The third hour - Mark 15:25-26
The
third hour would have been around 9:00am. It was typical Roman practice to post the
charge over the person crucified. According to John 19:20 it was written in Hebrew (or Aramaic), Latin, and Greek. Perhaps this explains why each of the four gospel writers quotes the sign slightly differently (Matt. 27:37; Luke 23:38; John 19:19). The sign proclaimed the truth that Mark stressed throughout his gospel. Jesus was the royal Messiah. Jesus was crucified between two
robbers in fulfillment of Isa. 53:12.
Mocking - Mark 15:29-32
The
mocking of the chief priests, the scribes, those walking past, and those being crucified alongside of him were a final satanic attempt to ruin the divine plan of redemption. The temptation failed, like all previous attempts. The word translated
Insulted is usually translated blasphemed. For Mark their insults were nothing less than blasphemy.
Darkness - Mark 15:33
Darkness in the Bible was often associated with God's judgment (Joel 2:2, 10; Amos 5:20, 8:9, Mark 13:24; Rev. 9:2; 16:10). Darkness ruled the day as Christ bore God's judgment on the cross.
Forsaken - Mark 15:34-36
Jesus quoted Ps. 22:1 in anguish when he was separated from his Father by the sin of others that he carried on the cross. This is the climax of a theme that runs throughout Mark's gospel. Judas, Peter, and the twelve all
have forsaken him (14:43-45, 50, 66-72). Now for the first time he was totally alone. Mark put more stress on the unimaginable pain of Jesus' separation from the Father because of sin than he did on the physical torment of crucifixion. It is striking to note that even then Jesus' faith did not falter. He still called out,
My God. Someone in the crowd misunderstood Jesus, mistaking
Eloi, Eloi (
my God, my God) for
Eliyahu (
Elijah). It is highly likely that Jesus' pronunciation was severely compromised by this point in the crucifixion. The confusion was all the more likely because of the belief of some Jews that Elijah would return (6:15).
Jesus cried out. - Mark 15:37-38
Mark reported that Jesus
cried out with a
loud voice, but did not report what Jesus said. Probably it was his triumph shout that is reported in John 19:30,
It is finished. Whatever he shouted, it was amazing that he shouted at all. Crucifixion was an exhausting death that usually left the victim exhausted or unconscious. This death was no ordinary death. Jesus' triumphant completion of his messianic mission was signified when the
temple curtain split in two. There were two temple curtains. The one curtain had separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (Exod. 26:31-33). The other separated the Holy Place from the outer courts. It is difficult to determine which of the two was torn apart. In either case the meaning is essentially the same. The completion of Jesus' perfect sacrifice for sin ended the need for the rituals of the temple and the temple itself (Heb. 9:11-14; 10:19, 20).
Roman centurion - Mark 15:39
A Roman
centurion commanded a unit of 100 soldiers. This centurion had been in charge of Jesus' crucifixion. He concluded that this death was like none he had seen before. On his lips the title
Son of God probably did not mean
messianic son; and even less likely did it
mean second person of the Trinity. Most likely he concluded that Jesus was some sort of human being who was specially blessed by one of his many gods. Mark, however, reported these words because he found in them a dramatic climax of the thought with which he began his gospel: Jesus
Christ the Son of God (1:1). It must have been encouraging to Mark's Roman readers to hear these words from a Roman centurion.
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