Jesus Crucified

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

Mark 15: 22-41

22Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. 24And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. 25It was the third hour when they crucified Him. 26The inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”27They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 28[And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”] 29Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. 32Let 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. 33When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34At 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?” 35When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.” 36Someone 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.” 37And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. 38And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” 40There 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. 41When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

OUTLINE

Love 15:21-25
Leader 15:26
Lamb 15:27-32
Lion 15:33-36
Liberator 15:38-41

QUESTIONS

Take the time to reread the text together as a group. What happens inside of you as you read through the account of the crucifixion of Jesus? In what ways has it become normal? Ordinary? Familiar?
The crucifixion would be unbearable to read through if it weren’t an exquisite picture of God’s love for us. In what ways does His love displayed on the cross encourage you to love others around you? (1 John 4:10-11) What are some names of the people around you that you can love?
The crucifixion would be unbearable to read through if it weren’t an exquisite picture of God’s forgiveness given to us. In what ways does the crucifixion encourage you to forgive? (Ephesians 4:32) Who can you forgive?
The crucifixion would be unbearable to read through if it weren’t an exquisite picture of our Hero enduring darkness alone so that we would never have to be alone. In what ways does the crucifixion encourage you to welcome those who are isolated and alone? Who can you welcome?