December 2 - Tuesday - Tiffany

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Hosea 3-4; Revelation 2

Today's scripture focus is Mark 15:33-41

 

The Death of Jesus

³³ 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.” ³⁷ 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!”
⁴⁰ 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.

When I was in grade school and middle school the churches around us always did a passion play. And my family always acted in it. Usually as villagers, townspeople, though my little brother was the crippled healed boy for several years, and in my last few years I got to be a temple servant and angel.
There is one year I will never forget.
Rain had been forecasted, but the sky was clear as the play began.
By the time we reached the crucifixion scene, a massive thunderstorm had moved in. And when the narration read of Christ's final breath, a huge bolt of lightening split the sky and the thunder was deafening.

Of course, we couldn't raise Jesus up in the huge metal bucket truck, so the play was called on account of weather.
But I will never forget standing in the market place, facing the cross, and seeing God's awesome storm roll in as we re-enacted his son's death.

How much more awesome, frightening, would it have been to be on the hill that day? To see that curtain split from TOP to bottom?

God mourned that day. His Son took all sin on himself, and God mourned the loss of His Son, and the world could not deny it.
 

 

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Mark 15:42-47

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Hosea 5-6; Revelation 3