Expository Thoughts On Mark - Mark 15:39-47
J.C. Ryle emphasizes the undeniable reality of Christ's death and the faithful witness of women, illustrating how God's grace often uses the weak to accomplish His mighty purposes.
In this expository sermon on Mark 15:39-47, J.C. Ryle explores the profound significance of Christ’s death and the credible witnesses who attest to it, especially highlighting the faithful women present at the crucifixion. Ryle underscores how God’s grace often works through the seemingly weak, using women as powerful examples of steadfast faith. This sermon invites believers to deepen their understanding of the gospel’s foundation and the unexpected ways God’s purposes are fulfilled.
Text
The death of our Lord Jesus Christ is the most important fact in Christianity. On it depend the hopes of all saved sinners both for time and eternity. We need not therefore to be surprised to find the reality of His death carefully placed beyond dispute. Three kinds of witnesses to the fact are brought before us in the verses we have now read. The Roman centurion, who stood near the cross,--the women, who followed our Lord from Galilee to Jerusalem,--the disciples, who buried Him. All were all witnesses that Jesus really died. Their united evidence is above suspicion. They could not be deceived. What they saw was no swoon, or trance, or temporary insensibility. They saw that same Jesus, who was crucified, lay down His life, and become obedient even unto death. Let this be established in our minds. Our Savior really and truly died.
Let us notice, for one thing in this passage, what honorable mention is here made of women. We are specially told that, when our Lord gave up the spirit, "there were women looking on afar off." The names of some of them are recorded. We are also told that they were the same who had followed our Lord in Galilee and ministered unto Him, and that there were "many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem."
We would hardly have expected to have read such things. We might well have supposed that, when all the disciples but one had forsaken our Lord and fled, the weaker and more timid sex would not have dared to show themselves His friends. It only shows us what grace can do. God sometimes chooses the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty. The last are sometimes first, and the first last. The faith of women sometimes stands upright, when the faith of men fails and gives way.
But it is interesting to remark throughout the New Testament how often we find the grace of God glorified in women, and how much benefit God has been pleased to confer through them on the Church, and on the world. In the Old Testament, we see sin and death brought in by the woman\
Sermon Outline
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I
- The reality and importance of Christ's death
- Three witnesses to Jesus' death: centurion, women, disciples
- The certainty that Jesus truly died
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II
- Honorable mention of women as faithful witnesses
- Women’s faith contrasted with the disciples’ failure
- God’s grace working through the weak
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III
- The significance of women’s role throughout Scripture
- God’s use of women to glorify His grace
- The impact of women on the Church and the world
Key Quotes
“The death of our Lord Jesus Christ is the most important fact in Christianity.” — J.C. Ryle
“God sometimes chooses the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty.” — J.C. Ryle
“The faith of women sometimes stands upright, when the faith of men fails and gives way.” — J.C. Ryle
Application Points
- Trust in the reality and power of Christ’s death for your salvation.
- Recognize and value the faithfulness of all believers, regardless of societal status or gender.
- Allow God’s grace to work through your weaknesses to accomplish His purposes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does J.C. Ryle emphasize the death of Christ?
Because Christ’s death is the foundational fact of Christianity on which the hope of salvation depends.
Who were the witnesses to Jesus’ death mentioned in the sermon?
The Roman centurion, the women who followed Jesus, and the disciples who buried Him.
What is significant about the women mentioned in the passage?
Their faith remained steadfast when many disciples fled, showing God’s grace working through the weak.
How does this sermon view the role of women in the Bible?
It highlights women as important vessels of God’s grace who have greatly benefited the Church and the world.
What does the sermon say about the nature of Jesus’ death?
Jesus truly and fully died, not merely fainted or entered a temporary state.