“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophets: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who shall prepare the way before You. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.”’
“John baptized in the wilderness and preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And all the land of Judea and those of Jerusalem went out to him there and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a belt of a skin around his loins, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, ‘After me comes One who is mightier than I, the straps of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I indeed have baptized you with water, but He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’” Mark 1:1-8

Mark begins his “gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” not with Jesus’ birth or His genealogy, but with the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in the ministry of John the Baptist: “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare the way before You. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight’” (Mark 1:2-3; cf. Malachi 3:1; 4:5-6; Isaiah 40:3-5).

John’s ministry was to “prepare the way of the Lord” and “make His path straight” (Mark 1:3). And John did this in an unexpected way — not in the temple at Jerusalem or in one of the many synagogues in the land of Israel — he preached in the wilderness along the Jordan River and dressed in the garb of Elijah the prophet. As Mark says, “John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a belt of a skin around his loins; and he ate locusts and wild honey” (Mark 1:6).

And what was John’s message? It was not one of God’s pardon and acceptance on the basis of religious works or of following prescribed rights and ceremonies; it was one of failure to keep God’s law, the need to repent of sins and dead works, and of directing his hearers to the coming Messiah for pardon, forgiveness, and communion with God.

Mark wrote: “John baptized in the wilderness and preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4).
His message indicated that people were not justified and right with God by their legalistic keeping of the law, by their offering of animal sacrifices, or by their observance of the Old Testament feasts and festivals. They could only be justified and right with God by genuine repentance of the heart and mind (metanoia), turning from their sins to God for mercy and forgiveness in the Messiah who was coming.

And we read that “all the land of Judea and those of Jerusalem went out to him there and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins” (Mark 1:5). Many went out into the wilderness to hear John and, after hearing of their failures to keep God’s law and of their need to repent if they were going to be ready for the coming of the LORD God, their Messiah, confessed their sins and were baptized in the Jordan River.

The Scriptures tell us that not all were ready to confess their sins and be baptized, that they might receive God’s forgiveness for the sake of the coming Messiah. In Luke 7:29-30, we read, “And all the people who heard him, and the tax collectors, declared God as righteous, being baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, not being baptized by him.”

John didn’t seek to make a following for himself; he directed his hearers to Jesus, saying, “After me comes One who is mightier than I, the straps of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I indeed have baptized you with water, but He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:7-8). John recognized his role as the forerunner of the Messiah. He was not the Christ; he came to point people to Christ, the Son of God, the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.

John pointed his hearers to Jesus, saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
And though John applied the waters of baptism to his hearers, it was the Lord Jesus who washed away their sins by the gracious working of the Holy Spirit, who brought them to see their sinfulness and place their faith in the redeeming work of Jesus.

What do we learn from the ministry of John the Baptist?

• We, too, need to repent if we hope to be justified and acceptable in God’s sight when we stand before the judgment seat of Jesus, the Son of God. Simply going through the rites and rituals of a religion is not enough. We fail to measure up to God’s holy demands. We are sinners. We are guilty. We are deserving of God’s eternal wrath and punishment! We need to repent of our sinful ways and look to the LORD God for pardon and forgiveness in the shed blood of Jesus!

• God calls us to Himself not by participation in organized religion but in the wilderness, offering us pardon and forgiveness when we acknowledge our sinfulness and are baptized in Jesus’ name, trusting in Jesus and His cross as the perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins. The Bible tells us, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). And that is because “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). God promises: “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned” (Mark 16:16).

• The role of churches and ministers today is not to exalt themselves, their ministries, or their churches. It is not to soften God’s law or to give false hope through church rituals and rites. It is to call on all to repent and to point them to Jesus, Son of God, and “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

• Pastors and churches may preach the Word and baptize in water, but it is Christ Jesus who gives His Holy Spirit, brings people to faith in Him, and washes away their sins in His shed blood.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, help us to be voices in the wilderness of our world. Give our ministers and churches the courage to preach repentance, the humility to point only to You, and the faith to expect the life-giving work of Your Holy Spirit. Amen.

[Scripture quotations are taken from the Barbour Simplified KJV, copyright 2022, 2025. Used by permission of Barbour Publishing, Inc. Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683. All rights reserved.]

“And when the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. Very early in the morning on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb at sunrise. And they said to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb for us?’ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away — for it was extremely large.” Mark 16:1-4 (Read the entire chapter)

The account of the resurrection in Mark 16 begins not with a celebration, but with sorrow, disappointment, and a logistical concern. As Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome approached the tomb at sunrise, their hearts were heavy with grief, and their minds were occupied by a practical hurdle: “And they said among themselves, ‘Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?’” (Mark 16:3).

The Unexpected Empty Tomb

The beauty of the Gospel is that God often provides the solution before we even fully grasp the miracle. When the grieving women looked up, expecting a sealed grave, they saw that the massive stone had already been moved. They didn’t arrive expecting a resurrection; they came with sweet spices to anoint the dead body of Jesus.

This lack of expectation wasn’t unique to them:

• The Apostles — When the women reported what they saw, the eleven were mourning and weeping, and they “did not believe” (Mark 16:11).

• The Two on the Road — Even as they walked in sadness, their eyes were kept from recognizing Him until Jesus revealed Himself (Mark 16:12).

• Peter and the Rest — Jesus later rebuked them for their “unbelief and hardness of heart” because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen (Mark 16:14).

The stone was not moved so that Jesus could get out — He had already risen. The stone was moved so that we could look in and see that He was gone. He was alive and had won salvation for us!

The Witness of Angels

Inside the tomb, an angel (a young man dressed in a long white robe) delivered the definitive message of the Christian faith: “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him” (Mark 16:6).

The angel’s testimony pointed back to Jesus’ own words. He had risen just “as He said.”

The Sufficiency of the Sacrifice

The empty tomb was the physical receipt of a debt fully paid. The resurrection is the divine “Amen” to Christ’s declaration, “It is finished.” It proves that His sacrifice on the cross was sufficient payment for the sins of the world. Without the resurrection, the cross is a tragedy; with it, the cross is a triumph (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:1-20).

Mark 16:16 lays out the eternal stakes of this reality: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

This echoes the truth of John 3:16 and 18: God’s love provided the Son, but salvation requires a response of faith. To believe is to trust that Jesus’ death and resurrection have bridged the gap between a holy God and sinful humanity. To reject Him is to remain under the weight of one’s own sins.

How the Resurrection Applies to Us Today

The fact of the resurrection isn’t just a historical footnote; it is the “living hope” by which we breathe today (cf 1 Peter 1:3-9):

• Assurance that Atonement is Complete — Because Jesus was raised, we know that God accepted His sacrifice. We don’t have to wonder if we’ve done “enough” — He has done it all; “It is finished” (John 19:30).

• Power Over Sin — The same power that rolled away the stone and breathed life into a dead body is the power available to us to break old habits of sin and walk in “newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4).

• Victory Over Death — The “stone” of the grave is no longer a permanent seal. Because He lives, we shall live also. Our grief is tempered by the knowledge that for the believer, the grave is temporary. Christ will return and call us to come forth. Our graves, too, will be empty (cf. John 5:28-29; 11:43-44; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Job 19:23-27).

• A Mandate to Go — Just as the women were told to “go, tell his disciples and Peter,” we are called to be witnesses of the risen Christ in a world that is often “hard of heart” and slow to believe. We are to go into all the world and preach the Gospel — the story of Christ’s innocent suffering, His death on the cross for all our sins, and His glorious resurrection. This proves that atonement has been made and that forgiveness and life are given to all who believe and place their faith in the crucified and risen Savior.

• The Necessity of Faith — Jesus commanded His followers to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16; cf. John 3:16, 18).

Christ is Risen! The stone was rolled away to show that the tomb was empty, that Christ was victorious, and that He won salvation for everyone. Those who hear and believe and are joined to Christ in Baptism are saved. Those who do not believe and look to the risen Christ Jesus “will be condemned.” They stand “condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the empty tomb and the living hope we have in Jesus Christ. We are grateful You rolled away the stone — not to let Him out, but to let us see that the debt of our sin is fully paid. Help us to live in the power of the resurrection today, setting aside our fears and unbelief. Give us the courage to share this Good News with a world in need, that people everywhere may trust in the victory of our risen Savior. Amen.

“And Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the spirit. And the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.” — Mark 15:37-38

Entrance Restricted

To understand the weight of Mark’s words, we have to look back at the old system described in Hebrews 8-9. Under the Old Covenant, the Temple was divided into sections, but the innermost room — the Most Holy Place — was strictly off-limits.

The Law was clear: only the High Priest could enter that room, and he could only do so once a year on the Day of Atonement. He never entered without the blood of a sacrifice, which he offered for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. The thick veil stood as a physical blockade, a constant reminder that sin had created a chasm between the Creator and the created. Access was restricted, temporary, and dependent on the blood of sacrificial animals.

A Divine Intervention

When Jesus “gave up the spirit,” the spiritual landscape of the universe shifted. The veil didn’t just wear out or fray; it was “torn in two from the top to the bottom.”

This wasn’t an act of man, but a merciful act of God. By tearing the curtain from the top down, God signaled that the era of the “once a year” sacrifice was over. As Hebrews 10 explains, Christ entered the heavenly sanctuary once and for all, not with the blood of goats or calves, but with His own blood. The barrier that kept us out was taken away by the perfect sacrifice of Jesus — by His death on the cross to atone for our sins.

The Invitation to Enter

The author of Hebrews explains the practical “so what” of this miraculous event. Because the veil is torn in two and opened, your relationship with God has changed from one of distance to one of acceptance and intimacy.

“Therefore, brothers, having boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way that He has consecrated for us through the veil — that is to say, His flesh — and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” — Hebrews 10:19-22

Takeaway

• The Sacrifice is Final: You no longer need a yearly sacrifice; Jesus’ blood is sufficient forever.
• The Access is Constant: You don’t have to wait for a special day or a special person to intercede for you. Jesus is your High Priest. He intercedes for you with His shed blood.
• The Way is Open: You are invited to boldly “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.”

The torn veil means that atonement for your sins has been made by the sacrifice of God’s Son. You have access to the Father through faith in the blood of Jesus, shed for you on the cross. God now accepts you and receives you into His presence through faith in Christ Jesus, your crucified and risen Savior!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we praise You for the miraculous moment the veil was torn from top to bottom, forever destroying the barrier that kept us from Your presence. We are deeply grateful that we no longer stand at a distance, but can now enter the holiest place with boldness through the “new and living way” consecrated by the flesh and shed blood of Jesus. Thank You, Lord, that our acceptance is not based on our own merit, but on the perfect sacrifice of our High Priest who washed us clean and opened the way to come into Your presence. We draw near to You today with full assurance, resting in the finished work of the cross and the gift of constant access to Your grace. Amen.

[Scripture quotations are taken from the Barbour Simplified KJV, copyright 2022, 2025. Used by permission of Barbour Publishing, Inc. Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683. All rights reserved.]

Now at that feast he released one prisoner to them, whomever they desired. And there was one named Barabbas, who was bound with those who had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And crying aloud, the multitude began to ask him to do as he had always done for them. But Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” For he knew that the chief priests had delivered Him out of envy. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas to them. And Pilate answered and said again to them, “What then do you want me to do to Him whom you call the King of the Jews?”
And they cried out again, “Crucify Him.”
Then Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has He done?”
And they cried out the more exceedingly, “Crucify Him!”
And so Pilate, wishing to satisfy the people, released Barabbas to them and, when he had scourged Jesus, delivered Him to be crucified. — Mark 15:6-15

Barabbas (sometimes spelled Barabus) is a biblical figure from the New Testament, known as the insurrectionist and murderer chosen by the Jerusalem crowd to be released by Pontius Pilate instead of Jesus Christ. His release symbolizes substitutionary sacrifice, where a guilty man is freed while the innocent Jesus takes his place on the cross.

Key details about Barabbas from the Gospels

Significance: He represents a pivotal moment in the Passion story, highlighting the people’s rejection of Jesus in favor of a violent rebel.

Name Meaning: “Barabbas” is derived from Aramaic “bar abba,” meaning “son of the father.” Some ancient manuscripts suggest his full name was Jesus Barabbas, creating a direct contrast between “Jesus Barabbas” and “Jesus called Messiah.”

Criminal Profile: Matthew 27:16 describes him as a “notorious prisoner,” while Mark 15:7 states he was imprisoned with rebels who committed murder during an insurrection.

Context: His release was part of a Passover custom in which a prisoner was pardoned.

Why did they choose to release him rather than Jesus? Jesus was a threat to their way of life. He revealed their utter sinfulness and called upon all to repent and look to Him in faith for pardon and forgiveness (Mark 15:10-14; cf. John 3:19-20).

Even today, people defending their sinful ways, rabidly reject the truth and will listen to no reason or instruction. They stop their ears to the truth and shout, “Crucify Him.”

If you were in the crowd outside the Praetorium on that first Good Friday and you heard these words from Pontius Pilate, offering to release unto you either Jesus or Barabbas, what would you say? Would you ask that Jesus, who was innocent and without sin, who claimed to be the very Son of God, be released unto you? Or would you join the crowd in asking for Barabbas?

And, what would you say after the crowd asked for Barabbas and Pilate asked what he should do with Jesus, who is called Christ? Would you join the crowd in crying out of Jesus, “Crucify Him!”?

Why was Barabbas released and Jesus condemned? The Scriptures answer this for us in Isaiah 53:6: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

We are guilty before God and deserving of death for our transgressions against his commandments. We may claim God as our Father, but our lives show otherwise. Jesus is the innocent, holy, and righteous Son of God who loved the Lord God with all His heart, soul, and mind. He kept God’s commands perfectly and without sin in His thoughts, desires, words, and deeds. He deserved to be released, but the LORD God laid on Him the guilt of all our sins and punished Him in our stead that we might be released and pardoned through faith in His name.

What happened to Barabbas after his release, we do not know. We do know that Jesus, God’s own dear Son, died in His stead and paid for the crimes of Barabbas, as well as for the sins of the whole world (cf. 1 John 2:2). Barabbas may ignored the price Jesus paid for sin and gone on in his sinful ways, only to be condemned again by God, if not also by the Romans. But, if he was penitent and looked to Jesus and His death on the cross in faith, he was also pardoned by God Himself and has eternal life (cf. John 3:16, 18).

And, what about you? You also are deserving of eternal death and damnation. The Bible plainly says, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:19-20).

But Jesus, the righteous and holy Son of God, died in our stead and suffered our punishment that we might look to Him in faith and be pardoned and forgiven. The Bible tells us: “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Galatians 4:4-5; John 3:16,18).

Again, the Bible says, “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:21-26).

It is true that we, by our sins, are guilty of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. With the crowd on Good Friday, we by our sins say of Jesus, “Let Him be crucified!”

But because Jesus went to the cross for us, we, who are guilty like Barabbas, have God’s gracious offer of pardon and forgiveness through faith in Christ Jesus! When we trust in Christ, God graciously forgives our sins against Him, and He offers and gives us everlasting life with Him in heaven.

It is as the old hymn verse states: “The sinless Son of God must die in sadness; the sinful child of man may live in gladness; Man forfeited his life and is acquitted — God is committed.” (O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken, Johann Heermann, 1630. Tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1863.)

Let us give thanks to our Savior for bearing upon the cross the guilt and punishment for our sins that we might be acquitted and partake of the everlasting blessings of heaven through faith in Jesus’ name. And let us use our lives here in this world to the praise and glory of Him who has redeemed us and set us free.

Oh, dearest Jesus, we thank and praise You for bearing on the cross the guilt and punishment for all our sins that we might look to You in faith and be pardoned and forgiven. Amen.

[Scripture quotations are taken from the Barbour Simplified KJV, copyright 2022, 2025. Used by permission of Barbour Publishing, Inc. Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683. All rights reserved.]

“But he kept silent and answered nothing. Again, the high priest asked him, saying, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’ And Jesus said, ‘I am: and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.’ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, ‘Why do we need any more witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy; what is your verdict?’ And they all condemned him as being worthy of death.” (Mark 14:61-64)

Jesus warned His enemies — the high priests, elders, and scribes — that though they rejected Him then, they would one day see Him seated at the right hand of God the Father and coming in the clouds of glory to be their Judge. Now is the time to repent and look to Him in faith for mercy and forgiveness before it is too late (cf. Psalm 2:10-12).

Why was Jesus condemned? What were the charges against Him? It was because He told them the truth, that He is God’s own dear Son and that they would, on the Last Day, see Him as prophesied by Daniel: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, glory, and a kingdom, so that all people, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).

Jesus’ enemies accused Him of “blasphemy” for claiming to be the Christ, the Son of the Blessed, and declared Him “guilty of death.” This truth — that Jesus is the Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, and their Judge — was distressing to them. It revealed their total sinfulness and their need to repent and trust in Him for salvation; yet they were unwilling to face their own sin or their need for a Savior.

Today, many also reject Jesus and the Christian faith for the same reason. They are unsettled by the truth that Jesus is the Son of God and shall judge the living and the dead on the Last Day. They are unwilling to acknowledge their sinfulness before the LORD God or turn to Christ Jesus for mercy. Instead of accepting the guilt of their own wickedness, they attempt to justify themselves and cover up their failures.

The Scripture says: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you do not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins — and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 1:7–2:2).

The Bible also says: “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not count iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew frail through my groaning all day long. For day and night, your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:1-5).

If we hide and cover our sins, we deceive ourselves; but if we acknowledge and confess them to the LORD, He will have mercy and forgive us for the sake of the holy life and innocent sufferings of Jesus Christ.

As it is written: “Whoever conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will find mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

Dear LORD God, we acknowledge our sinfulness to You and ask You to graciously forgive and cleanse us for the sake of the holy and precious blood which Jesus Christ, Your only-begotten Son, shed for us on the cross. Amen.