At the Foot of the Cross
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for opening the way for me to come into the presence of God! May I never take that for granted.
Read Mark 15:33–41
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
[33] At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. [34] 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?”). [35] When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” [36] Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. [37] With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. [38] The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. [39] And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” [40] Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. [41] In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
1 Peter calls us to follow Christ in his example of suffering for righteousness. How are you following today?From midday to three o’clock there is darkness over all the land. It’s a picture of God’s wrathagainst sin and rebellion. Jesus feels that the Father has forsaken him, so powerful is the weightof the world’s sin upon him. But then there is a second loud cry and Jesus dies as he takes thepunishment of sin on our behalf. Mark doesn’t tell us more, but John does (John 19:30). Jesusutters the words “It is finished”—it is complete and accomplished. The work of dealing with oursin has been fulfilled, and as a sign that this is so the curtain of the Temple is torn from top tobottom—not by humans but by God. The curtain that was opened only once every year in theTemple is now opened forever. We now have access into the very presence of God (Eph. 2:18).The first person to profess his faith in Jesus as “the Son of God” is the centurion who has been incharge of the crucifixion, having heard Jesus’ words and having seen how he died. In the shadowof the cross are the women who have faithfully followed Jesus. On Good Friday we are called topublicly profess our faith, and follow Jesus wherever he may lead.From midday to three o’clock there is darkness over all the land. It’s a picture of God’s wrath against sin and rebellion. Jesus feels that the Father has forsaken him, so powerful is the weight of the world’s sin upon him. But then there is a second loud cry and Jesus dies as he takes the punishment of sin on our behalf. Mark doesn’t tell us more, but John does (John 19:30). Jesus utters the words “It is finished”—it is complete and accomplished. The work of dealing with our sin has been fulfilled, and as a sign that this is so the curtain of the Temple is torn from top to bottom—not by humans but by God. The curtain that was opened only once every year in the Temple is now opened forever. We now have access into the very presence of God (Eph. 2:18). The first person to profess his faith in Jesus as “the Son of God” is the centurion who has been in charge of the crucifixion, having heard Jesus’ words and having seen how he died. In the shadow of the cross are the women who have faithfully followed Jesus. On Good Friday we are called to publicly profess our faith, and follow Jesus wherever he may lead.
Apply
Think of one person with whom you can share the Good News today.
Closing prayer
Gracious Lord, in the midst of a world of unbelief, help me to humbly and confidently confess my faith in Jesus.
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2025 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.