They could not believe what was happening. How could their Messiah be hanging on a cross? Surely God would rescue him.
“It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness had come over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.” Luke 23:44-45
Three hours of darkness! It must have been terrifying. Yet, the followers of Jesus kept hoping for the miracle that would bring him down from the cross. Then Jesus called out one more time, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Luke 23:46 And he breathed his last breath and died. Matthew tells us that when Jesus breathed his last, “The earth shook and the rocks split.” Matthew 27:51 It must have been a terrifying moment. “The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, ‘Surely this was a righteous man.’ When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.” Luke 23:47-49
They had watched Jesus heal many people. They had watched him raise several people from the dead. Surely he was the Messiah. But how could this Messiah be dead?
The people who had gathered to watch were also terrified by the darkness and the earth shaking. They beat their breasts. In their culture, this was a sign of remorse. “After I strayed, I repented; after I came to understand, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.” Jeremiah 31:19 It seems that the hearts and consciences of the people were at least a little stimulated here. They may have, for the first time in this event, actually feared God and what he might do to them. I wonder if any of them were part of the 3,000 that came to faith at Peter’s great sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41).
“Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.” Luke 23:50-54
John tells us that Nicodemus also helped Joseph. Nicodemus had come to Jesus by night to ask him questions (John 3). He argued in Jesus’ favor at a Council meeting (John 7:45-52). It appears not all the Jewish leaders were in favor of getting rid of Jesus. And now, when the disciples are too terrified to come forward, these two men, Joseph and Nicodemus, came together to take the body down from the cross and give it a proper burial.
The women followed them to the tomb and saw where the body of Jesus was laid. “Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.” Luke 23:56 I wonder if they didn’t trust the men to have done it right or if they just needed to lovingly care for the body one more time. How difficult it must have been to leave their Messiah and go home and wait.
I’m so glad that I know the end of this story. So many people stop here. They believe Jesus was a good man – like the Centurion. But they don’t believe that he was indeed the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. They are willing to stay at a distance, maybe even beat their breasts once in a while when the sky gets dark and the earth shakes, and then go home and forget about who he is and what he did for us.
“Once again I look upon the cross where you died. I’m humbled by your mercy and I’m broken inside. Once again I thank you. Once again I pour out my life.” (Once Again written by Matt Redman)
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