Mark 15:34, commentary and pictures

At the ninth hour, after about three hours of miraculous darkness over the land, Jesus cried aloud in anguish from the cross and then yielded up his life. His cry was the bitterness of feeling separated from his Father's love and favor and of draining the last dregs of the cup. The Father's sustaining presence and approving smile were withdrawn and his face hidden under displeasure against sin, so that Jesus could not see beyond the tomb to his resurrection and triumph and had to trust by faith what he knew of his Father's character. He was bearing the crushing weight of the sins of the world and the penalty of the broken law, treated as guilty though innocent and spotless, with God's wrath falling upon him as the sinner's substitute. Bodily pain was only a small part of what ended his life so soon; it was the felt hiding of his Father's face that broke his heart with a woe beyond finite comprehension, yet God had not actually forsaken him, and as he was brought through, so no trusting soul will be forsaken.

Hour Darkness and Setting

At the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice from the cross amid miraculous darkness that covered the land, after about three hours of darkness, and then yielded up His life. The cry was piercing and came as the mysterious darkness surrounding the crucifixion passed away from the people, and He died at that time, unusually soon for one crucified. The cry was joined to shaking earth and sudden death, and belongs to the scene that ends with His death and the temple veil being torn. Amid that darkness and agony He was given vinegar and gall when He thirsted.

The darkness lifted from the people but still surrounded Jesus, while the people watched in silence for the end. Angry lightning appeared directed at Him in that oppressive gloom. God was close beside His Son but concealed His presence and glory in the thick darkness, so neither Jesus in His final human agony nor those watching saw it manifested. His cry came amid darkness that hid His face.

That remaining darkness symbolized the agony and horror weighing on His heart and the deeper gloom that shrouded His suffering soul. He died outside the gate on the way from the judgment hall to Calvary followed by a vast crowd. His wounded body and nailed hands and feet had served and blessed others, yet as the spotless Lamb He spoke from oppressive gloom rather than triumphant joy.

When thirsty He was given vinegar and gall, while the sun hid its light, angels veiled their faces, the earth shook, rocks were rent, and the temple veil was torn. Bystanders misunderstood His words as a call for Elias or Elijah. They offered Him vinegar on a reed to see if Elias would take Him down and come to save Him, and the priests mocked Him and refused to relieve His suffering.

Anguish of Separation

The cry is anguish at feeling forsaken by God and separated from the Father's love and favor, the bitterness of draining the last dregs of the cup. The surrounding darkness symbolized the agony and horror weighing on the heart, and the deeper gloom that shrouded the suffering soul. The suffering came not from fear or pain of death, but from this sense of separation, which broke the heart and brought death so soon. The keenest anguish was the sense of the Father's displeasure and separation, with no reassuring evidence of the Father's love or acceptance, an agony beyond human comprehension. Yet the sense of being forsaken was felt, but God had not actually forsaken him.

The Father's sustaining presence, approving smile, and assurance were withdrawn, and His face and favor hidden, bringing despair and darkness under the Father's displeasure and wrath against sin. Bodily suffering was not what quickly ended the life; the penalty of sin, death, was experienced while despair and darkness overwhelmed. Bodily pain was only a small part of the agony, for the hiding of the Father's face and the felt separation from God caused by sin brought despair. His deepest suffering was not bodily pain alone, but the Father's hidden face and the sense of divine displeasure and separation from God that sin brings.

In the darkness he could not see beyond the tomb or clearly perceive his resurrection, coming triumph, and the Father's acceptance, and was tempted to fear the Father had left him forever and could not be reconciled. He could not see beyond death or clearly perceive the coming triumph, and had no ray of light to brighten the future. He could not see beyond the tomb or feel sure of the Father's acceptance, and hope and faith trembled. He had to rely by faith on what he knew of his Father's character and past acceptance and trust himself to him, relying on the evidence of the Father's character and past acceptance of the work.

The felt separation and hiding of the Father's face brought heartbreak and a depth of woe beyond finite human comprehension and endurance. In that hour he was surrounded by evil powers in fearful conflict without angelic comfort or ray of light. Evil powers pressed upon him and claimed that God had disowned him, and under Satan's assault with no light to brighten the future he felt the separation sin makes between God and humanity. Yet he did not yield to the enemy but remained faithful.

Sin Bearer Under Wrath

On the cross the cry came from bearing the crushing weight of the world's sins laid upon him and enduring the Father's displeasure against sin, with the Father's sustaining presence, approving smile and assurance withdrawn into deep darkness and despair. He was treated as guilty and suffered the penalty of the broken law, which is death, in the sinner's place, though himself innocent and spotless, and bodily pain was not what quickly ended his life. In that darkness he could not see beyond death or clearly perceive the coming triumph, resurrection and the Father's acceptance, and was tempted to fear that the Father had left him forever and could not be reconciled to him. He had to rely by faith on what he knew of his Father's character and past acceptance and trust himself to him, and surrounded by evil powers without angelic comfort or ray of light he endured the enemy's claim that God had disowned him, yet he did not yield.

The wrath of God fell upon him as the Father's countenance and favor were hidden from him. Though innocent he was treated as a sinner, with the sins of the world imputed to him and counted as his, and when he no longer felt his Father's favor he had drained the last dregs of the cup of bitterness. He died so that guilty sinners might receive his righteousness counted as theirs and be treated as God's loyal, obedient children.

Dying outside the gate he suffered the curse brought by transgression of God's law, bearing the guilt of the disobedient and enduring the scorn and mockery due to sin. His deepest agony was not bodily pain alone but the hiding of his Father's face and the felt separation from God that sin brings, with no ray of light to brighten the future while evil powers pressed upon him and claimed God had disowned him. He nevertheless did not yield to the enemy but remained faithful under Satan's assault, enduring a depth of woe beyond finite human endurance.

Lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, after rejection, cruel mockings, scourgings and nailing, he gave his life so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. His willingness to risk all reveals the immense value he placed on each soul, even to give his life for one sinner. His suffering shows how offensive sin is and that God's mercy does not excuse transgression of his law, for our sins brought darkness into his soul and caused him to cry out in anguish in the sinner's place.

His love for perishing and guilty sinners remained strong through this suffering, stronger than death and increasing through the conflict, and his arm brought salvation. By his death he paid the price of human redemption. His declaration that the work was finished marked the completion of that redemptive work.

Onlookers Convicted or Shaken

The loud cry at the ninth hour came in the midst of his dying, and the Roman centurion who heard it was moved by what he saw and heard to recognize the sufferer as the Son of God. The cry was piercing, uttered after three hours of darkness over the cross as he asked why God had forsaken him, joined to shaking earth and a sudden, unexpected death. Bystanders mistook the words for a call for Elias and offered him vinegar on a reed to see whether Elias would come to take him down, after which he committed his spirit to the Father and gave up his life. Together with his final words and death, that cry planted conviction in many who had witnessed his trial of his loyalty and royal character.

That conviction forced from witnesses the confession that he was a righteous man and the Son of God, a seed that ripened into harvest when the disciples boldly proclaimed the gospel after his ascension. Many priests then accepted the faith, showing that what was sown at the cross bore fruit in the later preaching. The account of these events, as the mysterious darkness over the earth passed away at his death, led Pilate to believe still more firmly that he was no ordinary man. His enemies were troubled by the signs surrounding his death and his loud cry, and his murderers trembled.

Scoffers were filled with terror by the cry with the shaking earth and sudden death, and fled for fear that the quaking earth and rent rocks would end their lives. Yet many who had believed in him and heard the cry were terrified and lost hope. With darkness still surrounding him even as it lifted from the people, his cry of despair at feeling forsaken by God left them wondering what they could trust if God had abandoned Jesus. They feared that if he was forsaken, his followers and the doctrine they cherished had no future, and asked whether their hope and teaching could still stand.

His death crushed the disciples' hopes that he would reign as a temporal prince. He in whom their hopes of eternal life were centered had been given into the hands of wicked men, with his own nation clamoring for his blood. He had been crowned with thorns, clothed in the purple robe, mocked with bowing, struck with the reed, and scourged as the worst of criminals, while the murderous Barabbas was chosen in his place though he had been expected to take his place on David's throne, then lifted up on the cross to die as a malefactor. Seeing this tries faith and makes hope and courage fail.

Warning and Assurance Today

His anguish in feeling separated from His Father's favor and forsaken in His hour of need reveals the terror that will seize the sinner when, too late, God's Spirit is withdrawn. His words are also the cry of the remnant in the time of trouble as they appeal to God. Their sins have gone beforehand to judgment and have been confessed at the sanctuary as they face that time.

The cry did not mean that God had actually forsaken Him at the hour of His death. As God did not forsake Him, He will not forsake any soul that trusts in Him, but will bring the faithful through victoriously and give the crown of life. While suffering for the sins of the world He endured the hiding of His Father's countenance until He cried out in anguish, expressing the terrible sense of being forsaken, yet His love for sinners remained strong through that suffering. His death paid the price of human redemption, and remembering Calvary should awaken gratitude, humility, obedience, and devotion to Him.