Jesus Looking at His Own Cross

A Walk with Mark(2)

#isovs Gu Na3i Ir Qa[in

Margosi Tidangivnen

 

Mark 15:21-39

 

We were talking about how two different disciples accepted their failure. One repented and the other hanged himself.

 

We move on to look at the cross event written by Mark. Each evangelist describes the event from a different perspective.

 

He draws different pictures.

 

1st picture: two believers

 

“And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.” (21)

In the end we find another believer:

“And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said,  ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” (39)

 

Who is Simon of Cyrene? He is the one who carried Jesus’ cross for him. Mark identifies him being the father Alexander and Rufus. Obviously, the reader of this gospel knows these people. Most likely these were early believers; otherwise there would be no reason to mention all these names. How did they become Christians? We don’t know, perhaps their father went home after this event and he was a changed man because of what he encountered that day. His name has significance. Simon was a believer from Cyrene, North Africa. (Libya , Egypt). This represents the Jews in the Diaspora.  Remember the first Christians of that time were Jews who became Christians; some of them lived in the Diaspora.

 

The last part of this section ends with another believer, namely the Roman centurion. A Roman man, man of victory, man of war, man of discipline, man of power, this man became a believer. The Centurion represents the Gentile Christians. So the Jew and Gentile readers can definitely identify with these people, “the centurion is one of us, Simon is one of us...”

 

2nd picture:  the garment and the curtain

 

“And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).  And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.  And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.” (22-24)

-They offer him a drink

-They crucify him (no details)

-They unveil Jesus’ body and take his garment.

 

 “And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.”  And Jesus uttered a loud cry and a breathed his last.  And  the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” (35-38)

-They give him a drink

-Jesus dies.

-Holy of Holies is unveiled (the curtain is torn)

People always asked, “Who is this man?”

Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you think I am?”

Even Pilate asked, “Who are you?”

Jesus revealed his identity at several occasions. Peter said, “You are the Son of God.”

Yet here at the cross we find a profound picture of identity of Christ.

The “unveiled” body of Christ who is nailed on the cross is saying who he is in a profound way. “I am the Messiah, I am the new temple of God.”  The curtain separating the people from the presence of God was torn apart. Jesus opened a new way to see God, to experience God directly. Jesus is saying, “I am the way and the truth.”

 

3rd picture:  the written words on the cross

 

And it was the third hour when they crucified him.  And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” (25)

What an irony.

Pilate wrote something for mockery, yet he was announcing a new king, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who is the king of Jews and the whole world.

 

4th picture: the prophecy of the suffering servant

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice,  “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (34)

 

Jesus’ words are a quote from Psalm 22:1.

Any Jew would understand what this verse meant. It is Psalm 22 where it describes the suffering man.

Isaiah described the suffering servant. Jews knew that their Messiah would suffer.

Yet the Psalm ends with praise and adoration. Although the man is suffering yet he praises God.

I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
 For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not  hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him. (22-24)

 

 

5th picture: the ones who are in darkness

And with him they crucified two  robbers,  one on his right and one on his left.(27)

 

And  those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying,  “Aha!  You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” (29-30)

 

So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others;  he cannot save himself.  Let the Christ,  the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may  see and believe.” (31-32a)

 

Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.(32b)

 

Although Luke indicates that one of the thieves did believe in Jesus a little later, Mark does not elaborate on that. We find in the middle of the account a group of men constantly mocking Jesus and not believing.

 

Summary:

In the middle part the High Priest says we must see in order to believe.
He is saying to Jesus: “Come down from this cross and join the forces of opposition against the Roman Empire and rescue us. Then we will believe in you. Show us your power over the Romans, and then we will believe!”

 

How about in the end, we find a Roman centurion, who is Roman, who fought mighty wars, who had seen the Emperor, he saw and he believed. He believed. What did he see?

He saw what happened all day to Jesus. He saw how Jesus was at the trial. He saw what Jesus said and when he was silent. He saw something different in this man that he never experienced before, and he said: “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Look again with me at the whole picture:

 

 

In the Armenian sermon I said there were two disciples who took different ways to deal with their failure and sin.

Here we find a centurion, (Simon Cyrene) who took the right path to believe in Jesus.

 

How about you? Where are you in your journey?

 

Amen