Mark 15:33-36, CEB - From noon until three in the afternoon the whole earth was dark. At three, Jesus cried out with a loud shout, “Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani,” which means, “My God, my God, why have you left me?”
After
hearing him, some standing there said, “Look! He’s calling Elijah!” Someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine,
and put it on a pole. He offered it to Jesus to drink, saying, “Let’s see if
Elijah will come to take him down.”
Earlier in Mark 15, we were
reminded of the fact that the details of the crucifixion recall many Old
Testament texts such as Psalm 22 and 69.
The most poignant of these allusions is Jesus’s last words from the
cross in Mark:
“My God, my God, why have you left
me?”(Psalm 22:1)
Psalm 22 is
a the lament of a righteous sufferer.
Originally, it referred to David, but after Christ’s quoting of it from
the cross, it is forever the owned by Him.
Most commentators on this cross
moment highlight the fully human aspect of Christ’s lament – the feeling of
despair, loneliness, and absence of God’s presence. This is entirely appropriate, for Jesus
almost certainly felt all of those things.
In Mark’s account, no a single disciple is present for this terrible moment;
all of them have abandoned Him. He has
no allies in this crowd. His physical
suffering is incomprehensible. How could
anyone NOT feel that God had abandoned them?
In this moment, Christ connects with our darkest moments of despair and
then some. He knows our situation all
too well.
Yet there is more to this Psalm 22
quote than just abandonment and despair.
Mark intends for us to hear not just Psalm 22:1, but the whole Psalm. This is why all the allusions to Psalm 22 are
included in Mark’s account. Let’s recall
them once more:
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)
The
villains, the piercings, the people gloating, and the gambling for clothes are
all tied together by Jesus’s utterance of verse 1 just before He dies. Not only those parts of Psalm 22, but all of
it. Hear the end of the Psalm.
Every part of the earth
will remember and come back to the Lord;
every
family among all the nations will worship you.
Because the right to rule belongs to the Lord,
he
rules all nations.
Indeed, all the earth’s powerful
will
worship him;
all
who are descending to the dust
will
kneel before him;
my
being also lives for him.
Future descendants will serve him;
generations
to come will be told about my Lord.
They will proclaim God’s righteousness
to those not yet born,
telling
them what God has done.(Psalm 22:27-31)
My encouragement today is for you to
read the whole of Psalm 22 again and meditate/reflect on how all of it
describes the meaning of this moment on the cross in Mark 15.
Question: What is God doing in your spirit and mind as
your explore the connections between the crucifixion and Psalm 22?
Prayer: (adapted from the end of Psalm 22) Jesus,
what You on the cross is known in every corner of the world. Billions have come to You because of what You
did. People from every nation on earth
worship You. Every new generation will
be told of Your sacrifice until Your kingdom is made complete. Praise be to Jesus forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray for leaders in government (local, state,
and national).
Song: At the Cross – Chris Tomlin
