Truly, This Man was God's Son

Truly, This Man was God's Son

Passion Sunday

March 25, 2018

Mk 15: 22- 41

The gospel reading today is taken from the crucifixion account of Mark. Mark’s crucifixion story is a stark account of what took place. In as few as 20 verses, he recounts how Jesus was crucified and how he died. Nonetheless, despite his simple and plain narrative, he is able to achieve his purpose and goal in narrating this short but important episode.

First, Mark establishes the setting of the crucifixion. Jesus was brought to a place called Golgotha. As Jesus arrives there carrying his cross, he is offered some wine mixed with myrrh to drink. The wine that was offered to him was not given to quench his thirst but to serve as an anesthetic that would numb and reduce his pain as he goes through the crucifixion. Mark narrates that Jesus did not take it, indicating that Jesus did not want to go through the entire crucifixion process experiencing less or no pain at all.

Then Mark presents us two groups who were present during the entire event. There were no disciples, no women followers at the scene -  just two groups of taunting mobs accompanied by  some roman soldiers.

The first group taunted the Lord while on the cross saying: “ Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself and come down from the cross!”  This group’s mockery must have stemmed from what they must have heard Jesus say during his trial before the council; that he was going to destroy the temple and in three days would rebuild it.

The second group taunted the Lord while on the cross saying: “ He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” This second group, composed of chief priests and scribes mocked Jesus because of his claim that he was the Son of God, that he was the Messiah, the King of Israel. They too must have heard Jesus making such claim during his trial before the council.

Mark then continues by narrating that at around three o’clock in the afternoon, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  While a number of bible scholars believe that Jesus was praying psalm 22 while on the cross, a number of them believe that Jesus’ loud cry was a real cry of sorrow because he felt abandoned. According to Mark, there were no loved ones present there on the cross while Jesus was dying – not even Mary, his mother, not even John the disciple. A few women, including Mary Magdalene were there but only from a distance. Jesus was really alone and abandoned. He felt lonely and abandoned by his Father. Then, Jesus breathed his last with a loud cry.

What happens after Jesus dies becomes perhaps, the climax of Mark’s narrative. Immediately, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And then a centurion who stood and saw how Jesus died said: “ Truly this man was God’s Son!”

In narrating how the temple curtain was torn in two, Mark practically tells us, that Jesus could indeed destroy the temple! That even in his death, the curtain of the most sacred space in the temple, the holy of holies is torn apart. Furthermore, through  the centurion’s confession of faith, Mark tells us that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. In writing these two incidents, the accusations and the taunts that have been heaped and hurled against Jesus are put to rest. In all these, Mark tells us that Jesus was not after all abandoned by the Father. The Father answers the Son’s cry of abandonment by vindicating him. The Father showed how Jesus was the Lord of the temple and testified that He was indeed His son through the confession of one who was not a Jew, but a foreigner.

            When we embrace the cross like Jesus, the feeling of sadness and abandonment always accompanies us. This feeling really breaks the heart of even the most courageous of us all. The feeling that we are experiencing suffering all by ourselves is true and real. But just as Mark has shown us, the Father doesn’t abandon us. Perhaps, this is a wonderful message to many of us traveling through the same lonely road to the cross – that we are never alone in this seemingly lonely journey. The Father is with us. Just as the Father accompanied his Son, he will accompany us even if many times we feel that we have been left alone and abandoned like Jesus on the cross.  Amen.