Reading the Gospels Together

The Death and Burial of Jesus – Part 1

We have arrived at the climax of the story each gospel writer has been telling – the story of the death of the Messiah. Readers of all four gospels are not surprised at this development. We have been warned all along that this is the destiny toward which Jesus has been moving. As we listen to each gospel writer’s story we are perhaps surprised by the few words they use. There is no detailed description of the suffering. There is no play upon our emotions as is often the case when movie scripters take up the same story. There is almost a “matter of fact” nature to the story. As we have arrived at this most important part of the story we might expect that all four gospel writers would be in complete agreement with one another. We discover that they are not. To be sure it is evident that they have the same basic story in mind; but, as we have noticed all along, they all put their own particular slant on the story and there are some irreconcilable differences we must once again deal with. In this section we will need to consider Mark 15:21-47; Matthew 27:32-66; Luke 23:26-56; and John 19:16-42.

As is typical Mark’s story is the shortest. He tells his readers that, as Jesus is led to crucifixion, a man named Simon of Cyrene is compelled to carry Jesus’ cross for him. Mark gives no explanation for this. Readers are left to imagine that perhaps it is because Jesus was too weak to carry his own cross. But perhaps there is something much deeper in Mark’s mind. Mark’s Jesus had told his followers that anyone who wants to follow him must take up the cross. Simon takes up the cross – perhaps Mark’s way of pointing to the true meaning of discipleship. We need to remember that it is all the “little people” who are Mark’s prime examples of what it means to be a disciple and Simon is another of them. Mark also tells his readers that Simon was the father of Rufus and Alexander. Mark provides no further identification for these two but apparently they were known to Mark’s first readers. The story is linked to historical reality. And just as abruptly as Simon enters the story he leaves it never to be heard from again.

Once they arrive at their destination – a place known as Golgotha – Mark tells his readers that Jesus is offered a mixture of wine and myrrh to drink. Likely this was a kind of “anesthetic” to lessen the pain. Jesus refuses to drink. And then in the briefest of ways Mark tells his readers they crucified Jesus. The soldiers stripped him of his clothing and divided it among themselves. Mark leaves his readers to make the connection to Psalm 22 throughout his telling of the story. Other gospel writers will spell that out more clearly. Mark tells his readers it was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified Jesus. This conflicts with John who tells his readers it was noon when Jesus was crucified. Mark tells his readers that an inscription was placed on Jesus’ cross which detailed the charge against him – “The king of the Jews” – Jesus was crucified as an insurrectionist by the Romans. Without much detail Mark tells of two others who were crucified along with Jesus – one on his left and one on his right. Readers of Mark’s gospel are reminded of the request of James and John for these “places of honor” – more irony in Mark’s gospel. Mark identifies these two who were crucified with Jesus as “bandits.” As a result of the oppression of the Romans and the complicity of the Jewish authorities who collaborated with them many poor Jewish farmers and laborers were forced off the land and some of them resorted to the life of “banditry” to survive. As the first three hours pass by Mark tells of those who mocked Jesus by throwing his own words in his face. Mark’s Jesus had never said he would destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days (words that John did place on the lips of Jesus) so the accusations of those who taunt Jesus are as ill-founded as the false testimony at his “trial.” Mark identifies the chief priests and scribes – the religious leaders who have been Jesus’ opponents throughout Mark’s gospel – joining in the mocking. They invite Jesus, who they mockingly identify as the “Messiah”, to come down from the cross and save himself. If Jesus would only come down from the cross they would “believe.” Mark’s readers know that Jesus had said to his follower, “Whoever saves his life will lose it and whoever loses his life will save it.” All of these accusations by those who mock Jesus are dripping in Mark’s irony. The Temple will be destroyed. And in the very act of dying Jesus, the Crucified Messiah, is saving the world! Even the two bandits join in the mockery.

Three hours into the crucifixion, at noon, Mark tells his readers that darkness came over the whole land. Though Mark does not makes the connections for his readers it is likely that he wants them to be thinking of two OT events – the darkness that came over Egypt as one of the plagues and the darkness that is connected with the “Day of the Lord” in the OT prophets. It is especially this last connection that is most important. The “Day of the Lord” was a day of God’s judgment and also a day when the newness of God’s kingdom would burst on the scene. It was a watershed day and Mark wants his readers to think of the death of Jesus as just such a day. It was the great and terrible day of the Lord. In his words to his disciples while sitting on the Mount of Olives after Jesus had predicted the destruction of the Temple he also spoke of the sun becoming darkened and the moon turning to blood. In one way the darkening of the whole earth while Jesus was dying on the cross fulfils this prediction – but in another the final “Day of the Lord” is still to come.

Mark tells his readers that at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These are the only words Jesus speaks in Mark’s gospel and they are haunting words. Readers of Mark’s gospel have pondered them from the very beginning. Was Jesus really forsaken? How can that be? The words are the first line of Psalm 22 – a lament that eventually moves into the assurance that God has heard the cry of God’s people. Did Mark want his readers to think of the whole Psalm and thus mitigate at least a bit the despairing cry of Jesus? There is a great deal of mystery tied up in these words of Mark. We will never fully exhaust their meaning. From a theological point of view many have seen in these words the awful mystery of God taking the sin of the world upon God’s self in the death of Jesus. Did Mark think of it in this way? We will never fully know. We have noticed that Mark’s gospel has grown very dark as the Passion Narrative has moved forward. Perhaps that is still the case here – even Jesus enters into the utter darkness. Did God hear Jesus’ cry? Did God answer? Mark does not make it easy for us – he doesn’t say. The point, of course, is that Jesus is crying out to God – and you can’t cry out to one you do not believe is there. This is not just venting – a crying into the wind – this is a cry to God even though it has the sound of a cry of despair. Those who heard the cry of Jesus mistakenly think perhaps Jesus is calling out for Elijah to save him. Readers of Mark’s gospel know how foolish this is – John the Baptist was Elijah and he was killed by Herod. It is pointless to cry out to Elijah. The giving of a drink of wine is meant only to prolong the death of Jesus. It does no good as Jesus utters one last cry and dies. Some interpreters have wondered if the sudden death of Jesus might have been God’s answer. It was not uncommon for those who were crucified to remain on their crosses for a day or two or even more dying a slow death. To die within six hours would have been very unusual. Perhaps Jesus was not finally abandoned after all – but to say this is quite speculative. Perhaps it is better to just let the darkness and the mystery of Mark stand. The death of the Messiah was a crushing event and likely Mark wants us to feel its intensity.