Jesus was cursed so we could be blessed.

Have you ever been teased about something by a friend or a sibling?  How do you typically react to their teasing?  Is it something you find easy to put up with or does it start to get to you?

 Recently, I was watching an interview hosted by a national news outlet.  The interview included a panel of four guests, and the primary topic was current events in light of present-day geo-political realities.

 As each of the guests were sharing their opinions, one of the guests began to mock the opinions of an older man who was on the panel.  He said that his opinions were totally incorrect and he accused him of pretending to be intelligent while actually being ignorant and unwise.  Then the man doing the mocking took his actions further by making facial expressions that clearly demonstrated that he didn't respect the older man's opinions.  It was honestly difficult to watch.

 As you can imagine, the older man took offense at these actions and began to defend himself and his opinions.  He started pointing out how many years he had served in academia and how many scholarly books he had written in an attempt to rebuff the mockery of the other guest.  I wasn't thrilled with what I saw take place in that interview.  Even though it only lasted several minutes, it felt much longer.  The older man had a very hard time putting up with the insults of the other guest.

 When Scripture speaks of the crucifixion of Jesus and the mockery He received as He was enduring that torture, it reveals to us that the crucifixion occurred over a several hour period.  Jesus was nailed to the cross at 9:00 AM and endured the pain and shame for roughly six hours, until about 3:00 PM.  That's a long time to put up with all of that, but because of His desire to accomplish the Father's will and His sincere love for us, He endured every minute of it.

And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.”   (Mark 15:33-36)

 The hours of the Jewish day were counted beginning at 6:00 AM, so when this Scripture speaks of the sixth hour, it's referencing 12:00 PM.  As Jesus was hanging on the cross, atoning for the sins of humanity, we're told that darkness came upon the land from noon until the ninth hour (which would be 3:00 PM).  The early afternoon hours are not a time of day when darkness is common, so it's clear that this darkness was divinely orchestrated to signify something consequential.  The sinless Son of God was taking the sins of this fallen world upon Himself.  Our rebellion led to His suffering.

 At noon, Jesus loudly cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"  People wondered what He meant by it, and Mark even tells us that some of them thought Jesus was calling out for help from Elijah the prophet.

 Elijah was a powerful prophet whose ministry is described in the Old Testament books of 1 & 2 Kings.  He ministered about 900 years before Jesus came to earth and Scripture tells us that Elijah didn't experience death.  Rather, he was swept up to heaven in a whirlwind, and I believe he may be one of the two witnesses that are described in Revelation 11.

And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more.  (2 Kings 2:11-12)

 It was commonly believed among the Jewish people that Elijah would return to earth, not only as a forerunner to the Messiah but as one who would help people in other ways.  Some traditions speak of him as if he would do things like taking the form of a Roman or a slave and helping people.  There were even rabbis who claimed that Elijah would come and teach them the Torah or give them advice.  The people who mistakenly thought Jesus was calling to Elijah for help also probably believed some of these ideas.

 But Jesus wasn't calling out to Elijah.  He was quoting the opening words of Psalm 22 and calling out to God the Father.  But what did He mean when He claimed that the Father had forsaken Him?  Galatians 3:13 helps explain this a little further.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— (Galatians 3:13)

 Scripture tells us that Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.  Jesus was crucified and died in our place so that we could experience reconciliation with God.  There's a certain amount of mystery to what Jesus said in that moment, but in some deep, spiritual way that is beyond my natural comprehension, He experienced the Father's hatred for sin and some form of temporary spiritual separation that I'm not convinced I can fully understand or explain.  This was done, however, so that we wouldn't need to experience an eternity of separation from our Creator.  Jesus was cursed so that we could be blessed.

And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”  (Mark 15:37-39)

 Some people, when experiencing crucifixion, would linger for days before dying.  I've read examples of people taking two to four days to die, and basically dying in a comatose state.  But that's not what Jesus demonstrated in His death.  We're told that in the moments before His death, He cried out loudly, and then took His last breath.  What did Jesus cry out?

 The gospel of John reveals to us what these words were.  In John 19:30, we're told Jesus said, "It is finished."  What was finished?  Jesus had accomplished all that was necessary for the law to be fulfilled.  He had fully atoned for the sins of man.  He had lived the perfect life on our behalf in the midst of trials and temptations.  He did what Adam failed to do, and endured the punishment for Adam's sin so that we could experience the blessings of forgiveness and eternal life.

 As Jesus was finishing His work of atonement, another sign was given to the people if they cared to notice it.  We're told that the large curtain in the temple that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (where the Ark of the Covenant and the presence of God dwelt) was torn from top to bottom.  That curtain symbolically represented the separation between God and man because of our sin, but it was divinely torn from the top, signifying that God Himself was doing the tearing.  Now, because of the work Jesus had done on the cross, man no longer needed to live apart from God.

 There were so many signs taking place at the time that testified to the fact that Jesus indeed was the Son of God, but many people still failed to acknowledge that fact.  One person, however, felt compelled to acknowledge the true identity of Jesus.  We're told that a centurion who was present to witness Jesus breathe His last breath, couldn't deny that He was indeed the Son of God.  Most of the people surrounding him had mouths that were filled with mockery, but that centurion expressed a confession about Christ's divine nature that was absolutely correct.

There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.  (Mark 15:40-41)

 There are many counter-cultural things I appreciate about Scripture, one of which is the ways in which the Holy Spirit chose to highlight the women who were followers of Jesus.  The culture of the day didn't treat women with much respect, but the church was taught by the example of Jesus to honor women as heirs of the divine inheritance just as much as men are.

 Several women are mentioned by name in this passage, but one in particular catches my attention.  We're told that Salome was among the women who witnessed the crucifixion from a distance.  Surely her heart was heavy as she saw the brutal way Jesus had been treated.

 Salome was the mother of James and John.  It's also believe that Mary the earthly mother of Jesus was her sister, which would make James and John cousins to Jesus.  Salome was witnessing the execution of her nephew, and sadly, this wouldn't be the only earthly trial her family would eventually face.

 Acts 12:2 tells us that Salome's son, the apostle James, was killed with the sword.  His death occurred approximately eleven years after Christ's crucifixion, and he was the first of the apostles to be martyred.  Historical tradition tells us that her other son, John, was boiled in oil by the Roman emperor Domitian, but this attempt to kill him wasn't successful so he was exiled to the island of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelation.

 That's a lot of trauma for one family to face, but they faced it with an eye toward the future.  The cross didn't defeat Jesus.  Death could not contain Him.  In His resurrection on the third day, He inspired His family and future followers to live with a sense of mission in this world that wasn't encumbered by the fear of death.  

 Most people live their lives terrified of dying, and as a result, they miss out on taking bold steps of faith.  But Salome believed and lived boldly for Jesus, ultimately entrusting the lives and futures of her sons to the Lord's benevolent care.  James likewise didn't fear death, neither did John.  They served Jesus until He called them home, and their testimonies continue to inspire bold faith among us today.

 I don't know what the Lord will ask of you during the course of your earthly life, but whatever it may be, never forget what He accomplished on your behalf in order for you to experience the true essence of abundant and eternal life.  Jesus was cursed so you could be blessed.  He was forsaken by God so you could be reconciled to God.

 The veil has been torn.  The path of reconciliation with your Creator has been opened to you.  Take the step of faith to walk through that torn veil and be united to the Father forever through faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

© John Stange, 2024