Sermon preached on John 19:17-30 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Good Friday Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 4/22/2011 in Novato, CA.

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Who do you want Jesus to be?  Of course, who you want Jesus to be, is quite different than who he really is.  Yet it is a common temptation for us to want to tell Jesus who he is supposed to be.  Or what he is supposed to do for us, or for our life.  Mark, however, has been presenting us with the Biblical Jesus.

Throughout the book, Mark has been asking the question, “Who is Jesus?”  And so as we look at this climactic passage in the book of Mark, I want to remind us of this question Mark has been asking.  I want us to look again today at who Jesus is.  I want us to look again at what it means for him to be the Christ and what it means for him to be the Son of God.  It’s quite fitting that Mark drives home this message with the story of the cross.

Passage: Mark 15:33-41
Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/22/2009 in Novato, CA.

Manuscript: Darkness Over the Whole Land

Darkness Over the Whole Land [ 35:37 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Though Jesus is the King of all kings, no one in our passage is recorded here as recognizing it.  In fact, it’s quite the opposite.  Jesus had been condemned to death for claiming to be the King of Jews.  That was the final charge that warranted the Roman death penalty.  And so in this passage, we finally see Jesus crucified.  And in these last few scenes, we see Jesus mocked as king.  We see him suffer and die as king.  And sadly, we see people completely miss him as king.  And so whether it was the mob mentality, or just plain the sinfulness of man, everyone in this passage seems to be turning against Jesus, denying that he is the Christ, and therefore denying that he is the King.  The inscription that identified him in verse 26, “The King of the Jews” was ironically so right, and yet so fully denied.  ANd yet even as the masses mocked and denied him as king, God’s Word was being fulfilled that foretold that this king would suffer exactly in this way.

Passage: Mark 15:16-32
Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/15/2009 in Novato, CA.

Manuscript: That We May See and Believe

That We May See and Believe [ 38:28 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In our passage for today, we have three specific events all of which are very similar to things that have already happened in Mark.  I mean, yes, they are new and distinct events in the history of Jesus’ ministry, but what’s going on and the general lessons that are being taught are some of the very same specific points that have just been taught in the last few chapters.  And so our temptation today might be to zone out.  We could say, yes, yes, I’ve heard these lessons before.  And yet the fact that Jesus is reteaching even the disciples here some of the same lessons, shows that we sometimes need these lessons repeated.  And so let’s look at what this passage has to say about Jesus’ mission of suffering, and even how we relate to that mission.

Passage: Mark 10:32-52
Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 10/12/2008 in Novato, CA.

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What Do You Want Me To Do For You? [ 38:04 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download