The Gospel of Mark: The Death of Jesus

When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” ~ Mark 15:33-39


And at the end, Jesus was utterly alone.

All along in this journey in Mark, Jesus has struggled at times to escape from the crowds to find time alone to pray: time to spend with God.

And now, in the end, he is indeed alone.

He'd been abandoned by them all: disciples, followers, crowds, and now by even God.

This is the story of our faith.

This is who we follow. A man left to die a horrible criminal's death. Left by those who claimed to love him. 

Left even by the God whose Kingdom he proclaimed.

Jesus' end is how we begin.

What do you make of it?

As I write this (but not as you read it) it is still the season of Easter. We love Easter. We love the triumph over the grave.

But first comes death. First comes abandonment. First comes despair.

We cannot skip the one to get to the other.


Holy God, thank you for the gospel - the good news - of your Son. Open my mind and heart to this good news and enliven me with your Spirit of servanthood that I might share this good news with a world in need. Amen


Engagement Questions:


How does this ending complete the story of Easter?

 



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