The Cross

READ

As we reach the climax of Holy Week, we contemplate the crucifixion where Jesus' suffering reveals both the depth of human sin and the infinite depth of divine love—a love that would rather die than live without us.

Let’s take a moment to read Mark 15:21-47:

A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lotsto see what each would get.

It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.

They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

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.

It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath).So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

REFLECT

The crucifixion narrative is stark and unsparing. Jesus is nailed to a cross between two rebels, with a mocking inscription above his head: "The King of the Jews." Passersby shake their heads; religious leaders jeer. Even those crucified with him heap insults on him. From noon until three, darkness covers the land—a cosmic sign of the spiritual reality unfolding.

Then comes Jesus's cry of dereliction: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This quotation from Psalm 22 expresses the deepest mystery of the cross—the Son's experience of separation from the Father as he bears the sins of the world. Jesus, who has known perfect communion with God throughout eternity, now tastes the bitterness of abandonment.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathes his last. Immediately, the temple curtain tears from top to bottom—signifying that the barrier between God and humanity has been removed. A Roman centurion, witnessing Jesus's death, declares, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" This pagan soldier recognizes what Israel's religious authorities could not.

Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member who had not consented to Jesus's condemnation, steps forward to claim the body. He wraps Jesus in linen and places him in a tomb cut out of rock. Several women who had followed Jesus witness where he is laid—a detail that will become important when they return after the Sabbath.

The cross confronts us with the depth of human sin and the greater depth of divine love. Here we see the full cost of our reconciliation with God. Here we encounter a love that would rather die than live without us. Every human being stands at the foot of the cross, implicated in the sin that put Jesus there yet invited into the redemption his death accomplishes.

On this Good Friday, we pause to contemplate the wonder and mystery of this sacrifice. We recognize both our complicity in the world's rejection of God and our inclusion in God's reconciling purpose. We stand with the centurion in awe and confession: "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

RESPOND

Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.

• What aspect of the crucifixion narrative most deeply affects you, and why?

• Where do you see yourself in this story—among the mockers, the fearful disciples who kept their distance, the women who watched faithfully, Joseph who acted courageously, or the centurion who recognized Jesus's true identity?

REST

Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:

Son of God, You endured the cross, despising its shame, for the joy set before You. Thank you for bearing my sin and experiencing separation from the Father that I might be reconciled to God. As I contemplate Your sacrifice, deepen my gratitude and strengthen my commitment to live as one who has been bought at such a price. Amen.