“My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime; and in the night season and am not silent” (Psalm 22:1-2).
The previous passages are riveting, historic and remarkably prophetic. Keep in mind that the first verse of the above Psalm was pinned by King David approximately 1,000 years before the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ! These are the very words of the Messiah as He cried out to His God, my God and your God! His humanity echoed the unimaginable horror of hopelessness in this scene on Calvary as He hung helplessly and hopelessly (so it seemed) on the cross. However, His divinity would transcend the horror of hopelessness to deliver us from the insidious, sinister and eternal damnation rooted in our sin and reclaim the hope that would only be found in Christ: "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
The isolation and separation from God clearly sent a reverberating image of a torturous act of injustice and with extreme prejudice! The Savior of the World was now engulfed in a debt of sin He was not guilty of but, nonetheless, paid the ultimate price for. In other words, Christ Jesus was BORN to DIE: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
But we’ve yet to scratch the surface of the gross injustice of this dreadful and dramatic scene, as it will unfold and unveil unlike any event that was ever contrived or imagined in the history of humanity. Christ Jesus was maliciously murdered for a multitude… memorable, remarkable and unforgettable! The only One who knew NO sin was made sin for ALL, because ALL did and do sin. As the apostle Paul confirms: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 3:23-24). Paul finally reached a point during his mission in Corinth, as these folks were trouble-laden and inept concerning the truth, and he simply expressed: “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
The first messianic prophecy of the crucifixion of Christ is fulfilled in the Book of Beginnings. It would serve as a tragic and far-reaching event that occurred subsequent to the fall in the Garden of Eden: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). Paul the apostle reminds us: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
As the scene shifts, the following spectacular and supernatural events occurred over the period of time that Christ was nailed to the cross. To put things in their proper context and perspective, Christ hung on that cross from the third hour (9:00 A.M.) to the ninth hour (3:00 P.M.) In essence, Jesus was nailed to a cross over the duration of a standard work day for you and me. And just subsequent to Christ taking his last breath; that is, in His humanity the SCRIPTURE tells us: “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost” (Matthew 27:50).
Below I have constructed the sequence of events and a timeline associated with each event that unfolded during the Crucifixion of Christ along with the pertinent details:
EVENT #1: "Now from the six hour there was darkness over all the Land" (Matthew 27:45).
Meaning /Significance... JUDGMENT:
In the Old Testament, darkness typically was symbolic of Judgment rendered a verdict as a consequence of unabated sin. The scriptural references linked to each event in this message are recommended reading as they will add value in terms of understanding and content (Amos 5:18,20; 8:9; Zephaniah 1:14-18).
EVENT #2: "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" (Matthew 27:51).
Meaning/Significance... The veil itself symbolized separation from God, but the veil being torn or split in two represented restoration/salvation (Hebrews 10:19,20; Daniel 9:24). Our sins were paid in full, and thus fulfilling the Sacrificial System during Old Testament times. We now have direct access to God, and via the atoning (or better translated reconciliation) work of Christ on Calvary and at the Cross.
In case you were wondering, the dimensions of the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies (as history has it), have been reported as follows: 60 feet high, 30 feet wide and four (4) inches thick. Nothing less than the miraculous and supernatural power of Almighty God could have explained such an act. Who or what else? Well, this one is a no brainer, NOBODY or NOTHING else. It is that simple.
EVENT #3: "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many" (Matthew 27:52-53).
Meaning/Significance... Christ and Christ alone wields the power to raise the dead. He conquered sin, death and the grave (John 5:28,29; Daniel 12:1-2).
Finally, my beloved Brothers and Sisters, Let us never, ever forget that the collective events reflected above represent the heavy price associated with the purchase of our salvation by Christ on Calvary, and at the Cross. In other words we who are in Christ have been bought with a price. That being the case, I no longer belong to me as I am not my own and the same applies to you. We must pay careful attention to how we live our lives, and for whom we are living for. The Lord commands us to be holy as He is holy: "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:15-16). And there's permanence in this attribute because Jesus Christ NEVER changes: "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Comments