Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour

 

 Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"  Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, "Look, He is calling for Elijah!"  Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down."  And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.  Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!"

 

- Mark 15:33–39 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus was brought to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.  Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.  And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.  Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.  And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left.  So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with the transgressors."  And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha!  You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!"   Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.  Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe."  Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

 

Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.  The sixth hour is noon, the ninth hour is about three o'clock in the afternoon.  See Zechariah 14:6-7, Amos 8:9.

 

 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"  Jesus is praying Psalm 22, which foretells even the details of the Crucifixion.  Without the rest of the psalm, Jesus' cry, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" could be misinterpreted to be a cry of despair.  Since Christ took on our nature, my study Bible says, Jesus experiences our alienation from God in His humanity, knowing our suffering and distress, but He does not despair.  He speaks these words in the name of humanity, completely identifying with us in our condition, for in His divinity, He is never forsaken by the Father.  

Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, "Look, He is calling for Elijah!"  Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down."  It's interesting as always to note that the Gospels report people misunderstanding Christ; in this case mis-hearing Him and giving a false interpretation to the words they think He says. 

And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.   My study Bible notes that Christ's death was voluntary to the very end, for even on the Cross, His life could not be taken from Him against His will.  It explains that Christ accepts death on the Cross neither to receive the Father's punishment on our behalf, nor to satisfy the Father's need for blood-justice (as if God would demand such things), but so that by entering death as the divine Son of God, He can destroy this last enemy, which is death itself (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).   Whatever divinity touches is healed:  Christ accepts human nature in order to sanctify human nature, He accepts our weakness in order to make us strong, He takes on our sin in order to free us from sin, He suffers in order to transfigure suffering, and He enters death in order to destroy death.  He will be the first human soul not to be taken to Hades; instead His soul is freely given into the hands of God -- therefore Christ frees all of humanity from death's grip.  In transforming every aspect of human nature, we are reconciled to God and thus healed.

Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  My study Bible explains that the veil which separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple was a symbol of the separation between God and man.  It says that Christ's death opens the way into the presence of God for all people, therefore giving access to that which is most holy of all:  God.  In many Orthodox Churches, there is a curtain between the altar and the nave which is drawn open during liturgical services in order to emphasize that this communion with God, which was at one time sealed off from humanity, is now available to all who approach in faith.  

So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!"  According to my study Bible, the centurion, who is a Gentile, realizes that Jesus has dominion over nature, and therefore acknowledges Him as the Son of God.  Tradition knows this soldier as St. Longinos.

What does it mean to be transformed, to be healed by Christ?  My study Bible speaks of this healing by transformation by saying:  Christ accepts human nature in order to sanctify human nature, He accepts our weakness in order to make us strong, He takes on our sin in order to free us from sin, He suffers in order to transfigure suffering, and He enters death in order to destroy death.  We can experience this sanctification through prayer, and throughout our lives, by taking each struggle and each difficulty to Christ, by seeking God's way for our lives and our choices in this way.  After a lengthy period of such experience, I can say that I believe I have been changed through this process -- that is, led through repentance, or "change of mind," which the Greek word for repentance literally means.  My beliefs and patterns of thinking are completely different from what they were decades ago.  And as life has baffled my expectations in numerous ways, and so frequently that I don't often feel I can see the forest for the trees, this prayer life has led me through the puzzling experiences of life, giving me strength to cope with disappointments, and hope for unforeseen difficulties that my own limited experience had not supplied me with knowledge sufficient to address.  In suffering from such setbacks and baffling outcomes, and the disappointments and heartache encountered therein, I was given meaning to suffering through the practice of forgiveness and of seeking God's way to respond to hurtful people and circumstances.  This is transformation indeed, and a way through darkness, through difficult and limited paths and options for response.  Christ has brought me through problems I did not know how to address, and which conventional response -- or giving in to passions like despair or anger or outrage or envy -- would have resulted in an even worse problem for myself, and an inner nature marred by sin on top of sin.  It has been for me a prayer life fully of salvation, and I can put no other solution or responsible suggestion for the source of salvation in all of the above circumstances except the faith and love of Christ (and by extension, the Father and the Spirit, and all the saints, who always accompany Christ).  It is this consistent love which has never failed, has not condemned but helped, shown me the way, taught me how to live in my still-limited fashion, given me knowledge and a small amount of wisdom, and always corrected in an environment which surrounded me with deep love.  There is no getting around it nor escaping this love, this explanation for survival through very difficult circumstances for which, of myself alone, I could not imagine a way through, and that is my testimony.  As for the final enemy, which is death, I certainly cannot say I have experienced that yet (!), but in effect, if we look carefully at our lives, I can say with many others that I have been through crucifixions of a sort, that reminded me I needed to learn some things, and that I needed to change some things about myself or about the circumstances of my life and relationships with others -- and that once again, it was only the way of the Cross that could provide me with that hope and that outcome, and His way and truth and life to follow.  This is my testimony of my experience of salvation, which I consider to be ongoing, for faith is a journey -- but it is our Lord who provides the road (which is the literal meaning of the word for "the way" in Greek -- ὁδὸς/odos).  We are all on a road somewhere, and sometimes we may feel ourselves being crucified, but He has led the way, and asks us to take up our own crosses.  With Him, we may hope in Resurrection in all things and all ways, for this is truly our salvation -- even when we, too, may experience darkness in broad daylight.