“And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.”
(Luke 23:44-45)
On more than one occasion during Christ’s earthly ministry the Pharisees demanded a “sign” to test His authority and power. They were looking for some supernatural event from the heavens to validate Him, while spurning the very One who made the heavens. But as Christ hung upon that cursed tree, the skies gave their answer. The heavens themselves testified. The earth trembled. The curtain tore. The sun bowed its head. “The Testimonies that were given of him, was another Method made use of for the proving him to be the Christ. And here we might begin with the Testimonies that were given by the Inanimate Creation.”[1]
At the sixth hour, when the sun should have shone brightest, it was cloaked in unnatural darkness. For the next three hours, all creation mourned in silence. That great light which had stood firm since the fourth day of creation now retreated as if ashamed to shine upon its dying Maker. The Word, by whom all things were made, was now lifted between heaven and earth, and even the heavenly bodies hid their light.
This darkness was a divine proclamation that the Light of the world was being extinguished, not by fate nor by force, but in fulfillment of the Father’s will. The Sun of Righteousness, whose rays give life and health to all who believe, was veiled in wrath for the sins of His people while the veil of the temple, that emblem of separation between God and man, was torn from top to bottom. The voice of creation shouted what the mouths of men would not: the Creator was crucified, and salvation was being accomplished.
The sun darkened to display divine justice. The veil was torn to invite sinners into divine mercy. The ground shook because the foundations of the old covenant were breaking apart, and the new covenant was being sealed in blood.
While men taunted and priests scoffed, the heavens proclaimed Him and the universe gave its solemn amen. The same elements that witnessed the flood in Noah’s day, the plagues of Egypt, and the fire of Sinai, now stood still and bent low before the Redeemer. Heaven and earth bore record together, and their voice is still heard.
And yet, the greatest marvel is not that the sun refused to shine or that the veil was torn, but that mankind remains unmoved. The heavens responded to the death of Christ more obediently than most hearts respond to the gospel. And yet the same grace that held back fire from heaven that day still calls sinners to repentance. This same Creator invites the trembling soul to come and find rest beneath the shadow of the cross.
Contemplations:
- The Turned Light. O Lord, at Your birth You brought light into the world, turning the darkness of man’s night into day. A brightly lit choir of angels appeared to the shepherds watching over their flocks in the darkness of the night (Luke 2:8, 11), and though it was indeed night, the angel tells them, “this day is born to You…” It is not surprising then, that at Your death the light was taken away, and the day turned into night, fulfilling the prophecy, “then shall I cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day” (Amos 5:8).
- The Light Within. As You, Lord, are the light that lightens every one that comes into the world (John 1:9), even so come, Lord Jesus, come quickly into my darkened heart. Turn my night of ignorance into a day of true light. And if at any time it seems that You leave me for a time (as You briefly left Your followers here), may heaviness fill that night and no joy come until the morning, that morning when You, that dayspring from on high, shall again visit me (Luke 1:78).
- The Greater Glory. Lord, You revealed Yourself to the Israelites by a cloud (Exod. 16:10), and to those wise men by a star. But to the Jews living at the time of Your death, You made Yourself known by shutting out the light. How much more graciously, more gloriously do You promise to show Yourself to me in the bright sunshine of Your Gospel? And how much more inexcusable if I do not walk nor delight in this greater light? (1 John 1).
- The Greater Tremble. Shall the earth tremble more at Your death than I do for whom Your blood was shed? Shall corrupt Felix tremble at Paul’s preaching of judgment (Acts 24:25), while I am unaffected by Your suffering and execution? Shall Belshazzar quake with shaking knees at the handwriting on the wall (Dan. 5:6), and I not tremble as the last ounce of Your blood drains from the cross? How far have I fallen from who You first made me to be, if at Your death I do not tremble with the earth from which I was made?
Prayer (Adoration)
Lord Jesus Christ, Light of the World, Bright Morning Star, Dayspring from on High—Your death darkened the sun, split the veil, and shook the earth. You alone are worthy of such testimony from Your creation. The heavens declared Your glory in darkness, and the earth trembled beneath Your cross. All creation bore witness as Your flesh was torn, Your blood was poured, Your breath gave way to silence.
We praise You, Lamb once slain, that even in the hour of judgment, the world was not consumed. We bless You, Son of the Most High, that the sun dimmed not in vengeance but in holy reverence. You, O Christ, have done what no angel could bear, what no man could accomplish. You, very God of very God, bore the weight of the world’s guilt, and still the heavens obeyed Your voice.
Let the sun remind us daily of Your reign. Let the trembling earth beneath our feet recall the hour You conquered sin. Let the torn veil remind us that we are no longer barred from Your presence, but invited by Your blood. May the firmament, which once clothed itself in black, now teach our hearts to rejoice in Your light.
O Lord, as the stars were made to worship You, so will we. As the mountains trembled at Your death, let our hearts tremble in praise. As the sky grew dark at Your silence, let our mouths be filled with songs of Your salvation. Let the heavens still declare Your glory, and let our lives echo that chorus forevermore.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further References for Luke 23:44–45:
Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Exodus 10:21; Joel 2:31.
[1] Nathaniel Appleton The Wisdom of God in the Redemption of Fallen Man, Illustrated in Several Dscourses, from Eph. I. Viii, Early American Imprints, 1639-1800; No. 2987 (Boston in N.E.: B. Green, for D. Henchman, at his shop in Cornhill, 1728), 69.
