Psalm 22 sings with the voice of a king of Israel cut off from God and mocked by others, who clings on and comes through to glorious hope. Jesus takes that Psalm onto his lips as he approaches death. It
The pattern of three
Jesus told his disciples repeatedly that in Jerusalem he would suffer and be rejected, die and then rise again. Now those three steps are being played out before their eyes. Driving home the lesson, the number three echoes through Mark’s
That’s funny
This sermon is an alternative, more devotional look at the verses, centring on the great gospel message of repentance and faith in Christ. It was preached in an evening sermon to complement the regular morning preaching as part of a
Carry that cross
Pilate’s soldiers now have Jesus in their hands and so it’s time for cruel fun with this “king of the Jews” who’s been rejected by his own. The scene of their tormenting him is an ugly one which captures how
Motives for murder
Pilate tries to free Jesus by getting the crowd to ask for his release. But it goes horribly wrong and Pilate has Jesus killed to save himself trouble. How does it go wrong? Jerusalem’s leaders stir the crowd to turn
A different attitude (HCTW 39)
He Changed The World – for an introduction to this series of talks, please click the title. Mark 10:32-45Using the player above you can listen to/download the talk, which also includes the Bible being read out. Once you’ve listened, take
Playing politics
Jerusalem’s first century leaders are ready to kill Jesus. But they can’t do it; it has to be the Roman authorities. So they drag him off to the governor, looking to manipulate Pilate into doing their dirty work for them.
Denial!
Peter was left confused by his Lord’s refusal to fight. Yet he still wants to be near him. However, when that leads to his exposure, the pressure pushes him into a corner like a frightened animal. The result is that
You’ll see
Jerusalem’s leading men – the Sanhedrin – want Jesus condemned to death, but the evidence is severely lacking. So the High Priest demands to know if he claims to be God’s Son. Yet the man will not name God in
Silence is golden
In the darkness of night, away from the city, following a violence encounter, in the hands of armed enemies and with no support, Jesus could meet his end. However, it will not be so. His opponents – Israel’s leaders –