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The Darkest Day in History

Pastor Jim Quigley

Mark 15:21-39

Excruciating pain, humiliation, and forsakenness marked the final hours of Jesus’s life. After enduring the horrifically brutal beatings and floggings, Jesus had to carry His cross up to Golgotha where He would be crucified. But because of depleted energy and gaping wounds, He was unable to carry it. And so they made Simon of Cyrene carry the cross for Him. Was Simon a friend or foe? Was he cursing Jesus as he carried His cross? Or weeping as he knew what would happen to Him in a matter of minutes?

Once they arrived at Golgotha, the barbaric brutality continued as they mercilessly nailed Jesus to the cross. Crucifixion is unrivaled in terms of the pain and torture that its victims must endure. But in addition to the excruciating pain, there was also the humiliation. Jesus was stripped of His clothes and laid bare for all to see. The crowd that surrounded Jesus hurled insults at Him and mocked Him as He painfully suffered on the cross.

After three hours of intense suffering, darkness covered the land like a blanket—even though it was high noon. And for three more hours, Jesus suffered in the darkness. As Jesus hung on the cross, He was taking on all of the sins of His people. And He was also bearing all of the Father’s wrath towards those sins. The wrath of God for our sins was directed toward and absorbed by Jesus. As His wrath toward our sin was being poured out on His Son, the Father turned His face away from Jesus. And for Jesus, this must have been more excruciating than the six hours of pain and humiliation of the cross. It is why Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And then shortly after that, Jesus breathed His last.

The Light of the world swallowed up by the darkness. The Son of God forsaken by God the Father. Jesus the Holy One crushed by the wrath of God for our sin. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, slaughtered in place of His sheep. This is what happened on Good Friday. The darkest day in human history.

Reflection: Consider how heinous your sins are before God. And then, consider the cost that He paid in order to cancel the record of debt due to your sin. Spend time in prayer asking God to forgive you of your sins, and thank Him for sending Jesus to die in your place.