Mark 15
Go Deeper
One of the most upsetting moments in today’s reading, besides Jesus’s death, is the action of the soldiers who called Jesus King, put a crown on His head, and bowed down to Him… but all as a joke. He was/is the true King, and He deserved their true praise, yet, they taunted Him in mockery. How dare they?! But, as much as we want to angrily hurl that question at the soldiers, we can’t let Easter weekend go by without asking the same of ourselves: How dare we?
Because while we may not physically mock Jesus in fake worship, when we sit at lunch after church on Sunday and gossip about someone we saw that morning, are we not the same as the soldiers crowning Jesus with a crown of thorns? Is our worship as big of a joke as that of the soldiers when we strive to find our worth in success rather than in identity given by God? Do we mock Jesus when we say that He is Lord but confine that to an hour a week on Sundays? You see, just like the soldiers, we may have the right words and posture and some of the right actions, but if our heart isn’t in it, then our worship is just as fake.
This fake worship means that we prioritize everything else in our life first, and Jesus second. Idolatry consumes us as our hearts become too busy worshipping ourselves–our careers, kids, successes, looks, and possessions–and we end up unable to acknowledge the true King right in front of us, just like the soldiers. Simply put, we miss Him, just like they did. This Easter weekend, let’s slow down, reflect, and confess in order to make sure we don’t miss Him again.
Questions
What person in this story do you most connect with today? Are you an idolator like the soldiers? A skeptic like Pilate? The disciples, who are no-shows in today’s chapter? The faithful women who followed Jesus to the very end? Why?
What are your idols? In what way is your worship of Jesus falsified at times by your heart or your actions?
Easter weekend, coronavirus style, probably looks a bit different this year than normal–less loud, less busy, maybe even less “fun.” How can you use the extra stillness of this weekend to reflect on your role in putting Jesus on the cross?