“With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last” Mark 15: 37
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Get Help Now!As a religious and biblical account, the bible has undergone various transformations since its first publications. The relative transformations have had diverse impacts on its structure, form as well as meaning. In some instances, the translators have been compelled to make changes in a bid to accommodate the needs of the audience. Likewise, this has had various implications on the messages contained therein as well as the influences of the messages to the audience. Biblical studies ascertain that the gospel details the life of Jesus form his birth to crucifixion and death. The life of Jesus is at the core of the Christian faith and therefore, the gospel books are imperatively important to Christian faith. Other books that are found in the old as well as new testament are equally important because they expound further on the historical background of the life of Jesus and on the teachings that he provides in the gospel. It is against this background that this paper reviews the passage ‘with a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last’ as presented by the gospel of Mark chapter fifteen verses thirty seven.
This verse is preceded by chapter thirty six that states, “and one ran and, filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink saying, ‘wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down” (Cory 33). In this regard, Jesus was on the cross and had just been crucified. Having undergone immense pain, he cried out aloud saying ‘Eloi’. However, the bystanders misinterpreted this and heard him say Elijah. Elijah was a prophet that was respected by the community because of the historical miracles that he had performed. In his review, Cory indicates that Elijah was greatly respected amongst the Jewish community because he had saved the widow and her son by providing them with food (44). In his teachings, Jesus had also referred severally to the works and life of Elijah. This can be used to explain why the bystanders believed that at this point in time, Jesus was calling upon the help of Elijah. However, Jesus in this respect was calling upon the help of his father, God.
Chapter thirty eight that follows this passage states “And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Cory 33). Structurally, the Jewish temples had curtains that covered the inner part of the temple that was also considered to be very holy. It was believed that God resided in this place and that since the communities and locals were sinful, they were not worthy of seeing the place. From a theological point of view, the curtain acted as a barrier between God who was considered to be extremely holy and humans that were considered to be very sinful. The tearing of the curtain of the temple in this regard signifies that the barrier between human beings and God had been broken and the two could enjoy a healthy relationship that is characterized by free interactions.
The passage under review is affected in different ways by this context. Generally, this is procedural account of the events that took place before and after the death of Jesus. These events had been prophesized in the Old Testament and their failure to happen could have prevented the death of Christ. Just like the precedent passage, the passage that follows had also been prophesized and the tearing of the curtain resulted from the death of Jesus. Brown argues that this had a divine implication and needed to have occurred to ascertain that indeed, Jesus Christ had died.
With respect to the form of the text, the author does not directly inform the audience that Jesus had dies, rather he uses the phrase ‘breathed his last’. Notably, before hi death, Jesus says utters very many things and just before taking his last breath, he cries out aloud. This is also apparent in the book of Psalm and can be used to ascertain the actions of Jesus before his death. In the book of Psalm, the suffering person cries for help from other individuals during his suffering. In addition, the sufferer tends to say very many things after he has cried (Brown 41). He then proceeds to saying how good God is and how he would continue to praise the name of God even when enduring the suffering. Arguably, Imperato indicates that this verse has a theological background (47).
Essentially, it is widely agreed that the crucifixion of people was in most instances pursued through suffocation. This implies that the crucified individuals were most likely to be unconscious before they did. In this consideration therefore, the onlookers could not have understood the precise moment that Christ died. This is attributable to the state of unconsciousness that does not allow onlookers to understand what Christ was experiencing. From a theological point of view, the breath and the spirit of an individual were closely associated. In this respect therefore, Jesus last breath is closely associated with his dying.
In his review, Cory argues that the book of Psalm chapter eighteen can be used to explain why Jesus cried at this point in time (57). Verse seven states that “In distress I called upon the Lord; to my God, I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears” (Brown 44). At this point, it is worth acknowledging that the Old Testament preceded the New Testament and played an important role in providing useful insights regarding what would later happen in the New Testament. With reference to the crying of Christ, the preceding verse underscores the reasons behind the crying of Jesus. Specifically, Jesus cried for help from God. It can not be disputed that crucifixion is both physically and emotionally distressing. In his human form, Jesus acted as a human being and therefore had similar feelings to those of humans. He was therefore experiencing immense pain and suffering during this process and just like the sufferer in the book of Psalm; he opted to call for help. The loud cry also indicates that he was experiencing immense physical pain.
The structure of this verse is also differs slightly from the one that is adopted by other gospels. When referring to the similar even, Mathew states that ‘Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last’ (Cory 44). Luke on the other hand states “Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father into your hands I commend my spirit” (Cory 44). Having said this, he breathed his last. Unlike other gospels, John does not directly detail the event of death. The inherent difference can be explained by the purpose of each gospel. Beduhn indicates that the gospel of Mark places great emphasis on the suffering of Jesus because it seeks to present him to the audience as a suffering lamb (39). Luke on the other hand seeks to inform the audience about issues pertaining to social justice. John emphasizes on the divinity of Jesus and therefore cites his words and actions more than the experiences that the Jews put him through. Finally, the gospel of Mathew sees to establish a relationship between the Judaism traditional faith and the Christian faith.
This verse has undergone various editorial changes for different purposes. In other words, the manner in which the verse is presented in the current bible edition is not consisted with the manner in which it was initially presented in the very first edition. Cory cites The New World Translation of Holy Scriptures that indicates that the verse initially read ‘Again Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit’ (Cory 75). Nonetheless, the very first edition that was presented during the 1950s stated “Again Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and ceased to breathe” (Cory 76). This initial edition has been criticized and resultantly changed for various reasons.
To begin with, it is argued that stopping to breathe does not necessarily mean that Jesus yielded up his own spirit. Yielding up the spirit in this context was very important because it implied that the spirit of Jesus finally ascended in heaven. This has significant spiritual implications to the Christians and the then community. In essence, it implied that Jesus had finally been reunited with his father and would therefore fulfill his teachings and prophecies. In this consideration, it is certain that the earlier edition had certain inconsistencies that had adverse impacts on the Christian faith. The revisions sought to ascertain that man’s spirit continues to exist even after it has died. This is at the core of the Christian faith and needed to be highlighted in order to enhance understanding. Most importantly, this was consisted with Christian faith that the Jews held in high regard.
In addition, Sakenfield argues that the use of the word breath in this passage is attributable to the account of the witnesses (33). Notably, most of the witnesses had participated actively in the crucifixion of Jesus and therefore stood and watched to see if he would deliver himself from the death. They used the word breath in a bid to indicate that Jesus had simply died. This is because of the fact that they did not believe in resurrection. A significant percentage of them were opposed to the concept of resurrection and did not believe in life after death. The use of the word breath was therefore aimed at justifying their actions. Put differently, they needed to show that Jesus had simply died and would possibly not resurrect or his spirit would not be felt again. In this consideration, it became imperatively important to replace the word breathe with spirit in order to bridge the gaps that were inherent in the translation. This was particularly so after Jesus resurrected and ascended in heaven. However, it is widely agreed that losing ones breathe is akin to the word spirit. As such, some of the translations have employed the two words interchangeably.
The theologically important words in this passage include ‘loud cry’ and ‘breathed his last’. Crying out loud was a common occurrence during suffering. As indicated earlier, the book of Psalms cites that a sufferer tended to cry out loud in a bid to seek help from the public or on lookers. Literarily, this is an expression of intense physical pain and suffering and accredits the fact that the sufferer is devastated. The word ‘breathed his last’ in this context refer to dying and letting go of the spirit. The words are not use din a new way by the author; rather they are documented in a similar way like in the gospels of Mathew and Luke. To a great extent, they are consistent with the Old Testament prophecies that prophesized the death of Christ.
The words are important in this passage because they imply a fulfillment of the prophecy. In addition, they exemplify the fact that Jesus suffered and dies. From a theological point of view, they imply that the spirit of Jesus left the body to be re-united by with his father in heaven. Also, the words mark the end of the suffering of Jesus Christ and the accomplishment of his mission of earth. These words accord Christianity its importance. They indicate that there is life after death and give hope to the Christians to continue believing in God and endure all the suffering, just like Jesus Christ.
The passage indicates that Jesus had a good relationship with his father, God. The fact that he yielded up his spirit to his father who presumably readily accepted him in his kingdom indicates that his father was very supportive of him. Prior to the passage, he cried out to the father to help him in this time of need. This shows that he depended on his father when in dire need. Since he had accepted to die for the sins of the human race, his father let him to accomplish this task. However, after his death, he yielded up his spirit and was once again reunited with his father. There are certain concerns that this passage addressed amongst the Jewish community. The Jewish population was unsupportive of Jesus Christ and even demanded for his death. Initially, they had been informed that Jesus was the messiah and that he would die and resurrect. The passage marks the beginning of the fulfillment of this prophecy. The passage also ascertains that Jesus had a human body and although he led a divine life, he was still human.
In sum, the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ is at the core of the Christian faith. The biblical passage under review marks the peak of Jesus the life of Jesus. He lived like a human being but in a divine manner. The passage underscores the death of Jesus that is prophesized in the Old Testament. Furthermore, the experience is also documented in other gospels such as the gospel of Mathew and Luke. The experience of Jesus Christ in this regard has a theological importance. In particular, it ascertains that the death of Jesus was just a transformation to another form of life. The yielding of the spirit of Jesus implies that he was reunited with his father in heaven.
Works Cited
Beduhn David. Truth in Translation. USA: University Press of America, 2003. Print.
Brown, Raymond. Introduction to The New Testament. USA: Doubleday, 1997. Print.
Cory Catherine. A Voyage Through the New Testament. New York: Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.
Imperato Robert. Portraits of Jesus. USA: University Press of America, 2008. Print.
Sakenfeld Karen. The New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible. USA: Abingdon, 2006. Print.
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