Jesus Gives a Powerful “Hint” in Response to Taunting - Mark 15-16

 Mark 15:31-34 (ESV)

31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

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?”

It is too bad that in the ESV and NIV version of the Bible translations put a break between these two sections.  Both versions separate verses 31 and 32 from 33 and 34 with a simple header, “The Death of Jesus.”   It is true that verse 31 and 32 are the end of one paragraph and 33 and 34 are the beginning of a new paragraph.  But, the connection of the two thoughts is actually quite dynamic.   The connection between these verses  is found in the way Hebrew teachers teach.   Jesus is actually doing something quite amazing in His last words, 

“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

In these words Jesus is quoting the first verse of Psalm 22.   That is significant based upon what the “chief priests and scribes” were mocking him.  They were shaming Jesus and taunting Him to come down from the cross so that they “may see and believe.” To understand the significance of this you have to know how “they” actually taught others.  Remember, the Jews didn’t have “Bibles” in those days.  Not only the teachers, but the people had to commit significant portions of God’s word to memory.   When the chief priest and scribes would teach they would quote a portion of a text.   The audience would so know the passage that the small portion they quoted would be a “hint” for them to recall the entire text.  Today if we hear the first part of Psalm 23, the rest of Psalm 23 comes to our minds.  The Hebrew word for “hint” is “remez.”   The scribes and chief priest would be familiar with using a “remez” in their teaching, since this was THEIR technique for instruction.   They would simply quote a portion of the passage and the listeners would recall the entire passage.   

This “remez” form of teaching is the significance of these verses flowing together.   In verses 31 and 32, the chief priest and scribes are taunting Jesus to come off the cross and imply they would bow down and worship Him if He did.  What does Jesus to in His defense?   In verse 33 and 34 He quotes the first verse of Psalm 22.  Why is that significant?  Because He was using the teaching technique of the “remez.”  He was given these religious teachers a “hint.”  They would, by nature, hear the first verse, but recall the entire chapter.   They could not help themselves but to recall and know the entire chapter.  Remember, they are taunting Jesus to come off the cross and implying they would  then worship Him.   Well, note what the the end of Psalm 22 says.  They would recall the end of the chapter when they heard the first verse of the chapter:

Psalms 22:27-31 (ESV)

All the ends of the earth shall remember

and turn to the LORD,

and all the families of the nations

shall worship before you.

For kingship belongs to the LORD,

and he rules over the nations.

All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;

before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,

even the one who could not keep himself alive.

Posterity shall serve him;

it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;

they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,

that he has done it.

Jesus did not simply ignore their taunting.  He did not cry out simply to explain that God had forsaken Him (the meaning of the Hebrew words He uttered with His last breath).   He specifically used that passage to say to the religious leaders (and to all mankind), “I AM COMING DOWN FROM THIS CROSS AND YOU WILL WORSHIP ME ... ALL WILL WORSHIP ME!”

Jesus used a “remez” approach to teach them.  All the Old Testament references found in the New Testament are used in this way.  They are “hints” of greater truths to learn.  But, in this case, Jesus was not just giving His life up and proclaiming He, alone, was giving His life for us.  He was always responding and teaching the religious leaders that they might taunt Him now, but they would still worship Him later.