The Place of the Skull - Mark 15:22

Mark wrote how, “Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshiped him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross”, and in chapter fifteen and verse twenty-two of his book, Mark shared how, “they bring him unto … the place of a skull” where we read:

And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.

The verse reads, “And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, ...”. Mark began with the words, “and they bring him” which means “and the Roman soldiers carried and led forth Jesus” “unto the place” or “to the location” “Golgatha” which means “skull and was the name of a place outside Jerusalem which was so called, apparently because its form resembled a skull”. Mark shared how Jesus was taken to the “location” known as “Golgatha” by the Roman soldiers.

The verse continues, “... which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.” Mark added the words, “which is” which means “that exists as”, “being interpreted” or “translated to communicate as”, “The place of a skull” which means “the location of a cranium”. Mark shared how the word “Golgatha” is translated to mean “the place of the skull”.

When we think through Mark's words in this verse, we discover the location where Jesus was to be “crucified”. Just outside of Jerusalem was a place that looked like a human “skull” which was named accordingly “Golgotha”. The “skull” was a symbol of “death”, and the Son of God, Jesus, was going to be “crucified” upon that place. God the Father observed these Roman soldiers carrying His Son Jesus to this location and did not interfere because without Jesus dying for the sins of mankind, no one could be “saved” and have a relationship with God. Let all who read these words consider how the “Son of the Living God” was taken to the “place of the skull” to die for their sins, and may they receive Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”.

Next time Mark shares how, “they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".