The day Jesus was sacrificed for our sins was a dark day. Luke tells us that it was literally and physically dark:
44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun’s light failed. [Luke 23:44-45]
But the physical darkness only pointed to the spiritual darkness that enveloped the cross of Christ and the Lamb of God:
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him… [Isaiah 53:5-10]
Stop and consider the words of this passage: wounded, crushed, chastisement, stripes, iniquity, oppressed, afflicted, slaughter, judgment, cut off, stricken, grave, death. These are strong words. These are horrifying words. If you embrace them as they are fully intended, you can only tremble.
These are all words that speak of what we deserved to receive from God for our sins against Him. Instead, God laid the truth of these words on the body of his only Son so that we could be reconciled to Him.
At the end of Jesus’ endurance of the wrath of God, Scripture tells us:
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” [Mark 15:34]
The term “forsaken” expresses the following ideas: abandon, desert, leave in straits, leave helpless, totally abandoned. Imagine being forsaken by God! While Jesus hung on the cross, the Father had fully forsaken him. Jesus knew it. This is the ultimate suffering he endured.
Why did the Father forsake the Son? Scripture tells us because “the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” [Isaiah 53:6] Because God is holy and cannot be associated with sin, he abandoned him as he punished the sins of the world.
The Son was bearing the sins of his people and therefore enduring God’s ultimate wrath. He did this for you; in your place he died! If you believe in his substitution for you, you will not be forsaken by God. Jesus paid the ransom to set you free from the wrath of God. This is the greatest news of all time!
This truth inspires songs such as this:
By Keith Getty
Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.
CHORUS:
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev’ry bitter thought,
Ev’ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.
Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
“Finished!” the vict’ry cry.
Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.
FINAL CHORUS:
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.
What if Jesus’ death was the end of the story? What if there was no Resurrection Day? Then we would still be living in this darkest of days! Then we would be forsaken by God. Praise Him for the resurrection that was foretold and fulfilled!
Heavenly Father, thank you for this truth! Dear Jesus, let us never forget! Holy Spirit, keep us from growing complacent!
Tomorrow’s post: The Longest Day
