And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? Which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
This passage is a powerful reminder of the love that God has for us. He sent His only Son (John 3:16) so that we would not have to endure the cruelty of punishment for sin. In this passage, we find that the Gospel itself is embedded within the story of the crucifixion.
The Gospel In The Crucifixion
It says that from the sixth hour to the ninth (roughly between noon and 3pm), Jesus hung on the cross, fulfilling the painful consequences of the law. He suffered this terrible death for all of humankind...all because He loves us. He foresaw all of the sin, nastiness, and cruelty that would ever happen on the face of the earth, but He still saw fit to die for every single one of us. Yes, for the most hardened of sinners; that means you. That means me. That means the homeless on the side of the road. That means the billionaire in the middle of New York. The God who created all things...the God who created you and I...CHOSE...yes...he CHOSE to drop every ounce of royalty just to humble Himself on a cross (Romans 5:8). What a powerful picture that Mark paints for us in his gospel.
WORD STUDY: “LAND”
“...there was darkness over the whole land…”
In the original language, this meant that the entire earth was engulfed in darkness. It wasn’t just the locale; it was the entire planet. Can you imagine how terrifying that would have been?
The Theology Of The Crucifixion
Jesus was both God and man; divine and human. These identities are found throughout Mark’s account of the crucifixion.
1) His humanity. In verse 34, we see that Jesus feels forsaken by God. Isn’t it interesting that we feel the same way when we suffer? Isn’t it also interesting that Jesus turns to Scripture in His hour of need? He quotes Psalm 22:1 in the hopes that the Father would hear His cries. Jesus is our great high priest who knows how we feel.
He also thirsted. Thirst is a basic human need that needs to be taken care of. How incredible is it, that the Living Water would need to be taken care of, even as He suffered?
2) His divinity. Verse 38 points out that Jesus’ death brought an end to the law. Notice that the veil in the temple was torn in two...by the way, from top to bottom. No mere human could have done that. The veil was a representation of the separation between God and humanity because of sin. When Jesus died, that separation was no longer needed. We now have full access to Almighty God. We have full access to the throne of grace.
Verse 39 is the most powerful one in this passage. Because of His death, a cold, hard pagan was converted that day. The centurion who stood by witnessing these things confessed who Jesus is. His heart was touched by a divine act of love.
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Think About It: How do these theological aspects change the way you view Christ’s purpose?
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In light of what you have read today, think about your life for a moment. Was there ever a time when you, like the centurion, confessed Jesus as Lord? Have you been born again?
If you’ve never had a personal relationship with Jesus, I highly encourage you today. It’s the best decision you’ll ever make. I promise.
If you don’t know where or how to start, please feel free to contact me.
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