"Contemplating The Cross” Series

We come now to the last day of our Lord’s life on this earth. This was the day He was to die for the sins of the world. That’s why He came.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:45 (Amplified)

The idea behind the word “ransom” is that He came to pay the price required by the law of God to free us from our bondage to sin. Jesus hung on the cross for approximately 6 hours. Mark says that they crucified Jesus around the third hour (around 9 AM). Now we read of what happened at the sixth hour (noon). (READ TEXT)

1. The actions on the cross - vs. 44-46

A. There was darkness for three hours - v. 44-45a

We’re told with the sun is at its height, darkness covered the land from the sixth hour (noon) until the ninth hour (3 PM) - three hours. This darkness was a supernatural act of God in fulfillment of prophecy.

“In that day” declares the Sovereign Lord, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.” - Amos 8:9 (NIV)

The Gospels, tell us what Jesus said from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34); “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43); “Woman, behold your son! Behold your mother!” (John 19:26-27); “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34); “I thirst.” (John 19:28); “It is finished.” (John 19:30); and “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46).

Matthew and Mark say that after those 3 hours, Jesus cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It wasn’t as if He expected the Father to rescue Him - but rather, for our benefit, He expressed what had just occurred during those three hours. Jesus declared that He’d paid our ransom. The price required by the law of God to free us from our bondage to sin. He was abandoned by the Father. Jesus had only known unbroken communion with the Father. But on the cross, He experienced complete loneliness and abandonment. In His humanity, Jesus suffered hell for us as He experienced what it feels like to be abandoned by God. He experienced on the cross the horror of hell itself as the sins of the world were poured out upon Him.

When Jesus talked about hell He used many terms, with one being “outer darkness,” I’ve heard people laugh about going to hell. They make fun of it and say, “If I go to hell that’ll be all right: I'll have plenty of company down there. We’ll just have a big party together.”

But the Bible says hell as a place of darkness. You’re not going to see anyone in hell. You’re not going to be having a big party in hell. You’re going to experience what it means to be lonely, as no human has ever been lonely in this life. For eternity, never to see anyone else. For eternity, to cry to God for mercy and never hear an answer.

“Jesus, the infinite Son of God, was able to suffer in a finite period of time on the cross, what you and I, being finite human beings, would have to suffer for an infinite period of time in hell.”

As symbolized by darkness and illustrated by His cry, we understand that Jesus suffered our hell so we wouldn’t have to.

B. How Jesus laid down His life - v. 46

John says Jesus said, “I thirst.” After receiving a drink, He declared “It is finished,” which is one word in the Greek, which means, “paid in full”. After paying the ransom to set us free from sin’s bondage; having done what He came into this world to do, Jesus died. As Luke tells us, “Jesus called out in a loud voice ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’” Jesus wanted everyone to know that He chose when to die.

We have noted that when Jesus was arrested, it was not the mob who was in control, He was; and when Jesus stood trial six times before three different courts, it wasn’t the judges who were in control, He was; and now, at His crucifixion, it wasn’t the Roman soldiers who were in control, nor was it death that was in control, He was.

“No one takes my life away from me. I give my own life freely.” - John 10:18a (Easy to Read)

They borrowed a bed to lay His head when Christ the LORD came down; They borrowed the donkey in the mountain pass for Him to ride to town; But the cross that He bore was His own. He borrowed a room on the way to the Tomb the Passover lamb to eat; They borrowed the cave; for Him a grave; they borrowed the winding sheet. But the cross that He bore was His own. The thorns on His head were worn in my stead, for me the Savior died. For guilt of my sin the nails drove in when Him they crucified; But the cross that He bore was His own.