Class Notes: 6/7/2015

Mark 15:32-34; Jesus is Rejected by mankind and by God the Father

In our study of Mark we are in Mark 15:32; where Jesus is being ridiculed by the mob and the criminals who are being crucified with Him but while mocking Him one of the criminals has a change of thinking and believes that Jesus is the Messiah.

Luke 23:39; The unbelieving criminal says "Aren't you the Messiah? (Net note 93) Save yourself and us.

Last time we noted that if Jesus saved himself then God could not judge Him for the sins of all mankind so mankind could not be saved.

Because of the judgment that was about to occur on the cross saving himself from the cross was mutually exclusive with saving mankind from spiritual death and the lake of fire.

Luke 23:40; The other criminal rebukes him with the statement "You should respect God and shut up because you are under the same condemnation." Net note 95

Luke 23:41; He goes on to say that as criminals they deserve their punishment but Jesus is innocent and does not.

Luke 23:42; He then asks Jesus to remember him when you come into your kingdom.

Luke 23:43; Jesus' response indicates that the dying criminal was saved. He had a change of thinking on the cross and even though he had initially been mocking Jesus he changed his mind and believed that Jesus was the Son of God.

This man could do nothing except believe because he was hanging on a cross and about to die. It is a perfect example of faith alone in Christ alone for salvation. Eph 2:8-9;

Mark 15:33; The sixth hour refers to twelve noon "there was darkness over all the land." This is when the heavy lifting began with God the Father setting aside His personal love for Jesus because of His integrity love for mankind and judging Him as a substitute the sins of mankind.

No one is going to see God the Father judge Jesus Christ for the sins of the world. They can see His humiliation of hanging on the cross but no one is going to see the humiliation that comes from His bearing our sins.

This was a personal matter between God the Father and the unglorified humanity of God the Son that they had both agreed to in eternity past. Rev 13:8; KJV

This darkness extended from the sixth to the ninth hour or as we count time from 12 noon to 3PM and it was during this period of darkness that God the Father judged Jesus for our sins.

The exact cause of this darkness is unknown but it could have been a solar eclipse but more likely it was some kind of supernatural darkness.

A similar kind of darkness will occur for 24 hours at Jesus' second advent when Jesus circumnavigates the globe as he returns to establish God's kingdom on the earth. Mark 13:24;

Mark 15:34; And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice." This means to scream, and this bears out the prophecy in Psalm 22:1-3, "saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?"

The translation from the Aramaic (Hebrew) is, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

When Christ died spiritually on the cross He bore the judgment for the sins of the world, Christ was spiritually dead for three hours. Spiritual death is separation from God. Gen 2:17; YLT "Dying you shall die."

Most translations use the compounding of the word "death" in the original as emphasis because in the Hebrew the word death occurs twice.

Because of the nature of human life we understand that the first refers to spiritual death, the second to physical death.

Physical death is the result of spiritual death. The wages of sin is immediate (spiritual) death. When Adam sinned he died immediately. He did not die physically for another 930 years. Gen 5:5;

Isaiah 53:9; also tells also us that Christ died twice on the cross. The word "grave" refers to his spiritual death while he was hanging on the cross with the criminals and the word "death" refers to His physical death and being placed in Joseph of Arimethia's tomb.

It is His spiritual death that provides the judgment that creates potential for forgiveness and reconciliation with God resulting in eternal life and salvation.

God the Father forsook Jesus Christ on the cross because for those three hours he became sin while He was imputed our sins so he was in judicial or forensic spiritual death. He was judged in our place. Rom 5:8;

Since God cannot have anything to do with sin He was forced to forsake Jesus during the time that He was being judged for our sins. Hab 1:13a; Net note 42

This spiritual death is also known as the "blood of Christ." This is based on the "blood of the lamb" concept from the Old Testament more on that later in our study when we look at the doctrine of the "blood of Christ."

Since God the Father forsook, abandoned or rejected Jesus while He was in forensic spiritual death on the cross we will now take a side trip into a study of the doctrine of rejection.

Jesus was perfect but He experienced more rejection in His life than any other person will ever face. He experienced this rejection from both Israel and Rome, two of the greatest nations in all history,

After they rejected Him, God the Father also rejected him as he was judged for the sins of mankind on the cross.

Both the person and the message or Word of Jesus Christ were rejected during the First Advent. We tend to focus on His miracles and on the dynamics of His humanity that were all clearly visible during His ministry.

We get the idea that everyone was generally for Him but in actuality very few people were for Him and believed in Him. God's Word records the few that did have positive volition toward Him.

During His life in unglorified humanity, our Lord Jesus Christ had two presentations and in effect He wore two crowns.

First He made a public presentation to Israel during the three years of His public ministry, performing all the acts and making all the presentations and fulfilling all of the prophesies that was required of Messiah.

He spoke of how He was the fulfillment of the covenants and everything related to His legitimate rule of Israel as the Son of David, their Messiah and King.

During His very public ministry to the Jews He was generally rejected. Because He was not religious, ascetic and legalistic many thought He was a drunkard; others said He spent too much time with low life prostitutes and tax collectors.

He also had a very private ministry as the prophet of the Church Age to His disciples. In the Upper Room Discourse, He presented what would happen in the Church Age. He prophesied about what the Church Age.

At that point Israel had already been set aside because they had rejected Him as their Messiah.

What is ironic but predictable is that our Lord's private ministry is at this very moment being rejected because at this very moment most Church Age believers don't have a clue as to what the Church Age is all about.

So Jesus and the greatest ministry of God for the human race was rejected by both Jews and Romans (Gentiles) and to also being rejected by the Church.

Your attitude toward the Doctrine contained in God's Word right now is exactly what your attitude would be toward Jesus Christ personally if He was He here walking on the earth right now.

Regardless of what you allege, your attitude toward Bible Doctrine that comprises Jesus' thinking is your attitude toward Jesus.

The fact that so many would reject Jesus during His ministry in unglorified humanity was prophesied in Psa 118:22. "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone."

This prophecy was quoted numerous times in the New Testament: Matt 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Eph 2:20; 1Pet 2:7;

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