A Blossom Bible Podcast
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A Blossom Bible Podcast
Mark 15:33-37 The Intentional Tragedy
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Death cast its shadow at high noon as darkness fell over Jerusalem. Jesus, hanging on the cross, cried out with words that still echo through history: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" These weren't just words of despair—they were a reference to Psalm 22, a prophetic psalm that described with uncanny precision the very scene unfolding that day: mockers surrounding him, soldiers gambling for his clothing, and the piercing of his hands and feet (written centuries before crucifixion was invented).
The darkness covering the land wasn't just atmospheric—it marked the cosmic significance of what was happening. The Light of the World was taking on the darkness of humanity's sin. What appeared to onlookers as defeat was actually the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan, meticulously orchestrated across millennia. Consider this remarkable connection: Abraham nearly sacrificed his "only son whom he loved" on Mount Moriah—the exact same location where Jesus would later die. This wasn't coincidence but divine choreography spanning thousands of years.
Jesus's final declaration—"It is finished"—wasn't a cry of defeat but of victory. Tetelestai in Greek was an accounting term meaning "paid in full." The debt of human sin had been completely satisfied. Nothing we could ever do could make up for our sins, but Jesus paid the price completely. This is what makes the gospel truly good news: salvation isn't earned through religious performance but received as a gift from God who loved us enough to sacrifice everything. Have you considered what it means that God planned your redemption before the foundation of the world? This Easter, don't just remember a historical event—receive the gift that was purchased at such tremendous cost.
Mark 15, 33. We're taking some time to consider the cross, which is right in front of us here in the Gospel of Mark, and you can't go wrong for sure, and you can't go wrong for sure. But I've shared, and want to share, a certain intimidation teaching this passage, because it's the center of our faith. The cross is the center of history, it's the center of our faith, it's the center of everything what Jesus did for us. But I realize, every time I start to think about what I'm going to say, that words can't do it justice. Right, it's way more than this. But it's like going to a national park and somebody says, well, how was it? Well, it was good. I mean you, just, it's so huge and so amazing that words don't do it justice. It's like the eclipse that we had here. You remember that Just a couple years ago we had that eclipse and I had no idea what it would be like. But I think my wife has a video of all of us during that eclipse and you know what words did we use to explain it? Oh my, what in the world? You know it was complete nonsense, right, but you saw that happen and the sky gets dark and this hole in the sky and it's a whoa, and you feel like you know, how in the world can I explain that? How in the world can I explain and describe the cross, how can I do it justice? And I feel like, no matter what I say, it's not going to be enough. But what do we do? We expose our hearts to it, we spend time considering it. We can't get enough of it and so I acknowledge, going into this, that nothing I say is going to be enough to really put it in perspective, but we want to just spend time in it. So verse 33 is where we're at Now.
Speaker 1:When the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, and at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani, which is translated my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? So here it's in verse 33, it begins at the sixth hour, that's roughly noon, high noon for us in the Roman accounting of things. And notice, from the sixth hour, from 12 noon to the ninth hour, 3 pm, there was darkness over the land. So, to set the scene, it's pretty amazing, obviously, to say the least. Potentially, some have said that this is a lunar eclipse that actually happened on that day. Astronomy even tells us that. But it's really not enough to justify darkness, and that in the middle of the day. Why did it get dark?
Speaker 1:Hebrew scriptures describe the day of the Lord as a day of darkness. You can read Amos, chapter 8, verse 9, and Joel probably even better Joel, chapter 2, verses 1 and 2, that the day of the Lord is this day of dread and this day of darkness, in a sense, yes, the day of the. Perhaps that's the tie-in, perhaps it's a physical way to demonstrate the spiritual truth at that moment that the light of the world, jesus, was becoming sin for us, darkness in a sense for us. I don't know, perhaps it was to accentuate the mood around this time. Jesus what we read here used some of his last energy to shout out my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And add to that just this darkness covering the land at that time. Certainly it was a way to get everyone's attention right. It was kind of the minor key in the soundtrack to get everybody to realize something heavy was going on, was going on and we talked about just a couple of seconds ago that eclipse in the middle of the day that perhaps you experienced as well, and you could not have prepared me, as it all at once got dark as night. The crickets and the night sounds started coming out and realized that that was it on a whole different level. Darkness at high noon, and imagine what that was like. It was traditionally thought that at the death of a great person that something like this could happen. So put all that together and the scene is set for what's going on. The sky turns black and Jesus proclaims my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Now notice verse 35.
Speaker 1:As we carry on here, some of those who stood by when they heard that said look, he's calling for, calling for Elijah. Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine and put it on a reed and offered it to him to drink, saying let him alone, let's see if Elijah will come and take him down. So they had the nerve to mock Jesus at this point. As he cries this, they hear him say Eloi, eloi lama sabachthani. As he cries this, they hear him say Eloi, eloi lama sabachthani. Eloi, it's a lot like Eli, and Eli was sort of a shortened name of Elijah. Now, why is that significant?
Speaker 1:Well, in Malachi 4.5, the last part of the Hebrew Old Testament, the last bit of scripture that they had from God. Malachi 4, verse 5, says this Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. So it was the expectation before the day of the Lord that Elijah would come At the Passover feast. They actually set a place at the table for Elijah for when he did come. So it was a certain expectation that Elijah would come.
Speaker 1:But why does Jesus say it? That's what they say mocking. Maybe Elijah will come and save him there. But why does Jesus say it? It would seem that Jesus is taking one more opportunity to have a Bible study right there on the cross. He's quoting a scripture reference from the book of Psalms, psalm 22. Let's turn there, hold your place here.
Speaker 1:Let's turn to Psalm 22 and realize this as we turn that this was a real common way to introduce a scripture, to just start saying it. In fact so common that that's how the books of the Bible in the Hebrew Bible are actually listed. We call it the book of Genesis. Right, we're in Psalm 22,. But the book of Genesis? We call it Genesis. They actually call it Bereshit. What does that mean? It means in the beginning? So when the Hebrews would say we need to turn to the book of Genesis, or I want you to think about the book of Genesis, they would say Bereshit, because that's the first words of the book of Genesis. The book of Exodus is called Shemot, which means names, because the first words of the book of Exodus is these are the names. So that's how they would reference the scripture.
Speaker 1:They would just start saying well, jesus here takes his final bit of energy and he shouts out my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Well, that's the first line of Psalm 22. So Psalm 22, written by David, is an amazing psalm. You can read the whole thing, but I want you, as we read this, as we read just a part of this Psalm 22, I want you to picture everything that's going on as Jesus says my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Notice, he says this, those words my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me In the words of my groaning. My God, I cry in the daytime but you do not hear. And in the book of Exodus, right, you delivered them and were delivered. They trusted in you and were not ashamed. Some good references there to the deliverance in the book of Exodus right, you delivered them, verse 6,.
Speaker 1:But I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised by the people. All those who see me ridicule me. They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying he trusted in the Lord. Let him rescue him, let him deliver him, since he delights in him. But you are he who took me out of the womb. You made me trust while on my mother's breast. Let's skip down to verse 12. But many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls of passion have encircled me. They gape at me with their mouths like a raging and roaring lion. I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax. It's melted within me. My strength is dried up like a pot shirt. My tongue clings to my jaws. You've brought me to the dust of death.
Speaker 1:So Jesus starts in Psalm 139. Look and stare me. They divide my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots. So Jesus starts us off on this study of Psalm 22. He references it and the people would have definitely started thinking about that. It was a good passage for Passover season as it's referenced there. But notice some of the things that are said here. In verse 8, right Verse 8, they shake the head and say he trusted in the Lord. Let him rescue him Almost an exact quote of the religious leaders in Matthew 27, 43.
Speaker 1:They said this, religious leaders in Matthew 27, 43. They said this. Verse 16, notice he says the dogs have surrounded me. Notice they pierced. End of verse 16, they pierced my hands and my feet. Picture their very distinct description of crucifixion before it was ever even invented Verse 17, crucifixion before it was ever even invented Verse 17, we saw there they divide my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots.
Speaker 1:All four gospels reference this fact that the soldiers gambled for Jesus' clothing. It was cruel right to gamble for someone's clothes while they died in front of you. But it's what happened, it's what they did. And think about it. As Jesus says this and the people think Psalm 22, he's referencing Psalm 22. And they would think they pierced my hands and my feet. They cast lots for my clothing. And there's the Roman soldiers, you know, throwing lots down on the ground for his clothes.
Speaker 1:It was prophetic. They didn't maybe realize it at that point, but God knew it was not an accident. That's what we get from this. It wasn't an accident. This was all the plan of God. In fact, jesus was like a lamb crucified before the foundation of the world. So when did God decide this was going to happen? Before the world was even created? Isaiah 53,. It was the Father's good pleasure to wound him. And we look at this and we go this was the plan of God for us. No accident, but because God loved us and was gracious, he did this. The prophetic word shows us again that the words that we read here are not just man's ideas. It's something that only God can do to tell the future before it happens. So specifically as this, I want to turn to one more prophecy I believe is being fulfilled in this book of Mark.
Speaker 1:Let's turn to Genesis, chapter 22. So many places you could go to consider God prophesying what would happen before it happened, but I think Genesis 22 is the most colorful Genesis 22, you might remember from your Sunday school days it's Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice. It's a rough passage, definitely rough for Sunday school crowd of kids. But you remember there in Genesis 22, verse 1,. Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham and said to him Abraham, and he said, here I am, verse 2, and God said take now your son, your only son, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I shall tell you. So here the command goes out by God Abraham, take your son, your only son whom you love, right Now. You know the story. Isaac was not Abraham's only son, ishmael was also his physical son. But God here only acknowledges Isaac meant to be Abraham, your son, your only son whom you love. I want you to offer him as a sacrifice. And God says on a very specific place. So verse three.
Speaker 1:So Abraham rose early in the morning saddled his donkey, took two young men with him and Isaac, his son. He split the wood for the burnt offering and rose and went to the place which God had told him. So they go out. And on verse four then, on the third day. That would be worth underlining and highlighting. What does it mean? Well, I don't know, but it seems very significant. The third day, abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men stay here with the donkey, the lad and I will go yonder and worship and we will come back to you.
Speaker 1:So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac, his son. He took the fire in his hand and a knife and the two of them went together Notice verse 7,. But Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, and said my father. He said here I am, my son. He said look, the fire, the wood. Where's the land for the burnt offering?
Speaker 1:Verse 8, isaac is concerned by the way. Verse 8, abraham said my son, god will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering. So the two of them went together. Then they came to the place which God had told him. Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order and bound Isaac, his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
Speaker 1:So Abraham's being obedient, and so is Isaac. Really, I mean, as things go down, I think Isaac's getting the idea here. Dad's lost it. What in the world's going on? He's tying me up. He's putting me on the altar. He's got a knife in his hand. What's going on Now? It's also important to realize that, contrary to all the pictures we see, isaac probably wasn't a child at this point. It really didn't matter to him because Abraham's like over a hundred. By this point, isaac probably a grown man. So when Abraham begins to tie him up, you've got to realize this is willful, this is by Isaac's own free will. He could have said hey, wait a second, pops, what are you doing? We're not doing this, we're not going here. So Isaac trusts his father at this point. And notice, as all this is going down, we'll read it again.
Speaker 1:Verse 10, abraham stretched out his hand, took the knife to slay his son, but the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said Abraham, abraham. He said here I am. And he said do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withhold your son, your only son, from me. Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son. Then Abraham now follow this verse 14, and Abraham called the name of the place the Lord will provide. As it is said to this day, in the mount of the Lord, it shall be provided. So you know the story right.
Speaker 1:As Abraham's got the knife up, he's ready to follow through with this. God stops him. The angel of the Lord calls out and says Abraham, don't do it. Now I know, and God always knew. Was it for God or was it for Abraham? Probably more for Abraham, but definitely to give us a picture as we look at this a father taking his only son, whom he loved, offering him as a sacrifice. The son, willful obedience to the father, lays down his life. Now, that's amazing, right. Why did God have him do it? Was it just to test Abraham? I'm not so sure about that, because God always knew, right. But was it to give us a picture of this? I think so, and not only that.
Speaker 1:Realize there at the beginning that God we read in verse 2, is sending Abraham to a very specific mountain, a very specific place. He travels three days to get there. It's not just anywhere, it's a very specific place. It's on the mount in the land of Moriah. Where is that? Well, years later, centuries later, the Jebusites would live in this area and the Jebusites would be taken over by David. David would take over this city and he would call it his capital, jerusalem. David would live there and also have some experience there.
Speaker 1:There came a certain time where David, for whatever reason, says I'm going to take a census. Joab, go out and count the people. Joab, who usually didn't do like really noble things, says why do you need to do that? He says I'll just do it, number the people. And God's displeased with that. And so a plague goes through the land as judgment for this census. And as this plague is going through the land, it stops at a very specific place, a threshing floor there in the city of Jerusalem. The plague stops and David says I need to offer a sacrifice at this place. He goes and offers to buy the property, the threshing floor there, and the guy says no, you go ahead and have it. He says, no, I got to buy it. He buys it, a plot of land. He offers sacrifices there. So what right? Well, it's on that plot of land that the temple is later built by Solomon. The temple is built right there, over the threshing floor. It's on that same mountain, in the area of Moriah that, just outside the city.
Speaker 1:We find ourselves now in the book of Mark, as Jesus is on the cross, he's looking over the landscape. Realize it's the exact same landscape that Abraham was looking at when he had his knife in the air and was ready to kill his son. Right, this picture of a father offering his only beloved son as a sacrifice is in the exact same spot where Jesus would lay down his life for us. We go, wow, why? Because God knew. God knew this is what he intended to do was become a sacrifice for us, to pay the price for us. What crazy love is that that Jesus would lay down his life for us? What crazy love is that that Jesus would lay down his life for us? And so we go back to Mark, chapter 15. We'll finish off our time here. Notice verse 37,.
Speaker 1:After the mockery, jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed his last. Now Mark doesn't tell us what he cried out, but we read in other places that Jesus' final words were. Final words were, it is finished. With a loud voice the very last breath that he had. He said it is finished. And we go what finished? Like it's done. End of the story.
Speaker 1:The word there, the phrase it is finished is an accounting term. That's exciting, right, it's an accounting term. That means paid in full. When you paid a debt off, like they do even today. Right, you pay off your house, they put a big stamp on it and they go paid in full. And you're like, yeah, and even the people at the bank go congratulations, you did it, you know. But it means to take something that's owed and pay it in full. No debt remains. And Jesus yells out at the very end, last breath. He says it's finished, there's nothing else to pay, the debt has been totally paid. And we look at that and we go.
Speaker 1:At that moment, jesus' race was finished. Right, he did everything the Father sent him to do. He paid the debt for us. What a wonderful truth to go into the week that Jesus, the actual Son of God, god in flesh, came to die for us, willingly lay down his life to be the payment for sin that we couldn't do. Nothing we can do can make up for the things we've done wrong, not even a little bit. But Jesus paid the price for our sin and he offers it to us as a gift. That's the crazy part.
Speaker 1:Romans 6.23,. We got to know it by now. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. And God just offers us this gift of salvation. We turn to him and we receive it as a gift. Man, I want to put so much more in there Like and then you got to do this and be a member here and so many years later you can be forgiven.
Speaker 1:But that's not the way it goes.
Speaker 1:With a gift. God just says look, here it is, do you want it? And he offers us this amazing gift by what Jesus has done for us. Let's pray. God can't do it justice. Here we are and we've just considered what you've done for us and my words don't go anywhere. But, god, what an amazing truth that you would love us so much. You would send your only son and you loved to be a sacrifice for our sin and you would provide it for us in that very place. God, it was no accident. You knew it's what you wanted to do before you created anything and you really are that good. God. Thank you for that gift and just pray that you would do a work in our hearts this week, god. That it would always be in front of us what you've done for us, god, that we live in light of that, that we'd look unto you, the author and finisher of our faith, for the joy that was set before him. Endured the cross. God power our lives with that truth, even today. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.