It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,
for the sun stopped shining.
And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
When he had said this, he breathed his last.
The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous Man.”
Luke 23:44-47 (NIV)
- During the overnight hours, Jesus was arrested, interrogated, blindfolded, spat on, beaten, and interrogated again.
- From daybreak until around 9 am, He was presented to the Romans (Pilate then Herod, and then back to Pilate).
- Jesus was mocked, scourged, whipped, spat on, and beaten. For six hours, He hung on the cross before dying.
Over the past several years, I’ve written about this day in history and reconciled the gospels to create as detailed a description as possible. (You can download a pdf of all of them by clicking here). This year, I just want to take this time to reflect on what Jesus went through for us.
Reflect and Pray
Please take a moment to pray. Imagine Jesus going through the approximate 15 hours I outlined above and knowing what was going to transpire. Did He have this knowledge His entire life? We don’t know. He most likely did at least from the age of 10 when He was “in His Father’s house,” and Mary and Joseph couldn’t find Him.
The thing is, He went through all of this, all of the pain and suffering and humiliation for you and for me. I can’t even conceive that kind of love. Jesus took on the sin of the world so we could have a personal relationship with our Father. He tore the veil.
Pray some more
Say a prayer of thanksgiving. Praise Him continually.
