The crucifixion of Christ provokes a reaction in each and every one of us. The nature of that response reveals the condition of our hearts. In Mark’s account, we see several different reactions to Jesus’ death, each exposing something about the human heart before the cross.

Pilate: Seeking Approval

Pilate’s response to the crucifixion was almost that of a bystander, even though he was complicit in the act itself. He set aside his own convictions in order to please the crowd. He lived for the crowd and their approval, not the truth. Mark 15:15
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Do you see yourself in Pilate?

The Religious Leaders and Onlookers: Mockery at the Cross

The religious leaders, the scribes and Pharisees, the passing onlookers, and even those crucified with Jesus mocked and ridiculed Him. Mark records their words in Mark 15:29–31: “And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!’ So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself.’”

The religious leaders were convinced they knew the way to God and the cross was definitely not part of that route. But their mockery revealed their spiritual blindness.

The Disciples and the Women: Fear, Grief, and Confusion

Then there were those who had trusted and believed in Him and had followed Him up to this point. His disciples abandoned Him totally while some women who loved and cared deeply for Him stood at a distance feeling helpless, confused and even hopeless. Their hopes and dreams of a Messiah were dashed as He hanged helpless on a tree.

At the cross, Christ was isolated and abandoned by all—even by His own Father – whose abandonment Jesus couldn’t bear the pain of. Mark records Jesus’ cry of agony in Mark 15:34: “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

The Centurion: “Getting” Jesus

Finally, we see the priceless reaction of the centurion who orchestrated and oversaw the crucifixion. He did not order it but was simply following orders. As a Roman centurion, he had likely witnessed and supervised many crucifixions before. But as the horrific reality of this crucifixion unfolded, he sensed something wholly unusual about what was happening.

In the midst of the mocking and reviling, the centurion saw what others missed. He gets Jesus, he sees the light and proclaims, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). His reaction is remarkable. A change of heart takes place – in a split second he moved from cold-blooded executioner and hardened observer to a fully convinced believer.

The Central Question: Do We Get Jesus?

So many people were blind to what was really happening at the cross. But not the centurion. He got Jesus.

If we don’t get Jesus, we don’t get the faith either. The Christian faith, and God’s plan of salvation, centre on “getting” Christ. The church of God is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20–21).

There is no foundation other than Christ: “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).

For this reason, Paul urges believers: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6–7). Christ is the centre and heart of the Christian life. We are to walk in Him, be rooted in Him, and grow in Him.

Paul states the same truth another way: “your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). The Christian’s life is hidden in Christ; indeed, Christ is the Christian’s life. That is why Paul exhorts us to seek the things above and set our minds where Christ is: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1–2)

To seek the things above and set minds on the things above is not a call to manufacture something new, but an exhortation to respond to what has already happened through genuine faith in Christ and our subsequent union with Him.