and gave up the ghost. The three synop- tists all mention this cry, which appears to have been something different from the words which he uttered at or about the time of his death. It was evidently something supernatural, and was so regarded by the ecenturion who stood by; and who had no doubt been accustomed to scenes like these. Usually the voice fails the dying, more especially when the natural forces have been weakened by long agony, as in the
case of our Lord. It seems, therefore, the |
right conclusion that he cricd out, just before he expired, by that supernatural power which his Godhead supplied to him;
and thas he showed that, although he had |
gone through all the pains which were sufficient in ordinary cases to produce death,
yet that at length he did not die of neces- |
sity, but voluntarily, in accordance with what he had himeelf said, “ No one taketh my life from me... . I have power to lay
it down, and I have power to take it again * (John x.18). Victer Antiochanus, in com- menting upon this chapter, says, “ By this action the Lord Jesus proved that he had his whole life, and his death, in his own free power.”
Ver. 38.—And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to ths bottom. There were two veils—one before the holy place, and the other before the holy of holies. The holy place would correspond to what we call the nave of the church, in which the priests were continually present; the holy of holies would correspond to our chancel choir —the holiest part of the building. This was always kept closed; nor might any one enter it but the high priest, and that only once in the year, on the day of expiation. The veil which was rent at our Lord’s death was that which was placed before the holy of holies; it was catled: the xatawéracpa. The outer veil was called kdAvupa. It was the duty of the officiating priest, on the evening of the day of preparation, at the hour of evening prayer, which would correspond to the time of our Lord’s death, to enter into the holy place, where he would of course be between the two curtains, or veils, the outer veil, or kaAuuua, and the inner veil, or xararéracua. It would then be his business to roll back the «dAvuua, or outer veil, thus exposing the holy place to the people, whe would be in the outer court. And then and there they would see, to their amazement, the koararéracpa, the inner veil, rent asunder from the top to the bottom. These veils or curtains, according to Josephus, were each forty cubits in height and ten in breadth, of great substance, very massive, and richly embroidered with gold and purple. Now, this rending of the veil signified (1) that the whole of the Jewish dispensation, with its rites and ceremonies, was now unfolded b Christ ; and that thenceforth the middle wall of partition was broken down, so that now, not the Jews only, but the Gentiles also might draw nigh by the blood of Christ. But (2) it further signified that the way to heaven was laid open by our Lord’sdeath. “ When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.” The veil siguified that heaven was closed to all, until Christ by his death rent this veil in twain, and laid open the way.
Ver. 39.—And when the centurion, which stood by over against him (6 wapeorynxds é evavrias avrod) saw that he so gave up the ghost. The words, “so cried out,” are not in the most important authorities. It was the business of the centurion to watch all that took place, and to see that the sentence was executed. He must have been standing close under the cross; ana there was that im
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the whole demeanour of the dying Sufferer, so different from anything that he had ever witnessed before, that it drew from him the involuntary exclamation, Truly this man was the Son of God. He had observed him through those weary hours; he had_ noticed the meekness and the dignity of the Suiferer; be had heard those words, so deeply im- pressed upon the faith and reverence of Christians, which fell from him from time to time as he hung there; and then at last he heard the piercing cry, so startling, so unexpected, which escaped him just before he yielded up his spirit; and he could come so no other conclusion than this, that he was in very deed God’s Son. It has been supposed by some tliat this centurion was Longinus, who was led by the miracles which accompanied the death of Christ, to acknowledge him to be the Son of God, and to be a herald of his resurrection, and was ultimately himself put to death for the sake of Christ in Cappadocia. St. Chrysostom repeats the common report, that on account of his faith he was at last crowned with martyrdom.
Ver. 40.—And there were also women be- holding from afar (amd paxpdbey Pewpodoa). St. Matthew (xxvii. 55) says that there were many. Amongst them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the wife of Clopas, or Alphaus, and mother of James the less and of Joses, called brethren of our Lord, and the mother of Zebedee’s children, that is, Salome. The mother of our Lord had been there until the time when, having with St. John crept as near the cross of Jesus as she might venture, she was consigned by our Lord to St. John’s care, and taken away by him. St. Mark mentions this to show the faith and love of these holy women, because in the very pre- sence of the enemies of Christ they dared to stand by his cross, and shrank not from testifying their piety and devotion. St. John says that they stood near. He must have known; for at one time at least he was stand- ing near. St. Matthew and St. Mark speak of them as at a distance. They were at a distance, no doubt, for the most part, as compared with the soldiers, whose duty it was to be in close attendance and to keep the people off. But these devoted women came as near as they could, so as to see and hear their Lord. Perhaps they were sometimes further oit and sometimes nearer, as they saw opportunity, or as the humour of the officials suffered them.
Ver. 41.—From this verse we lcarn that these women followed him, and ministered unto him when he was in Galilee; and that many other women came up with him unto Jerusalem. ‘The sublime beauty of his character, and the spiritual influence which he wielded, attracted them; and they were
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK.
{on. xv. 1—47,
able to minister to the various needs of his humanity.
Ver. 42.— And when even was now come. The sabbath commenced on the Friday evening at six o’clock. The evening com- menced at three o’clock. Our Lord must be buried before six o’clock.