At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!”
Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph), and Salome. They had been followers of Jesus and had cared for him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come with him to Jerusalem were also there.
Living and dying with exclamation marksThe Roman officer tending to Jesus’ crucifixion had likely watched many men die on crosses, maybe even on this same hill – Skull Hill. What was so different about the way Jesus died that made this jaded human killing machine take note? He was not merely puzzled by the contrast, but so impressed that he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
Mark only hints at what produced such an exclamation. The one comment Jesus uttered that Mark records, reflects a deep heart connection between Jesus and God. I have often attempted to get beyond just the words in order to hear the personal trauma in Jesus’ voice. I hear him speak as only a son can speak to a father with whom there has been a deeply personal relationship.
Here is no mere quote of Psalm 22. Neither is this bitterness toward a distant and disappointing Deity. No. This is the heart cry of a son.
Heavenly Father, may I so live in relationship with you that my daily life, even and especially my disappointments in you, reflect such a deep love and devotion that those who hear and watch my life will understand that you desire to draw them into the same kind of relationship of love. - Mike Leamon
He died of a broken heartWe have all heard the phrase before, “He died of a broken heart.” I have seen men whose wives have died simply stop caring if they lived any longer. Their grief is so great they simply lose the will to go on. Their heart is broken and they cease to live emotionally and eventually physically.
Roman officers were familiar with death. They knew what it looked like when a man’s life was taken from him. They had seen men struggling to grab that last breath, fighting with all they had to prolong the inevitable. It is human instinct. We fight to live. The Roman officer, who saw Jesus die, experienced something he had never seen before. Jesus was not grasping to stay alive, nor had he refused to live. Jesus, abandoned for the first and only time in history dies alone of a broken heart. For the first and last time he experienced the brokenness of sin by taking on our sin, and in so doing healed our broken hearts of sin.
Jesus, whose bones were not broken to fulfill the Scriptures, allows his heart to be pierced for our transgressions. His heart is broken, cut through for our sin. He accepts our death in his death and brings us life. No wonder the officer recognized something different in Jesus’ death. No man had ever died this way, nor would one or could one ever again. Jesus was unique in his death. He died by giving up his life for ours, no one took it from him.
Holy Lamb of God who was slain for the sin of the world, I proclaim today you are the Son of God. You are my God. I give you thanks for taking my sin and giving me life. Thank you for the cross Lord. - Dan Jones
No comments:
Post a Comment