The God-forsaken God

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The God-forsaken God – Mark’s Gospel chapter 15 verses 33-39

“Alexamenos worships his god.” Graffiti from 2nd century Rome, mocking Jesus on the cross. Was Jesus mistaken, and Alexamenos a a fool? Listen to these four witnesses and check it out:-

The darkness

At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
Mark 15:33

The cry

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.
Mark 15:34-37

The curtain

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Mark 15:38

The confession

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!’
Mark 15:39

New International Version – UK (NIVUK)