the woe, Thou dost inherit,
this I do merit.
– Johann Heermann
(Lutheran Service Book, 439)
Our Lord is now hanging on the cross, just hours away from his final breath. While other men’s hands may have driven the spikes through his flesh, my sins put him there. Your sins put him there. Scoffers mock Jesus, telling him to save himself and come down. Although he is able to do just that, he does not because his desire is to save others by giving up his life.
Prayer
Almighty God, You willed that your Son would bear for me the pain of the cross. Help me to always remember and give thanks for my Lord’s passion. Amen.
Even Bigger
Afternoon
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Read Mark 15:33-41
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33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, "Behold, he is calling Elijah." 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down." 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. 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!" 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.
Ye who think of sin but lightly nor suppose the evil great
here may view its nature rightly, here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the sacrifice appointed, see who bears the awful load;
‘tis the Word, the Lord’s anointed, Son of Man and Son of God.
-Thomas Kelly
(Lutheran Service Book, 451)
On most days, our sins probably do not seem like that big of a deal. We usually don’t give them a second thought, let alone feel remorse over them. Around three in the afternoon, our Lord died because of those sins. Mark directs us to see the beaten body, the bloodied head, the pierced hands and feet, our Lord breathing his last and dying. Our sin, every sin, is a big deal. But bigger still is the power of our Lord which through his death is able to redeem us. Truly this man was the Son of God. Because that is true, so too is all He has said. Your sins are forgiven (Mark 2:5). I came not to call the righteous, but sinners (Mark 2:17).
Prayer
Lord, forgive me of my sin and for when I forget the gravity of my sin. I am eternally grateful for your great sacrifice. Amen.
Light in Darkness
Evening
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Read Mark 15:42-47
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42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46 And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
It seems a bit unsanctified to talk about our Lord as a corpse (Mark 15:45). But those words confirm the harsh truth and reality of our Savior’s death. His lifeless body needed to be removed from the cross, placed in a tomb, and buried. There isn’t anything more final than that. What now echoes in our ears were those words Jesus spoke when the woman had broken expensive oil over his body just a few days ago, she has anointed my body beforehand for burial (Mark 14:8). But we recall his other words, the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise (Mark 9:31). There is a glimmer of light in the darkness of a tomb, a glimmer of hope in the darkness of death. And so we wait with sorrow, but also hopeful anticipation.
Prayer
Father, handing your Son over to death freed me from the power of Satan. Give comfort to my grief and prepare me to join brothers and sisters in Christ to celebrate Jesus’ Easter victory. Amen.