Luke 23:44-49 (ESV)

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. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. ⁴⁶ Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. ⁴⁷ Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” ⁴⁸ And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. ⁴⁹ And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.

Although it was the sixth hour, high noon, darkness came over the entire land for three full hours. Who knows what tool God used to bring that darkness. Whether it was fog, clouds, or something else, it symbolized what was happening on the cross. Darkness depicted either mourning, evil, God’s judgment upon sin, or all three. During this time, the sin of humanity was poured out upon the soul of Jesus. God laid upon his Son the iniquity of us all. As Jesus previously said to the religious leaders, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53). We cannot begin to imagine the pain that Jesus felt. The physical pain was horrific, but the spiritual pain would have been even worse. During this darkness, the curtain of the temple ripped in two from top to bottom. This was the curtain between the Most Holy Place and the Holy Place, designed to keep people away from the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat where God’s presence dwelled. General humanity was not allowed to enter this place. Only one man could access this room one time each year. But now, all who followed Christ could directly stand before God without a human priest or an animal sacrifice. Jesus  became both the ultimate Priest and fulfilled the sacrifice. This tearing of the curtain demonstrated the end of the temple as the center of God’s activity.

In verse 46, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” He quoted from Psalm 31:5: “Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” Jesus called upon God as his Father with a statement steeped in surrendered trust. He believed that the Father would take care of him. Then he died. The centurion, a Roman soldier who oversaw one hundred soldiers, declared, “This man was innocent.” Even though Jesus became a curse for the sin of humanity, he continued to trust in God’s good plan. Do you feel you are suffering unjustly in some area of life? Will you trust God in the midst of what seems unfair? Jesus, fully man though also fully God, chose to do things God’s way to the very end. Let’s pray that the Spirit of Holiness would strengthen us to do things God’s way to the end.