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OW 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? (Matthew 27:45-46)
The Light of the World, our Lord Jesus Christ, was eclipsed on the cross from the noon hour until His surrendering the Spirit at 3 PM. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The Light of Life was grown dim by our horrible sins Jesus bore on the cross on our behalf. The Father in Heaven could no longer countenance the suffering of His only Begotten Son and turned His face away as the Sun grew dark, and that darkness covered all the land. There is record of comments of ridicule, mocking, and revilements during this latter stage of our Lord’s suffering. Perhaps, deep in their hearts, the Jewish rulers felt the stinging rage of condemnation for the enormity of their sin; yet, they never repented of those egregious sins. They knew who He was from earlier days, yet they could not permit themselves to admit it else they would forfeit their standing as the religious leaders of the people and all the comforts, pride, and emoluments that entailed.
Interestingly, our Lord never spoke in any arcane tongue, but only in languages popular at the time. Here He speaks in His native Aramaic: Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? or, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Jesus had never known anything but the most tender expressions of love from His Father, but the Father cannot countenance sin – our sins that Jesus bore on the cross – and looked away. Forsaken by all His disciples was a hard reality for the King of Love to bear, but being seemingly abandoned by the Father was a bridge too far. His human pain was unbearable, but even more so was the spiritual pain of that moment when all pity seemed forlorn for one who knew only kindness and love. Jesus repeats the opening line of the Messianic 22nd Psalm describing in detail in its first 21 verses His suffering on the cross, 1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Psalm 22:1)
This utterance at the ninth hour was made at the climax of His sacrifice on the cross just prior to His surrendering the Spirit of Life. All of the sins of the world suddenly burst upon His soul as that excruciating pain of the cross came to full fruition. It was the only expression of manhood that He uttered on the cross – all others were expressed for the benefit of others.
His weary eyes were almost blinded by the blood flowing down His brow from the crown of one inch thorns. The flesh of His hands and feet were torn by the cruel nails. His strong and manly body was physical exhausted by the loss of blood and lack of breath created by the suspension of His body on the cross. His arms were likely forced out of socket by the thud of the cross into the hole prepared at the beginning of crucifixion just as Psalm 22 describes. All these realities came crashing down on His soul as the moment of climactic suffering was realized. He looked over the landscape of Mount Moriah and the Temple that truly was a physical picture of Himself. Then He looked down upon the women who had stood by the cross throughout and saw His dear mother, whose heart would soon be pierced by the same lance that pierced her Son. 25 ¶Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
Even at that moment of such distress, the heart of Jesus went out in love for His mother and the beloved disciple, John.
All provisions and promises having been fulfilled to the letter, our Lord readied Himself for the final completion of His ministry on earth. (To be covered in Part 4 next).
