Among the four Gospel accounts, Mark's version of Jesus' death is the most grim. Jesus is a victim. Abandoned by his followers, denied by Peter, condemned by the religious and political authorities, he is mocked by everyone, even those executed with him. Utterly alone, his last words are a cry of abandonment even by God. True to form, the crowd misunderstands even these last words: "Listen, he is calling for Elijah" (15:35). On that note, Jesus dies. There is more to the story, of course. The signs at the moment of death signal other realities. Scattered sentences from the psalms direct the sensitive reader to the Scriptures which provide the backdrop for the story. The words and actions of Pilate and the soldiers are ironic: they say more than they know. Yet the tone cannot be sentimentalized. This is where Jesus' offer of life ends. This is what Pilate and the priests do. There is no other way. The message of Passion Sunday is Jesus' death on a cross. Jesus died because God sent him to die. Jesus died for our sake. Hearing that Jesus died for us to make us right with God, we realize that we do not have to try to have a relationship with God by our own efforts. We become nothing with Jesus in his death so that we can become everything to God through Jesus.
| mark_14_vs_1-_15_vs_47_palm_sunday_bible_study_2015.pdf |
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