STATION 8 - Jesus Dies on the Cross
At Prince George Cemetery Parking Lot - 3300 Memorial Park Lane
Scriptures for Reflection:
Mark 15.33-41
33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema 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 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, 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, 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 Joseph, 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.
Reflection:
As Jesus breathed his last breath on the cross, there were a variety of responses to the scene that was unfolding. Some thought that Jesus was calling Elijah to come and help him, others thought he was thirsty and so offered Jesus something to drink to ease his pain. But it was the Roman Centurion who truly caught the significance of this moment and the identity of the one who hung on the cross.
But not only was Jesus finally recognized as the Son of God (first time in Mark’s Gospel that someone actually understands that Jesus is the Son of God), something happens in the spiritual realm as well. The dividing wall between God and humanity, the wall that has been put up by our sin, the wall represented by the curtain in the temple that separated the holy of holies, where God’s presence would come, from the rest of the temple complex where people would come to bring their offerings. When Jesus died, the curtain was torn, and the barrier of sin between people and God was done away with because Jesus had provided the perfect and final payment for sin.
As the writer of Hebrews said:
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10.19-22)
As your journey of Stations gets closer to the end, consider how God has opened up a way for you to draw near to him - not because of your goodness, but because of Jesus’ sacrifice to pay the debt of your sin. God invites you, welcomes you, to draw near to him and to know him better. And you don’t need to hide in the shame of your past because of what Jesus has done for you!
At the Station:
Choose to receive God’s invitation to come near to him and meet him at the table he set for you.
Take the bread you’ve been carrying throughout Stations - the bread representing Jesus’ body that has been journeying with you - break it, and eat it as you remember his substitutionary death for your sins.
Then receive the juice from one of our team that represents the new covenant God made with us - the new way to enter relationship with him through Jesus blood.
As you receive these gifts, give thanks to God!
Prayer:
Merciful Lord, thank you for being The Righteous One. Thank you for your perfect life and your sacrificial death. Thank you for taking my sin upon yourself, and giving me your righteousness in return. Like the centurion, I look upon your cross today with wonder at you, the Son of God, humbly giving your life as a sacrifice. For me. For my brokenness and willful sin. I’m astounded by your willingness to suffer and die for me, the Righteous One for the unrighteous. All praise be to you, glorious, gracious, giving Lord!