"At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 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?”).

Mark 15:33-34

And so, we arrive at the turning point of history. The death of God’s Son. For us, the heartbreaking breakthrough of a price paid. Yet, for many of those who witnessed it, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Golgotha was a very public place, a through route from here to there. Simon was the unlucky one, a passerby on his way in from the country, forced into the role of cross-bearer (v. 21). Doubtless he shared the insults hurled at Jesus. Mockery heaped on mockery from those on their way to market, or maybe (ironically) to the temple, at the assumed charlatan, found out for who he was (vv. 29–32). Even fellow criminals joined in with their dying breath (v. 32b).

Within all this cacophony, at the final dying cry of Jesus, there is one man who saw through it all. ‘Surely this man was the Son of God’ (v. 39). Where is the emphasis in what he said? ‘Surely’ means ‘definitely, a moment of enlightenment.’ ‘Was’, however, implies that it’s all over. ‘Son of God’ grants Jesus the acclaim, the title of Messiah. All this from a Roman centurion, a gentile, far from home, simply doing his job. Yes, this is the turning point of history. This is when everything changed.

Closing Prayer

Lamb of God, thank you for being the way, the truth, and the life. There was no other way, apart from your sacrifice on the cross, for me to come to my Father—thank you for the forgiveness your suffering and death purchased for me (edited from Encounter with God).