I magine a sun that refuses to shine at high noon. From the sixth hour to the ninth—twelve o’clock to three—the sky over Jerusalem turned midnight black while the Son of God hung bleeding on a Roman cross. This was no eclipse, no storm; it was the Creator pulling a curtain across the heavens so the world might glimpse the weight of its own guilt.
God has always spoken through the heavens. He once draped Egypt in a darkness “that could even be felt” (Ex. 10:21-23). He froze the sun in its tracks so Joshua could finish a battle (Jos. 10:11-14). He made the shadow on Hezekiah’s sundial retreat ten degrees as proof that death would not claim the king (2 Kgs. 20:9-11).
On the day the Lord died, the sky itself became the sign. The same week Passover lambs were slain for the sins of Israel, the true Lamb bore the sins of the world, and creation mourned. For three hours the light of the world was extinguished, and the world sat in shadow.
The juxtaposition of the cross is staggering. In one sense, the brightness of God’s grace through His redemptive plan shines clear across all of human history since that fateful day. The world has never been the same. In another sense, there has never been a darker day. The Son of God was nailed to a tree He created, by those whom He created, to save a rebellious and wicked race.
God has power over all of His creation. “He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion” (Jer. 10:12). When a Christian sees what God can do in the skies of the earth he should be in awe of His glory and enjoy the blessed assurance that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6).
That midday blackout was heaven’s verdict on the crowd shouting, “Crucify Him!” (Luk. 23:21. Peter later thundered, “This man… you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death” (Act. 2:23). The darkness on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion reminds me of the darkness of my own sin and encourages me to repent lest I perish (Lk. 13:3).
Sin looks especially dark in view of the cross. The selflessness of Jesus can help us to overcome our selfishness. The obedience of the Savior to the will of the Father makes my rebellion seem so small. I should also consider that any sins such as lying, hypocrisy, lust, envy, hatred, idolatry, and drunkenness essentially put Him on the cross since He died for the sins of the whole world (1 Jn. 2:2).
Yet that darkness is overcome by the light of His resurrection (Mat. 28:1). Because of His sacrifice, God’s wrath can be appeased on my behalf (Rom. 3:25). Though there was darkness over all the earth on that day, it does not have to be dark for me today, because of the light of the Savior (Jn. 8:12).
The three-hour midnight at noon was not the final word. When the veil of the temple tore from top to bottom (Mat. 27:51), the darkness began to lift, and the Light of the World stepped out of the tomb alive forevermore. That same power that blackened the sun now quickens dead hearts and turns midnight into morning.
-Ross Haffner