Mark 15:22-27, CEB - They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means Skull Place. They tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he didn’t take it. They crucified him. They divided up his clothes, drawing lots for them to determine who would take what. It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The notice of the formal charge against him was written, “The king of the Jews.” They crucified two outlaws with him, one on his right and one on his left.
I intend to keep my words few in commenting
on today’s passage. What I encourage you
to do is to see and spend some time in contemplation on the purposeful
allusions to the Old Testament Mark includes in his crucifixion account. We encounter a couple of them in our text above. The wine mixed with myrrh is recalls Psalm
69:20-21:
I looked for sympathy, but there
was none,
for comforters, but I found none.
They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
Allusions to
Psalm 22 can be found throughout the crucifixion narrative (including Jesus’s
last words, which we will talk about at a later date. But another striking reference to David’s
Psalm is found in our text for today:
Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce my hands and my feet.
All my bones are on display;
people
stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
and
cast lots for my garment. (Psalm 22:16-18)
Psalm 22 and
69 are classified as psalms of the righteous sufferer – someone who is
guiltless yet made to suffer nonetheless.
In their Old Testament setting, they are the words of David, a flawed
man whose cause was righteous but was opposed by King Saul. However, they are even more poignant in
describing Jesus, who is righteous in every way possible.
The tendency of us human beings, when
confronted with undeserved suffering, is to (1) escape it somehow and (2)
appeal to appropriate authorities/courts to make us “whole” again. Jesus does neither. Mark takes great pains to remind us that
Jesus chose this path freely and never turns away from it. He expresses His suffering but does not seek
revenge or restitution. In profoundly poetic
irony, Jesus’s righteous suffering makes it possible for US to be made whole
again.
Spend some time meditating on the
scriptural imagery and truth today. Allow
the Spirit to impress upon you the power of what Jesus is doing here on the
cross.
Question: What truth concerning Jesus’s suffering seems
to be foremost in your mind as you contemplate these scriptures today?
Prayer: The prayer today is made up of quotations
from Psalm 22 and 69:
Do not be
far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.(22:11)
But you,
Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
(22:19)
But I pray
to you, Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me
with your sure salvation. (69:13)
Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray for those who are suffering through no
fault of their own.
Song: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross – Loma Linda
University Church Choir
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