Mark 15:33-47

33 At noon, darkness covered the whole land. It lasted three hours. 34 At three o’clock in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” This means “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?” (Psalm 22:1)

35 Some of those standing nearby heard Jesus cry out. They said, “Listen! He’s calling for Elijah.”

36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with wine vinegar. He put it on a stick. He offered it to Jesus to drink. “Leave him alone,” he said. “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.”

37 With a loud cry, Jesus took his last breath.

38 The temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 A Roman commander was standing there in front of Jesus. He saw how Jesus died. Then he said, “This man was surely the Son of God!”

40 Not very far away, some women were watching. Mary Magdalene was among them. Mary, the mother of the younger James and of Joseph, was also there. So was Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed Jesus. They had taken care of his needs. Many other women were also there. They had come up with him to Jerusalem.

Jesus Is Buried

42 It was the day before the Sabbath. That day was called Preparation Day. As evening approached, 43 Joseph went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Joseph was from the town of Arimathea. He was a leading member of the Jewish Council. He was waiting for God’s kingdom. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead. So he called for the Roman commander. He asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 The commander said it was true. So Pilate gave the body to Joseph. 46 Then Joseph bought some linen cloth. He took down the body and wrapped it in the linen. He put it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus’ body had been placed.

For Everybody:

This is a very dark part of the Christ story, but as he has many times before, Jesus is foreshadowing hope to those who know God’s word. “My, God My God, why have you forsaken me,” is a direct quote from Psalm 22:1. Take time to read the whole Psalm if you can, but here is an excerpt from the end:

26 Those who are poor will eat and be satisfied.
    Those who seek the Lord will praise him.
    May their hearts be filled with new hope!
27 People from one end of the earth to the other
    will remember and turn to the Lord.
The people of all the nations
    will bow down in front of him.
28 The Lord is King.
    He rules over the nations.

29 All rich people of the earth will feast and worship God.
    All who go down to the grave will kneel in front of him.
    Those who cannot keep themselves alive will kneel.
30 Those who are not yet born will serve him.
    Those who are born later will be told about the Lord.
31 And they will tell people who have not yet been born,
    “The Lord has done what is right!”

Many interpret Jesus’ words, “My God…why have you forsaken me?” as God’s rejection of Jesus because he carried the sin of the world with him. While that may be true, Jesus knew this Psalm. It is a Psalm in which the Psalmist feels lost and forsaken at the start of the prayer. Through his honesty with God, God’s greatness reorients the Psalmist’s perception to fully understand the glorious future that await those who honor the Creator.

Jesus’ followers would have known this Psalm. For any with the courage to be at the feet of Jesus as he took his final breaths, he was foreshadowing a time when the poor would be satisfied and all people will remember and turn tot he Lord. He was giving hope to the hopeless and even, perhaps, reminding himself that even when we feel most forsaken, God has predestined a time of great feast and worship where Christ will rule over the nations. In these uncertain times, may our prayers of “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me” turn to shouts of praise saying, “The Lord has done what is right!”

For more on praying the Psalms in these troubled times, see Pastor Parker’s sermon from March 22.