In Mark 15:16 to 21, we witness a very difficult scene, the torture of Christ by Pilate's Praetorium Guard. It was a brutal mockery, yet it was the perfect will of our sovereign God planned out in great detail. But in the midst of this horror, a man is grabbed out of the crowd by soldiers to carry Christ's cross--and he will be used in the near future in the coming of the Church. So on the road to the cross, God uses a man and his family to put His wise, gracious, providential heart on display to encourage every one of us.

Celebrate how Jesus Christ perfectly fulfills the role as the Passover Lamb. God gave His people specific instructions to be delivered from the Angel of Death in Egypt, which resulted in their deliverance from slavery to Pharaoh. And those specific instructions are perfectly fulfilled in Christ in every detail, which now enables our deliverance from slavery to sin.

When evil men try to do right, they may be overruled by a sovereign God. Pilate repeatedly tried to release Christ, to set Him free, to stop the religious leaders from killing the only innocent man--and Pilate was prevented because God had a higher, loving plan. Christ had to go to the cross and die exactly at 3 pm on Friday. In Mark 15:6 to 15, the providence of God over the evil of men, and the importance of convictions are revealed. Are you convinced that God is in charge of even the evil, unjust details of life?

What happens when people don’t respond correctly to Christ? As chapter 15 opens, Christ stands before the Sanhedrin, will face Pilate twice and Herod, and a hostile mob of Jewish citizens who are stirred up and completely miss their Messiah. They mock and abuse Him calling for His death--this is a fallen, sinful world of wretchedly sinful people just like us. They responded to Christ in a horrible way and each of us who love Him have done the same in our own hearts, and receive similar from those with whom we share the Gospel. This Scripture warns us--be certain we are truly God’s child, deal with our pride, don’t defend ourselves, and be truly awed by Christ!

A parent gets into trouble when he is more concerned about his child’s feelings than his behavior, his self-esteem and self-confidence than him doing what is right. And this is what caused Peter to deny Christ three times--self-confidence. In Mark 14:66 to 72, see Peter’s denial and what led to it--the same factors that prevent friends and family from turning to Christ, and that harm our walk with Christ.

We continue in Mark 14 with the majestic silence and magnificent declaration of Christ. Our Lord is silent before the religious leaders, who are only trying to justify His murder. But when asked plainly if He is the Messiah, Jesus openly declares that He is, and that He is God, and that He is their coming judge. They are currently judging Christ unjustly, but Christ will one day judge them justly--and for those leaders it will not be pleasant.

Most of us have struggled with the decline of justice in our legal system, and this passage will again confirm that there is nothing new under the sun. In Mark 14, our Lord has been arrested but is now being illegally and unjustly tried. His trial is a mockery of justice and a clear violation of the Law. How do Christians violate the law? How should you respond when life is unjust and unfair? How is Christ on trial in your heart?

Through the betrayal and arrest of Christ, we see how God works all things to accomplish His will--and His absolute power as He allows men to bind him and take Him away. And this is also about struggles we have all experienced--betrayal, hate, impetuousness, violence, desertion, and how God uses them to transform us and accomplish His plan.

In the midst of His agony, as Christ continues to wrestle with the Father over the spiritual weight of the coming cross, under so much stress He bleeds through His pores and God the Father sends an angel to minister to His Son--Christ does something that will amaze you, as He demonstrates an amazing caring love for His men, for you, and His holiness.

In Mark 14:32 to 36, Christ is in the Garden of Gethsemane praying in agony. This is one of the most eye opening, Christ revealing, life changing and God-exalting passages in this gospel. You will see things, learn things, and be blown away by what this event exposes about our Lord. What He goes through in these verses is something only Christ will ever experience, but He does it for you.