Jesus prayed and prayed in the darkness of the garden. The disciples slept. Jesus woke them. They slept. He woke them. He shouldn’t have needed to keep waking them. Jesus said to the mob that came after them are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. This was the hour of the power of darkness.
It was a miracle that Jesus withstood the beatings. It was a miracle he could even carry the cross. He left a trail of blood all the way up the mountain to Calvary. He was willing to get under the weight of our sins taking hell for us. In the morning the thief asked to be remembered by Jesus when he came into his kingdom. That was a miracle. It was a miracle that even after being nailed to the cross his first words were Father forgive them for they know not what they do. The disciples had run off. He was forsaken by all but a few; the rest were enemies. From the cross he beheld our sins. He could have railed judgment. The world should be a cinder, but the sun shines today.
For three hours that day the world was in darkness. Jesus suffered the evil of history and the wickedness of our soul and took it upon himself. He went into total darkness so we could be children of light. We don’t thank him enough. If you’re not saved by the blood you’re wasting your time. Being a good person won’t do it. Only the one who bore our darkness can save us.
Matthew 27: 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. 48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.
Jesus asked why God had forsaken him but he knew why. God knew why. Do we fully realize why? This day of miracles had a huge effect on the whole world. The illusion has been created that there is no God, no heaven, and no hell. It’s not just an atheist who’ll end up in hell. The Bible tells us the fearful and unbelieving will go to hell. There are two classes of people in the Bible: believers and unbelievers. Until we accepted him we were unbelievers.
Jesus came out on Easter morning, and it was the dawning of a new day. He led captivity captive. I’d rather be in the kingdom of God than go along with the lies of the world. We were in darkness. Jesus was nailed to a cross and began dying. When he began to suffer, all heaven suffered. He who knew no sin became sin for us. He still had the power to stop it and told Pilate as much. He suffered as long as it took. From 9 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon Jesus hung on the cross. His dying actually started with the sorrow of the Garden. Six hours he hung on the cross and three of them were in total darkness. Three hours people could see everything going on. They could see that Jesus was being crucified and suffering. Some still say he pretended to die or that he slipped off the cross. That’s what the Sanhedrin started after the resurrection. That lie still goes around today. Even now people would rather believe the lie than the truth. Paul asked the churches who had bewitched them from the truth. Jesus didn’t fake it. Don’t you try to fake it because you will not fake your way to heaven. Some go through the motions but have never trusted Jesus to be their Savior. In that day they’ll say “Lord, didn’t we do this and that in your name?” Jesus will tell them I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of iniquity.
Are you believing on the Christ? No matter how encircling the darkness is you’ll make it through with Jesus. His death finished it; there wasn’t a cliffhanger that is yet to be finished. He’s alive again and when it’s all said and done here, it will still be finished.
John saw what is coming in the future and noted there is no night there. God put the light out on the cross so Jesus could bear the load. He would physically die. Nothing could be seen; they could hear the noises in the darkness. Little did the unrepentant thief know he had passed up his last opportunity. All our grief and sorrow were suffered by Jesus. The curse of Adam’s race was being shouldered. He could have snuffed us out like you would a candle flame, but he went all the way into the darkness. I’m saved because Jesus went into the darkness and brought me out. Life is a waste of time without having the giver of life inside. Light makes the difference. Don’t let darkness keep you. Jesus dealt with it because he knew we couldn’t do it without him. Paul said we can do all things through Christ.
Jesus summoned the strength to say it is finished. In every bit of darkness we encounter, remember we are now in the light. Thank Jesus for bringing you out of the darkness. If your flame is flickering, pray. If you’re still in darkness, you won’t get through without Jesus. Reach out to him because he has the power to you out of it.
Dark Calvary was for us so we could be taken into the light of God.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 