Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:45-46
Mark tells us that Jesus was crucified at the third hour (Mark 15:25), which would have been nine o’clock in the morning. When He was nailed to the cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
[caption id="attachment_142256" align="alignright" width="295"] This article is an excerpt of the new book Six Hours that Changed the World by Pastor Colin Smith. Available this month for a gift of any amount.[/caption]
The morning wore on with jeering from the crowd and insults from the robbers on either side of Jesus. Nine o’clock, ten o’clock, ten thirty… Sometime during morning, one of the thieves asked Jesus to remember Him and Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (23:43). Then Jesus said to Mary, “Woman, behold, your son” (John 19:26).
At noon, after Jesus had endured three hours of agony and insult, something new happened and Christ entered into the heart of His passion. “Now from the sixth hour [noon] there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour [three o’clock in the afternoon]” (Matthew 27:45).
God turned off the light. When Jesus was born, there was light at midnight, and when He was crucified, there was darkness at noon. The sudden darkness tells us that something new was happening. Jesus was entering into the heart of His work as our sin bearer.
The darkness reminds us that the events that took place in these hours are beyond our understanding. But there are some things we know because God has told us.
Jesus bore our sins on the cross
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24) For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21) The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6)
Jesus bore the punishment for our sins
Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace (Isaiah 53:5) Christ Jesus [was] put forward as a propitiation by his blood (Romans 3:24-25) He is the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:2)Propitiation means Jesus endured the punishment for sin. He endured all that hell is on the cross.