Mark 15:33-41
Darkness Over the Whole Land
Read the passage
33From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
34At 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?”
35When some of those standing nearby heard this, they said, “Behold, He is calling Elijah.”
36And 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.”
37But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last.
38And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
39When 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!”
40And 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.
41These 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.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Darkness covers the land from the sixth hour to the ninth. Jesus cries out in the words that open Psalm 22: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Some nearby mistake His cry for a call to Elijah. Someone offers sour wine, waiting to see whether Elijah will take Him down. Jesus gives a loud cry and dies.
His question expresses real anguish. It must not be reduced to a literary signal that leaves the suffering untouched. Nor is it a sinful accusation against His Father. He still addresses Him as His God while bearing the terrible judgment involved in His saving death.
Isaiah tells us that the servant bears our iniquity and the punishment that brings us peace. Jesus has called His own death a ransom and His blood a covenant gift for many. Those words help us understand His cry: the sinless Savior suffers for sinners. We need not imagine a division within God's being to take that cost seriously.
At His death, the temple veil tears from top to bottom. The veil had marked the separation of the holy place from the Most Holy Place. Hebrews explains the access believers now have through Jesus' blood: we may draw near to God with sincere hearts and assurance of faith.
The centurion standing before Jesus sees how He dies and calls Him the Son of God. Women who followed and served Him watch from a distance. His death is real, and His identity remains true. Here is the Son who gives His life so that guilty people may approach God through Him.
How We Know
Jesus' cry repeats the opening of Psalm 22. Earlier verses in the crucifixion account also recall that psalm's mockery and division of garments. The explicit cry makes the connection clear, while Isaiah 53 and Jesus' own teaching help explain the saving purpose of His suffering.
Questions
1 Where do the words of Jesus' cry come from?
AnswerThey open Psalm 22. Jesus uses the psalm's words of forsakenness to express real anguish while still addressing God as His God.
2 How does Isaiah 53 help us understand His suffering?
AnswerThe servant bears the iniquity of others and the punishment that brings peace. Jesus' death is the saving sacrifice of the sinless One for sinners, not merely an example of pain.
3 What hope does the torn veil help us see?
AnswerThrough Christ's blood, believers have access to God. Hebrews calls us to draw near with sincere hearts and assurance because of Jesus' sacrifice and priestly work.
4 What does the centurion say when he sees how Jesus dies?
AnswerHe declares that Jesus was the Son of God. The death others treated as defeat becomes the occasion for this confession of His identity.
What This Means for Us
You may bring grief, confusion and painful questions to God honestly. Jesus' cry shows the seriousness with which Scripture speaks about suffering. We can pray openly while still trusting God's goodness rather than accusing Him of wrongdoing.
Our access to the Father rests on more than permission to express feelings. Christ gave His life for our sin. Thank Him for that mercy, confess what needs forgiveness and draw near in faith. The torn veil directs us toward the welcome His sacrifice has secured.
Prayer
Father, thank You for the Son who bore our sin and opened the way for us to draw near. Receive our grief and questions, forgive our wrongdoing and strengthen our trust in the saving mercy accomplished at the cross. Amen.