The Servant’s Death (Mark 15:21–41)

21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross. 22 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it. 24 And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take. 25 Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. 26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above:

THE KING OF THE JEWS

27 With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. 28 So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.” 29 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him. 33 Now 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 out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

35 Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, “Look, He is calling for Elijah!” 36 Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.” 37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. 38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” 40 There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, 41 who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

Three specific hours are mentioned in this section of Mark: the third (Mark 15:25), the sixth (Mark 15:33), and the ninth (Mark 15:33–34). The Jews reckoned time from 6 A.M.to 6 P.M., so this means that the third hour was 9 A.M., the sixth hour noon, and the ninth hour 3 P.M.

I. The third hour (15:21–32).

A. According to law, the guilty victim had to carry his cross.

Jesus was no exception. He left Pilate’s hall bearing His cross, but He could not continue; so the soldiers “drafted” Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross for Him. Roman officers had the privilege of “impressing” men for service, and the way they used this privilege irritated the Jews.

When you consider all that our Lord had endured since His arrest, it is not surprising that His strength failed. Indeed, “He could have called 10,000 angels,” yet He willingly bore the suffering on our behalf. There was a higher purpose behind this act: the victim carried the cross because he had been found guilty, but our Lord was not guilty. We are the guilty ones, and Simon carried that cross on our behalf. Simon Peter boasted that he would go with Jesus to prison and to death, but it was Simon of Cyrene, not Simon Peter, who came to the aid of the Master.

B. It was customary for the victims to be given a narcotic potion that would help deaden the pain, but our Lord refused it.

He wanted to be in full possession of His faculties as He did the Father’s will and accomplished the work of redemption. He would enter fully into His sufferings on our behalf and take no short cuts. He refused the cup of sympathy so that He might better drink the cup of iniquity. What an example for us to follow as we do God’s will and share “the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10).

It seems incredible that the religious leaders so hated Jesus that they even went out to Golgotha to mock Him. The idle spectators who passed by were only too eager to follow the bad example of their leaders, so enduring mockery was added to the sufferings of our Lord.

It is possible that their sarcastic “He saved others!” may have encouraged the one thief to trust Him. The thief may have reasoned, “If He saved others, then He can save me!” So God uses even the wrath of man to praise Him.

II. The sixth hour (v. 33).

A. At noon, a miraculous darkness came over the land, and all creation sympathized with the Creator as He suffered.

This was indeed a miracle and not some natural phenomenon, such as a sand storm or an eclipse. It would not be possible to have an eclipse during full moon at Passover. By means of this darkness, God was saying something to the people.

B. The Jews would certainly think about the first Passover.

The ninth plague in Egypt was a three-day darkness, followed by the last plague, the death of the firstborn. The darkness at Calvary was an announcement that God’s Firstborn and Beloved Son, the Lamb of God, was giving His life for the sins of the world. It was also an announcement that judgment was coming and men had better be prepared.

III. The ninth hour (vv. 34–41).

A. At the ninth hour, Jesus expressed the agony of His soul when He cried out from the cross, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”

Our Lord made seven statements from the cross, three of them before the darkness came: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”; “Today you shalt be with Me in paradise” ; and “Woman, behold thy son!… Behold thy mother!” When the darkness came, there was silence on His cross, for it was then that He was made sin for us.

The darkness symbolized the judgment Jesus experienced when the Father forsook Him. As was so often the case, the people did not understand His words; they thought He was calling for Elijah the prophet. There was not only darkness over the land, but there was darkness in the minds and hearts of the people.

B. Jesus said, “I thirst”

The kind act of the soldier in giving Jesus a sip of vinegar assisted Him in uttering two more wonderful statements: “It is finished!” and “Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit”.

Jesus was not murdered; He willingly laid down His life for us. He was not a martyr; He was a willing sacrifice for the sins of the world.

C. Two remarkable events occurred at His death: there was an earthquake, and the veil in the temple was torn in two.

The veil had separated man from God, but now, through His death, Jesus had opened for the whole world a “new and living way”

There had been an earthquake at Sinai when the Law was given, but now the Law was fulfilled in Jesus Christ and its curse removed. Through His sacrifice, Jesus had purchased not only freedom from the Law, but also freedom from the entire sacrificial system.