The Dying Christ
Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:45-56
Meditation
It’s the sixth hour and the heavenly Father has just dropped his One and Only Son on the Devil’s doorstep. He has given him up, abandoned him, and forsaken him. The Son of God has become an orphan. And when the bell rings at the ninth hour, death will answer the door.
“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ — which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”
As Jesus hangs on the cross, the sun seems to have fallen from the sky. It’s noon and yet it looks like midnight. It’s an earthly image of a heavenly reality. Jesus is in his eleventh hour and the Light of the World is about to be extinguished.
Soon, Lucifer, the fallen morning star, will toll the bell of his death. Darkness has covered the land. With the shroud of darkness come the sounds of death: moans, wails, the last whispers of life, and the rattle of death.
In his final moments, he screams,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
To die on a cross is torture but to die alone is torment.
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)
His cross is made up of two intersecting beams—sin and death.
Sin is the cause and death is the consequence.
As Jesus grips the nails, he grabs hold of sin. He reaches back into history and forward into eternity and, as he does, he takes upon himself all of the world’s sin—past, present, and future. He bears every shameful, deplorable, and immoral act his world had, would, and could ever commit.
But he just doesn’t bear sin; he becomes it.
And because he embodies it, he must now also embrace the consequence: spiritual separation from his Father and physical death. To bear one of the two is painful, but to bear both is excruciating.
Because he has become sin, he must die.
Because he is sin, he must die alone.
As he hangs on the cross, his Father rejects his plea but accepts his payment. Though Jesus has been forsaken, his world has been forgiven. Knowing that his work is accomplished, he lifts his head toward heaven and—with one last push of his legs to expand his chest—he opens his lungs and gathers enough breath to cry out in a loud voice,
“It is finished!”
After that, he bows his head, gives up his spirit, and embraces death.
And when the Son of Heaven dies, all of earth begins to testify.
“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.”
Only nature knows what has just happened.
His last breath split the rocks, shook the earth, opened tombs, and raised the dead. The force of the events declares his power, while the result declares his purpose; he has died in order to give life.
Though his body will soon be taken down from the cross, placed in a tomb, and sealed with a stone, on the third day that tomb will open. Then death will be defeated.
His last breath also brings reconciliation.
As his head falls, his Father’s hands tear the veil of the Holy of Holies. It’s ripped from top to bottom, from heaven to earth, from God to man. Now the Father is accessible. He is approachable.
No more separation between God and man. No more need for a mediator. No more sacrifices for sin. No more blood on the altar.
The last sacrifice—the Lamb of God—has been slain. Sin’s debt has been paid. The High Priest has entered the Most Holy place once for all, and he has invited his people to draw near to the Father.
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)
Prayer
Father,
As your Son was dying, darkness came over the land and smothered the brightest part of the day. For three hours one Friday, the light that came from your Fatherly presence was eclipsed by the curse of a prodigal world’s sin. And as that sin passed in front of your holiness, a shadow of separation and a pall of judgment fell on your Son.
Though he knew no sin, he became sin for us.
And when he became sin, you abandoned him. You turned your face from him even though he was your One and Only Son. Like any child who is afraid of the dark he screamed,
“Father, where are you?”
Yet you hid your face and closed your ears. You left him alone in the darkness.
Forsaken.
You abandoned him and let him hang on the cross because, in the saving plan of your heaven, a forsaken Son meant a forgiven world. On this day, Father, you so loved the world that you gave up your only Son.
During this day, create faith in me to believe that the Dying Christ died because of, for, and in place of me.
Overwhelm me with the realization that he took all of my sins upon himself and—in exchange—gave me all of his righteousness. He died so that I might live. He was forsaken so that I might be forgiven.
And in the darkness of my days, comfort me with the truth that he bore abandonment, separation, and the punishment of sin so that I would never have to.
It’s in the Dying Christ’s name that I pray. Amen.
Reflection
In what ways have you cried out, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”
Why did the Father forsake the Dying Christ? Why did darkness, abandonment, and silence characterize Jesus’ last hours?
Why did Jesus have to die? How can the death of one man give life to all men?
Why was the temple curtain torn in two? How does that act change your relationship with God?
All Scripture references in the meditation are marked by italics and are taken from the Gospel reading for the day (Matthew 27:45-56). Those verses quoted outside of the chosen reading for the day are noted in parenthesis. All Scripture quoted on this site is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.