Mark 15:33-41

Be Still: As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly, to re-centre my scattered senses upon the presence of God. (from Lectio 365)

Read: Mark 15:33-41

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!’ (v.39)

Encounter: This is holy ground. Just read Mark’s words. Read them slowly. Read them again. Read them in different versions if you have them. 

At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 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?’).

When some of those standing near heard this, they said, ‘Listen, he’s calling Elijah.’

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.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

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

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

Apply: The very first verse of Mark’s Gospel is ‘The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God’. We hear those words Son of God again and again in the gospels - from the Angel Gabriel to Mary, from Nathanael-under-the-fig-tree, from the disciples when Jesus walked on water, from Martha at the tomb of Lazarus, even from the demons Jesus cast out. Now they come from the lips of a centurion, the first to announce to the world that the prophesies have been fulfilled, that the ‘Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29) has been slain, and that God’s plan for the salvation of the world is happening – right in front of him!

Devote: Mourn, and rejoice…