Did You Know?
Jesus’ did not make up his cry of desolation on the cross (Mark 16:34)—he quoted the first verse of Psalm 22. His awareness of Psalm 22 and Psalm 69 was reflected in the way Mark (and the other gospel writers) wrote about the events on the cross. Reading these two psalms of lament will deepen your understanding of all that Jesus endured on the cross for our sake.
Mark 15:16 The soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the headquarters building) and called together the whole battalion. 17 They dressed him in purple and wove thorn branches into a crown, which they put on him. 18 Then they began to salute him, “Hail to the King of the Jews!” 19 They hit him on the head with a stick, spat on him and kneeled in mock worship of him. 20 When they had finished ridiculing him, they took off the purple robe, put his own clothes back on him and led him away to be nailed to the execution-stake.
21 A certain man from Cyrene, Shim‘on, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country; and they forced him to carry the stake. 22 They brought Yeshua to a place called Gulgolta (which means “place of a skull”), 23 and they gave him wine spiced with myrrh, but he didn’t take it. 24 Then they nailed him to the execution-stake; and they divided his clothes among themselves, throwing dice to determine what each man should get. 25 It was nine in the morning when they nailed him to the stake. 26 Over his head, the written notice of the charge against him read,
THE KING OF THE JEWS
27 On execution-stakes with him they placed two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 28 [Mark 15:28 Some manuscripts include verse 15:28: And the passage from the Tanakh was fulfilled which says, “He was counted with transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12)] 29 People passing by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! So you can destroy the Temple, can you, and rebuild it in three days? 30 Save yourself and come down from the stake!” 31 Likewise, the head cohanim and the Torah-teachers made fun of him, saying to each other, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself!” 32 and, “So he’s the Messiah, is he? The King of Isra’el? Let him come down now from the stake! If we see that, then we’ll believe him!” Even the men nailed up with him insulted him.
33 At noon, darkness covered the whole Land until three o’clock in the afternoon. 34 At three, he uttered a loud cry, “Elohi! Elohi! L’mah sh’vaktani?” (which means, “My God! My God! Why have you deserted me?”)[Mark 15:34 Psalm 22:2(1)] 35 On hearing this, some of the bystanders said, “Look! He’s calling for Eliyahu!” 36 One ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar, put it on a stick and gave it to him to drink.[Mark 15:36 Psalm 69:22(21)]“Wait!” he said, “Let’s see if Eliyahu will come and take him down.” 37 But Yeshua let out a loud cry and gave up his spirit. 38 And the parokhet in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw the way he gave up his spirit, he said, “This man really was a son of God!” (Complete Jewish Bible)***
Reflection Questions
Roman crosses didn’t tower against the sky—they were only seven to nine feet high. Rome wanted people to see, close-up, what happened if they defied the Empire. So Mark didn’t need to offer gory details about Jesus' crucifixion. His readers knew exactly what crucifixions were like—and shuddered. Like Mark, Matthew 27:51 and Luke 23:45 reported that the Temple’s curtain tore in two. Jesus' death, the gospel writers said, tore all the barriers between God and us. Scholar Craig Evans wrote, “The Roman centurion confesses of Jesus what he should only confess of the Roman emperor. Caesar is not the ‘son of God’; Jesus the crucified Messiah is…. In calling Jesus the Son of God, the centurion has switched his allegiance from Caesar, the official ‘son of God,’ to Jesus, the real Son of God.”*
- “Now at last, not the high priest, not a leading rabbi, not even a loyal disciple, but a battle-hardened thug in Roman uniform, used to killing humans the way one might kill flies, stands before this dying young Jew and says something which, in Mark’s mind, sends a signal to the whole world….The Roman centurion becomes the first sane human being in Mark’s gospel to call Jesus God’s son, and mean it.”** What would the Roman centurion have seen and heard that moved him to the confession he made as Jesus died? What leads you to believe and testify that Jesus is God’s Son? How can your life bear witness that the one you worship and serve “was certainly God’s Son”?
Lord Jesus, open my eyes, and keep them open, to see what the Roman centurion saw on that grim hillside outside the walls of Jerusalem. With reverence and joy, I too say that you were “certainly God’s Son.” Amen.
Family Activity
Jesus has risen and lives forever as the Light of the World! In celebration of Easter, share in one or both of these activities! First, bake or purchase cupcakes. On top of each one, place and light a trick candle. Encourage each person to blow out his or her candles. When people see that the light keeps appearing and it is impossible to extinguish, read John 1:5 and John 20:1-20. Remind everyone that Jesus is the Light of the World and that death or darkness cannot ever overcome Him! Later that night, take a family walk. Try to walk only in the darkness, then turn on a flashlight. Discuss which is best and why. Give thanks and praise to God that Jesus is the light and will always show us the way! Happy Easter!
* Craig A. Evans and N. T. Wright, Jesus, the Final Days: What Really Happened, edited by Troy A. Miller. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009, p. 35.
** N. T. Wright, Mark for Everyone. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 216.
Carol is the Executive Director of Mission and Outreach at Church of the Resurrection. She serves with and guides a gifted team of individuals as together they engage the congregation in serving, connecting and growing. She seeks to be used by God to help people on their journey to know, love and serve God and others.
During our journey through Mark, we have been asking where we find ourselves in the stories. We will miss an important growth opportunity if we rush too quickly to Easter without pausing at Golgotha to ask the same question. As we reflect on today’s passages, we are meant to consider where we see ourselves in those who surrounded Jesus during his crucifixion and death.
Imagine you were a firsthand witness. Can you relate to any of these people?
Are you one of the Roman soldiers, perhaps breaking the tension of a grim job by dehumanizing and mocking the target of the pain and suffering you inflict?
- Are you one of the people walking by, caught up in the mentality of the mob, shaking your head or hurling insults?
- Are you one of the religious leaders who sought to get out of your way the one person who legitimately challenged your authority and actions?
- Are you an outlaw, trying to make yourself feel better about the realities of your own crimes by deflecting your pain upon someone else?
- Or are you the Roman centurion, who looks intently upon the scene, with eyes and heart wide open, and discovers a startling truth about Jesus--he is who he has claimed to be all along?
The torn curtain can represent the breaking down of barriers that separate us from God and one another. Whatever keeps us from fully loving our neighbor can be overcome by the power of the cross, whether it is race, religion, socio-economic status, political views, or differing cultures. We can choose a new path, and actually see one another with eyes wide open.
We won’t linger forever at the foot of the cross, but before we celebrate hope and resurrection, let’s pause to recognize our need for God’s saving grace, and empowered by that grace, join with God in the work of redemption and healing. Look around you. Do you see someone who is hurting? Who do you choose to be? Reach out in love and Easter hope!
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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