Good Friday

Surely this man was the Son of God!

Said the centurion as he saw Jesus dying on the cross.

When you look at Jesus through the lens of Mark the Gospel, you will see full of ironies.

Jesus repeated three times He would died on the cross to His disciples (Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:33), yet they didn't understand.  Instead, they were interested on getting their entitlement in Heaven (recall James and John asking to be sit the right and left hand of Jesus in Mark 10:37).

Jesus was condemned as the King of Jews, which was also His very title. There was no fault in the testimonies brought against Jesus (Mark 14:55-59).

Jesus' disciples, those who follow Him, saw Him performed countless miracles, was in His inner circles, saw the transfiguration, those who swore they would not deny Him (Mark 14:11), was no where to be found during the Crucifixion.

Jesus, the expected messiah, the one that the Jews were waiting and hoping for, came and no one recognized Him except the evils spirits (Mark 3:11, 5:7) and at His death, a centurion, an outsider.

A gospel full of ironies.  A gospel where it doesn't work out as it should.   It is like a bad story unfolding.

Time and time again, the disciples don't 'get' it.  Jesus is just as upset over His very own as towards the Pharisees.

Everyone of them deserted Him when He needed them the most.
At a time, Peter got it.  Jesus is the Christ.  Yet in the very next moment, Peter tries to rebuke Jesus in front of the disciples (Mark 8:32).
The hardness of their heart, after seeing Jesus feeding four thousands and five thousands, and still argue over bread (Mark 8:19-21).

Despite that, the Gospel of Mark is also a gospel of love.  We see Jesus never abandon His disciples.  He takes care of them (calming of the storm in Mark 4:39).  He explains to them the parables He shared to outsiders (Mark 4:13-20. He loves them.

And it is during Good Friday, I reflected on this Jesus.  The Jesus came here to serve, not to be served (Mark 11:45).  The good shepherd who takes care of his sheep (Mark 14:27).  To know and be in awe of the obedience to the Father's Will (Mark 14:36).

Mocked.  Scourged.  Beaten.
Alone.  Abandon.  Ashamed.