Matthew 27:45

“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.”

Now, Jesus enters his night of the soul.  It is terror. All his disciples fled, some disowned him. No one stood at his side in his defense. The Jewish nation clamored for his death. “Crucify him,” they cried.  No trial was necessary, in their opinion. The Romans did not allow a death without a trial.  However, the crowd insisted that the Imperial law must be broken.  There will be no trial!  Kill!

How is it, the co-creator of the universe is hated so by his creatures?  Why is Jesus despised, beaten, wounded, humiliated, crushed beyond telling?  It made no sense.

Then the sun itself went dark – for three long hours.  Darkness came over the land, and over Jesus like a black cloud.  His travail of soul was matched only by the physical horror of his life slipping away, of life blood slowly oozing from the body.  All was darkness.

Alone, dying, bearing in his body the sins of all mankind, Jesus cried out in utter despair, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Hear and weep.  All of us sinners need to turn our ear and hear this cry, “why?” Jesus cried, “why?”  We know now what was happening, the answer to the “why?” question.  Because, as God’s atoning Lamb, Jesus took onto himself our sins.  That explains it all – that does not make it any easier for Jesus to bear or for us to understand, but we know now what was happening.

I believe at that moment, when Jesus was becoming sin for us (as we read in 2 Cor. 5:2) the six inch thick curtain that concealed the Holiest of All in the Temple split, was ripped from top to bottom while  “the earth shook and the rocks split.” v 51  All of that announces that our sins are forgiven.

Pause with me, dear reader, and reflect on all this.