Darkness at the Crucifixion (Matthew 27:45-46)

As we ponder the profound events of Matthew 27:45-46, we are met with a scene that is both haunting and hopeful. The darkness that falls upon the land, lasting from the sixth hour to the ninth hour, serves as a poignant reminder of the gravity of our Lord's sacrifice. This is not merely a natural phenomenon, but a supernatural display of God's judgment and wrath, as the very fabric of creation is torn asunder by the weight of sin. The words of Isaiah 60:2 come to mind, where the prophet declares, "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you." In this moment, the darkness is a palpable manifestation of God's displeasure with sin, and the forsakenness that Christ endures on behalf of His people.

And then, in the midst of this eerie silence, our Lord utters the cry that has become iconic in the annals of Christian theology: "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" - "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46, Psalm 22:1). These words, which seem to bespeak a sense of abandonment and desolation, are in fact a profound expression of Christ's faith and trust in His Father. Even as He bears the full weight of God's wrath, Christ remains confident in the goodness and love of His Father, crying out to Him in the words of the Psalmist. This is not a cry of unbelief, but a cry of faith, a faith that is being refined in the fire of suffering, just as the prophet Habakkuk declared, "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation" (Habakkuk 3:17-18). In this moment, Christ's cry is a testament to the depths of His love for us, and the lengths to which He is willing to go to secure our redemption. As we gaze upon this scene, we are reminded of the unfathomable love of God, who gave His only Son to suffer and die in our place, that we might be reconciled to Him, and that we might know the joy of fellowship with the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit.