Daily Lesson for Wednesday 18th of September 2024

The Gospel of Mark presents the cross as a very dark place, both physically and spiritually. A supernatural darkness descended on Calvary from about noon on that Friday until about 3 p.m. “And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour” (Mark 15:33, ESV).

The words of Jesus on the cross are called the “cry of dereliction” as He prays, crying out to God, asking why He has been forsaken. He is quoting from Psalms 22:1. Other references to the same psalm occur in Mark 15:24,29, indicating that the Scriptures are being fulfilled in the death of Jesus. Even in the evil plotting of men, the will of God is being fulfilled.

Image © Darrel Tank at Goodsalt.com

Jesus’ words from the cross are reported in Aramaic along with translation. The words “my God, my God” are Eloi, Eloi in the verse (a transliteration of the Aramaic ’elahi). It would be easy to hear Jesus as calling for Elijah (Aramaic ’eliyyah, which means “My God is YHWH”). This is the mistake that some bystanders make.

What becomes striking about this passage is the parallel it has to the baptism of Jesus in Mark 1:9-11.

What these parallels suggest is that as the baptism of Jesus in Mark 1:1-45 is the beginning of His ministry, as prophesied in Daniel 9:24-27, what occurs in Mark 15:1-47 at the cross is the culmination, or goal, of His ministry, as He dies as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). The death of Jesus on the cross also fulfills part of the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27. The tearing of the temple veil (Mark 15:38) points to the fulfillment of the sacrificial system, as type meets antitype, and a new phase of salvation history begins.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24c-12-forsaken-by-god/

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 17th of September 2024

At this point in the Passion Narrative, Jesus is a silent victim, controlled by people who are bent on His death. Throughout the Gospel, up to His arrest, He was the master of activities. Now He is acted upon. Though He was a robust itinerant preacher, the beating He had received and the lack of food and sleep wore Him down to where a stranger had to bear His cross.

At the cross His garments were removed and became the property of the soldiers, who cast lots to see whose they would be (compare with Psalms 22:18). Crucifixion was a fairly bloodless method of execution. The nails used to fasten a person to the cross (compare with John 20:24-29) were likely driven through the wrist below the palm where no major blood vessels run. (In both Hebrew and Greek, the word for “hand” can refer to both the hand and the forearm.)

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

The palm of the hand itself does not have the structures necessary to carry the weight of the body in crucifixion. The median nerve runs through the center of the forearm and would be crushed by the nails, causing excruciating pain up the arm. Breathing was difficult. To get a good breath, victims of crucifixion had to push against their nailed feet and flex their arms, again causing agonizing pain. Exhaustion asphyxia was one of the possible causes of death.

Jesus received tremendous mockery and humiliation during His crucifixion. The Gospel of Mark has a revelation/secrecy motif in which Jesus typically calls for silence about who He is. Consequently, such Christological titles as “Lord,” “Son of God,” or “Christ” do not appear often in the narrative.

This element changes at the cross. He cannot be hidden. It is ironic that it is the religious leaders who use these titles in mocking Jesus. How these men are condemning themselves!

One of their mocking statements stands out. In Mark 15:31, they say, “ ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself’ ” (ESV). To make their point about His helplessness on the cross, they indicate that He did help others (the Greek verb can mean “save,” “heal,” or “rescue”). Thus, ironically, they admit He is the Savior. The irony goes further—the reason He could not, or would not, save Himself was because at the cross He was saving others.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24c-12-the-crucifixion/