The Crucifixion of Jesus Mk 15 21-41.

GOSPEL OF MARK SERIES.

The Bible: Gospel of Mark icon.

During 2019, each week, I will write a weekly post about the Gospel of Mark, as I review and explore each of the 16 chapters and how it may be applied in our daily lives. If you are following this series for the first time, you will find this series under Scripture- New Testament- Gospel of Mark. 

Click here to read the first post in the series. I have written this series in different years (2012, 2015, 2018) with some irregularity, but am determined to complete this series this year since I am more than half way through this Gospel.

My goal is to understand and pray the Gospel of Mark. I hope you will join me on this journey as we travel through the liturgical season.  In today's post we explore chapter 15:21-41 1 which is called the crucifixion of Jesus.

THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS.

 The death of Jesus is the final climax of his revelation to the world of the power of God.  With the identification of Jesus as the Son of God by God Himself at the river and on the mountain, by Himself in His passion and now, by a Gentile at the cross, the four great pillars of Mark’s Gospel are in place.

In the journey to Golgotha, about 500 metres, a stranger forced to carry the cross after Jesus emphasises his aloneness. The crucifying begins about nine in the morning. A humanitarian offering of wine, drugged with myrrh to reduce pain is made, but Jesus refuses it.  He hangs naked on the cross, for His clothes are divided among His executors.  He is called king, the charge again Him put about His head, as He hangs on a cross between the two thieves.

The two thieves, the passers-by, the priests, and the scribes mock Jesus as one who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days and who saves others but not himself.  They taunt Him to do what He cannot- to be king without the cross.  The truth is spoken in the malice and blindness of those who speak it.

The darkness at midday aptly symbolises how none see what is really happening.  At three, when Jesus calls out, someone from compassion, or curiosity to see if Elijah will come, offers him vinegar.  But Jesus with a cry of strength breathes out his life. This cry of strength and breathing is last is significant because for all other human beings, when it comes to die, the person breathes his last not by choice. The time has come and the breath leaves the body. In the case of Jesus, He literally breathes his last by choice and shows that He is God.

The tearing open of the temple veil dramatically symbolises that the power of God is no longer separated and hidden from the world, but is made accessible to through the death of Jesus.  The centurion before Jesus, proclaims Him Son of God at a time he appears hardly human, while the faithful women from Galilee watch everything from a distance.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS.

.

In our journal and/or our discussion group we may wish to reflect on this passage as follows:

• Name the key points that you have learnt about the person of Jesus in this passage of scripture?

• Imagine that you are these solders.  What do you see and hear and feel? What can I learn from this?
  
  
• Are there any present-day situations which have all the hallmarks of a similar execution (e.g. the assault on the beliefs of the Church and its constant persecution by the media or when Judges do not speak up for the right outcome out of fear of the crowd?
  
  
•  Imagine being Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross unwillingly. What questions do I want to bring to Jesus?  

•  Imagine being one of the people offering Jesus the wine drugged with myrrh . What would you want to say to Him when you realise who it was, you have ‘drugged’.?  In what ways do we offer wine with myrrh in our lives?
  
  
• Imagine being the Centurion who speaks the truth about God in a hostile environment.  When am I like the Centurion or why do I fear being like the Centurion?
  
  
•  What is reading the Gospel passage with the eyes and ears of disciple mean to me?
  
  
• How does Jesus make clear His teaching to me in this passage?
  
  
•  Consider a situation in your life today where the teaching of Jesus needs to be applied.
  
  

• Consider how much my faith means to me and what does my faithfulness/unfaithfulness to my church/parish mean to me and others?

• What are the areas in my life I need to bring to Jesus in the light of this teaching?
  
  
• Am I willing to look into myself with honesty and ask how much do I grasp what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus in the light of this teaching?