TGBC Sunday, 14 Feb 2021. Mark 15:33-47. You be the Judge
33 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 34 At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
35 When some of those standing nearby heard this, they said, “Behold, He is calling Elijah.”
36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus to drink, saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.”
37 But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last. 38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
39 When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus saw how He had breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
40 And there were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 These women had followed Jesus and ministered to Him while He was in Galilee, and there were many other women who had come up to Jerusalem with Him.
42 Now it was already evening. Since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath), 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent Council member who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, so he summoned the centurion to ask if this was so. 45 When Pilate had confirmed it with the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
46 So Joseph bought a linen cloth, took down the body of Jesus, wrapped it in the cloth, and placed it in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where His body was placed.
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Mark is not done with us yet, that'll come at the very end in tomorrow's reading. But for me, the climax for Mark's gospel is 15:39, the centurion's confession, an ironic, climactic epiphany.
Mark has brilliantly dragged us through this adventure, creating and building our frustration, mounting our tension, as the One Mark calls Jesus Christ the Son of God is unrecognized by those he came to save, but is ID'd by an assortment of outsiders whose acclamation Jesus himself affirms; and ultimately the centurion, a gentile, Jesus' actual killer: one of us.
For thought. Seeing that we humans are so fond of judging and assigning guilt, whom do you most blame for this? Choose one:
+ Jesus himself who, from his temptation in the wilderness to his choice of, after Supper, going to Gethsemane where clearly he knew he would be arrested, had any number of opportunities to change his mind, walk away from this nightmare, and live a normal life.
+ Jesus' friends the Twelve who could have recognized him and saved him.
+ Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
+ Temple authorities who took offense and sought ways to kill him.
+ Simon Peter who denied him.
+ Pontius Pilate who tried and condemned him.
+ The Roman centurion who crucified him.
+ God the Father who (Christian doctrine holds) sent his Son for precisely this.
+ You yourself, still not conforming to his Image.
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Pic from The Passion of the Christ