Mark 15:37: Jesus Dies on the Cross. After suffering on the cross for approximately six hours, Jesus utters a loud cry and breathes His last. Jesus's death fulfills Old Testament prophecy, completes His mission as God's Servant, and makes the Gospel possible.
In Mark 15:37,Jesus utters a loud cry and breathes His last, completing His faithful service and mission to give His life as a ransom for many.
The Bible Says commentary for Mark 15:37 is divided into three parts:
THE MOMENT OF THE MESSIAH'S DEATH
THE PROPHETIC FULFILLMENTS OF THE MESSIAH'S DEATH
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MESSIAH'S DEATH
1. THE MOMENT OF THE MESSIAH'S DEATH
After describing how someone gave Jesus sour wine while the bystanders waited to see whether Elijah would come to take Him down from the cross (Mark 15:35-36), Mark describes the moment Jesus died:
And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last (v 37).
With this brief statement, Mark describes the moment of the Messiah's death.
Mark indicates that Jesus used His final breath and energy to utter a loud cry before He breathed His last.
Moments earlier, Jesus cried out with a loud voice: "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which Mark translated for his Gentile readers: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:34).
Now Jesusuttered a loud cry once more before He breathed His last (v 37).
Mark does not record what Jesus said when He uttered a loud cry. He simply connects Jesus's final cry with the moment when He breathed His last.
Matthew similarly records that "Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit" (Matthew 27:50).
The Gospels of John and Luke directly quote Jesus's final statements and provide the content of what Mark describes as His loud cry.
John records what appears to be the first of Jesus's two final outcries:
"Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 'It is finished!' And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit." (John 19:30)
This statement was a shout of victory and triumph.
Jesus had completed His mission. He had perfectly obeyed His Father and fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17-18). He had faithfully fulfilled the mission He described earlier in Mark: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
The Greek term which John used to translate Jesus's victorious shout--"It is finished" (John 19:30)--was a common accounting term used throughout the Roman Empire meaning "paid in full." Jesus's sacrificial death paid in full the penalty for the sins of the entire world (1 John 2:2).
John, who was an eyewitness of the cross, also records that Jesus "bowed His head" before He "gave up His spirit" (John 19:30).
Normally, when people die, their head bows or falls after their spirit departs their body. But John describes Jesus as first bowing His head and then giving up His spirit.
This detail demonstrates that Jesus remained in control of His own life and death all the way to the end. As the Son of God, no one could take Jesus's life from Him--not even crucifixion. Jesus willingly gave His life. Jesus previously explained:
"I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father." (John 10:17b-18)
Considering what Jesus could have controlled and chosen for Himself, His experience on the cross is all the more remarkable. He could have called twelve legions of angels to rescue Him, but He did not (Matthew 26:53). He could have used His divine power to come down from the cross as His mockers challenged Him to do (Mark 15:29-32), but He did not. He could have ended His physical life before suffering the terrible agony of separation from His Father and bearing the sins of the world, but He did not. Jesus remained on the cross until His mission was finished.
The powerful Son of God submitted His power to the will of His Father. He faithfully performed His duty as God’s Servant and remained obedient to the point of death (Philippians 2:8).
Luke records the last thing Jesus said before He breathed His last:
"And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.' Having said this, He breathed His last." (Luke 23:46)
Jesus's prayer was an overt reference to Psalm 31.
The first line of Psalm 31:5 says: "Into Your hand I commit my spirit" (Psalm 31:5a). The final statement Jesus made before dying was to recite and personally apply David's prayer of faith in the face of death to His own death, and thus demonstrate the prophetic message of Psalm 31.
Psalm 31 is a psalm of trust. It is also prophetic of the Messiah's faith during His suffering and death on the cross.
With His final breath, Jesus put His complete faith in God. Jesus entrusted His spirit to His Father and trusted Him unto death.
"Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O LORD, God of truth." (Psalm 31:5)
Jesus had repeatedly predicted that He would be killed and rise again (Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:33-34). He trusted that His Father would raise Him from the dead. By personally appropriating the first half of Psalm 31:5--"Into Your hand I commit my spirit"--with His dying breath, Jesus was also alluding to the psalm's declaration of God's deliverance.
Mark simply says that Jesusbreathed His last (v 37). Luke records that immediately before doing so, Jesus committed His human life and spirit into His Father's hands (Luke 23:46).
One final comment regarding the moment of Jesus the Messiah's death is that with His final breath, Jesus addressed God as "Father" (Luke 23:46).
This signifies that the divine relationship between God the Father and God the Son had been restored.
Earlier on the cross, the divine relationship was paradoxically strained as the innocent Son of God sacrificially took on and became the sin of the world in order to redeem the world from sin's penalty and power.
During that terrible moment, darkness fell over the whole land (Mark 15:33), and Jesuscried out with a loud voice (v 37):
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:34)
But with that terrible moment passed, the fellowship between Father and Son had been restored. Jesus's final words were not "My God," but "Father."
Jesus commended His spirit into His Father's loving hands, and then breathed His last.
Below are citations of specific Old Testament prophecies predicting that the Messiah would die.
These include descriptions that His death would involve the physical horrors associated with crucifixion (Psalm 22:14), that He would die among criminals but be honored in burial (Isaiah 53:9), and that He would be pierced (Zechariah 12:10).
"I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me." (Psalm 22:14)
"I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel." (Psalm 31:12)
"I have come into deep waters, And a flood overflows me." (Psalm 69:2)
"The cords of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me." (Psalm 116:3)
"Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones." (Psalm 116:15)
"But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities." (Isaiah 53:5)
"Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth." (Isaiah 53:7)
"That He was cut off out of the land of the living." (Isaiah 53:8)
"His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death." (Isaiah 53:9)
"Because He poured out Himself to death." (Isaiah 53:12)
"Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing." (Daniel 9:26)
"They will look on Me whom they have pierced." (Zechariah 12:10a)
All of these verses contain prophecies that were fulfilled when Jesusbreathed His last (v 37).
Foreshadowing Events from the Old Testament
Additionally, historical events recorded in the Old Testament foreshadow the Messiah's death. Israel's holy days also foreshadow the Messiah's death.
Some of these foreshadowing events include:
The LORD's curse to the serpent that "you shall bruise him on the heel." This predicted that Satan would harm the Messiah, but the Messiah would ultimately be victorious (Genesis 3:15).
The LORD clothing sinful Adam and Eve with garments of animal skin. This pictured that death was necessary to cover sin (Genesis 3:21).
Abraham's near sacrifice of his son Isaac. This pictured the Father giving up His only Son as a sacrifice. God's intervention also showed that only God, not man, could provide the sacrifice necessary for the sins of the world (Genesis 22:1-14).
Joseph being thrown into a pit and his father believing he was dead pictured the Messiah's death (Genesis 37:18, 37:31-35).
The Passover event: the sacrificial lamb and the death of Egypt's firstborn pictured the Messiah as the perfect sacrificial Lamb who would be slain (Exodus 12, Revelation 5:12).
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement: the sacrifice of the goat and the scapegoat pictured that the Messiah would bear the sins of the people and die for them (Leviticus 16:1-34).
The bronze serpent Moses lifted up in the wilderness, which saved those who looked upon it in faith from death, pictured Jesus being lifted up on the cross (Numbers 21:8-9,John 3:14-15).
Jesus's Prophetic Statements and Allusions to His Death
Jesus explicitly predicted His rejection, suffering, death, and resurrection to His disciples three times in Mark's Gospel:
1. Jesus's first explicit prediction of His death came near Caesarea Philippi, shortly after Peter's confession that Jesus was the Christ:
"And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again." (Mark 8:31)
2. Jesus's second explicit prediction came after the Mount of Transfiguration as He and His disciples were passing through Galilee:
"The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later." (Mark 9:31)
3. Jesus's third explicit prediction came as He and His disciples were going up to Jerusalem:
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again." (Mark 10:33-34)
Mark 15 records the fulfillment of these predictions.
Jesus was delivered "to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes." (Mark 14:53)
He was mocked, spat upon, scourged, and killed. (Mark 15:15-20, 37)
Jesus knew He was going to die. He repeatedly predicted His death and resurrection to His disciples.
On many other occasions Jesus alluded to His death:
4. Jesus predicted to Nicodemus that He would be lifted up on the cross to save the world when He compared Himself to the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the wilderness. (John 3:14-15)
5. Jesus projected His death when He taught His disciples to deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Him. (Mark 8:34)
6. Jesus explained that the Son of Man would suffer at the hands of His enemies. (Mark 9:12)
7. Jesus said that He came to give His life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)
8. Jesus referred to His own death through the Parable of the Vine-growers, in which the vine-growers killed the landowner's beloved son. (Mark 12:1-9)
9. Jesus mentioned His burial when He defended the woman who anointed Him at Bethany. (Mark 14:8)
10. During His final Passover meal, Jesus demonstrated how His death fulfilled the true meaning of Passover when He described the bread as His body and the cup as His "blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many." (Mark 14:22-25)
11. On the way to Gethsemane, Jesus again alluded to His death when He quoted the prophecy: "I will strike down the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." (Mark 14:27)
12. When Jesus confronted those who came to arrest Him, He told them these things were happening "to fulfill the Scriptures." (Mark 14:49)
Jesus knew He was going to die. He repeatedly predicted His death throughout His ministry.
These predictions were fulfilled when Jesusbreathed His last on the cross.
Other Prophecies Concerning Jesus's Death
Two of Jesus's contemporaries prophetically alluded to His death and its atoning significance during His lifetime.
These two people were John the Baptizer and Caiaphas the High Priest of Israel:
John the Baptizer was the Messianic forerunner who prepared the way of the Lord. John prophetically described Jesus's sacrificial death when he called Jesus: "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).
Caiaphas, the high priest, illegally conspired to orchestrate Jesus's murder. Nevertheless, Caiaphas unwittingly prophesied: "It is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish" (John 11:50).
The Gospel writer, John explains that Caiaphas did not say this on his own initiative, but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation (John 11:51).
It is fascinating to consider how both Jesus's prophetic forerunner and His priestly enemy independently alluded to His sacrificial death.
When Jesusbreathed His last on the cross, He fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies and foreshadowings of the Messiah's death, His own predictions, and the prophetic statements made during His lifetime.
3. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MESSIAH'S DEATH
It is difficult to overstate the importance of Jesus's death.
There is no atonement of sin without His sacrifice. And there is no resurrection without His death. Without Jesus's death there is no Gift of Eternal Life, and without the granting of the Gift of Eternal Life, the Prize of Eternal Life would also be unavailable. Simply put, Jesus's death made the Gospel possible.
The death of God's Son has infinite and eternal value.
Jesus was born as a mortal human while retaining His divinity. He did this so that He could suffer death for the sins of the world and redeem humanity (John 3:16,Hebrews 2:9, 14-16).
Mark has presented Jesus as the powerful and obedient Servant of God. Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, commanded the wind and the sea, fed thousands, and raised the dead. But the greatest act of His service was not a display of power that saved Himself from death.
It was His obedient choice to give His life for others.
Jesus explained the mission of His service: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
Now that mission was complete. Jesus had given His life.
The Gospel was predicated upon Jesus's death. The first two of the three tenets stated by the Apostle Paul concerning the Gospel expressly concern the Messiah’s death:
"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
Jesus's death completed His fulfillment of the Law (Matthew 5:17,John 19:30) and demonstrated His perfect obedience to God even unto death (Philippians 2:8). By fulfilling the Law unto death, Jesus, through His death, was able to redeem those under the Law (Galatians 4:4-5).
What does His redemption entail?
In a nutshell, the redemption of Jesus through His death on the cross provides for God's forgiveness of our sins, restores us into harmony with our Creator, and renews us to the divine purpose and eternal destiny for which we were made.
Consider the wonderful things which the Bible says Jesus's death accomplished for us as it pertains to the Gift of Eternal Life, or what Scripture calls being justified in the sight of God (Romans 3:23-24, 4:3):
1. The Ultimate Expression of Divine Love Jesus's sacrificial death demonstrates God's love for the world, even though the world is sinful (John 3:16, 10:11, 15:13, Romans 5:8,1 John 4:9).
Items 2-7 heavily correspond to God's mercy. Mercy is often described as not receiving something bad or unpleasant that we deserve.
2. Forgiveness of Sins Forgiveness means not holding the wrong someone has done against them. It is to pardon an offense.
4. Breaking the Curse Jesus's sacrificial death removed the curse of the Law because He took it upon Himself on the cross (Galatians 3:13,Hebrews 9:15).
5. Paid the Debt Jesus's sacrificial death paid the penalty of sin--which is death--and made the Gift of Eternal Life available to all who believe in Him (Romans 6:23,Colossians 2:13-14).
6. Abolition of Divine Condemnation Jesus's sacrificial death made a way to remove eternal judgment and condemnation against us (John 3:17-18,Romans 8:1,Colossians 2:13-14).
Items 7-11 heavily correspond to God’s grace.
Grace means "favor" or "kindness." In the case of God, grace is always something that we do not deserve, because no human can obligate God in any way.
7. Atonement of Sin Atonement refers to the act or process of making things right with God. Atonement removes the barrier of sin.
Jesus's sacrificial death goes beyond the mere forgiveness and pardoning of our sins. His death is also reconciling and restorative. Atonement entails both mercy and grace (1 Peter 2:24, 3:18).
9. Reconciliation Jesus's sacrificial death reconciles both Jews and Gentiles so that any person may have a meaningful relationship with God (Romans 5:10,Ephesians 2:11-16,Colossians 1:20-22).
11. Restoration Jesus's death restores us to the divine purpose for which we were created. This restoration provides the starting point from which a believer can pursue and receive their divine inheritance--the Prize of Eternal Life (Romans 8:16-18,Ephesians 1:11, 2:10, Hebrews 2:8-10).
Jesus's death on the cross made all of these things concerning God's mercy and grace freely available to every person in the world.
However, they do nothing for anyone unless that person believes in Jesus.
Jesus described this to Nicodemus by using the ancient Israelites looking at the bronze serpent lifted on a pole as an illustration. Just as the Israelites could be healed from the venom of vipers by having sufficient faith to look at the serpent on the pole, any human can be healed of the deadly venom of sin by trusting Jesus for salvation (John 3:14-16).
Recall the three central tenets of the Gospel that Paul identified to the Corinthians:
"that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
Jesus's death and resurrection demonstrate that He is the Son of God and that He has the power to save us from the death and futility of sin.
All of points 1-11 listed above show how Jesus's sacrificial death directly concerns the Gift of Eternal Life, or what Scripture refers to as being justified in God's sight (Romans 3:23-24, 4:3).
The following points describe how Jesus's sacrificial death provides the basis for our spiritual growth and our being made like Him. They describe how the power and example of the cross continue to sanctify believers:
12. Cleansing of Sin Jesus's sacrificial death provides the constant and ongoing cleansing of our sin. It is what allows us as imperfect believers to have fellowship with God (1 John 1:7-9).
14. Path to Victory over Sin Jesus's approach to the cross provides the perfect example and pattern for believers to follow as they encounter their own trials and temptations (Mark 8:34,Philippians 2:5-8,Hebrews 12:1-2).
Finally, Jesus's sacrificial death on the cross laid the foundation for His reign in the new heaven and the new earth:
15. Christ's Exaltation Jesus will be exalted by God in the sight of every person who has ever lived because of His obedient and sacrificial death (Isaiah 53:12,Philippians 2:8-11).
16. The Establishment of His Kingdom Jesus's sinless life and sacrificial death make Him worthy to open the scroll and qualify Him to sit and reign on the throne forever and ever (Revelation 5:1-14; see also Psalm 118:22 andMark 12:1-12).
17. Christ's Judgment of the World Jesus's sacrificial death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead qualify Him to judge the world (John 5:26-30,Romans 14:9).
Mark 15:37 is the final verse in Mark's Gospel that describes Jesus while He is physically alive before His resurrection.
The Messiah's death was foretold and depicted throughout the Old Testament and was repeatedly predicted by Jesus Himself. Jesus's death on the cross fulfilled these prophecies and established the foundation of the Gospel.
Throughout his Gospel, Mark has presented Jesus as the powerful Son of God and the faithful Servant who came to fulfill His mission. Jesus faithfully fulfilled His duty and mission to His Father to the very end and gave His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45)
And Jesusuttered a loud cry, and breathed His last (v 37).
After describing the moment of Jesus the Messiah's death, Mark next describes supernatural events and extraordinary human reactions that occurred in response to His death (Mark 15:38-41).
Mark 15:37
37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last.
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Mark 15:37 meaning
The parallel gospel accounts of Mark 15:37 are found in Matthew 27:50, Luke 23:46, and John 19:30.
In Mark 15:37, Jesus utters a loud cry and breathes His last, completing His faithful service and mission to give His life as a ransom for many.
The Bible Says commentary for Mark 15:37 is divided into three parts:
1. THE MOMENT OF THE MESSIAH'S DEATH
After describing how someone gave Jesus sour wine while the bystanders waited to see whether Elijah would come to take Him down from the cross (Mark 15:35-36), Mark describes the moment Jesus died:
And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last (v 37).
With this brief statement, Mark describes the moment of the Messiah's death.
Mark indicates that Jesus used His final breath and energy to utter a loud cry before He breathed His last.
Moments earlier, Jesus cried out with a loud voice: "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which Mark translated for his Gentile readers: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
(Mark 15:34).
Now Jesus uttered a loud cry once more before He breathed His last (v 37).
Mark does not record what Jesus said when He uttered a loud cry. He simply connects Jesus's final cry with the moment when He breathed His last.
Matthew similarly records that "Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit" (Matthew 27:50).
The Gospels of John and Luke directly quote Jesus's final statements and provide the content of what Mark describes as His loud cry.
John records what appears to be the first of Jesus's two final outcries:
"Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 'It is finished!' And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit."
(John 19:30)
This statement was a shout of victory and triumph.
Jesus had completed His mission. He had perfectly obeyed His Father and fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17-18). He had faithfully fulfilled the mission He described earlier in Mark: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
The Greek term which John used to translate Jesus's victorious shout--"It is finished" (John 19:30)--was a common accounting term used throughout the Roman Empire meaning "paid in full." Jesus's sacrificial death paid in full the penalty for the sins of the entire world (1 John 2:2).
To learn more about this statement, see The Bible Says article, "What Did Jesus Mean When He Said, 'It is Finished?'"
John, who was an eyewitness of the cross, also records that Jesus "bowed His head" before He "gave up His spirit" (John 19:30).
Normally, when people die, their head bows or falls after their spirit departs their body. But John describes Jesus as first bowing His head and then giving up His spirit.
This detail demonstrates that Jesus remained in control of His own life and death all the way to the end. As the Son of God, no one could take Jesus's life from Him--not even crucifixion. Jesus willingly gave His life. Jesus previously explained:
"I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father."
(John 10:17b-18)
Considering what Jesus could have controlled and chosen for Himself, His experience on the cross is all the more remarkable. He could have called twelve legions of angels to rescue Him, but He did not (Matthew 26:53). He could have used His divine power to come down from the cross as His mockers challenged Him to do (Mark 15:29-32), but He did not. He could have ended His physical life before suffering the terrible agony of separation from His Father and bearing the sins of the world, but He did not. Jesus remained on the cross until His mission was finished.
The powerful Son of God submitted His power to the will of His Father. He faithfully performed His duty as God’s Servant and remained obedient to the point of death (Philippians 2:8).
Luke records the last thing Jesus said before He breathed His last:
"And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.' Having said this, He breathed His last."
(Luke 23:46)
Jesus's prayer was an overt reference to Psalm 31.
The first line of Psalm 31:5 says: "Into Your hand I commit my spirit" (Psalm 31:5a). The final statement Jesus made before dying was to recite and personally apply David's prayer of faith in the face of death to His own death, and thus demonstrate the prophetic message of Psalm 31.
Psalm 31 is a psalm of trust. It is also prophetic of the Messiah's faith during His suffering and death on the cross.
With His final breath, Jesus put His complete faith in God. Jesus entrusted His spirit to His Father and trusted Him unto death.
The full line of Psalm 31:5 says:
"Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have ransomed me, O LORD, God of truth."
(Psalm 31:5)
Jesus had repeatedly predicted that He would be killed and rise again (Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:33-34). He trusted that His Father would raise Him from the dead. By personally appropriating the first half of Psalm 31:5--"Into Your hand I commit my spirit"--with His dying breath, Jesus was also alluding to the psalm's declaration of God's deliverance.
Mark simply says that Jesus breathed His last (v 37). Luke records that immediately before doing so, Jesus committed His human life and spirit into His Father's hands (Luke 23:46).
One final comment regarding the moment of Jesus the Messiah's death is that with His final breath, Jesus addressed God as "Father" (Luke 23:46).
This signifies that the divine relationship between God the Father and God the Son had been restored.
Earlier on the cross, the divine relationship was paradoxically strained as the innocent Son of God sacrificially took on and became the sin of the world in order to redeem the world from sin's penalty and power.
During that terrible moment, darkness fell over the whole land (Mark 15:33), and Jesus cried out with a loud voice (v 37):
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
(Mark 15:34)
But with that terrible moment passed, the fellowship between Father and Son had been restored. Jesus's final words were not "My God," but "Father."
Jesus commended His spirit into His Father's loving hands, and then breathed His last.
To learn more about Jesus's final statement, see The Bible Says article, "What did Jesus Mean by 'Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit?'"
2. THE PROPHETIC FULFILLMENTS OF THE MESSIAH'S DEATH
Jesus's death fulfilled a host of Messianic prophecies.
Old Testament Prophecies
Jesus's death on the cross fulfilled the prophecies of Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. Each describes in vivid detail the Messiah's suffering and death.
Psalms 31, 35, 55, 56, 57, 69, and 116, as well as Isaiah 49 and 50, are also prophetic of the Messiah’s suffering and death.
Below are citations of specific Old Testament prophecies predicting that the Messiah would die.
These include descriptions that His death would involve the physical horrors associated with crucifixion (Psalm 22:14), that He would die among criminals but be honored in burial (Isaiah 53:9), and that He would be pierced (Zechariah 12:10).
And all my bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It is melted within me."
(Psalm 22:14)
(Psalm 22:15)
(Psalm 31:5)
I am like a broken vessel."
(Psalm 31:12)
And a flood overflows me."
(Psalm 69:2)
And the terrors of Sheol came upon me."
(Psalm 116:3)
Is the death of His godly ones."
(Psalm 116:15)
He was crushed for our iniquities."
(Isaiah 53:5)
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth."
(Isaiah 53:7)
(Isaiah 53:8)
Yet He was with a rich man in His death."
(Isaiah 53:9)
(Isaiah 53:12)
(Daniel 9:26)
(Zechariah 12:10a)
All of these verses contain prophecies that were fulfilled when Jesus breathed His last (v 37).
Foreshadowing Events from the Old Testament
Additionally, historical events recorded in the Old Testament foreshadow the Messiah's death. Israel's holy days also foreshadow the Messiah's death.
Some of these foreshadowing events include:
Jesus's Prophetic Statements and Allusions to His Death
Jesus explicitly predicted His rejection, suffering, death, and resurrection to His disciples three times in Mark's Gospel:
1. Jesus's first explicit prediction of His death came near Caesarea Philippi, shortly after Peter's confession that Jesus was the Christ:
"And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again."
(Mark 8:31)
2. Jesus's second explicit prediction came after the Mount of Transfiguration as He and His disciples were passing through Galilee:
"The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later."
(Mark 9:31)
3. Jesus's third explicit prediction came as He and His disciples were going up to Jerusalem:
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again."
(Mark 10:33-34)
Mark 15 records the fulfillment of these predictions.
(Mark 14:53)
(Mark 14:64)
(Mark 15:1)
(Mark 15:15-20, 37)
Jesus knew He was going to die. He repeatedly predicted His death and resurrection to His disciples.
On many other occasions Jesus alluded to His death:
4. Jesus predicted to Nicodemus that He would be lifted up on the cross to save the world when He compared Himself to the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the wilderness.
(John 3:14-15)
5. Jesus projected His death when He taught His disciples to deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Him.
(Mark 8:34)
6. Jesus explained that the Son of Man would suffer at the hands of His enemies.
(Mark 9:12)
7. Jesus said that He came to give His life as a ransom for many.
(Mark 10:45)
8. Jesus referred to His own death through the Parable of the Vine-growers, in which the vine-growers killed the landowner's beloved son.
(Mark 12:1-9)
9. Jesus mentioned His burial when He defended the woman who anointed Him at Bethany.
(Mark 14:8)
10. During His final Passover meal, Jesus demonstrated how His death fulfilled the true meaning of Passover when He described the bread as His body and the cup as His "blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many."
(Mark 14:22-25)
11. On the way to Gethsemane, Jesus again alluded to His death when He quoted the prophecy: "I will strike down the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered."
(Mark 14:27)
12. When Jesus confronted those who came to arrest Him, He told them these things were happening "to fulfill the Scriptures."
(Mark 14:49)
Jesus knew He was going to die. He repeatedly predicted His death throughout His ministry.
These predictions were fulfilled when Jesus breathed His last on the cross.
Other Prophecies Concerning Jesus's Death
Two of Jesus's contemporaries prophetically alluded to His death and its atoning significance during His lifetime.
These two people were John the Baptizer and Caiaphas the High Priest of Israel:
The Gospel writer, John explains that Caiaphas did not say this on his own initiative, but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation (John 11:51).
It is fascinating to consider how both Jesus's prophetic forerunner and His priestly enemy independently alluded to His sacrificial death.
When Jesus breathed His last on the cross, He fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies and foreshadowings of the Messiah's death, His own predictions, and the prophetic statements made during His lifetime.
3. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MESSIAH'S DEATH
It is difficult to overstate the importance of Jesus's death.
There is no atonement of sin without His sacrifice. And there is no resurrection without His death. Without Jesus's death there is no Gift of Eternal Life, and without the granting of the Gift of Eternal Life, the Prize of Eternal Life would also be unavailable. Simply put, Jesus's death made the Gospel possible.
The death of God's Son has infinite and eternal value.
Jesus was born as a mortal human while retaining His divinity. He did this so that He could suffer death for the sins of the world and redeem humanity (John 3:16, Hebrews 2:9, 14-16).
Mark has presented Jesus as the powerful and obedient Servant of God. Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, commanded the wind and the sea, fed thousands, and raised the dead. But the greatest act of His service was not a display of power that saved Himself from death.
It was His obedient choice to give His life for others.
Jesus explained the mission of His service: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
Now that mission was complete. Jesus had given His life.
The Gospel was predicated upon Jesus's death. The first two of the three tenets stated by the Apostle Paul concerning the Gospel expressly concern the Messiah’s death:
"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried,
and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."
(1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
Jesus's death completed His fulfillment of the Law (Matthew 5:17, John 19:30) and demonstrated His perfect obedience to God even unto death (Philippians 2:8). By fulfilling the Law unto death, Jesus, through His death, was able to redeem those under the Law (Galatians 4:4-5).
What does His redemption entail?
In a nutshell, the redemption of Jesus through His death on the cross provides for God's forgiveness of our sins, restores us into harmony with our Creator, and renews us to the divine purpose and eternal destiny for which we were made.
Consider the wonderful things which the Bible says Jesus's death accomplished for us as it pertains to the Gift of Eternal Life, or what Scripture calls being justified in the sight of God (Romans 3:23-24, 4:3):
1. The Ultimate Expression of Divine Love
Jesus's sacrificial death demonstrates God's love for the world, even though the world is sinful (John 3:16, 10:11, 15:13, Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:9).
Items 2-7 heavily correspond to God's mercy. Mercy is often described as not receiving something bad or unpleasant that we deserve.
2. Forgiveness of Sins
Forgiveness means not holding the wrong someone has done against them. It is to pardon an offense.
Jesus's death on the cross is the basis of God's forgiveness of the world because Jesus fully paid for our sins (Matthew 26:28, Luke 24:46-47, Acts 13:38-39, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14).
3. Propitiation
Propitiation means "appeasement" or "satisfaction." Jesus's sacrificial death satisfied God's wrath against sin (Romans 5:9, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9, 1 John 2:2, 4:10).
4. Breaking the Curse
Jesus's sacrificial death removed the curse of the Law because He took it upon Himself on the cross (Galatians 3:13, Hebrews 9:15).
5. Paid the Debt
Jesus's sacrificial death paid the penalty of sin--which is death--and made the Gift of Eternal Life available to all who believe in Him (Romans 6:23, Colossians 2:13-14).
6. Abolition of Divine Condemnation
Jesus's sacrificial death made a way to remove eternal judgment and condemnation against us (John 3:17-18, Romans 8:1, Colossians 2:13-14).
Items 7-11 heavily correspond to God’s grace.
Grace means "favor" or "kindness." In the case of God, grace is always something that we do not deserve, because no human can obligate God in any way.
7. Atonement of Sin
Atonement refers to the act or process of making things right with God. Atonement removes the barrier of sin.
Jesus's sacrificial death goes beyond the mere forgiveness and pardoning of our sins. His death is also reconciling and restorative. Atonement entails both mercy and grace (1 Peter 2:24, 3:18).
8. Imputed Righteousness
Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (Romans 5:17-19, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 3:9).
9. Reconciliation
Jesus's sacrificial death reconciles both Jews and Gentiles so that any person may have a meaningful relationship with God (Romans 5:10, Ephesians 2:11-16, Colossians 1:20-22).
10. Adoption
Jesus's sacrificial death allows us to be adopted into God's eternal family (John 1:12-13, Romans 8:15, Ephesians 1:5, 2:19).
11. Restoration
Jesus's death restores us to the divine purpose for which we were created. This restoration provides the starting point from which a believer can pursue and receive their divine inheritance--the Prize of Eternal Life (Romans 8:16-18, Ephesians 1:11, 2:10, Hebrews 2:8-10).
Jesus's death on the cross made all of these things concerning God's mercy and grace freely available to every person in the world.
However, they do nothing for anyone unless that person believes in Jesus.
Jesus described this to Nicodemus by using the ancient Israelites looking at the bronze serpent lifted on a pole as an illustration. Just as the Israelites could be healed from the venom of vipers by having sufficient faith to look at the serpent on the pole, any human can be healed of the deadly venom of sin by trusting Jesus for salvation (John 3:14-16).
Recall the three central tenets of the Gospel that Paul identified to the Corinthians:
"that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried,
and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."
(1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
Jesus's death and resurrection demonstrate that He is the Son of God and that He has the power to save us from the death and futility of sin.
All of points 1-11 listed above show how Jesus's sacrificial death directly concerns the Gift of Eternal Life, or what Scripture refers to as being justified in God's sight (Romans 3:23-24, 4:3).
The following points describe how Jesus's sacrificial death provides the basis for our spiritual growth and our being made like Him. They describe how the power and example of the cross continue to sanctify believers:
12. Cleansing of Sin
Jesus's sacrificial death provides the constant and ongoing cleansing of our sin. It is what allows us as imperfect believers to have fellowship with God (1 John 1:7-9).
13. Victory over Sin
Jesus's obedience unto death broke the power of sin. Believers are no longer enslaved to sin (Romans 6:17-18, Galatians 5:1, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
14. Path to Victory over Sin
Jesus's approach to the cross provides the perfect example and pattern for believers to follow as they encounter their own trials and temptations (Mark 8:34, Philippians 2:5-8, Hebrews 12:1-2).
Finally, Jesus's sacrificial death on the cross laid the foundation for His reign in the new heaven and the new earth:
15. Christ's Exaltation
Jesus will be exalted by God in the sight of every person who has ever lived because of His obedient and sacrificial death (Isaiah 53:12, Philippians 2:8-11).
16. The Establishment of His Kingdom
Jesus's sinless life and sacrificial death make Him worthy to open the scroll and qualify Him to sit and reign on the throne forever and ever (Revelation 5:1-14; see also Psalm 118:22 and Mark 12:1-12).
17. Christ's Judgment of the World
Jesus's sacrificial death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead qualify Him to judge the world (John 5:26-30, Romans 14:9).
Mark 15:37 is the final verse in Mark's Gospel that describes Jesus while He is physically alive before His resurrection.
The Messiah's death was foretold and depicted throughout the Old Testament and was repeatedly predicted by Jesus Himself. Jesus's death on the cross fulfilled these prophecies and established the foundation of the Gospel.
Throughout his Gospel, Mark has presented Jesus as the powerful Son of God and the faithful Servant who came to fulfill His mission. Jesus faithfully fulfilled His duty and mission to His Father to the very end and gave His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45)
And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last (v 37).
After describing the moment of Jesus the Messiah's death, Mark next describes supernatural events and extraordinary human reactions that occurred in response to His death (Mark 15:38-41).