Audio - Darkness on the Cross

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The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Darkness on the Cross
March 29, 2009

TEXT:  (Matthew 27:45-46 NKJ) Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
 
Jesus was nailed to the cross at the 3rd hour of the Jewish 12-hour day—that would be at about 9 o’clock in the morning our time—the sun went dark at the 6th hour—that would be noon our time—noon is when we would expect the sun to be at its brightest—not dark
 
Historians of that day record that the sun darkened everywhere in the world—not just in Jerusalem—it is not just in Scripture—but it is in historical writings—darkness for 3 hours—beginning at noon on the day our Lord hung dying on the cross
 
We go to Scripture to gain understanding of this event—we first go to the Book of Jeremiah—if we read chapter 2 of this prophet’s writings—we see a discussion of the Jews turning from God and following the false-prophet Baal and worshipping idols of wood and stone—God was displeased—we leave this chapter for you to read at another time—but consider today these verses
 
(Jeremiah 2:12-13 NKJ) Be astonished, O heavens, at this, And be horribly afraid; Be very desolate," says the LORD. 13 "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns-- broken cisterns that can hold no water.
 
Moving ahead to Jeremiah chapter 15 we see God threaten the earth being darkened at noon—and darkness over the land
 
(Jeremiah 15:8-9 NKJ) Their widows will be increased to Me more than the sand of the seas; I will bring against them, Against the mother of the young men, A plunderer at noonday; I will cause anguish and terror to fall on them suddenly. 9 "She languishes who has borne seven; She has breathed her last; Her sun has gone down While it was yet day; She has been ashamed and confounded. And the remnant of them I will deliver to the sword Before their enemies," says the LORD.
 
God is telling His people that they will be punished when they least expect it—they will be terrorized like a plunderer at noon—the sun will go dark while it is still daytime—could this be related to the events on the cross?
 
When Jesus died—and was resurrected—He obtained victory over death for all believers for all time—but what about the unbelievers?—that’s where the anguish and terror come from in this verse—can you imagine the terror of the co-conspirators when the earth went dark?—even the heathen Roman soldier executing the crucifixion was moved to believe
 
(Matthew 27:54 NKJ) So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"
 
The Old Testament teaches us about God’s rescue of His people from the slavery of Egypt—God  brought darkness over the land of Egypt for 3 days during the plagues to free God’s people from the slavery of Egypt
 
(Exodus 10:21-23 NKJ) Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt." 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
 
It is not a coincidence that the period of darkness was 3 days—this period of darkness in Egypt was intended to free God’s people from physical slavery to Egypt—the 3 days Jesus spent in the darkness of the tomb was intended to free God’s people from the slavery of sin
 
It is also not a coincidence that the sun went dark—nor is it a coincidence that the sun went dark at noon—God spoke through several of the prophets to tell man what was coming
 
(Isaiah 13:10 NKJ) For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine.
 
(Joel 2:10 NKJ) The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness.
 
(Joel 2:31 NKJ) The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
 
(Amos 8:9 NKJ) "And it shall come to pass in that day," says the Lord GOD, "That I will make the sun go down at noon, And I will darken the earth in broad daylight;
 
The sun went dark at noon—just as the Old Testament foretold
 
(Luke 23:44-45 NKJ) Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45 Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.
 
The sixth hour is noon—the darkness represents sin—we determine this by Scripture—first the parable of the wedding feast—those who were not properly dressed were throne into darkness—that is, those without faith were thrown into hell
 
(Matthew 22:11-13 NKJ) "But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 "So he said to him,`Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13 "Then the king said to the servants,`Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
 
Jesus used those same words—gnashing of teeth—when He described the harvest of the good and the evil—the harvest of the believers and the unbelievers
 
(Matthew 13:41-43 NKJ) "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 "and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
 
Peter also describes the sending of unbelievers into darkness
 
(2 Peter 2:15-17 NKJ) They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet. 17 These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
 
Darkness relates to sin—the three hours of darkness represent the loading of man’s sin upon Jesus while He hung on the cross dying—hence the words spoken by Jesus as He approached death—words given to King David many years before
 
(Psalm 22:1 NKJ) My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?
 
Compare these words of David to the words of our text—Jesus knew He would have to endure the loading of all our sins upon Him—Jesus knew God the Father would despise that sin—Jesus knew He would endure the punishment of hell for our sakes—hence He cried out
 
(Matthew 27:46 NKJ) And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
 
Notice the possessive in this question—Jesus is forsaken—but calls God the Father MY GOD—once again we go to Paul’s writings for understanding of Jesus being forsaken
 
(2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJ) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
 
For those 3 hours Jesus bore our sins—Paul gives this further support in his letter to the Galatians
 
(Galatians 3:13 NKJ) Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree "),
 
Paul is quoting from the Old Testament
 
(Deuteronomy 21:22-23 NKJ) "If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 "his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.
 
When Jesus was hanging in the darkness of our sin—He became familiar with our sinful ways—and now He is in heaven at the right hand of God—but as He hung on the cross He felt forsaken by God
 
We need to remember that God despises sin—but He loves the sinner—God despised the sin placed upon Jesus—but God the Father loved His Son—even with the sin of the world on His shoulders—God the Father loved His Son—but God is eternally God—and God must despise sin—hence the darkness—hence the forsaking
 
Jesus bore the sins of the world—God demands payment for sins—that payment is the blood of sacrifice—Jesus the Lamb of God—the unblemished perfect Lamb of God—carried the sins of the world upon that cross—and paid the sacrificial price for those sins—and that is the painful truth of the Word—the dark truth of the Word—the Light of the world had to hang in the darkness of sin—to provide the Light for our travel to our heavenly home
 
(Philippians 3:20-21 NKJ) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
 
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!