Page 14 - February 2026 - Truth & Tidings

ere the climax of Mark’s Gospel First, they dressed Him in a purple robe
is reached. The Servant accom- and a crown they had made from thorns.
Hplishes God’s work. Isaiah had Then they feigned deference by calling
confirmed, “Behold, my servant shall out, “Hail, King of the Jews!” What they
deal prudently” (Isa 52:13). He would act did and said mocked His royal claims
wisely to ensure the successful completion (vv2,12). They added to their mockery
of God’s will. the coarse brutality of hardened soldiers,
repeatedly striking Him with a reed and
The Accomplishment by the spitting upon Him. And they bowed and
Servant (15:16-16:8) fell down before Him in feigned obei-
In the record of the Crucifixion (15:16- sance.
47), the Lord is taken from Gabbatha to Tiring of their sport, they took off His
Golgotha to the Grave. This follows the purple robe and dressed Him again in
order of Isaiah 53:7-9. There the suffering His own clothes to lead Him outside the
and silent Lamb is led to slaughter (v7; city walls to be crucified. Truly, He was
Mar 15:16-23); He who experienced an “brought as a lamb to the slaughter” (Isa
unjust trial is cut off out of the land of 53:7).
the living (v8; Mar 15:24-41); and the One Simon, a Cyrenian, who happened to
whom they thought to put in a common be passing by, was pressed by the soldiers
grave is buried in a rich man’s tomb (v9; to carry the Lord’s cross. In doing so, he
Mar 15:42-47). Then follows the record of walked the same path to Golgotha. Simon
the Resurrection (v10; Mar 16:1-8). is the “father of Alexander and Rufus”
The Crucifixion (15:16-47) (v21), men who were well known to the
believers. Likely Simon first believed as
Gabbatha was the place where Pilate he witnessed the Lord’s moral perfections
pronounced formal sentence against the demonstrated in the shadow of Golgotha.
Lord Jesus (Joh 19:13). From here the Lord, Golgotha was “the place of a skull,” a
having been placed into the care of sol- skull-shaped mound suitably named for
diers, was “led … away into the hall, called a place of execution.
Praetorium” (Mar 15:16). The soldiers
1
were troops assigned to Pilate and, in the At Golgotha, a quaternion of soldiers
courtyard of the palace, the whole cohort carried out their responsibility. They first
(of at least two hundred men) gathered to “gave him to drink wine mingled with
demean and humiliate the Lord. myrrh: but he received it not” (v23). Their
motivation was not compassion. Even
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV mildly inebriated criminals were easier
unless otherwise noted. to crucify than those in full possession of

46 TRUTH kTidings February 2026