“And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.” – Mark 15:33
This week celebrates the week that changed the world! At the beginning of the week, Jesus rode into Jerusalem in triumph, hailed as the new king of Israel. By the end of the week, Jesus would be crucified, dead, and buried. Then came that glorious Sunday morning when the resurrected Jesus left the grave behind, victorious over sin and death!
Jesus, the Light of the World, was dying. He’d been arrested and confined over night. He’d been rushed through a parody of a trial that was nothing more than a mob threatening a riot. He’d been beaten and brutally flogged. He’d carried His cross, the instrument of His own death, to the place outside the city called Golgotha, “the Place of the Skull”. There He was nailed to a cross and raised up into the air to die in agony.
After three hours of terrible suffering, darkness fell over the land. The Light of the World was dying and the world became dark. Jesus had been present at creation. All things in the universe were made through Him. He was the sustainer of the universe. And yet, our sin and evil nailed Him to a cross to die. As He hung there, hour after hour, He carried the weight of our sins on Himself. As He hung there in darkness, struggling to breathe, God’s wrath for our sins washed over Him.
Jesus didn’t die on that cross because of anything He did. Jesus never once disobeyed God’s will and plan. Jesus never once rebelled against God’s good and rightful authority. Jesus never once sinned. But we have. Many times. And that’s why Jesus hung there. To atone for our disobedience, rebellion, and sin.
Darkness fell over the land until Jesus finished His work. Once your sin was completely paid for along with the sin of everyone else, Jesus cried out one last time and died. In that moment, the veil of the temple that separated sinful mankind from our holy God was torn from top to bottom. Jesus had finished His work on the cross. Now, praise God, there’s nothing separating us from our God in Heaven! Believe in Jesus. Repent of the sins He’s already died for. #FollowJesus