Mark 15:33-37

Passage

In the sixth hour, noon, darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 3 PM.  At the end of the period of darkness, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you deserted me to be uncared for?”  Some people heard the Aramaic and thought He was called for Elijah to help Him.  One of those people grabbed a sponge and ran to Jesus to give Him something to drink.  They wanted to help sustain His life and see if Elijah would really come.  Instead of drinking, Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed out His last breath.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus’ death is a throwback to what began at Passover.  At the Passovercelebration with His disciples, Jesus became the Passover Lamb, whose blood would make atonement for the people so they could continue to live with God.  However, right before the original Passover there were also plagues.  The last of the plagues were an impenetrable darkness and the death of the firstborn.  Here we have a re-fulfillment of those plagues.  The Passover Lamb has been slain.  God’s own firstborn is losing His life.  There was a great supernatural darkness upon the land.  {Also note that this had to be a supernatural darkness and not an eclipse as many have suggested because Passover is celebrated during a full moon, meaning the moon is on the far side of the earth.}  God truly is pointing people back to the exodus story in an attempt to get people to see what He is doing.

How neat is it that through Jesus’ death God goes back to the original Passover and recreates the final events?  If you had been there, would you have picked up on the connection between Jesus’ death and the Passover? 

Second Thought:

As long as we’re talking about Passover, we should understand that the point of the original Passover lamb was to prevent God’s judgment from taking effect upon certain houses.  The angel of death would pass over those who were atoned through the blood on the door post.  That same message is true here with the crucifixion, except that it is on an eternal scale and not simply a single release from bondage.  By linking this act to the Passover, God is making a clear statement to the world.  God’s angel of judgment is going to come among the inhabitants of the earth.  Anyone not covered by the blood of Jesus will die – eternally.  Anyone covered by the blood of Jesus, God’s Passover Lamb, would live – eternally.  The slaughter of the Passover lamb in Egypt brought about a time of judgment upon the Egyptians.  The death of God’s Passover Lamb does the same thing.  It is a wake-up call.  God’s judgment is coming.  Our job is to be ready.

Are you covered by the blood of the God’s Passover Lamb?  How do you know?  What does that tell you?

Third Thought:

When Jesus cries out, people around Him think about Elijah.  In a sick display of humanity, they rush to grab a sponge to help Jesus live longer.  They aren’t trying to sustain Jesus’ life.  In fact, if you think about it this is really a cruel move.  Who out of compassion would try to extend the life of someone who is inevitably dying a painful death?  No, these people are cruel in trying to extend Jesus’ life.  Why do they do it?  They want to see Elijah.  They want to see some really cool supernatural event.  They are not compassionate.  In their act we see these people display human self-centeredness at its worst.

Why can human beings be so cruel?  Why is the default human position that of self-centeredness, self-preservation, and self-mongerism?  How does this story help us understand why we need the influence of God upon our life?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 15:38-41