Mark 15:33 Now when it was noon, there was darkness over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34Then at three in the afternoon Jesus called out with a loud voice, saying, “Elohi, Elohi, lema shabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” NHEB
There are two schools of thought on Psalm 22 which Christ quotes in Mark 15:34. The traditional viewpoint is that the death of Jesus on the cross has meaning for salvation. This is a point of estrangement (or separation) from the Father that is necessary for Jesus to be a sin offering, i.e., He bears the penalty that we deserve. Progressive Christians are uncomfortable with substitutionary atonement so they believe that Jesus is simply trying to get people to think about Psalm 22. Their focus is on the newness of life that comes from the suffering on the cross.
Mark 15:35 Some of those who stood by, when they heard it, said, “Look, He is calling for Elijah.” 36One ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave it to Him to drink, saying, “Let Him be. Let us see whether Elijah comes to take Him down.” NHEB
His cry is misunderstood by the onlookers who think that Jesus is crying out for Elijah. It was a common Jewish viewpoint of this time period (and even still today) based upon Malachi 4:4 that Elijah must precede the Messiah. (This might be a good time to review Malachi 3 and 4 while considering what Jesus said in Matthew 17:11-12 about Elijah).
The vinegar (or sour wine in some translations) is probably the same as the myrrh mixture that was offered before. A question that arises is whether this is cruel because Jesus is dehydrated and this would taste terrible or is it merciful since the myrrh would have a dulling effect. The people could have been making this offer in the hopes of keeping Jesus alive long enough to see if Elijah does show up.
Mark 15: 37 Jesus gave a loud cry, and gave up the spirit. 38 The veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood by opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” NHEB
We know that the final words of Jesus are: “It is finished” (see John 19:30). After He dies, a strange thing happens. The veil (curtain in many translations) separates the holy area where the priests work everyday from the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant resided. Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and did so once per year to perform atoning acts for the people. Josephus tells us that the High Priest’s robe had bells along with a rope tied around his ankle so those outside could keep track of him and pull him out if necessary. There was a cherubim woven into the curtain fabric that is a symbol of the angel that was posted at the Garden of Eden to prevent Adam and Eve from coming back. The curtain was a witness to Genesis and of the separation of God and man as while the people were in a relationship with God, they lacked direct access to Him. It also reminds us that we can’t overcome this separation ourselves. Upon His death, this curtain is torn in half as Jesus opens the way for us to God. (Also see Hebrews 10).
Note that it is the centurion rather than a disciple like John or Peter making the statement about Jesus being the Son of God. We don’t know what he saw to come to that conclusion (although he witnessed the darkness and felt the earthquake described in Matthew 27). Some explain this by saying that Jesus didn’t die like normal people on the cross. For example, most people would be too out of breath to be able to cry out so loud.
They pierce Jesus just to make sure that He is dead and then break the legs of the other two in order to get it over with. Since it is the Sabbath before Passover they can’t have any dead bodies because those are unclean. There have been some medical discussions, particularly in the last 35 years or so about the actual cause of death for Jesus from crucifixion. While asphyxiation is often cited, heart failure caused by the loss of blood and stress from the scourging and trying to breathe on the cross is also in the mix. Either way, the conclusion is that Jesus was dead before the soldier pierced Him just to make sure. Here are some links that you can cut and paste into your web browser for more: https://www.outreach.com/media/print/product/pdf/case4easter.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/19648788_On_the_Physical_Death_of_Jesus_Christ
Mark 15:40 There were also women watching from afar, among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Josi, and Salome; 41 who, when He was in Galilee, followed Him, and served Him; and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem. 42 When evening had now come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43Joseph of Arimathaea, a prominent council member who also himself was looking for the Kingdom of God, came. He boldly went in to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether He had been dead long. 45When he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 He bought a linen cloth, and taking Him down, wound Him in the linen cloth, and placed Him in a tomb which had been cut out of a rock. He rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Josi, saw where He was placed. NHEB
The women aren’t just accidentally present as Jesus has had female disciples who have been with Him since the beginning. Joseph is a member of the Sanhedrin (as is Nicodemus) and like Nicodemus is a secret followers of Jesus. (Both of these guys will also get mentions in John). In church tradition, Joseph gathers both the Holy Grail and the crown of thorns and takes them to Glastonbury. By claiming the body, Joseph is essentially telling Pilate that he is part of a group whose leader has just been convicted of a traitorous act. There is no one to claim the two thieves. Normally, they would be left on the cross as a reminder to people but since it is the Sabbath before Passover, they are likely taken down and dumped in Gehenna. The Jewish burial ritual is to wrap the body, along with spices such as frankincense and myrrh, in the shroud and place it in a tomb. After nine months to a year, the bones are then removed and placed in the family’s ossuary (bone box).
We have been looking at the historical event of Christ’s death but now need to turn our attention to what His death means. There have always been people who want to eliminate Paul from the Bible. A more recent stepchild of these beliefs are the so called “red letter Christians” who only focus on the red letters in their Bible (i.e., quotes attributed to Jesus). In a nutshell, the argument is that Jesus is loving and kind but then along comes Paul who ruins Christianity. They will point, for example, to the first chapter of 1Timothy as an example of this, particularly verse 15 where Paul tells us:
1Timothy 1:15 This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”–and I am the worst of them! NET
So what if all we had was Mark (and no Paul)? Would our faith look any different? We will take up that question next.