Mark 15:33 - Meaning and Application

Here we have the account of Christ’s death, how his enemies abused him, and how God honored him in his death.

A thick darkness covered the whole land, and some think it covered the whole earth, for three hours, from noon until three o’clock. In this, Scripture was fulfilled: “I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight” (Amos 8:9), and, “Her sun has gone down while it is still day” (Jeremiah 15:9). The Jews had often asked Christ for a sign from heaven, and now they had one, but it was a sign that showed their own blindness. It also pointed to the darkness that was coming on the Jewish church and nation.

They were doing all they could to put out the Sun of Righteousness, that is, Christ, and they would never admit that he rose again. What else could they expect but a darkness worse than Egypt’s? This sign told them that the things that belonged to their peace were now hidden from their eyes, and that the day of the Lord was near, a day of darkness and gloom (Joel 2:1, Joel 2:2). They were under the power of darkness and doing works of darkness, and such darkness would be a fitting judgment for those who loved darkness rather than light.

Toward the end of this darkness, our Lord Jesus, in the agony of his soul, cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). The darkness showed the cloud then resting on Christ’s human soul as he was made an offering for sin. There is a story of a martyr in Queen Mary’s time who prayed, “Son of God, shine upon me,” and the sun suddenly came out and shone full on his face. But Christ, by contrast, was denied the light of the sun in his sufferings, to show the withdrawing of the light of God’s favor.

He complained of this more than anything else. He did not complain that his disciples left him, but that his Father seemed to forsake him. This wounded his spirit, and that is hard to bear (Proverbs 18:14). It also brought deep sorrow into his soul (Psalm 69:1-3). Above all, in this way he was made sin for us. Our sins deserved God’s anger and wrath on the soul (Romans 2:8), so Christ, as a sacrifice, endured as much of that as he could bear. It must have weighed heavily on him, since he had lived forever in the Father’s embrace and had always been his light.

These signs of divine wrath in Christ’s sufferings were like the fire from heaven that sometimes came down to consume sacrifices (Leviticus 9:24; 2 Chronicles 7:1; 1 Kings 18:38). That fire was always a sign that God accepted the sacrifice. The fire that should have fallen on the sinner, if God had not been satisfied, fell instead on the sacrifice, showing that he was satisfied. So now it fell on Christ and drew from him this loud and bitter cry. When Paul was to be offered as a sacrifice for the good of the saints, he could rejoice (Philippians 2:17). But it is a different thing to be offered for the sins of sinners.

From the sixth hour to the ninth, the sun was darkened by an unusual eclipse. If it is true, as some astronomers calculate, that there was also an eclipse of the moon that evening, that too would be remarkable and fitting for such a dark time. When the sun is darkened, the moon does not give its light either.

Christ’s prayer was mocked by those standing by (Mark 15:35, Mark 15:36). Because he cried, “Eli, Eli,” or, as Mark gives it in the Syriac form, “Eloi, Eloi,” they said he was calling for Elijah. They knew very well what he said and what it meant, “My God, my God.” In this way they made it seem as if he was praying to saints, either because he had given up on God, or because God had given up on him. They used this to make him even more hated by the people.

One of them filled a sponge with vinegar and lifted it to him on a reed. “Let him cool his mouth with that,” they seemed to say, “it is drink enough for him” (Mark 15:36). This was meant as another insult and abuse. And whoever it was that tried to stop him from doing it only added to the mockery: “Leave him alone. He has called for Elijah. Let us see whether Elijah will come and take him down. If not, we may assume that Elijah has also abandoned him.”

Then Christ cried out again with a loud voice and gave up the ghost (Mark 15:37). He was now placing his soul into his Father’s hands. God is not affected by bodily effort, but this loud cry showed the strong desire and earnestness with which he did it. It teaches us that in everything we do before God, we should put forth our full strength. We should carry out every duty of religion, especially surrendering ourselves to God, with all our heart and soul. Then, even if our speech fails and we cannot cry out as Christ did, if God strengthens the heart, it will not fail.

Christ truly died, for he gave up the ghost. His human soul left for the world of spirits, and his body became a lifeless form of clay.

At that very moment, when Christ died on Mount Calvary, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Mark 15:38). This meant several things. It first showed the terror that would come on the unbelieving Jews, because it pointed to the total ruin of their church and nation, which followed soon after. It was like cutting apart the staff of beauty, for this veil was rich and glorious (Exodus 26:31). It also happened at the same time they paid thirty pieces of silver for his price (Zechariah 11:10, Zechariah 11:12), breaking the covenant he had made with that people. It was time to cry, “Ichabod,” which means, “The glory has departed from Israel.”

Some think Josephus’s story about the temple door opening by itself, with the words, “Let us leave this place,” may refer to this event, but that is not likely. Still, it carried the same meaning, as in (Hosea 5:14), “I will tear and go away.” It also brings comfort to all believing Christians, because it means that through the blood of Jesus, a new and living way has been opened for us into the holiest place.

The centurion, who commanded the soldiers in charge of the execution, was convinced and confessed that this Jesus was the Son of God (Mark 15:39). One thing that persuaded him was the way Jesus cried out and then gave up the ghost. It was astonishing that one who was about to die could still cry out with such strength.

Of all the sad sights of this kind, he had never seen anything like it. He was also amazed that one who had cried out so loudly could then give up his spirit so quickly. This led him to say, to Christ’s honor and to the shame of those who abused him, “Truly this man was the Son of God.”

But why did he say that? First, he had reason to say that Jesus suffered unfairly, and that great wrong was done to him. Jesus suffered for saying that he was the Son of God. And he did say that. So if he suffered unjustly, as the whole scene made plain, then what he said must have been true, and he really was the Son of God.

Second, he had reason to say that Jesus was a special favorite of heaven, one for whom God’s power was especially at work. Heaven honored Jesus at his death, and turned against his persecutors. The centurion, a Roman officer, must have thought, “Surely this must be a divine person, deeply loved by God.” He put this into words that pointed to Christ’s eternal sonship and his special role as Mediator, that is, the one who brings God and people together, though he did not fully mean all that. Even in the darkest part of his suffering and humiliation, our Lord Jesus was the Son of God, and he was shown to be so with power.

There were also some of his friends there, especially the good women (Mark 15:40, Mark 15:41). They stood watching from far away. The men did not dare show themselves at all, because the crowd was so angry. They thought it wise to yield to the raging storm. The women could not come near either, but stood at a distance, full of sorrow.

Some of these women are named here. Mary Magdalene was one. She had been healed by Jesus and owed all her comfort to his power and goodness, which had rescued her from seven demons. In gratitude, she thought she could never do enough for him. Another was Mary, the mother of James the Less, that is, James the Little, probably so called because he was small in stature. This Mary was the wife of Cleophas, also called Alpheus, and the sister of the Virgin Mary.

These women had followed Christ from Galilee, though they were not required to attend the feast as the men were. It is likely they had expected his earthly kingdom to be set up soon, and they had high hopes for honors for themselves and their relatives under him. The mother of Zebedee’s children was clearly thinking this way too (Matthew 20:21). So to see him on a cross, when they had expected to see him on a throne, must have deeply disappointed them. Those who follow Christ mainly in hopes of gaining great things in this world, or through religion, may find themselves badly disappointed.