Divinity in the Suffering

Introduction:

In all relationships, whether platonic, as in with your friends, romantic, or even with your family, there are expectations. A lot of people talk about realistic expectations vs. unrealistic expectations, in the sense of should you actually expect that from this person?

Don’t we do the same with our relationship with God? Even with Him we have expectations. The question is, are our expectations realistic?

Context:

Each Gospel in the Bible has a different intention for writing, audience to whom it was written, and portrayal of Jesus.

In the midst of Roman dominance, Mark introduces a new power.

The way Mark desired to portray Jesus is evident from the very beginning of the book.

Mark 1:1

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Throughout the entire book, he writes in a way that highlights Jesus’ works (not His genealogy or teaching), because He was writing to the Romans (debated)

The romans republic/empire had been in power for the past 500 years. They were people of strength, conquest, and war. They loved stories of action, which is why Mark writes the way he does.

Mark 15:33-39

33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Text:

For the entire book up until this point, Mark presented Jesus as the son of God, but it was not until this moment we see a secondary portrayal of Jesus: the suffering servant.

These two depictions really seem to contradict each other.

Two Groups:

Those who missed it (vs. 33-36)

33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.”

Eloi and Elijah would have easily been mixed up because Jesus would have struggled to even speak.

Jesus was calling God, but because of the people’s skewed expectations, they thought He was calling Elijah.

Who were the ones who put Jesus on the cross? The same ones who had been expecting a messiah.

However, this messiah they were waiting on didn’t match Jesus. They were expecting a man to come down in strength and glory, to establish an earthly kingdom, and liberate the jews from Rome.

However, Jesus came down in humility and servitude, establishing a heavenly kingdom, and liberating all of mankind from the power of sin and death.

Mark 1:15

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

They were expecting God to come and conquer the same way Rome did.

The son of God was right before them, but because He didn’t perfectly match their expectations, they missed it.

The one who got it (vs. 37-39)

37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

The centurion surely had no past experience with the Jewish God, and He definitely was not expecting a messiah. He was a Roman Centurion after all. He was the one with authority and power.

He wasn’t looking for anything. He had no prior expectations. However, He saw Jesus there. He saw His confidence in God. He saw the darkness that came over the land, the earthquake we see recorded in other gospels. He wasn’t expecting anything, but he saw everything.

From his observations, he came to a conclusion: Surely this man was the son of God.

The centurion saw Jesus for who He is because He did not have contrasting prior expectations.

The Centurion didn’t need someone to get on a stage and preach the perfect three point sermon. He didn’t need someone walking him through the genealogies and explaining the prophecies. He simply saw the work of God and believed.

Mark took that approach in writing His gospel. He simply presents the works of Jesus. “Here they are. Believe.”

Application

How often though, even in our own lives, do we get caught up in expectations? We think we know what’s best and how things should go.

And when things go against our expectations, when God doesn’t move in the way we think He should, we may assume He didn’t move at all.

If even in the lowest point of human history, when the son of God is hung up on a cross, going against all expectations, can a centurion see God’s divinity, if even in this moment we can see that God was still in control, if even in this moment God had a plan that came through in the end.

Mark 10:45

45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus rose again

Should we not have all the more confidence in handing our expectations up to Him?

Dietrich Bonhoffer:

German Pastor who was executed after a failed assassination attempt against Hitler

After he was killed a letter was found in his cell with these words scratched into it:

“Only the suffering God can help.”

How can we have faith in the low points? Because in what seemed to be the lowest point of history, the greatest victory emerged.

This passage challenges us to reflect on our own perceptions of Jesus. Do we see Him merely through the lens of our expectations and traditions, or do we recognize His divine nature even in the midst of suffering and sacrifice?