HOW WILL YOU DIE?

Mark 15:34-36

³⁴ Then at the ninth hour Jesus cried in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”[1] which means, “My God, my God, why have you given up on me?”[2] ³⁵ And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Watch, he is calling Elijah.” ³⁶ And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, because they said, “Leave him, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.”

last miracle

The crowds gathered at the cross had heard the stories—how Jesus healed the sick, opened blind eyes, cast out demons, even raised the dead. Some in that crowd may have seen those miracles with their own eyes. So when Jesus cried out the opening line of Psalm 22, they misunderstood Him and assumed He was calling for Elijah. In their minds, this was their last chance to see something spectacular. If He really had power, perhaps He would put on one more display before dying. They wanted entertainment, not truth.

But the real miracle was not the one they were waiting for. It was the Scripture Jesus was quoting. Psalm 22 begins with the raw cry of abandonment, but it does not end there. The psalm moves steadily toward confidence, hope, and victory. It is a declaration that God will not forsake His righteous one. By quoting its first line, Jesus was pointing to the entire psalm—a psalm that ends in triumph, not despair. His final miracle on the cross was not a dramatic rescue but unwavering faith in His Father. He trusted that death was not the end, that resurrection was certain, and that His suffering would accomplish salvation for the world.

In that moment, Jesus left us a pattern for our own final moments. When our lives draw to a close, when strength fades and the world grows dim, the greatest testimony we can leave is trust—trust that the God who raised Jesus will raise us as well. A life that ends with confidence in the Lord becomes a final sermon, a final witness, a final miracle of faith.

LORD, when our lives are drawing to a close, give us the wisdom to trust You for resurrection life, and leave the world a message of confidence in You.

[1] Aramaic.

[2] Psalm 22:1.