From The End to The Beginning-Mark 15:34-41

As we begin this morning, please turn in your copies of God’s Word to Mark 15, we will be reading verses 34-41 shortly, so please have these verses marked and ready for that time.

Last Sunday morning we looked at Mark 15:33-34, in the message entitled, The Hour of Darkness: Finding Hope in Despair. The vast majority of our time we looked at the 3 hours where darkness covered the entire region. We considered the truth that the darkness didn’t take place as a result of God’s absence, rather the darkness represented God’s powerful presence, but not in a way that would bring comfort to His beloved Son, it was the opposite, at that moment Jesus was drinking from the cup of the full fury of God’s wrath, or more specifically, our cup of the full fury of God’s wrath. We closed out our time as we moved into verse 34 when we looked at The Cry That Broke the Darkness. This morning we will pick up where we left off last Sunday. But before we do, let’s go before the Lord in prayer.

Heavenly Father,

After beginning our worship service this morning in prayer, we sang You’ve Already Won, in some ways this worship song began where we left off last Sunday morning as we sang There’s a peace that outlasts darkness”. We looked at the 3 hours of complete darkness over the whole region, as Jesus hung on the Cross of Calvary, as He drank from our cup of full fury of God’s wrath, but upon drinking all of the contents of that horrid cup, the darkness lifted, because of the “Hope that’s in the Blood”. Blood that brought about the “future grace that’s mine today, That Jesus Christ has won”! Now “I can face tomorrow, for tomorrow’s in Your Hands. All I need You will provide, just like You always have.” Father, this morning I praise you, Jehovah Sabaoth, the LORD of hosts, because “I’m fighting a battle, You’ve already won. No matter what comes my way, I will overcome” because You have overcome, and because You have overcome “I know how the story ends…..I’m fighting a battle You’ve already won”!

Your victory on the Cross of Calvary enables us to Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery, “Christ the Lord upon the tree, In the stead of ruined sinners, Hangs the Lamb” not in defeat, His cry from the cross was not I am finished but “It is finished”. As a result, we sang “Hangs the Lamb in VICTORY”.

Now Father, we truly do Stand In Awe of You. You Who Fill My Cup Lord, as You Lead On O King Eternal. You Who are A Shield About Me. Which opens the door for us to close our service this morning singing Great Is Thy Faithfulness!

Now Father, as we look into the unchanging truths of Your Word, particularly as we look at Your last cries from the Cross that day, as we consider the significance of the veil in the temple being torn in two from top to bottom, the significance that Jesus didn’t have His life taken from Him, but gave His life of His Own accord, the declaration of the Roman Centurion after You breathed Your last breath of victory. Because of all this we can declare what David declared, as he faced Goliath, that “the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s ”. And We rejoice in the battle won, from the cross to the empty tomb.

O Father, speak to us through Your Word, we pray these things in Jesus Name, Amen

Now, would you please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word?

Mark 15:34–41 ESV

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!” 40 There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 When He was in Galilee, they followed Him and ministered to Him, and there were also many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Word, please be seated.

Now, let’s continue our look at;

1. The Cry That Broke the Darkness.

As we discussed, the silence is broken with the cry; ““Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” I know you have heard me mention, too many times to count, that there is nothing insignificant in this Book. Nothing in here by accident, or by coincident, God has a plan and a purpose behind everything in His Word. I say this because this is the only instance in all of the Gospels where Jesus addresses God as anything other than His Father. According to John MacArthur, the likelihood for this is because this is the only time in all of history that Jesus had experienced separation from God. But that brings another question to mind, why the repetition? Why does He cry “My God, My God”?

Last Sunday afternoon we started a very important discipleship and Bible study course provided by Village Missions as a part of their CDI program. The Course is Bibliology and How to Study the Bible. At about the midway point of this course we will look at what is called Biblical Hermeneutics. Biblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles and methods of interpreting the text of the Bible. One of the most important things we will learn in looking at Biblical Hermeneutics is that the first rule in interpreting Scripture is the Bible is its own best interpreter. In other words, the first place we turn in understanding Scripture is Scripture. With that in mind, let’s look at other passages of Scripture where we see something like this take place to see if they give us some clues. For the first 1, lets turn to Genesis 22, staring in verse 6.

As you are turning there, let me paint a picture for what is taking place in this passage. We find out in Genesis 22:1 that God is testing Abraham. The test, does he have a deeper love and devotion to God that he does even for his own son? The biblical account unfolds something like this. Abraham is just minding his own business one day when God speaks to him;

“Abraham……Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering..”

Early the next morning, Abraham obeys as he take Isaac in the direction of Moriah. It is several days journey when they finally arrive. Finally they reach the land of Moriah, which is where we begin to red in vers 6;

Genesis 22:6–14 ESV

And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. 9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

(A couple thing to make sure are pointed out, 1st. Isaac carrying the wood for his own sacrifice and How Jesus did the same. it could also be pointed out that on that day God provided a ram, the Lamb wasn’t provided until Jesus Crucifixion, also, the Temple in Jerusalem was built on Mt. Moriah, and calvary was in the same area, yet outside the city walls)

Most importantly, point out God calling to Abraham by saying “Abraham, Abraham”, note the great emotion that would have been present.

Let’s look at another time a name was repeated, indicating great emotion. This one takes place in Exodus chapter 3. We won’t turn there this morning, but this is the Biblical account where Moses is tending sheep for his father-in-law Jethro, and God calls him to lead the Nation of Israel out of their slavery in Egypt. Again, there is great emotion in this call.

The next instance is in 2 Samuel 18 & 19, when David was in great grief after the death of his son, He called out “O Absalom, O Absalom”. Although Absalom was battling against David and his army and trying to take the throne from his father, David was still heart broken at his death.

Other instances Include Luke 10, “Martha, Martha”; Luke 22, “Simon, Simon” which is where Jesus foretells that Peter is going to deny Him.

There are a few other instances as well, but the point is, in looking at other instances where a name is repeated in quick succession in Scripture, we see times of great emotion. The same would be the case here, for this first time in all of history Jesus was experiencing separation from God the Father, and with deep emotion he cries out “My God, My God.”

John MacArthur writes; “

Mark 9–16: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (The Consummation of the Savior’s Suffering (15:33–38)) The repeated name, My God, My God, expressed the Son’s profound affection and longing for the Father, mingled with the agony and pain of His separation from Him.”

R. Kent Hughs add; “by repeating, “My God, my God” he was affirming His trust in His Father.”

As we consider this, we are given a vivid picture of Jesus great love for us. He was willing, for the first time in all eternity, to experiencing being separated from God the Father, to pay the penalty for our sins.

Combing what we see recorded in all 4 gospels, what followed was likely the following timeline.

Rather than being moved by the power of the 3 hours of darkness, followed by Jesus cry that pierced the darkness, the hateful crowd standing near by began to mock Him once again.

Jesus spoke again; “I thirst”. At which point someone dipped a sponge into a nearby jar of sour wine and lifted it to His mouth.

After Jesus received the sour wine He said “It is finished” 3 words in English, 1 in Greek “Tetelestai ”. Meaning The mission was complete. The entire work of redemption had been brought to a completion. The sense of this verb is in the perfect tense, “It has been and it forever will be finished!

Next, we find out in Luke’s account that Jesus spoke 1 last time; “Father (notice He once again addresses God as His Father), into Your Hands I commit My Spirit”.

Next we see;

2. The Final Breath That Brought Eternal Life. Mark 15:35-37

Reading on we see Jesus breath His last breath, Matthew makes it very clear, no one took His Life, Matthew writes He “yielded up His Spirit”.

Our natural tendency is to view an individuals last breath as an ending point, and from a physical standpoint, this thought process is completely accurate. But in the spiritual realm, the opposite is true, that final breath is not an ending point but a beginning point. This truth is no where more evident, more profound, more powerful in its truth than the final breath of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary.

While His final breath brought about the conclusion of His earthly ministry, excluding of course the 40 days after the resurrection, it was also the final payment of the price of our redemption.

In thinking about this final payment for the price of our redemption, I want to take a moment to correct what has become a misconception of many in evangelical circles. There are some who would lead us to believe that the purchase price for our redemption was a payment made to Satan, as if our sin is an afront to him, and thus a price is owed to him. There is a hugely significant problem with this belief. If this were the case, then the victory at the cross was not won by God, but by Satan. Instead, the opposite is true. This is clear throughout Scripture, but one of the most powerful ransom texts in Scripture is found in 1 Timothy 2:5-6, where we read;

1 Timothy 2:5–6 ESV

For there is one God, and there is one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 Who gave Himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

Look at this verse. Let me ask you a question,

Who is the mediator?

(Jesus Christ).

Next question;

What parties is He the Mediator between?

(God and men).

Trevin Wax is a regular contributor for the Gospel Coalition, in a article for the Gospel Coalition titled “Christ Pays a Ransom, But To Whom”, he wrote the following;

“The context of this passage show us Christ as the “mediator” not between men and the devil or between God and the devil but between men and God. It would seem from the shape of this text, that the ransom is paid by the Son of God to God the Father, as Jesus becomes the ransoming mediator between God and men, making atonement for men to God. And of course we see the foundation of this truth in Psalm 49:7, where the ransom price of man’s life is said to be owed to God.”

In Psalm 49:7 we read;

Psalm 49:7 ESV

Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life…

This also fits well with what Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 53:4-5

Isaiah 53:4–5 ESV

4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed.

Thus Jesus in His final breath, ransomed the one who puts their faith and trust in Jesus, from the wrath of God, and as a result, His final breath brought eternal life.

3. Curtain Torn, Full Access Granted.

For the Orthodox Jew, there is no day more holy than Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement. They begin preparing for this day well in advance of the day, but no one prepared more than the High Priest. Traditionally, the High Priest wore very elaborate and ornate robes, as prescribed by the Law of Moses. That all changed on the Say of Atonement. He began preparing 7 days in advance. He bathed his entire body, then he was to put on simple linen garments rather than the traditional robes. This was a sign that he was approaching entering the Holy of Holies with complete humility. He also spent time confessing his own sins as well as the sins of his household. He would then sacrifice a bull as a sin offering for himself and his family. He would capture the blood in a special bowl that he would bring into the Holy of Holies. Upon entering the Holy of Holies, he would sprinkle the blood 7 times on or before the Mercy Seat.

Then he would choose 2 goats and cast lots to determine which one was to be sacrificed and which was to be the scapegoat. Once determining the goat to be sacrificed, he would sacrifice it and capture it’s blood in another special blood. The blood of this goat was to atone for the sins of the people. He would take the blood of the sacrificial goat and enter the Holy of Holies a second time and perform the same sprinkling ritual he had done with the bulls blood.

After this, the High Priest would exit the Holy of Holies, take his position over the second goat, place his hands on the Scapegoat and confess the sins of the people. He would then turn this goat over to another man, who would take the goat out of the city and release it into the wilderness. The Scapegoat carried on itself the sins of the people, which were ceremonially covered for another year.

Now, perhaps you may be wondering why I went into such detail in describing what the High Priest did on The Day of Atonement, outside of providing information to you all?

At the moment of Jesus death, we read in Mark 15:38

Mark 15:38 ESV

And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

Here is the vivid picture God is painting for us in this verse. Going all the way back to the days of Moses and Aaron, through the very day Jesus died on the cross, our only atoning access into the presence of God was through the High Priest, and only on one day a year, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Now I want you to picture something in your mind right now. As best as I can tell, Jesus death took place at the exact moment the priest of Israel were sacrificing thousands of lambs in the temple.

I picture it taking place something like this, the priests are sacrificing the passover lambs at the altar in the temple, and at the moment of Jesus death several things take place. Matthew gives a few more details that Mark, and he writes that at Jesus death, the veil in the temple, this would be the veil that separates the Holy place from the holy of holies. It was 90 feet tall and several inches thick. The veil was torn in 2 from top to bottom. Matthew tells us that as this was taking place “the earth shook, and the rocks were split.” Now I could be wrong, but I cannot imagine that the tearing of a veil that was 90 feet tall and several inches thick, took place in silence. Even more so when you consider that God is delivering a powerful message to the Nation of Israel and the priestly system, just as Jesus cried “It is finished” on the cross, the Jewish sacrificial system was also finished. So I am confident in stating that the priests that were at the altar sacrificing lambs heard the tearing of the veil, they experienced the ground shaking and the rocks being split. The message from God for them and for us is very clear, no longer, NO LONGER do we need to go through the High Priest once a year to have our sins atoned for ceremonially. When that veil was torn in 2 from top to bottom, top to bottom signifying that God Himself tore the veil, when that veil was torn in 2, it meant that for the child of God, the one who has put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God Who’s blood takes away the sin of the world, the believer now has direct access to God. Jesus is our High Priest, we can go directly to Him, as both the High Priest and the sacrificial Lamb.

The question each of us must ask ourselves today is; Have I surrendered my life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Have I placed my faith and trust in Jesus, accepting the price He paid for my sins on the cross, and as a result, been granted direct access to the very throne of God. If not, why not do so today?

Let’s close our time this morning in prayer.

From The End to The Beginning

Heavenly Father,

As we consider this morning The Cry That Broke the Darkness, as we think about The Final Breath That Brought Eternal Life, and the Curtain Torn in Two granting the believer Full Access to the very throne of God, O Father I pray that if there is anyone listening that has not come to the point where they have placed their faith and trust in You as their Lord and Savior, that today would be they day they finally do so. And in doing so we can all sing with confidence “Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thy Own dear presence to cheer and to guide. Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow—Blessings all mine and ten thousand beside! Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy Hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness Lord unto me.”

These things I pray, In Jesus Name, Amen