Pastor Welton Watson, Central Baptist Church Matthew 27:45, 46
“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lamasabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
As we look at the scriptures today, we see a supernatural eclipse. The eclipse in our verses lasted for three hours. It began at 9 A.M. when Jesus was nailed to the cross of Calvary, and ended at 12 noon, when he died on that cross. Jesus prophesied his death on the cross, and proclaimed that he would be willing to die. Hear his words in John 10:17, 18: “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”
And then, in John 12:32 where he tells us how he will die and why: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” This is speaking of his death on the cross for all men. When the cross was dropped into the hole, the Son of God was suspended between heaven and earth. That’s when the supernatural eclipse began. It was because God refused to look, and the sun refused to shine until Jesus’ final words echoed across the hills surrounding Jerusalem: “It is finished.” God would not look because Christ was made sin for us as he hung on that cross. Jesus became sin and bore the penalty for the sins of the whole world in his own body on the tree.
Habakkuk 1:13 tells us why God turned his back on Jesus and shut the light switch off: “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity.” Isaiah 53:6 clarifies what Christ did for us: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way, and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Then verse 11, “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”
And then 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
The total eclipse Monday is just a reminder of the day God closed his eyes to the death of Jesus and let him die alone for the sins of the world, and then was satisfied with his payment, and now gives access to heaven to everyone who will trust Christ’s payment for their sins. “It is finished.” The darkness is passed!!!