“Truly this man was the Son of God!” — Mark 15:39

Reading: Mark 15:25-39

Reflection:

It’s been said that crucifixion is like dying a thousand deaths. It was a long, public, gruesome ordeal that was typically reserved for slaves and hardened criminals. Jesus’s humiliation was compounded by the fact that he was betrayed by his followers before being mocked and reviled by his accusers and his executioners. Mark mercifully spares us from all the gory details and simply says, And they crucified him (v. 24).

As followers of Jesus, who have known and experienced his gentleness, patience,
compassion, and saving power, it’s hard for us to take this all in. Why were the Jews so
threatened by him? Why were they unable to see his miracles and believe that he was the Messiah who had come for them? Why did he have to suffer so much at the hands of evil people?

While we know the answer to these questions, that all of this was ordained by the Father before the foundation of the world to bring about the redemption of his people (Ephesians 1:3-14), it’s still hard for us to hear what happened to our Savior.

On this Good Friday, why is it important for us to pause and remember the details of our Savior’s experience? That Jesus hung on the cross for six agonizing hours. That darkness fell over the whole land from noon to 3pm. That Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (from Psalm 22), and it was not a rhetorical question. Throughout his life, when Jesus called on his father to act, his father’s response was always swift. But this time, when Jesus cried out to his father, there was no response. Just darkness. Jesus was all alone.

All of this is important to remember because it reminds us that while salvation comes freely to us, it wasn’t free. While we did nothing to earn it, someone else did. And the price that Jesus paid was enormous. The events of Good Friday should emblazon on our collective memories the breadth, length, height, and depth of God’s great love. Of all people, we should be the most grateful and the most humble because of what Jesus has done for us.

Who was the first person to recognize the truth about Jesus? Ironically, it wasn’t the Jews, who rejected him, or even one of Jesus’s disciples. The disciples, who knew him the best, all fled. The first genuine confession of Jesus’s identity in Mark’s gospel comes from a Gentile. The centurion (Roman officer) who was watching him and saw him die says, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (v. 39).

I find it remarkable that Jesus was an evangelist even during the darkest moment of his life. Luke tells us that Jesus responds to the confession of faith of the thief who was hanging on a cross next to him by saying, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). And the centurion, who witnessed the entire scene, was drawn to genuine faith, in part because of what he saw in Jesus that day.

On this Good Friday, as we contemplate the riches of this great salvation that has been given to us, may we, too, embrace the missionary spirit of Jesus. May we, too, love our neighbor and even our enemy because Jesus loved us first. Like the disciples who were later sent out to proclaim the gospel to all the nations, we, too, have been sent. God has called us to be his light to the nations, especially with the COVID-19 crisis. Let your light shine!

Response:

1. When you consider all that you know about Jesus, how does the mental picture of Jesus’s crucifixion impact you?
   
   
2. In Romans 2:4, Paul says that God’s kindness leads us to repentance. Do you find this to be true in your life? If so, how? If not, why not?
   
   
3. How does the knowledge of your salvation make you more grateful and more humble? Does it melt your heart, knowing that Jesus entered the darkness and became totally powerless over sin and death so that you can live in the light and never be powerless over sin and death?
   
   
4. How can you let your light shine today? Who is God placing on your heart to pray for and reach out to?