Mark 15:33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34 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 hast thou forsaken me?
35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
36 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.
37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
39 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.
40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
41 (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.
The sixth hour would be high noon. It should have been broad daylight at that time, yet we are told there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. That would be three p.m. Jesus suffered like no normal human being. He did that for us. He was willing to go to that cross and suffer and die there, shedding His blood for man. The impact of that suffering did not just affect Jesus. God the Father caused a darkness to cover the whole land as a picture of the darkness there is without Christ.
At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice. He still had the strength to cry out to His Father. No one else would understand His situation. He knew the answer to His question, but He asked it because of the pain it caused Him in His heart knowing that His Father had to turn His back on His Son for a short time.
Those who were standing there and observing what was happening misunderstood what Jesus cried out. Elias/Elijah could not help Jesus. The people were not spiritually alive and thus their minds could not comprehend what Jesus was doing. They rejected His deity and they had no connection to God.
One of those watching ran for a sponge and filled it with vinegar to give to Him. Jesus did not need a drink of vinegar. Those watching needed God’s forgiveness. They were not done looking for entertainment. They wanted to see if Elias would come and take Jesus off that cross. Their hardened hearts refused to be broken.
In verse 37 we read that Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the ghost. He had willingly and faithfully taken the sins of the world upon Him. He had done all that His Father required as the only way of providing forgiveness to lost humanity. All people from Adam onward need a Saviour. Jesus Christ is that Saviour.
When Jesus died on that cross, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. Prior to Jesus’ crucifixion, God had established the priesthood as the means of providing a way for those who trusted in God to be atoned for their sins. When that veil was torn from the top to the bottom, God showed that the Old Testament priesthood was finished. There was no further need for a sinful man to stand in the gap between other sinful men and God. Now sinners could go directly to God through Jesus Christ. His shed blood made it possible for men and women, boys and girls, to not only have their sins covered, but to have them removed. That is what God provided through the shed blood and death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is no need for a human priest since that time. The Catholics developed a false religion and many people have chosen to believe their lies, rather than trust in the risen Saviour. Catholicism is a cult. Many “Protestant” groups developed from that cult. They also have some flavouring of Catholicism among them. Those who are born again need to reject that compromise and choose truth and be transformed by the renewing of their minds. That renewing takes place through faithful Bible Study and prayer after salvation.
It is a blessing to know the forgiveness of sin. It is a message that our world needs to hear and be reminded of.
In verse 39 we see that one centurion was deeply impacted by what he had observed. He saw that the man that he had beaten and whipped and mocked in other ways, was more than just a man. He now believed that this man “was” the Son of God. Jesus Christ was not just the Son of God, but He IS the Son of God. Jesus Christ, the Son of Man died on the cross. Jesus had declared that He and His Father were one. The Son of God did not die on the cross. We see again, the unique nature of the Godhead. We are not told if that centurion actually repented and was saved. As far as we know he believed he witnessed the death of the Son of God.
Jesus Christ rose again victorious over sin and death. During those three days His body lay in the tomb, the Son of God was busy. The Bible tells us that. Ephesians 4 speaks of His Work in Paradise during that time. He released the Old Testament saints’ souls from captivity in “Abraham’s bosom” and delivered them into heaven.
In verse 40 we read that there were women looking afar off. These were God-fearing women who were observing what was taking place. God named some of those women here. Those women likely did not fully grasp what was happening, but they were there to observe this event. These women had been blessed by Jesus during His earthly ministry and they were going to stick by Him even while He was on the cross. These women demonstrated true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Their faith would be rewarded.
It is important for us to have that saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We know the rest of the story. We know He rose from the dead and that He is alive and seated on the right hand of His Father in glory. It is important to submit to His will if you are saved. There is no reason to doubt the Word of God. There is no reason to hold on to empty traditions, rather than to trust in the true God. Trust in Him and know His peace in your heart.
Pastor Bartel
