Proclaimed at St. Paul on 4/10/2020 for Good Friday

Matthew 27:45-50 ⁴⁵ From the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness over all the land. ⁴⁶ About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" ⁴⁷ When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "This fellow is calling for Elijah." ⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, and soaked it with sour wine. Then he put it on a stick and gave him a drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, "Leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him." ⁵⁰ After Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

Right when the sun should have been its brightest from noon until three, the sky turned dark. Pitch black darkness covered the land, not even the moon and stars gave their faint light. Historians have found reports that this eerie darkness stretched to Egypt. The eerie darkness complemented the horrific crucifixion that took place during this same time period. Crucifixion was a horrible way to die. It could take days to die if the criminal had been strong and healthy when nailed to the cross. Those crucified died of suffocation as their lungs had to fight for every breath of air as they hung in that position. This crucifixion found Jesus hanging between two criminals as he fought the final battle. Your future, my future, and the future of everyone who ever lived hung there waiting for the outcome of, “The Greatest Battle Ever Fought.” Battles are considered great on the basis of how they impact history. Jesus’ battle on the cross has had the greatest impact on human history. It deserves to be called, “The Greatest Battle Ever Fought.”

Matthew recorded in verses 45 and 46, “45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness over all the land. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” If death by crucifixion sounded horrible don’t forget what Jesus endured in the last 12 to 16 hours. After his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, he did not sleep. The Sanhedrin mocked him and punched him after their late night trial. The cruel torments continued with the Romans. They mocked him with a crown of thorns on his head, striking him with a staff, and finally flogging him without mercy. They forced him to carry the crossbeam of his cross until he collapsed under its weight. Even after stripping him of his clothing, nailing him to the cross, and standing that cross upright, they continued to hurl their insults at him. It is hard to read the details of what Jesus endured, because we can’t imagine any human being being treated in such a way, and they tortured our Savior in these ways.

Even in the face of all that pain and torment, Jesus gives us such gracious words spoken from the cross. He starts by offering a prayer calling for the forgiveness of those who crucified and mocked him. He comforts one of the dying thieves next to him with the same day promised gift of heaven. He tries to dry the tears of his own mother by giving her care to one of his trusted disciples.

Yet, there was darkness over the whole land, and that darkness makes sense when we consider the spiritual battle that took place amid the physical suffering. God hates sin, and the sins of the whole world were heaped upon the Father’s only begotten. That darkness reminds us that our sins separate us from our Holy God. That darkness reminds us Jesus hung on that cross to endure the LORD’s full wrath against every single sin we have ever committed in our lives.

Don’t you think that Satan must have been right there in the darkness! He must have let his lying tongue loose when he thought Jesus was at his weakest. Can you imagine the lies he whispered into Jesus’ ear hoping that he would abandon his life’s work of atoning for all sins? “Oh, Jesus, you won’t make a difference. The punishment against the sins of the world, the whole world is just too much for anyone to endure, even you. Besides, this world already belongs to me and my rebellious deeds and desires, just look at its’ history. Why care about these people, they will turn against you, just look how Judas and Peter turned on you. They won’t be the last, thousands more will turn against you and love the wealth and the sinful pleasures I offer more than you. Its not worth it, they aren’t worth it.” Surely like always Satan battled against Jesus taking his bits of truth and weaving them with his bold faced lies into a crown of temptation even worst than the physical crown of thorns. But our warrior, our Savior, would fight against this evil angel. He would fight with the dark weight of all sins upon him. The weight of billions of sins committed by billions of people. The weight of every abortion, murder, infidelity, divorce, and all the horrible things you and I have thought, said, and done. Yes, even with all that he fought for us the greatest battle ever.

Yet, what is worse than everything I have described is what is revealed in Jesus’ own words, “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” The Heavenly Father’s white hot anger against sin rained down on Jesus. Yes, the same one who brought the universe into existence out of nothing, destroyed every living thing on the face of the earth with a massive flood, and completely destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and burning sulfur from heaven, poured out his full wrath against every sin upon his own Son. Here the mystery of the Trinity, the unique nature of our God boggles my mind. The one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, had one person the Father turning his back on another person of our divine God, his Son. The Father who had said twice about his Son, “This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased.” Now that Father suspends his love completely from his Son and leaves behind his holy wrath against the sins of the world that Jesus carried to this cross for this final battle. Isaiah had prophesied this moment so clearly in 53:4, “Surely he was taking up our weaknesses, and he was carrying our sufferings. We thought it was because of God, that he was stricken, smitten, and afflicted.” Yes, Jesus, endured all of this for us, while we were still sinners Christ died for us. No wonder Jesus needed to be both God and man in the same person. He was true man to stand in our place of suffering as our substitute, but he was true God to endure the wrath of God against the sins of the whole world, and then offer a life valuable enough to secure forgiveness for those sins.

The Gospels make it seem as if this great battle came to an end quickly after he expressed the agony of being forsaken by God. John 19:30 records, “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished!’” and the last verse of our text from Matthew says, “After Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.” Our warrior who remained in control the whole time during this great battle brought it to its final end when he gave up his spirit. “It is finished,” says everything. The greatest battle ever fought is over. The promise made to fallen human beings is fulfilled, the serpent’s head is crushed. The Devil will never win, he has lost. The Devil thought he could keep the gates of heaven locked to you and me, but he lost. Jesus won, and has opened the gates of heaven so that we can join him for an eternity of blessings. We have been fully forgiven. Nothing is required from us, because our warrior fought the greatest battle of all, and won. “It is finished.” Amen.