Some Good Friday thoughts from Mark 15 after reading this morning.

1/10 - He was silent before His accusers (vv. 1-4). It’s not that He had nothing to say. It’s that He something to do.

2/10 - Pilate knows that he has do something with Jesus (v. 12). Forever, Jesus demands an answer.

3/10 - Praise God for the story of Barabbas (v. 15). Freed because of Jesus. Simple. Profound. Substitution.

4/10 - Christians are no strangers to mockery. Why should we be? Our King was mocked and humiliated (vv. 16-20).

5/10 - Mark 15:16-39 begs to be read alongside Psalm 22, the lament of the righteous sufferer. Read it all on the lips of Jesus. Bewilderment, pain, and discouragement, but also trust, confidence, and hope!

6/10 - It’s possible to be nearly right and entirely wrong: “He saved others; he cannot save himself” (v. 31). Now replace *cannot* with *will not*. What they saw as impotence was actually love, power, and mercy.

7/10 - Darkness at mid-day (v. 33). Creation undone as the Creator is crucified. This must be cosmically important.

8/10 - The centurion gets it (v. 39). Mark opens his Gospel (1:1) with a claim ("the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”). God knows Jesus’ identity, of course (1:11). The demons know (3:11). Peter understands (8:29). And, now, as it were, the whole world (15:39)!

9/10 - Faithful women following Jesus (vv. 40-41). Praise God for this constant theme in the history of the church.

10/10 - It takes courage to identify with the crucified (v. 43). But it’s not as hard when joy is underneath it (“who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God”). It’s actually wisdom.