DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
St. Mark 15:22-25, 33-41
(2/29)
Gospel for Friday of the Week of Meatfare
Responses to Christ’s Passion: V ~ Kindness: St.
Mark 15: 20, 22, 25, 33-41, especially vs. 36: “Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour
wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, ‘Let Him
alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.’” The
Lord Jesus embodies kindness to all in need. He restored a demon-possessed man to his
right mind. He stopped a
woman’s issue of blood. He
fed crowds, gave sight to the blind, healed lepers, enabled the lame to walk,
forgave sinners, embraced little children, returned departed ones to their
bereaved families, and saved a wedding celebration. Only the proud, the self-righteous, the
power-hungry, the calloused, and indifferent received His scorn. To us He is kind.
And in response, people love Him! Certainly His disciples cared deeply for
His welfare and His needs (Mt. 26:35).
Mary of Bethany anointed His head, “...for the day of My burial” (Jn. 12:7). Most heartening are the glimpses of
others being kind to Him during His Passion. Best-known is the good thief. Sharing the same sentence of death on an
adjoining cross, he sought to restrain the bitter tongue of his criminal
accomplice on the third cross (Lk. 23:40,41). Also, the
good thief expressed faith in the Lord Jesus with no earthly reason compelling
him: “Remember me when You come into Your kingdom”
(Lk. 23:42).
In the present portion of St. Mark’s
Passion narrative, there is a record of four who were kind to Him: a soldier in
the execution squad, the Centurion in charge of the detail, an unknown person
in the crowd, and a small group of women who had supported His ministry.
The soldiers took the Lord Jesus out to the
site for the crucifixion (vs. 22).
Then one of the squad offered Him wine laced with myrrh. The concoction is narcotic. Had the Lord drunk what was offered, it
would have deadened His pain, created a mood of euphoria, relaxed Him, and
likely shortened His suffering. The
act revealed a pragmatic degree of human kindness. It recalls Jesus’ promise that if
anyone gave Him drink when He was thirsty, or “did it to one of the least
of these My brethren,” such a one would inherit the Kingdom (Mt. 25:35,40). Thank God
for such kind gestures that happen by the thousands all across the face of the
world every day.
For three long hours, our Blessed Lord endured
not only the physical agony of crucifixion, but also mockery from “those
who passed by” (vss. 29-33). Then at the ninth hour, when He cried
out (Mk. 15:36), “someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put
it on a reed and offered it to Him to drink,” another kindness like the
soldier who earlier had offered him wine with myrrh. Shortly afterwards, the Lord died. God bless all such acts of kindness!
Tradition tells us that the Centurion in
charge of the squad of soldiers was Longinos. By the gift of faith he was able to say,
“Truly this Man was the Son of God” (Mk. 15:39). When the elders tried to bribe him to
lie and say that the body was stolen, he refused and sought Baptism, but he was
hunted down and martyred. Thank God
for all who tell the truth kindly.
Finally, there were the women who were to
become the Myrrh-bearers. As the
Lord suffered, they stood by. After
His death, with the Sabbath ended, they came with a last gesture of love - to anoint His
body and bid farewell as they could.
Their grief turned to joy! God
bless those who clean up the pain and grief of the world without seeking
recognition (vss. 41; 16:1).
May God give us the grace to relieve pain as
we are able, to offer gestures of comfort to those who struggle, to tell the
truth with love, and to assuage the world’s pain when we meet it. And may the
Lord say to us, “Come you blessed of My Father, inherit the
Kingdom...” (Mt. 25:34).
O Lord, constrain my heart to love friends
and enemies, and shouldest Thou see in me the tiniest
spark of kindness or love, fill it with grace sufficient for salvation - mine
and others.
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