Just a few days ago the city of Baghdad was plunged into darkness - the wailing of bombs and sirens was followed a complete blackout of the city - hospitals - homes and army posts alike were dependent on the moon - candles and the flash of light from fearful bombs.
At that point in the war that it must have been clear that for better or worse the so called liberation of Baghdad was about to follow.
About two thousand years ago in another middle eastern city, Jerusalem, another fearful event.
Here there was no war as such - Israel had long been subjucated to the world power of the day the Roman Army. It was a normal day in the life of occupied Jerusalem - tomorrow was passover, a great religous festival and there was an air of excitement and preparation in the air.
There was the unpleasant task of the execution of three prisoners to be taken care of.
Two, thieves, were nailed up on cruel crosses on either side of the third. He was regarded as a rebelious and dangerous religous leader. Popular with the people and with most who met him he had been scandalously betrayed by one of his own, a man called Judas, to the grateful religous leaders who through intrique and intimidation had persuaded the Roman ruler, Pilate, to have him executed.
About twelve O’Clock that day with the gathered remnant around them - whilst the ordinary citizen went about their business in the city and while the religous leaders gloated perhaps skulking in their sanctuaries in the city while their evil plans unfolded - in the midst of that apparantely ordinary day - the city was plunged into darkness -
These religous leaders had flung one last challenge at Jesus "Come down from the Cross," they said, "and we will believe you."
As General Booth said long ago, "It is because Jesus did not come down from the cross that we believe in him."
But the darkness did not go away like some temporary power cut - the clock ticked and the darkness remained - some, those who understand the relevance of such an impossibility would have gone white with shock with the realisation of what the darkness signified.
The self assured soldiers who had cruelly whipped Jesus and left cruel lacerations down his back would, without even necessarily making the connection, have been plunged into fear in the face of such an untimely darkness.
The Centurian the hard bitten Roman soldier - the equivilent of the regimental Sergent Major must have been struck by the event . He had fought in many a campaign and he had seen many a man die. But he had never seen a man die like this and the darkness that accompanied it must have utterly convinced him for at the end of it he was sure that Jesus was the Son of God. So much so that he declared it aloud to all who would hear him and his words echo down through the centuries.
It is great to receive a testimony from friends but when your enemies testify to you you can be sure that they mean what they say.
The darkness clung to the troubled city like a blanket - in all of time - since creation - since the day God said E 1:3 "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.
Since that day there had never been a day like this.
All the average citizen of Jerusalem could do was to sit or fumble around in the dark and wonder.
It was only days before that Jesus had been welcomed into Jerusalem as the King - the son of David - now he hung on the cross dying a criminals death.
The disciples sat not just bathed in darkness but bathed in guilt and grief at their apparant cowardice at deserting Jesus at his very hour of need.
Still time passed and the darkness remained - half past twelve - one O’clock One thirty - two O’clock -was there to be no end to this/ Two thirty three O’clock suddenly light again dawned on Jerusalem and at that very moment at the scene of the cross events escalated.
Here is an eyewitness account of what happenned:-
MK 15:33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
MK 15:35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he’s calling Elijah."
MK 15:36 One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.
MK 15:37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
MK 15:38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
There is a lot we could comment on in this verse.
Like Jesus crying our-"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" that leads us to the understanding that
It was not only Jerusalem that experienced darkness at that time.
In John chapter one we learn about Jesus:- JN 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
Jesus was with God from the very beginning - like his garment that had been gambled over by soldiers - the relationship between Jesus and the Father was seemless.
The relationship between Jesus and the Father stretch over the horizon beyond our ability to understand.
Yet here in this moment in history in this the greatest smear on human history Jesus discovers to his horror for the first time what it is to be separated from the Father.
This question asked at the beginning of this reading concludes with a answer.
The curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom.
God physically and supernaturally tore the curtain from top to bottom
Even a often skeptical commentator like William Barclay concedes that.
Here is what he says:-
This was the curtain which shut off the Holy of Holies, into which no man could go.
This tells us two things.
(a) The way to God was now wide open. Into the Holy of Holies only the High Priest could go and he only once a year on the day of Atonement. But now, the curtain was torn and the way to God was open to every person.
(b) Within the Holy of Holies dwelt the very existence of God. Now with the death of Jesus the curtain which hid God was torn and people could see him face to face. No longer was God hidden. No longer need we guess and grope. People could look at Jesus and say, "That is what God is like. God loves me like that."
What Jesus expresses at the cross is his first experience of what we naturally experience through sin.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1PE 2:22 "He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth."
1PE 2:23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
There is no question that Jesus took our place on the cross.
Such a happening asks deep questions of us.
Questions about where we are living.
Are we living in peace with God are we "with God."
If we are with God we will know an abiding peace and a deep sense of his presence
Or are we living in some way independent of God -
Good Friday asks those kind of questions of us.
The word Christian is a word that describes a particular type of person.
In Henry Garrity’s book, "Portraits of Perseverance," Carl was a very rich man who owned a great estate. One of his favorite pastimes was riding horseback through his valley, looking at everything he owned & congratulating himself on his great wealth.
One day, as Carl was riding along, he came up over a hill & in the distance saw one of his tenant farmers, an old man named Hans. It was lunch time, & Hans had set a little table under a shade tree & was getting ready to eat. But before he ate, he bowed his head & folded his hands in prayer to thank God for his food.
Carl watched the old man as he prayed. Then he looked at his meal. It was only a slice of coarse bread & a piece of cheese. With a sneer Carl said, "If that’s all I had to eat, I wouldn’t even bother to pray." Hans replied humbly, "It’s enough, & I’m thankful that God has provided it."
Taken aback by the old man’s answer, Carl turned his horse & prepared to ride away. But before he could leave, old Hans said, "Wait a minute. I need to tell you something. I had a dream last night. In my dream I saw a beautiful scene, & then I heard a voice saying, `Tonight the richest man in the valley will die. Tonight the richest man in the valley will die."
"Poppycock!" said Carl as he rode off toward home. But as he was riding, the words of old Hans haunted him, "Tonight the richest man in the valley will die." Up to then he had felt quite well, but now he was beginning to experience pains in his chest. He wondered, "Could it possibly be true? Am I going to die tonight?"
When he reached home he called his doctor & told him of old Han’s dream & of the pains that he had been feeling. The doctor said, "Well, it doesn’t sound like anything you ought to be concerned about, but just to put your mind at ease, I’ll come over & examine you."
So the doctor did. After the examination was over he said, "Carl, you’re as strong as a horse. There’s no way you’re going to die tonight." Carl said, "Well, I feel mighty foolish that I paid any attention to the old man’s dream about the richest man in the valley dying tonight. But I just wanted to be certain."
So, reassured, Carl went to bed. The next morning there was a knock on his door, & the messenger said, "Carl, old Hans died last night." Truly, the richest man in the valley died last night.
SUM. Paul wrote, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" "Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through Jesus Christ, our Lord." You see, the resurrection makes the difference.
CONCL. Before, things seemed so important. But now they have become pretty insignificant. Before, time was so limited. But now there is all eternity. Before, life was filled with despair. But now it has purpose & direction & meaning. Before, death was the end. But now it is the beginning.
So whatever your decision may be this morning, we offer His invitation, & we pray that you will respond to it as we stand & as we sing together. Are you that person?
If you are you will not be separated from God any longer - the horror that Jesus experienced in the painful separation from God on the cross is precisely reversed for you.
What Jesus lost on the cross - you gained.
Friendship with God is now possible - that is the scandal and timeless truth of the cross
