Abandoned: Daily Thoughts from Mark (Mark 15:33-41)

A young friend of mine was abandoned by her grandmother on the streets of Addis Ababa when she was just a young girl. Her parents had died and her grandmother could no longer afford to take care of her. So she abandoned her to God, leaving her on the street so God would take care of her. Can you imagine the feeling of abandonment? God did take care of her though she also experienced much suffering. [To see more about the ministry I work with to rescue these kids, go here.]

Jesus cries out from the cross of his abandonment, using the words of David, who is a type of the Messiah. David felt abandoned. Now Jesus must, also.

And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 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?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 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.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 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!”

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. 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. (Mark 15:33-41, ESV)

At noon a divine darkness descends over the land for three hours, indicating God’s displeasure and sorrow and His judgment on the people that is being borne by the Son.  Jesus acknowledges this judgment by citing David’s words in Psalm 22 where David feels abandoned by God to his enemies.  He speaks also of his hands and feet being pierced and of his enemies casting lots for his garments and of being terribly thirsty.  But he also speaks of trusting God and being delivered.  Jesus alludes to all this as being fulfilled in his death.

Was Jesus abandoned by the Father? In one sense, yes, because as he died in our place he was taking upon himself the wrath of God for our sins. He took the separation we should have taken. But in another sense the Father did not abandon him, for in three days He will raise Jesus from the dead.

Elijah means My God is Yahweh, the “eli” part meaning “my God,” so people misunderstand him to be addressing Elijah and they wait, perhaps superstitiously, to see if Elijah will come and deliver Jesus.  But after drinking a thirst-slaking bit of wine, Jesus cries out and dies. 

Two things happen:

(1) The 60ft tall curtain in the temple that separates the Holy Place (where the bread is daily placed on a table to represent God’s provision, the lampstand is kept lit to signal God’s light, and the altar of incense is kept burning continually to honor God) from the Most Holy Place, where the ark of the covenant is kept and the blood of the sacrifice is sprinkled for the forgiveness of Israel’s sins, is torn in two from top to bottom.  This signifies that Jesus’ sacrifice has replaced the animal sacrifices and has made obsolete the purpose of the temple.  People must come to God through Jesus’ sacrifice.

(2) The centurion overseeing the crucifixion becomes convinced that Jesus is no ordinary criminal but the Son of God.

Mention is made of the faithful women who often accompanied Jesus acting as disciples and servants to care for him.  They are here at this place to care for him in death.  Mary Magdalene was demon possessed and Jesus delivered her.  The other Mary was the mother of James and Joses, perhaps the James chosen as an apostle, or another James the readers knew about.  And Salome is perhaps the wife of Zebedee, and would then be the mother of James the apostle and his brother, the apostle John.  The fact that these and many other women came to Jerusalem shows that women saw in Jesus an exaltation of their value and an opportunity to express their faith and serve God.

Because of what Jesus did we are not abandoned. We have been brought into the fellowship of God’s people and kingdom. We have been reconciled to our loving Father in heaven. We will never be without Him again.