33 

God Visits Calvary
(Mark 15:33–41) 

When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.” Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” There were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome. When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem. (15:33–41)

In all of human history, the murder of Jesus constitutes the most blasphemous act of evil ever committed, as wicked men subjected God the Son to humiliation, torture, and death (cf. Acts 3:14–15). The second-century church father Melito of Sardis expressed that shocking reality with these poignant words:

Incredibly, despite their outrageous crimes, the perpetrators were not instantly consumed by divine wrath. Unbeknownst to them, the murder of Jesus was necessary in God’s eternal plan of redemption (cf. Phil. 2:6–8). The Father sovereignly superseded the evil deeds of sinful men to accomplish His saving purposes (Acts 4:27–28; cf. Gen. 50:20).

Thus, when God came to Calvary, it was not to protect His Son from evildoers but to punish His Son on their behalf. As Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah, “The Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief” in order that “as a result of the anguish of His soul,” He might justify many by bearing their iniquities (Isa. 53:10–11; cf. Zech. 12:10). The righteous One was put to death as a substitute for the unrighteous (1 Peter 3:18), becoming a curse for sinners so that He might redeem them from the penalty for violators of the law, which is eternal death (Gal. 3:13).

The Father’s presence at Calvary was particularly evident during the final three hours of Jesus’ crucifixion, the period of time depicted in these verses (Mark 15:33–41). In this section, Mark describes the consummation of the Savior’s suffering, the confession of an awestruck soldier, and the confusion of Christ’s loyal sympathizers.

THE CONSUMMATION OF THE SAVIOR’S SUFFERING

When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.” Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. (15:33–38)

Verses 33–38 depict the highpoint of salvation history, the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. His sacrificial work of redemption was planned by God in eternity past (Titus 1:2; 1 Peter 1:18–21; cf. Eph. 1:4; 2 Tim. 1:9) and will be celebrated in heaven through eternity future (Rev. 5:6–12; cf. 22:3). It was there, at Calvary, that the long-awaited and acceptable Lamb of God died to satisfy divine righteousness by paying sin’s penalty in full for all who would believe in Him (cf. Col. 2:14).

According to the Jewish reckoning of time (which began counting hours from sunrise, about 6:00 A. M.), when the sixth hour came, it was noon and Jesus had already been on the cross for three hours (cf. Mark 15:25). The Gospels record three statements Jesus made during that three-hour period. First, evidencing His infinite compassion and mercy, He prayed for His persecutors, saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). One of the two crucified thieves who had been mocking Jesus, undoubtedly hearing Christ’s words about forgiveness, became convicted and sought the divine pardon Jesus offered. Second, the Son of God responded to the sinner’s faith with the promise of eternal life, saying, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise” (23:43). Third, the Lord also took a moment to care for His widowed mother. Looking down from the cross, “Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ From that hour the disciple took her into his own household” (John 19:26–27).

As the noonday sun reached its zenith, a supernatural darkness suddenly fell over the whole land until the ninth hour (i.e., 3:00 P.M.). The geographical extent of the three hours of darkness is not described in the Gospels, though the Greek word gē (land) can refer to the entire earth. Reports from several of the early church fathers (including Tertullian and Origen) suggest that the darkness extended beyond the borders of Israel and throughout the Roman Empire.

The cause of the darkness was not Satan (since God alone possesses such cosmic power, cf. Job 9:7–8; Isa. 45:6–7; Ezek. 32:7–8). Nor was it a naturally occurring eclipse (since solar eclipses only occur during a new moon and Passover was always celebrated at full moon). Rather, the darkness was caused by God the Father Himself. The Old Testament often depicts God’s glorious presence in terms of blazing light (cf. Pss. 18:12, 28; 27:1; 104:2; Isa. 60:20; Ezek. 8:2; 10:4; 43:2; Dan. 7:9; Hab. 3:4; Mic. 7:8). Yet it also describes the manifestation of His presence in terms of darkness (cf. Gen. 15:12; Ex. 10:21–22; 19:16–18; 20:18–21; Ps. 18:11; Isa. 5:30; 13:10–11), especially in association with His judgment (cf. Joel 1:15; 2:1–2, 10–11, 30; Amos 5:20; 8:9; Zeph. 1:14–15). Hell, for example, is characterized by eternal darkness because it is a place of divine wrath and everlasting punishment for sin (cf. Matt. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30; cf. 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6).

The darkness at Calvary did not represent the absence of God but His holy, terrifying presence. The Father descended in judgment on Golgotha in thick gloom as the divine executioner to unleash His fury not against sinners but against the sin bearer (cf. 1 Peter 2:24). The full weight of God’s wrath was poured out on the Son of God (cf. Isa. 53:5), as the spotless Lamb of God was sacrificed for sin so that sinners might be justified through Him (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:28; cf. Rom. 4:25; 1 Cor. 15:3; 1 John 4:10). Moved by His perfect justice, God’s infinite wrath released an eternity of punishment on the incarnate Son who, as an infinite and eternal person, absorbed the tortures of hell in a finite span of time. This was the dreadful cup of divine judgment that Jesus anticipated while sweating blood in the garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:36; Luke 22:44).

At the ninth hour (3:00 P.M.), the judgment ended and the darkness began to lift. As it did, the Lord Jesus for a fourth time spoke from the cross. This time, He cried out with a loud voice as if calling heaven to hear His painful shout. He addressed His Father, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Those words are from the Aramaic version of Psalm 22:1 (the parallel text in Matt. 27:46 gives the same phrase in Hebrew). With intense agony, the Son of God experienced that which He had never known before, the abandonment of His Father. That separation was not one of nature or essence; the Lord Jesus never ceased to be the second member of the Trinity. Rather, it was a separation of the loving communion He had eternally known with the Father (cf. John 17:21–24).

This is the only place in the gospel record where Jesus referred to God by any other title than “Father.” 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. Unmistakably, the Father visited Calvary in massive judgment, but He was absent in comfort. Unlike the temptations Jesus endured in the wilderness and the garden of Gethsemane, after which the Father sent angels to minister to His Son (Mark 1:13; Luke 22:43), no relief was given to Jesus on the cross. Such is a picture of hell, in which the full fury of God’s wrath is ever present, but the comfort of His love and compassion is utterly absent. On the cross, the Lord Jesus endured the full reality of hell’s torments, including being forsaken by His Father.

The pain of the Father’s absence was made more acute by the hostile presence of the religious leaders and the crowd who continued to harass Jesus until He died. When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.” It was not that they misunderstood what Jesus said, since Psalm 22:1 was a well-known portion of Scripture. Rather, they were responding to His anguished cry with more mockery. Malachi 4:5–6 predicted that Elijah, or a prophet like him, would come as the forerunner to the Messiah (cf. Matt. 11:13–14). By accusing Jesus of calling for Elijah, the derisive bystanders were scornfully taunting Him, asserting that if He really were the Messiah, perhaps Elijah would appear to rescue Him.

When Jesus cried out, “I am thirsty” (John 19:28; cf. Ps. 69:21), someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. Yet, what might first seem like an act of mercy was actually motivated by ridicule and derision. The one who offered Him the drink of cheap wine simultaneously mocked Jesus, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.” The ungrateful derision of these sinners formed an ugly backdrop for the sin-bearing work of the Savior. As the prophet Isaiah had written seven centuries earlier:

Even after enduring the physical torture of the cross and the infinite torments of divine judgment, Jesus demonstrated that He was still mentally alert and physically strong when He uttered a loud cry. His life did not gradually slip away due to exhaustion; rather, He willingly laid it down (John 10:17–18). John 19:30 reports that, after being offered the drink of sour wine, the Lord Jesus shouted, “It is finished!” The work of redemption had been accomplished and His suffering was complete. Then, He uttered a final prayer, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46), and He breathed His last.

Jesus’ death, as the perfect sacrifice for sin, marked the end of the Old Testament sacrificial system and all of the trappings that went with it (Heb. 10:4–10; cf. Rom. 14:1–6; Col. 2:16–17). God signaled that termination with a dramatic sign: the veil of the temple, the massive woven curtain that permanently separated the Holy of Holies from the outer sanctuary (cf. Ex. 26:31–33; 40:20–21; Lev. 16:2; Heb. 9:3), was miraculously torn in two from top to bottom. For nearly fifteen hundred years, only the high priest had been allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, and only for a brief time once a year on the Day of Atonement. At that time, he sprinkled blood on the mercy seat, atop the ark of the covenant, to signify that the required sacrifice had to be made to atone for their sins.

The curtain that blocked the Holy of Holies served as a continual reminder of the sinner’s separation from God’s holy presence. No animal sacrifice ever tore that curtain open. But on that Friday afternoon, at the very time the priests in the temple were sacrificing lambs for Passover, God demonstrated that the work of atonement symbolized by animal deaths had been finished by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. The barrier to God had been permanently removed. Access to God’s presence was now open through the completed work of Christ (cf. Heb. 4:16). At that moment, the old covenant passed away, and the new covenant was ratified. Although the temple edifice would survive another forty years (being destroyed in A.D. 70, cf. Mark 13:2), Christ’s death immediately rendered its sacrifices, rituals, ceremonies, and worship practices obsolete (cf. John 4:21–24; Heb. 9:11–14; 10:19).

The exact time of the death of the Lord Jesus was accompanied by two additional miracles: a powerful earthquake followed by a preview of the resurrection. Both are recorded in the gospel of Matthew. After the veil in the temple was ripped from top to bottom, “the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many” (Matt. 27:51–53). Earthquakes, like darkness, are often associated in Scripture with the presence of God (cf. Ex. 19:18; 1 Kings 19:11–12; Pss. 18:7; 68:8; Isa. 29:6; Nah. 1:5; Zech. 14:5; Rev. 16:18). The power to raise the dead, similarly, belongs only to Him (cf. John 5:21; Acts 2:24; 3:15; 5:30; Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 6:14; 2 Cor. 4:14; Gal. 1:1). Both of these miraculous signs prefigured the resurrection of Jesus (which was likewise accompanied by a severe earthquake, Matt. 28:2) and demonstrated the truth that life after death is only possible because of Christ’s victory over sin at the cross (cf. 1 Cor. 15:26; 2 Tim. 1:10; Heb. 2:14).

So, the presence of God the Father at Golgotha was powerfully displayed through four remarkable miracles: an ominous darkness that covered the land, the veil of the temple being torn in two, an earthquake powerful enough to split rocks, and the resurrection of many Old Testament saints. At Mt. Sinai, God’s presence was similarly accompanied by stormy darkness and a great earthquake (cf. Ex. 19:18). But unlike Sinai, where the law and its penalties were given, at Calvary the law and its penalties were forgiven by the divine lawgiver Himself, for all who believe in the person and work of His Son (cf. Rom. 8:3–4).

THE CONFESSION OF THE AWESTRUCK SOLDIER

When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (15:39)

As an officer in the Roman military, the centurion had been placed in charge of Jesus’ crucifixion. He and his men (centurions commanded one hundred soldiers) may have been involved in Jesus’ arrest, as part of the Roman cohort that accompanied Judas and the religious leaders (John 18:3). It is possible that they were also witnesses to His trial before Pilate. Perhaps the centurion was listening when the Lord explained to the governor that He indeed was a king, but that His kingdom was not of this world (18:36–37). Or, perhaps, he heard the religious leaders complain that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God (19:7). The elite and hardened soldier would certainly have noticed that Pilate repeatedly pronounced Jesus to be innocent and yet sentenced Him to death anyway.

Because he was the leader of the execution squad, the centurion undoubtedly participated in Jesus’ brutal scourging. Afterward, he and his men joined in the mockery of their prisoner as a crown of thorns was pressed on His head, a scratchy robe draped on His lacerated shoulders, and a mock scepter placed in His hand. At the execution site, it was the centurion’s squad that nailed Jesus’ hands and feet to the cross, cast lots for His clothing, and repeated the jeers and taunts of the hostile crowd. The Roman soldiers stationed at Golgotha could not have fully understood why the Jewish leaders hated Jesus so much, but they joined in the brutal ridicule nonetheless.

For the previous six hours, the execution squad had dutifully kept watch over Jesus and the two thieves. Because he was standing right in front of Him, the centurion must have heard the words spoken by the Lord Jesus from the cross. He watched as Jesus responded to the scorn and derision of His enemies by asking the Father to forgive them. He listened as the Lord extended the hope of heaven to a penitent thief who had previously mocked Him. From noon to 3:00 P.M., the centurion stood guard in the midst of inexplicable and menacing darkness. When the darkness finally lifted, he heard Jesus’ triumphant shout, “It is finished” and saw the way He breathed His last. Though he had likely participated in countless executions, he had never before encountered anyone like this victim—who suffered with such dignity and died with such triumphant authority. Then, the violent earthquake ensued. As the centurion felt the earth tremble, he could contain his astonishment no longer. Speaking for himself and the other soldiers (cf. Matt. 27:54), he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” Significantly, this is the first time in Mark’s gospel that a human being made that confession (cf. Mark 1:1). The Father articulated it at Jesus’ baptism (1:11) and transfiguration (9:7). The demons acknowledged it on several occasions (3:11; 5:7). But Mark does not record that confession from the lips of a human being until here at the end of his gospel. Because Mark wrote to a Roman audience, he purposefully emphasized the salvation of Gentiles (cf. Mark 7:24–36), including the climactic acknowledgment of Jesus’ deity from a pagan Roman soldier. The parallel account in Luke 23:47 adds that “when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’” His worshipful exclamation was both an affirmation of Jesus’ blamelessness and a declaration of His divine righteousness.

From the crucified thief to this pagan commander, trophies of divine grace were on display even in the midst of Jesus’ suffering and death. One was a scoundrel, the other a soldier; and both were blasphemers who mocked and persecuted the Son of God. Yet, in His infinite mercy, God reached down and rescued them eternally, granting them salvation through the very One whose crucifixion they witnessed. Their sudden conversions demonstrate that even the worst sinners and blasphemers are not beyond the reach of God’s sovereign love and unmerited favor (cf. 1 Tim. 1:12–15).

THE CONFUSION OF THE LOYAL SYMPATHIZERS

There were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome. When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem. (15:40–41)

In contrast to the centurion, who was moved from confusion to belief, the faith of Jesus’ followers was mingled with sorrow and confusion. The gospel of John indicates that some of the women, along with the apostle John, initially gathered at the foot of the cross (John 19:25–27). Perhaps unable to bear the sight of Jesus’ suffering up close, they withdrew and continued looking on from a distance. They loved Jesus deeply and believed in Him sincerely, yet they were baffled, discouraged, and devastated by the scene of His death.

Mark identifies three of these women, starting with Mary Magdelene, from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons (Luke 8:2). She was from the village of Magdala, near Capernaum on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. The fact that Mary was known by her place of origin, rather than by the name of her husband or children, may indicate she was unmarried. A second woman named Mary was distinguished as the mother of James the Less and Joses. (The name “Mary,” a derivative of the Hebrew name Miriam, was very popular in first-century Israel. At least six women in the New Testament share that name, including Mary, the mother of Jesus; Mary Magdalene; Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus; Mary, the mother of James and Joses; Mary, the mother of John Mark; and Mary of Rome, mentioned in Rom. 16:6.) James the Less was one of the Twelve and is also called James, the son of Alphaeus (cf. Matt. 10:3; Acts 1:13). In John 19:25, Mary is alternately identified as “Mary the wife of Clopas,” an apparent variant of Alphaeus. Salome was the wife of Zebedee (cf. Matt. 27:56), the mother of James and John (Mark 10:35), both of whom were also apostles of Jesus. According to John 19:25, Salome was the sister of Jesus’ mother, Mary.

Though the women are denoted in all four gospels (Matt. 27:55–56; Mark 15:40–41; Luke 23:49; John 19:25–26), the apostles are not mentioned as being present at Calvary, except for John (John 19:26–27). The obvious implication is that while ten of the eleven disciples scattered and hid, these women came boldly to display their courageous and sympathetic loyalty to Christ. They had followed Jesus when He was in Galilee, throughout the second year of His public ministry of preaching and miracles. From that time on, they used to follow Him and minister to Him. The imperfect tense of the verbs to follow and to minister indicates continual action over a prolonged period of time. These faithful followers of Jesus continually sought to learn from Him while also seeking to serve and support Him (cf. Luke 8:2–3). It is from the Greek verb diakoneō (minister) that the English words “deacon” and “deaconess” are derived. In the gospel of Mark, only two groups of people are ever said to have ministered to Christ: the angels (1:13), and these women from Galilee who were joined by many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

Though they were not empowered to do miracles or preach like the apostles, the women were representative of the precious faithful who did not forsake their Lord even at His death. Their loyalty would be rewarded three days later. On Sunday morning, they would be the first to learn of His glorious resurrection (cf. Mark 16:1–8; John 20:11–18; Matt. 28:8–10). But on Friday afternoon as they gazed at the cross, they found themselves in the throes of shock, heartbreak, and bewilderment. This was not the ending they had anticipated. While the rest of the people in the gawking crowd returned to Jerusalem “beating their breasts” in superficial remorse over the death of the miracle-worker (Luke 23:48), the faithful few watched from a distance in stunned sorrow (v. 49).

But the depths of their disappointment and mourning on Friday would not last long. Jesus would rise again on Sunday morning, just as He had repeatedly promised (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34). As the angel reminded the women when they came to the empty tomb, “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said” (Matt. 28:6). In His death, the Lord Jesus bore sin’s penalty. In His resurrection, He conquered death’s power. Both are essential to the gospel (1 Cor. 15:3–4), and both must be believed in order to be saved (Rom. 10:9).

Speaking of the wonder of Christ’s substitutionary atonement, which was accomplished by God at Calvary, an anonymous Christian author from the second century wrote this: