Day 31 – The King gives his life

Opening Prayer

Father, as I stand at the cross, deepen my repentance and my gratitude for Jesus’ saving love.

Headline

Jesus is crucified, mocked, and dies; the temple curtain tears—and a Roman centurion confesses the truth.

Mark 15:21-47

²¹ A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. ²² They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). ²³ Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. ²⁴ And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

²⁵ It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. ²⁶ The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.

²⁷ They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. ^[28]  29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, ³⁰ come down from the cross and save yourself!” ³¹ In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! ³² Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

³³ At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. ³⁴ And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

³⁵ When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

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

³⁷ With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

³⁸ The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. ³⁹ And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

⁴⁰ Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. ⁴¹ In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

⁴² It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. ⁴⁴ Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. ⁴⁵ When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. ⁴⁶ So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. ⁴⁷ Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

Comment

Mark slows down here, as if to say: don’t rush. The cross is not a footnote to the gospel. It is the centre.

It begins with a small, humiliating detail: a passer-by is forced to carry Jesus’ cross—Simon of Cyrene. (v.21) Jesus is weakened, bloodied, and spent. The King enters his throne-room by being dragged there.

At Golgotha they offer wine mixed with myrrh, but “he did not take it” (v.23). Then the blunt sentence: “And they crucified him” (v.24). Mark doesn’t decorate the horror. He lets it stand. Above Jesus they nail the charge: “THE KING OF THE JEWS” (v.26). It’s meant as mockery, but it’s also the truth. On either side are criminals (v.27). In the world’s eyes, Jesus is numbered with the worst. In God’s plan, he is standing in the place of the guilty.

The mocking is relentless. Passers-by hurl insults: “Save yourself! Come down from the cross!” (v.30) The chief priests and teachers of the law sneer: “He saved others… But he can’t save himself!” (v.31) They think “saving himself” would prove his power. Mark wants us to see the opposite: he is saving others precisely by not saving himself. This is the strange victory of the kingdom—power shown in self-giving love.

Then the sky goes dark at noon. (v.33) And at three o’clock Jesus cries out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (v.34) It is the scream of the truly innocent One bearing what sinners deserve—God’s judgement, God-forsakenness, the weight of wrath. Jesus is not merely enduring pain; he is drinking the cup.

And then, with a loud cry, Jesus dies. (v.37) Immediately Mark gives us the meaning: “The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” (v.38) Not from bottom to top—as if humans achieved access—but from top to bottom. God has done it. The barrier is removed. The way into God’s presence is opened—through the death of his Son.

Even a hardened Roman sees something here. The centurion, standing in front of Jesus, says: “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (v.39) The first clear human confession at the cross comes from an outsider. Mark also mentions the women watching—faithful witnesses when the male disciples have vanished. (vv.40–41)

So this is where we belong today: at the foot of the cross, with the centurion, looking straight at Jesus and seeing what he has done for us. He is bearing God’s punishment for our sins, and he is keeping his promise to “give his life as a ransom for many” (10:45). And the question is not only “What happened?” but “How will I respond?” Surely, with repentance—turning from sin; with thankfulness—for mercy we could never earn; with adoration—for the Son of God who loved us to the end; and with devotion—offering our whole lives back to the King who gave his life for us.

Finally, Joseph of Arimathea asks for the body and lays Jesus in a tomb. (vv.43–46) The King is truly dead, truly buried—so that the next word, when it comes, will be unmistakably God’s.

Reflect

• Where do you need to stop and “look again” at the cross—not as a symbol, but as Jesus giving himself for you?
• What does the torn curtain (v.38) say to you about access to God—especially if you feel unworthy or far away?
• What comfort is there in the centurion’s confession (v.39): that the Son of God meets outsiders and sceptics even at the cross?

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for not coming down from the cross—for loving me to the end. Thank you for bearing judgement in my place and opening the way to the Father. Help me to repent deeply, trust you fully, and live in the freedom of your forgiveness. As I carry my own cross, keep me close to yours—so my life is shaped by your self-giving love. Amen.