EmmDev 2026-03-25 [Moments with Mark] Insults

Insults

Apologies for the missed devotion yesterday. We were down in Dundee KZN to do some sessions with our Probationers. We were camping there and it was pouring with rain - which made writing EmmDevs challenging!

For even Christ did not please Himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me." (Romans15:3)

In our last devotion we looked at all the groups who poured out insults on Jesus.
The priests, the crowds, the soldiers and even the fellow-crucified all poured out disdain and vitriol on a humble carpenter from Nazareth who preached love, healed broken people, fed the hungry and drove out life-destroying demons.

Why did this happen? Why such anger?
To find our answer, we turn to a letter Paul wrote to the Church in Rome.
He's making the point that Jesus put His own agenda second and God's agenda first.
He's quoting from Psalm 69 which is a Psalm about a good God-fearing king who suffers for His trust in God.
This Psalm that is applied to Jesus is also quoted in the gospels when Jesus is clearing the temple and the disciples remember Psalm 69:9: "Zeal for Your house consumes me..."

When the Psalmist says "The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me."
- The "You" in the Psalm is "God"
- and the "Me" in the Psalm is David, but it is prophetic of Christ.

The point that Paul is making, is that Jesus voluntarily bore humankind's hostility toward God.
When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they knew they were naked, and their immediate instinct was to hide from God.
Even in Adam's first sin-stained encounter with God we see the hostility emerge:
"The woman YOU put here with me -- she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."

That's the reality of our sin-stained perceptions. We are hostile to God. He is light and our darkness cannot bear it.

Jesus reflected the righteous love of God and human hostility was directed towards Him.
It breaks our hearts, but it can't be denied.

But Paul's point is vital. Jesus chose to bear this. He chose to carry our hostility.

Jesus did not just endure human insults: He carried our hostility toward God, and answered it with love.

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EmmDev 2026-03-20 [Moments with Mark] Rejected

Rejected

Those who passed by hurled insults at Him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!" In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked Him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but He can't save himself! Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. (Mark15:29-32)

It's a three-fold rejection.
- From the crowd.
- From the people who should have recognised Him.
- Even from the two crucifixion criminals.

Imagine being utterly rejected by those you came to save.

And dying for them anyway...

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EmmDev 2026-03-19 [Moments with Mark] Stark Contrast

Stark Contrast

The written notice of the charge against Him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. (Mark15:26-27)

From the other gospels we learn that it was Pilate who had the sign written for the cross.
Here's how John describes it:
"Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.
The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." (John 19:19-22)

It is very likely that Pilate wrote this to anger and ridicule the Jews. ("Look at your king on the cross")
It was also a veiled threat that anyone who wanted to be a political leader in opposition to Rome would suffer the same fate.
But the chief priests were quick to nitpick - they were worried - many people would see the sign.
Perhaps they were worried that some would make the connection to Isaiah 53 which is about the suffering Messiah.
So they wanted the sign tweaked to say that Jesus had made a false claim.

Up to now Pilate has come across weak and indecisive. In this moment he is decisive and firm of purpose.
His sign became the silent preacher, explaining the tragedy and triumph playing out beneath it.

In sharp contrast to the sign which proclaimed the royalty of the One being crucified, we see Him crucified between two criminals. The Greek word that is translated here as "robbers" is "lēstai" and it had the connotation of "guerrilla fighters", "revolutionaries", or "anti-Roman insurgents." Barabbas, the murderer, was also counted as a "lēstai". These are not petty criminals, they are enemies of the state.

Jesus is crucified between them, and it seems that the purpose was to imply that He was the worst of them.
(The one criminal actually later acknowledges that he has done things that deserve being crucified.)
Initially Jesus will be subjected to their derision, but later one of them comes to faith.

So we have a stark contrast.
A sign proclaiming greatness is meant as mockery and warning, but it actually conveys a great truth.
The providing of "bad company" is meant to besmirch character but leads to salvation.
The King is condemned among rebels so that rebels like us might go free.

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EmmDev 2026-03-18 [Moments with Mark] Six Hours One Passover Friday

Six Hours One Passover Friday

It was the third hour when they crucified Him... At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour... And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" With a loud cry, Jesus breathed His last... (Mark15:25-37)

Back then, time was measured from sunrise. So the third hour is 9h00, the sixth is 12h00 and the ninth is 15h00.

For the next few days we'll explore Mark's account of the six hours Jesus spent on the cross.
Bear in mind that the first three hours of the day (before the third hour) consisted of an ambush; lies; accusations; manipulations; trials before high priests, Herod and Pilate; a crowd shouting "crucify Him"; soldiers mocking; a flogging; and the arduous "Via Dolorosa."

Then, at the third hour, they crucified Him.

The physical agony has been well documented.
And occasionally we do have to think about it.
His raw encounter with pain reminds us that
- when we are in pain, He understands
- when human beings are incredibly cruel, He understands
- when we are exposed, powerless and completely at the mercy of others, He understands

But there's more than physical agony.
In the first three hours Jesus endured worst human beings can offer. They've hammered nails through Him. They've gambled away His clothes and the soldiers, priests, thieves, and the crowd have mocked. He is alone apart from a few women and John (who was probably just a teenager.) They're not really able to comfort Him. In fact, He lovingly comforts them: giving Mary a God-son and John a God-mom.

But there's more than social humiliation.
In the second three hours it goes dark for three hours.
This is symbolic of the darkness of our sin that now rested on Jesus.
In these three hours He is experiencing Divine Judgement and Wrath:
My eternity without God, your eternity without God, everyone's eternity without God.
Only three hours by our time.
For Him, it is eternal consequences, being carried on shoulders attached to nail-pierced hands.

...It's Passover...
In the temple courts and in homes people are preparing in the strange darkness.
They're slaughtering Passover lambs, preparing unleavened bread, and making bitter herb sauce.

But for six hours the "Lamb who takes away the sins of the world" has been hanging on the cross.
For three of those hours He has been abandoned by people.
For three of those hours He has been literally God-forsaken.

If we combine all the gospels, big things happen at the end of the sixth hour on the cross.
- He cries out in the agony of forsakenness.
- He breathes His last, He gives up His Spirit, He pronounces "It is finished!" (Done, Paid in Full)
- The temple curtain tears from top to bottom
- Graves split open and dead people rise because, death too is defeated.
- Our sins are forgiven, our penalty paid.

And the Roman Centurion declares "Surely this was the Son of God!"

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EmmDev 2026-03-17 [Moments with Mark] Fully Present

Fully Present

They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). Then they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it. And they crucified Him. Dividing up His clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. (Mark15:22-24)

There are three thoughts that stand out in today's passage:

• Golgotha: Just the mention of the name must have given people chills. The word means "Place of the Skull." Some have suggested that it is a hill outside Jerusalem that actually looks like a skull, others argue that none of the gospels mention a hill, and that the name simply comes from what was done there. Either way, it is chilling.
  
  Years ago, I did the pedal project, where I cycled 1100km to raise funds for under-resourced congregations. I completed my target distance just outside Belfast, near the Engen Garage. As we rode in, there was a hill with three crosses. It was a moment that right-sized me. I was quite proud of my 11 days in the saddle, but the hill with the three crosses reminded me of a much bigger price paid.
  
  When Jesus, the soldiers and the crowds arrived at "skull place" - there would have been a chilling sense of reality and gravity. 
  
  
• Fully Present: We normally use this in a positive sense. When we're playing with our kids or on a date with our loved one, we should strive to be "fully present." By refusing the wine mixed with myrrh, which was a rough and ready narcotic, Jesus was choosing to be fully present. He chose to be present to the pain and humiliation, so that He could fulfil prophecy, comfort Mary and John, assure a fellow victim of Eternity and surrender His life for us. He was never out of control. We didn't take His life - He gave it for us.
  
  
• Stripped: Crucifixion was brutal. Jesus was flogged, beaten, mocked, made to carry the cross to the point of collapse, and now they nailed Him to the cross so that He could not move. On top of that, He was stripped naked, which maximises a sense of vulnerability. Then callous soldiers made a game of dividing up His clothes.
  
  A few years ago my Lent fast was to stop shaving. Within days my stubble started itching and I itched until I could shave the beard on Easter Sunday. During that time I imagined not being able to scratch my face because my hands were nailed to the cross. It was profoundly humbling.

So the moment has come.
The Son of God is crucified.
We should stand in silent awe.

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EmmDev 2026-03-06 [Moments with Mark] Simon, the Father of Alexander and Rufus

Simon, the Father of Alexander and Rufus

A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). (Mark15:21-22)

Gospel Singer Ray Boltz wrote and performed the song below in the 80s. It beautifully imagines the back story of Simon of Cyrene...
You can listen to it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=a92Nejt8BRA.

WATCH THE LAMB (Ray Boltz)

Walking on the road to Jerusalem
The time had come to sacrifice again
My two small sons, they walked beside me on the road
The reason that they came was to watch the lamb

And they said, "Daddy, Daddy, what will we see there?
There's so much that we don't understand"
And so I told them of Moses and father Abraham
Then I said, "Dear children, watch the lamb"

There will be so many in Jerusalem today
We must be sure the lamb doesn't run away
And I told them of Moses and father Abraham
Then I said, "Dear children, watch the lamb"

When we reached the city, I knew something must be wrong
There were no joyful worshipers there, no joyful worship songs
And I stood there with my children in the midst of angry men
Then I heard the crowd cry out, let's crucify Him

We tried to leave the city but we could not get away
Forced to play in this drama, a part I did not wish to play
Why upon this day were men condemned to die?
Why were we standing here where soon they would pass by?

I looked and said, even now they come
The first one cried for mercy, the people gave him none
The second one was violent and he was arrogant and loud
I still here his angry voice screaming at the crowd

Then someone said, "There's Jesus", I scarce believed my eyes
A man so badly beaten, He barely looked alive
Blood poured from His body, from the thorns upon His brow
Running down the Cross, falling to the ground

I watched as He struggled, I watched Him when He fell
The cross came down upon His back, the crowd began to yell
In that moment I felt such agony, in that moment I felt such loss
Till a Roman soldier grabbed my arm and screamed
"You, carry His cross"

At first I tried to resist him, then his hand reached for his sword
So I knelt and took the Cross from the Lord
I put it on my shoulder and we started down the street
The blood that he'd been shedding was running down my cheek

They led us to Golgotha, they drove nails deep in His feet and hands
Yet upon the Cross I heard Him pray, "Father, forgive them"
Never have I seen such love in any other eyes
"Into Thy hands I commit my spirit", He prayed and then He died

I stood for what seemed like years, I'd lost all sense of time
Until I felt two little hands holding tight to mine
The children stood there weeping, I heard the oldest say
"Father please forgive us, the lamb ran away"

"Daddy, daddy, what have we seen here?
There's so much that we don't understand?"
So I took them in my arms and we turned and faced the Cross
Then I said, "Dear children watch the lamb"
----------------------------------
I will be away next week - there will be no EmmDevs....

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EmmDev 2026-03-05 [Moments with Mark] The darkness continues...

The darkness continues...

The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on Him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on Him. And they began to call out to Him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck Him on the head with a staff and spit on Him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took off the purple robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him. (Mark15:16-20)

I did a little bit of research. It turns out that it was common practice for the Romans to scourge or flog those who were condemned to be crucified. They did it to punish and humiliate, and it made their victims more docile when they crucified them. It also hastened their death on the cross.

Yesterday I commented on Pilate handing Jesus over for flogging and crucifixion. I attributed a degree of malice and pettiness to Pilate. I don't think the fact that flogging was "standard operating practice" takes away Pilate's guilt entirely because, after all, Jesus had impacted Pilate who then declared Jesus' innocence to the crowd. Pilate did nothing to protect Him or ease His burden.

The flogging was brutal. I won't go into the details, but it left the victims severely dehydrated, weak from blood loss and in absolute agony.

On top of that the whole company of soldiers gathers to mock Him. Much of this is the result of the charge the chief priests made, accusing Jesus of claiming to be "the King of the Jews." In the soldiers' eyes this made Jesus an "enemy of the state," and so they go out of their way to ridicule and mock.

Roman floggings were so severe that historians note that some did not even survive. I find it hard to fathom that after such a flogging the soldiers would gather, mock, spit, beat, ridicule and weave a crown of thorns. But this is another reality of our brokenness. We are capable of great cruelty which we dress up as "justice."

In Isaiah 52 and 53 we find a "servant song" which powerfully depicts the suffering the Messiah will go through.
In 52:14 we read:

"Just as there were many who were appalled at Him--

His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man

and His form marred beyond human likeness."

Although I find it hard to stomach, Jesus' suffering here takes Him into the heart of human brokenness and cruelty...

And He enters it to rescue you and me.

Isaiah goes on to say:

He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.

Like one from whom men hide their faces

He was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely He took up our infirmities

and carried our sorrows,

yet we considered Him stricken by God,

smitten by Him, and afflicted.

But He was pierced for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,

and by His wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to His own way;

and the LORD has laid on Him

the iniquity of us all. 

I don't think I can say it better...
I can only respond with worship and profound gratitude...

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EmmDev 2026-03-04 [Moments with Mark] Humanity's Darkest Moment.

Humanity's Darkest Moment.

Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. "Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. "What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them. "Crucify Him!" they shouted. "Why? What crime has He committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify Him!" Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified. (Mark15:6-15)

There was a custom at Passover that Pilate would release a prisoner at the people's choosing.
Whether by accident or design, this was very appropriate for Passover which celebrated the release of Israelite slaves from Egyptian captivity. The rescue of someone who was imprisoned by the Roman regime would be a powerful message of hope.

Pilate had hoped it would be Jesus who was freed.
He knew the chief priests were envious of Jesus' influence, but I think he hoped that the crowd would vote with their hearts and free Jesus. Unfortunately the influence of the chief priests was strong enough to stir up the crowd and so their power to rescue Barabbas also became their power to condemn Jesus.

Dramatically, Pilate's appeal to Jesus' innocence, just seems to pour fuel on the crowd's fire and they shout all the louder. It is a sad feature of humanity that in our low moments we destroy the good and the beautiful - maybe because they are reminders of what we are not.

And so Pilate, in the face of inevitability, shrugs his shoulders and gives the crowd what they want.
Sometimes I feel sorry for Pilate - in order for God's will to be done, someone needed to condemn Jesus to death. The circumstances are such that Pilate makes a choice for the greater good. The life of one country preacher instead of riots and mass violence. But then Pilate does something that, in my evaluation, makes him as broken as the priests and the crowds. "He had Jesus flogged and handed Him over to be crucified."

Why have Him flogged?
He's already going to die an excruciating death (pun intended).
A Roman flogging was a terrible thing - many did not survive.
Why do that to Jesus?
I suspect this was Pilate's way of asserting his power, showing who was the boss and "putting the 'King of the Jews' in His place." I think Pilate was frustrated at Jesus' silence, His questions, His innocence. And, like the crowd and priests, he lashes out (pun intended) at the beauty and innocence of Jesus.

But in this darkest of human moments (a moment that we all, in some way, participate in) there is a glimmer of light... Barabbas, a guilty and broken man, is set free. He becomes the symbol of all of us. Although the brutality of broken humanity was directed at the sinless Son of God, He would set all of us FREE.

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EmmDev 2026-03-03 [Moments with Mark] Innocent and yet Accepting.

Innocent and yet Accepting.

Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate. "Are You the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate. "You have said so," Jesus replied. The chief priests accused Him of many things. So again Pilate asked Him, "Aren't You going to answer? See how many things they are accusing You of." But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. (Mark15:1-5)

John tells the Pilate story in full detail.
Mark keeps it very brief.

In our last devotion we saw Jesus give a full answer to the question: "Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?"
Jesus' answer is clear, affirmative an unequivocal:
"I am (the Messiah and Son of God) and you'll see me return in glory. (And He quotes Scripture to back His claim.)"

In today's reading Pilate gets a much shorter and more cryptic answer.
"You have said it."
(In Greek it's just two words: "You" (emphatic) and "say" (present indicative))

What's going on here?
The difference is in the question...
Pilate's question is different: "Are You the king of the Jews?"

There's a vast difference between the two questions.
The High Priest's question is a religious one - a spiritual question.
"Are You the one sent by God to bring God's Kingdom here to earth?"

Pilate's question is based on the insinuations made by Jesus' enemies.
Mark lists them: the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin.
They've implied that Jesus is guilty of treason against Caesar.
They suggest that Jesus is trying to be "King of the Jews".
This is a political question and a positive answer would have been punishable by death.

But Jesus' kingdom is not an earthly kingdom - it's a Kingdom that is "not of this world" (as Jesus affirms in John's Gospel.)

So Jesus won't admit to a trumped up political framing of His mission and charge of treason.
He makes it clear that these are Pilate's words - informed by the chief priests and their cohorts.

When it comes to all the other accusations, Jesus simply remains silent.
His silence is eloquent - It indicates the baselessness of the claims but also recognises the hardness of their hearts. Nothing will change their narrative. It also indicates His submission to the Father's will and acceptance of His mission.

Mark tells us that Pilate is amazed by Jesus' demeanour.
From the other gospels we know that Pilate actually tries to intervene on Jesus' behalf.
And he attached a sign to Jesus' cross - "King of the Jews"

It is clear from all the gospel accounts that Jesus had a profound impact on Pilate.
We know that Pilate's wife even had a dream about Jesus and that Pilate actively defended Jesus at one point.
Jesus could have leveraged His influence on Pilate and turned the tables on the "religious mafia."
But He doesn't - He has a higher mission - A mission of love and sacrifice.
And so He asserts and establishes His innocence and lets them use their fabricated charges to have Him crucified.

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EmmDev 2026-02-27 [Moments with Mark] In the Middle of the Brackets

In the Middle of the Brackets

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put Him to death, but they did not find any. Many testified falsely against Him, but their statements did not agree. Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against Him: "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.' " Yet even then their testimony did not agree. Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." The high priest tore his clothes. "Why do we need any more witnesses?" he asked. "You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?" They all condemned Him as worthy of death. Then some began to spit at Him; they blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and said, "Prophesy!" And the guards took Him and beat Him. (Mark14:55-65)

Between the brackets of Peter's denial we have a very different scenario.
The sinless Son of God is being tried in a kangaroo court of the Religious Mafia of the day.
And they can't even get their lies to stick...

So the high priest wades in.
He's the "big gun."
He'll make something stick.

His strategy is ironic.
He asks the most important question of them all.
"Are you the Messiah - the Son of God?"

I can imagine a goose-bumpy silence settling over the room.
A positive answer should be met with awe and worship.
Here it will be met with disbelief, judgement and a death sentence.

Jesus not only answers affirmatively, but explosively.
He answers using the "I am" formula and He follows that by quoting the enthronement prophecies of Daniel 7 and Psalm 110.
It's an announcement of impending judgement.
"Yes, I am the glorious Son of God and you will see how wrong you were"

While Peter ducks the truth and the disciples run away.
Jesus stands calmly before the council and,
as He makes Himself subject to this perversion of what faith should be,
tells the truth.

The consequences of this truth are devastating.
They condemn Him to the cross and mock and torture Him.

This is the full extent of His love for us...

PS: I like to use capital letters for divine pronouns.
It's not conventional, but it's my little subversive act of worship.
Today it was tough to put in the capitals.

They all condemned Him as worthy of death...
Then some began to spit at Him...
they blindfolded Him...
struck Him with their fists...
And the guards took Him and beat Him...

Oh how He loves us!

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