Friday - THE SACRED PAUSE
by Robert Comeaux
Worship Pastor
"It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things."
Luke 23:44-49, ESV
This is the climactic moment that everything has been leading up to in the final week of Jesus' life. We have been reflecting on Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, his trial, his last supper, and all of the significant events of the week. It all leads up to these final moments.
First, there is the jarring darkness that accompanied Jesus' death. This moment was recorded by Samaritan historian, Thallus, in 52 AD and Greek historian Phlegon of Tralles in 197 AD among others. Even Chinese records include a time when the sun went dark during Passover. There are also accounts of an accompanying earthquake that support Matthew's account in his gospel (Matthew 27:51). The moment of Jesus' death was so significant that the world literally stopped for three hours. John began his gospel by declaring that "the Word (logos) became flesh and that in this Word was life. And that life was the light of men (John 1:1,4). What we see here is that when the spiritual light of mankind was put to death, the physical light of the sun followed suit. Creation acknowledged the absence of the light of the Creator.
The second significant symbol that we see here is the tearing of the veil of the temple in two. This is so important because this is the veil that separates the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies) as described in the book of Exodus. The writer of Hebrews explains the importance of this as we are now allowed access to God beyond the veil through Christ (Hebrews 6:19-20, 9:6-7, 10:19-20). Jesus made a way for all of us to experience the fullness of God in the most personal way. What a powerful symbol of God's work through Christ Jesus!
At the center of this passage, Jesus commits His spirit to the Father and takes His final breath. Pause for a moment and consider all that has taken place leading up to Jesus' final breath. Now imagine darkness for three hours to consider what is taking place. Give yourself a few moments to contemplate the gravity of this moment. The three hours of darkness are important for us to remember as we consider the sacredness of this day. If God forced the world to stop for three hours, surely we can pause for some time on this day to reflect on Christ's suffering and to consider what it means to us.
Finally, there is the response of the people to this profound moment. Luke records that the crowds returned home beating their breasts. This was a symbol of intense mourning and sincere repentance in the Ancient Near East. The Epic of Gilgamesh includes scenes of mourning in which people beat their breasts. They were clearly aware that they were responsible for the death of this innocent man, and they were repentant. All the while, Jesus' followers stood at a distance watching. They surely feared for their own lives while their Savior was suffering on the cross. We have to wonder what they must have thought to see the crowd beating their breasts in repentance as they left.
The whole scene is remarkable and hard to imagine. That is the scene we are called to contemplate on this day. It is important that we consider it deeply and that we reflect on the profound symbolism and the intense suffering of our Savior. As we prepare for Easter Sunday, let us all be sure to spend time contemplating the incredible impact of Good Friday.