April 29 - It Is Finished

April 29 - It is Finished - Mark 15:33-47

Jesus was on the cross for three hours in the daylight (9 am - Noon) and then at noon (the sixth hour), darkness came over the whole land for three hours! The prophets spoke of this darkness. Amos 8:9-10 told us that it would come at noon, Micah 3:5-7 and Zephaniah 1:14-15 also wrote of it. This was God's judgment on human sin, placed solely on one man, Jesus.

At 3 pm, Jesus cried out to God! Think of the times of desperation that you have cried out for God to rescue you. Increase that pain exponentially along with the knowledge that you were doing exactly what God created you to do. "My God, why have you forsaken me."

Many bystanders thought he was calling out to Elijah, who was said to deliver the righteous. The sponge was filled with an inexpensive beverage and if it brought him relief, they thought they might see the return of Elijah.

Normally a person hanging on a cross would suffer two to three days, giving into exhaustion and finally lapsing into a coma before dying. That Jesus gave a loud cry would have been shocking for the people and He died within 6 hours of being placed on the cross.

The Roman centurion acknowledged His power and Mark tells us that the women who had supported Jesus' ministry were in attendance. These women were there, when the eleven disciples had deserted Him. (Mark 15:33-41)

Since there wasn't much time before the Sabbath began, Joseph of Arimathea asked for Jesus' body to be released so that He wouldn't hang there for an extended period of time over the weekend. Pilate was surprised at the speed of Jesus' death, but released the body.

Joseph was a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin, whose home was in Arimathea, but probably also lived in Jerusalem so as to participate in temple proceedings. His request to Pilate was dangerous for him personally. 1. He wasn't related to Jesus personally, 2. since Jesus had been executed for treason, there was every likelihood his request would be denied - generally corpses were left on the cross while predatory birds and animals destroyed them, 3. he risked ceremonial defilement in handling a dead body, and 4. he exposed himself as a follower of Christ which would expose himself to hostility from his fellow Pharisees. He was a secret disciple no longer.

John 19:39-40 tells us that Nicodemus, another member of the Sanhedrin also assisted Joseph in this task. They laid Jesus' body in a tomb, which was cut out of rock. There would have been a stone shelf to hold the body and a rock to seal the tomb closed.

Two women followed close to see where Jesus was taken. Their devotion to their Lord was unmatched ... where would you have been on this day?