Day 64: Jesus dies, the curtain tears, and the centurion speaks
When Jesus was baptized, Mark tells us that the heavens were “torn open” and a voice came from heaven saying, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:10–11). In our passage today, Jesus is crying out to God, the symbolic barrier between earth and heaven is being torn from top to bottom, and Jesus is declared to be God’s Son.
What happened between noon and 3 p.m. while Jesus was being crucified (v. 33)?
Darkness in the Bible is often a picture of God’s judgment. For example, the prophet Amos writes, “‘In that day,’ declares the Sovereign LORD, ‘I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight’” (Amos 8:9).
In verse 34, we get another snatch of Jesus speaking Aramaic. What did the prayer Jesus cried out mean in English (v. 34)?
Who did some people think Jesus was calling for when He said, “Eloi, Eloi” (v. 35)?
Yesterday, we saw that Psalm 22 prophesies about people casting lots for Jesus’ clothes. Psalm 22 begins: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (v. 1). On the cross, Jesus experienced God’s judgment against our sin. Forsaken means abandoned. Jesus wasn’t asking why God had forsaken Him as if He was surprised by the cross. God the Father, Son, and Spirit had always planned that Jesus would die like this. But Jesus cries out to God in His pain with words from the Old Testament to show how His death is fulfilling Old Testament prophecy.
What did someone run to get and offer to Jesus (v. 36)?
What did this person say (v. 36)?
As we’ve already seen in Mark, lots of Jews believed that Elijah would come before the day of the Lord. There was also a tradition that Elijah would come to rescue righteous people who were in distress. The chief priests and teachers of the law sarcastically demand that Jesus prove He is the Messiah by coming down from the cross. This person seems like maybe he might actually be wondering if Elijah will come and help Jesus.
What does Jesus do in verse 37, and what happens to Him?
What happened to the curtain in the temple when Jesus died (v. 38)?
In the temple, a thick curtain separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, where God’s presence was seen to dwell. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would go into the Most Holy Place on behalf of the people to sprinkle the blood of an animal sacrifice. When Jesus died, the real sacrifice was made and the curtain separating God’s people from His presence was torn in two from top to bottom. Now, we can come to God through Jesus—not just once a year, but all the time!
How did the Roman centurion (which means a soldier who was in charge of a hundred other soldiers) react when he saw how Jesus died (v. 39)?
Mark’s gospel starts like this: “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1) Why is it shocking that the Roman centurion of all people said this about Jesus?
Which female disciples of Jesus were watching His crucifixion (v. 40)?
What does Mark tell us about these women (v. 41)?
Praise Jesus that He took the judgment for our sin when He died on the cross and that His sacrifice has opened up the way for us to live with God forever. Pray that Jesus would help you follow Him for the rest of your life, knowing that you are loved and forgiven because of His death in your place.