Mark 15:33-41 The Death of Jesus
At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”
One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
The NIV titles this portion of the 15th Chapter of Mark’s Gospel as “The Death of Jesus.” We have heard it numerous times and we have a tendency to rush forward from this event to Jesus resurrection on Easter Sunday. Both events are of great importance to us and without either one, we would not be assembled here this morning worshipping a Risen Savior. Verse 37 (With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.) draws our attention to a fact that we all know. Without breath there is no life. Genesis 2:7 (the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living soul.) details for us God’s creation of man and relates a critical feature. God’s breath initiates life. Man can observe this but he can’t reproduce it. We can analyze a seed and discover its make-up and composition but the initiation of life is beyond us. It is God who both initiates and concludes life. We can talk about it, study it and experiment but the creative force for life is beyond man.
Mysteries are great subjects for a movie, novel or entertainment. Clinical mysteries at the bedside may be challenging but I can’t imagine anyone praying for the delivery of one at such a time. Not knowing the diagnosis or recognizing what is transpiring is hazardous for both patient and doctor. Many years ago an oath implored physicians to do no harm. That is as applicable today as it was then.
Physicians are always leery when treating other physicians or nurses. It seems that the unusual more often occurs then than at other times. It is as if they seek out the 1 in 1000 complications. Experience has taught me that “rare things are rare, but they do occur.” The originator of this quote was Chevalier Jackson as I recall but I was told this over 50 years ago, so I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.
By the time of the arrival of our 4th son Michael, we had outgrown the need for a baby sitter. Had our eldest son been a girl that need would never have arisen. No one would consider leaving a small child with three older brothers. The potential for mischief is too great. It is then that Irene entered the picture. She was an experienced grandmother and widow and enjoyed sitting Michael as well as the small amount of money it provided. She was also a patient of mine. Unfortunately she had a serious obstruction of a heart valve that demanded replacement. Left to natural history her life expectancy was 2 years or less. After appropriate preparation, she underwent cardiovascular surgery by a very competent and caring surgeon of this city. The procedure went well, but post operatively she didn’t do well. Her blood pressure was low and she obviously wasn’t stable. Despite being assisted by a ventilator, her ventilation was not adequate. Neither the surgeon nor I could determine the reason. The anesthesiologist offered an opinion from the foot of the bed without examining her and was certain it was the fault of her heart muscle. Just between us that was the only thing that I was certain had not caused the problem.
An additional consultant was as puzzled as we were. Hours passed and she was no better. Standing at the foot of her bed, resting, I looked from toe to head and the problem became clear. The motion of her chest and abdomen were the opposite of normal. Normally the chest expands and the abdomen collapses when you breathe in. Hers did just the opposite. Without boring you with further details, her diaphragm, which separated the abdomen from the chest, was paralyzed on both sides. With the diagnosis in hand, she received appropriate care, recovered and had many more years of fruitful life. How many cases just like this did I see as a medical student and physician? None. The recognition of similar cases in medical literature is scant. This was truly a singular event from most circumstances that involved a solitary patient, her family and the medical community that provided her care.
The crucifixion event as recorded by Mark is likewise a singular event but has application for everybody. It is no mystery. The fact that Jesus breathes His last verifies that He clearly died. He did not swoon and merely recover in a cool tomb.
The real question is “Why was He there?” The Gospel accounts clearly reveal that He was innocent and sinless. The desire of the majority was that He would draw His last breath on a cross outside of Jerusalem, which He did. Surprisingly, God desired Him there as well. The “why” of this is a demonstration of the love of God that applies to anybody and everybody.
We all are guilty of sin against the Eternal God. Since God is eternal, the Always Being, such disobedience has eternal consequences and demands punishment. Why? His holiness requires it. The punishment that falls on the sinner is eternal in nature. Jesus ascends the cross willfully so that He can absorb the punishment for our sins that should fall on us. His sinlessness is imputed to us and our sins are punished on Him.
Simply, it is as if He were guilty of our sin and we were as sinless as He. Clearly, He takes our place. We get the best of who He is and He gets the worst of who we are.
The cross is the place of transaction for the sinner who is desperate to be right with God. It is by faith in the Sufferer, Jesus, that the Holy God can attribute (impute) my sin to Jesus and punish it there. It is this same faith in Jesus that allows God to attribute Jesus’ righteousness to the confessed sinner.
What is the outcome? God breathes eternal life into your soul. How important is this? In all eternity this is the first place of important events. What is in second? There is no second place.
