Summary review as we enter Mark 15

While Jesus and his disciples were still making their way to Jerusalem to complete his messianic
mission, in Mark 10:33-34, Jesus made the following prediction. “`We are going up to
Jerusalem,’ he said, `and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of
the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and
spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.’” It is now early Friday morning of
Holy Week, and by now almost all of the things Jesus predicted have come to pass exactly as he said they
would. Jesus has been betrayed by Judas, one of his own disciples. He has been arrested by the
Sanhedrin and found guilty of blasphemy because he claimed to be Israel’s Messiah. He has been beaten
and spit upon. Now, Jesus will be handed over by his own people (the Jews) to an obscure Gentile
politician, Pontius Pilate, who will condemn him to death even though even Pilate knew full-well that
Jesus had done nothing wrong. In just a few short hours, Jesus will be crucified, he will die and be
buried, only to rise again from the dead that first Easter Sunday. Jesus’ remarkable prediction, will soon
be completely fulfilled. Jesus will drink the cup of God’s wrath, endure unspeakable shame and
humiliation, and in doing so, save us from our sins. --Kim Riddlebarger