Mark 15:33-41
33 Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying,“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 35 Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, “Look, He is calling for Elijah!” 36 Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.” 37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. 38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” 40 There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, 41 who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.
Devotional
The backdrop of darkness over the whole land from the sixth hour until the ninth hour indicates the intense gloom that such an act on humanities part could do. For as God by His Nature brightens and enlightens the world so mankind in its fallen and degenerate state only darkens it. For when God’s Son was given to us we didn’t glorify and worship God for His incredible act of Kindness instead we crucified Him! And thus the whole land is darkened; turned to reflect what the reality of it is; bleak and dreary, without any signs of the life of God that it was to represent, and bring to the entire world. Such is an appropriate state for the land which has rejected and crucified Jesus Christ the Man of God whose sole purpose was to bring life; in every sense; and bring it more abundantly, to us all. For there is an inescapable darkness that pervades when the Light of the World is shut of men’s and women’s hearts and lives; how much more then when He is rejected and sentenced to die a horrific death at the hands of His own? And so there is darkness all over the land as the Light world hangs on their tree.
And thus there was darkness over the land until the ninth hour. Now verse thirty four says that at the ninth hour: Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Jesus’ cry is a direct quote from Psalm 22:1, the opening verse of a Messianic Psalm. A verse of unimaginable isolation and abandonment as Jesus in that moment experiences being forsaken by the Father. Yet understand this, Jesus Christ’s being forsaken in that moment by God the Father is so that we will not be. All that we have ever done as unbelievers; and ever will do now as believers that would cause God the Father to forsake us was endured in that moment by Jesus Christ alone. Innocent and Sinless Jesus was crucified and forsaken so that God could find just grounds not to forsake us all. For God is a God of not only love, but also of justice (Deut. 32:4). And His just and everlasting judgment against sin is death, either the death of the offender (Ezek. 18:20), or the death of a Substitute (Isaiah 53:10-12; Rom. 6:23). That theme is clearly portrayed over and over again in the Law of Moses. And is why Jesus Christ allowed Himself to be crucified (John 10:17-18; 6:51). So that He could be the Finial and Everlasting Sacrifice for all our sins, a Sacrifice that would satisfy the wrath of God forever, for it is the immeasurable Value of the Son of God that makes His sacrifice eternally imputable to every sinner who believes.
Now some of the onlookers when they heard Jesus’ Words said: “Look, He is calling for Elijah!” vs. 35 And with that one ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Jesus. Then they rebuked him saying: “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.” Vs. 36 Their desire to see a supernatural deliverance by God’s prophet Elijah only heightens the cruelty and wickedness of the moment as the Son of God is in His deepest anguish approaches death. And with their finial inhumane act Jesus cries out with a loud a voice and breathes His last. And with Jesus Christ’s death on the cross the Scripture says that the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom (vs. 38). The significance being that it was the veil that separated the Most Holy Place in the Temple from the rest of the Temple’s Sanctuary. With the Most Holy Place only being entered once a year on the Day of Atonement by the officiating high priest after great ritual and careful preparations were made for him to do so.
For in there dwelt the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat on top where the high priest made intercession for the people’s sins. But now with Jesus Christ’s death; the veil which so symbolized sinful humanities separation from God, being supernaturally torn in two from top to bottom by God, this indicated that from the greatest of religious men to the least of men. No more would anyone be separated from having free access to God the Father through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. For Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 9:15), a covenant made not just with Israel; but with all of mankind (Heb. 8:6). Therefore you and I do not need to go to a priest, or make prayers through saints to have God hear us. We only need to approach Him through what He has done for us all through His Son. “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,” 1 Tim. 2:5-6 The tearing of the veil then is the end of the Law’s priesthood and the ushering in of the Lord Jesus Christ’s (Heb. 4:14-16).
Now the Scripture also says “So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” vs. 39 The centurion’s conviction of what had just occurred truly served as a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. But I’m unsure if it equated with his salvation? Matthew’s gospel mentions that those words were spoken out of fear when the earth was shaken and the veil torn, not conviction of faith (Matt. 27:54). Nonetheless if he came to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God then that would be enough (John 5:24).
Verse forty and forty one then mention that: “There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, 41 who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.” vs. 40-41 The mention of the women and none of the Apostle’s; though they were present (Luke 23:49) is interesting, since it will be the women who will first see and come to believe that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead (Luke 24:10-12). One finial note, the mention of Marry the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome is not referring to the mother of Jesus and His brother James who wrote the epistle James. It is a reference to another Marry who mothered three sons. Jesus’ mother Marry had four (Matt. 13:55-56; Mark 6:3). While the reference to this particular James as being Less is from a Greek word which means small, little, less; which could be indicating physical size, personal stature, or significance in the eyes of others. Nonetheless the mention of those two women who were not “major” players in Jesus’ Galilean ministry is again interesting. For God the Father always finds a way to honor those who honor His Son. For it’s not the stature of anyone in the eyes of men that approves them to God. It’s their faith in and love towards the Lord Jesus Christ. “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 “that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” John 5:22-23
Have you then come to honor the Son of God? In faith, love and obedience. It all starts with first receiving what Jesus Christ has done to make you honorable in the eyes of God. By seeing your need and turning in faith to Jesus Christ’s Person. God opens the door you. As the Lord Jesus Christ said: 9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. John 10:9-11
Why not then receive the One who came to die for you that you might have life in all it’s fullness, rather than settling for what you can make out of it. If you would like to receive God’s love, grace, life and peace for you and within you and begin your life fresh and new, just pray a simple prayer in faith acknowledging your sinfulness and need for the Lord Jesus Christ. Simply pray something like this: Dear Lord Jesus Christ I believe that You were crucified for me so that I might receive remission of all my sins and have new and everlasting life the moment I believe in You. I also believe You rose from the dead so that I might have life in all its fullness; freed from sin, Satan and death so that I might live life joyful, peacefully and richly with You. And so in all gratitude I now gladly receive You into my heart and life, to be my Lord and Savior, both now and forever amen.
Scripture Quotations
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.
33 Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying,“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 35 Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, “Look, He is calling for Elijah!” 36 Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.” 37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. 38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” 40 There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, 41 who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.
Devotional
The backdrop of darkness over the whole land from the sixth hour until the ninth hour indicates the intense gloom that such an act on humanities part could do. For as God by His Nature brightens and enlightens the world so mankind in its fallen and degenerate state only darkens it. For when God’s Son was given to us we didn’t glorify and worship God for His incredible act of Kindness instead we crucified Him! And thus the whole land is darkened; turned to reflect what the reality of it is; bleak and dreary, without any signs of the life of God that it was to represent, and bring to the entire world. Such is an appropriate state for the land which has rejected and crucified Jesus Christ the Man of God whose sole purpose was to bring life; in every sense; and bring it more abundantly, to us all. For there is an inescapable darkness that pervades when the Light of the World is shut of men’s and women’s hearts and lives; how much more then when He is rejected and sentenced to die a horrific death at the hands of His own? And so there is darkness all over the land as the Light world hangs on their tree.
And thus there was darkness over the land until the ninth hour. Now verse thirty four says that at the ninth hour: Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Jesus’ cry is a direct quote from Psalm 22:1, the opening verse of a Messianic Psalm. A verse of unimaginable isolation and abandonment as Jesus in that moment experiences being forsaken by the Father. Yet understand this, Jesus Christ’s being forsaken in that moment by God the Father is so that we will not be. All that we have ever done as unbelievers; and ever will do now as believers that would cause God the Father to forsake us was endured in that moment by Jesus Christ alone. Innocent and Sinless Jesus was crucified and forsaken so that God could find just grounds not to forsake us all. For God is a God of not only love, but also of justice (Deut. 32:4). And His just and everlasting judgment against sin is death, either the death of the offender (Ezek. 18:20), or the death of a Substitute (Isaiah 53:10-12; Rom. 6:23). That theme is clearly portrayed over and over again in the Law of Moses. And is why Jesus Christ allowed Himself to be crucified (John 10:17-18; 6:51). So that He could be the Finial and Everlasting Sacrifice for all our sins, a Sacrifice that would satisfy the wrath of God forever, for it is the immeasurable Value of the Son of God that makes His sacrifice eternally imputable to every sinner who believes.
Now some of the onlookers when they heard Jesus’ Words said: “Look, He is calling for Elijah!” vs. 35 And with that one ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Jesus. Then they rebuked him saying: “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.” Vs. 36 Their desire to see a supernatural deliverance by God’s prophet Elijah only heightens the cruelty and wickedness of the moment as the Son of God is in His deepest anguish approaches death. And with their finial inhumane act Jesus cries out with a loud a voice and breathes His last. And with Jesus Christ’s death on the cross the Scripture says that the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom (vs. 38). The significance being that it was the veil that separated the Most Holy Place in the Temple from the rest of the Temple’s Sanctuary. With the Most Holy Place only being entered once a year on the Day of Atonement by the officiating high priest after great ritual and careful preparations were made for him to do so.
For in there dwelt the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat on top where the high priest made intercession for the people’s sins. But now with Jesus Christ’s death; the veil which so symbolized sinful humanities separation from God, being supernaturally torn in two from top to bottom by God, this indicated that from the greatest of religious men to the least of men. No more would anyone be separated from having free access to God the Father through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. For Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 9:15), a covenant made not just with Israel; but with all of mankind (Heb. 8:6). Therefore you and I do not need to go to a priest, or make prayers through saints to have God hear us. We only need to approach Him through what He has done for us all through His Son. “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,” 1 Tim. 2:5-6 The tearing of the veil then is the end of the Law’s priesthood and the ushering in of the Lord Jesus Christ’s (Heb. 4:14-16).
Now the Scripture also says “So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” vs. 39 The centurion’s conviction of what had just occurred truly served as a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. But I’m unsure if it equated with his salvation? Matthew’s gospel mentions that those words were spoken out of fear when the earth was shaken and the veil torn, not conviction of faith (Matt. 27:54). Nonetheless if he came to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God then that would be enough (John 5:24).
Verse forty and forty one then mention that: “There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, 41 who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.” vs. 40-41 The mention of the women and none of the Apostle’s; though they were present (Luke 23:49) is interesting, since it will be the women who will first see and come to believe that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead (Luke 24:10-12). One finial note, the mention of Marry the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome is not referring to the mother of Jesus and His brother James who wrote the epistle James. It is a reference to another Marry who mothered three sons. Jesus’ mother Marry had four (Matt. 13:55-56; Mark 6:3). While the reference to this particular James as being Less is from a Greek word which means small, little, less; which could be indicating physical size, personal stature, or significance in the eyes of others. Nonetheless the mention of those two women who were not “major” players in Jesus’ Galilean ministry is again interesting. For God the Father always finds a way to honor those who honor His Son. For it’s not the stature of anyone in the eyes of men that approves them to God. It’s their faith in and love towards the Lord Jesus Christ. “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 “that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” John 5:22-23
Have you then come to honor the Son of God? In faith, love and obedience. It all starts with first receiving what Jesus Christ has done to make you honorable in the eyes of God. By seeing your need and turning in faith to Jesus Christ’s Person. God opens the door you. As the Lord Jesus Christ said: 9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. John 10:9-11
Why not then receive the One who came to die for you that you might have life in all it’s fullness, rather than settling for what you can make out of it. If you would like to receive God’s love, grace, life and peace for you and within you and begin your life fresh and new, just pray a simple prayer in faith acknowledging your sinfulness and need for the Lord Jesus Christ. Simply pray something like this: Dear Lord Jesus Christ I believe that You were crucified for me so that I might receive remission of all my sins and have new and everlasting life the moment I believe in You. I also believe You rose from the dead so that I might have life in all its fullness; freed from sin, Satan and death so that I might live life joyful, peacefully and richly with You. And so in all gratitude I now gladly receive You into my heart and life, to be my Lord and Savior, both now and forever amen.
Scripture Quotations
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.
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