Mark 15:33-38 The Death of Jesus
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Joel and Mary Nadel, Covenant United Reformed Church
Joel and Mary Nadel, Covenant United Reformed Church
From: The Holy Bible and J.C. Ryle’s “Expository Comments on the Gospels - Mark”
From: The Holy Bible and J.C. Ryle’s “Expository Comments on the Gospels - Mark”
House Rules: Phones, Respect, Stay on the Text
House Rules: Phones, Respect, Stay on the Text
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Review
Review
Begin with the start of Jesus’ earthly ministry
Message: “Repent and believe the Gospel” - the Gospel was Jesus life and death
Preached, taught, performed miracles for three years”
Now in Jerusalem to fulfill the Gospel promise - to die for our sins
When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.” Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Introduction
Introduction
This text recounts the death of our Lord Jesus Christ
All deaths are solemn events, but nothing in our entire history is as important as this one
When Jesus drew His last breath, His work of atonement for the world’s sin was completed
The ransom for sinners was paid - the kingdom of heaven was opened to all believers
All of our solid hope that we have for our souls traces back to His “giving up the ghost” on that cross
First, let’s look at the visible signs and wonders that accompanied the Lord’s death
First, let’s look at the visible signs and wonders that accompanied the Lord’s death
Mark, the writer, records two of these in particular that we need to take note of:
One is the darkening of the sun for three hours
The other is the tearing of the veil that divided the holy of holies from the holy place in the Temple
Both are miracles and both were deeply meaningful
God planned both to get the attention of the masses, who were in Jerusalem for the Passover feast
This would have gotten the attention of even Gentiles, like Pilate and the Roman soldiers
The torn veil would have struck even Annas and Caiaphas, the high priests, as well as their unbelieving colleagues
There were probably very few houses in Jerusalem that night, where people would not be saying “we have heard and seen strange things today
What did the darkness teach?
the great wickedness of the Jewish nation
They were actually crucifying their own Messiah - killing their own King
The sun itself hid its face from the sight - it taught the great sinfulness of sin in the eyes of God
Even the Son of God was left without the cheering light of day, when He was made sin for us, and carried our sins to the cross
What did the tearing of the veil mean?
It taught that all the Jewish ceremonial laws were accomplished
It taught that the way to God the Father (the holiest of holies) was now open to all, by the death of Christ
It taught that both Jews and Gentiles could now come boldly to God, through Jesus, our High Priest - that all obstacles between man and God were torn down.
There are practical lessons for us from the torn veil.
Those who would seek to return Jewish ceremonies - altars, sacrifices, and the priesthood, are attempting to close up that torn veil
There are practical lessons we can get from the miraculous darkness as well
It should help us to understand that the blackness of darkness is a place for all stubborn unbelievers
the Lord only stayed in the darkness for three hours - those who reject His sacrifice will die in their sin, and be in darkness forever.
Secondly, we should see how our Lord was made a curse for us, and He bore our sins
Secondly, we should see how our Lord was made a curse for us, and He bore our sins
Mark 15:34 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?””
There is so much to take away from those words - they indicate a mental suffering that we cannot even imagine
The suffering of some of God’s holiest servants has been great on occasion, which might look like God’s blessing was being taken fro them
What about the pain of the holy Son of God - all the sin of the world was put on His head - He felt Himself found guilty, though without sin, He felt His Father’s face being turned away from Him
The pain and anguish He felt must have been beyond our understanding
We can believe it, but we cannot perfectly explain it
The thing that is very plain, is that you can’t explain these words at all, unless you accept that Christ was a sacrifice, a substitute for sinners
Some teach that Jesus was just a man, or that His death was a great example of self-sacrifice- this makes it impossible to understand His dying words at all
If He was just a man, He would seem less calm and patient in His dying hour than some martyrs or unbelieving philosophers
there is only one explanation, that Christ was a substitute for us on that cross
He cried out under the heavy weight of the world’s sin, that He took on Himself
Our last lesson is this: it is possible to be forsaken of God for a time, and still be loved by Him
Our last lesson is this: it is possible to be forsaken of God for a time, and still be loved by Him
There is no doubt of this, when you read the Lord’s dying words on the cross - He said to His father “why have you forsaken me?”, and still addressed Him as “my God”
We know as well that the Lord was only forsaken for a season and that even then, He was still the beloved Son in whom, even in His suffering and dying, the Father was “well pleased”.
There is deep message in this, which all Christians should note
The Lord’s feeling of being forsaken was unique to Him, since He was suffering for our sins and not His own
Even so, it remains a fact that Jesus, for a time, was forsaken by the Father and yet He was still the “beloved Son”
Just as it was with Jesus, it may happen in a modified sense to His followers
We too, though chosen and loved by the Father, may sometimes feel His face turned away from us
We, too, sometimes by sickness, sometimes by injury, sometimes by carelessness, or even by God’s sovereign will to draw us nearer, may want to cry out “My God, My God, why have your forsaken me?”
Its important, when we as believers feel “forsaken” to learn from our Lord’s experience and not give in to depression
No doubt we should not want to stay in this position though - we need to search or own hearts to see if there is some hidden thing that is causing us to feel that we are far from God
But its important to not get bitter and conclude that we are cast off forever, or that we are lying to ourselves about our salvation and have no grace
We need to wait on the Lord and say, as Job did, “though He slay me, I will hope in Him”
Is 50:10 “Who is among you that fears the Lord, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.”
Ps 42:11 “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.”
Ps 42:11 “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.”
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