Mark 15:33-41

Jesus Dies on the Cross

( Easter Story )

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means,

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."

36 One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.

37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.

41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

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This is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to change the way that we think, and the way that we live.

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Commentary by Bob Pardue

The Crucifixion of Christ and how He Died on the Cross

There are many turns we could pursue in these verses but I am going to focus on only one today.

The torn curtain:

This was a very heavy curtain hanging in the Most Holy Place where only the high priest was allowed in once a year on the Day of Atonement. On that day the high priest would go and make a sacrifice to take on the sins of the people who had no direct access to God.

God Becomes Accessible

When Christ died, the curtain was torn from top to bottom. This is very symbolic in that it means we can now go to the "Most Holy Place" and talk directly to God through Jesus Christ. All we have to do now is to believe in Him. Whenever we want to talk to God we only have to say "Father" or "Dear God" and we are in His presence. Isn't that wonderful?

Jesus died and took the place of the yearly sacrifice forever so that we could be saved from sin and eternal death. I thank God that Jesus took on my death and sins, and the sins of the world, aren't you?

Have You Received Christ?

If you have never made the commitment to receive the love and life-changing experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to read John 3:16 and take the first steps to becoming a follower of Christ.

Love in Christ

- Bob

Mark 15:6-15 - Easter - Pilate Hands Jesus Over to be Crucified