Christ was Cast into the Outer Darkness

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“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.”
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​Matthew 27:45

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 Christ was Cast into the Outer Darkness

Light has a rejuvenating effect.  After the deeps of winter, we embrace the brightness that accompanies Spring.  Some love it so much that they like to jokingly think of Daylight Savings as a national holiday. 

“Let there be light.” These were some of the first words of Scripture. After it was created it God said it was “good.”

This light is so good it eventually began to signify moral goodness.  We all know that the cowboy with the light colored hat is the good guy.  The one with the dark hat and beard is the bad guy.

The climax of this light comes in the Savior’s designation of himself.  He is “the Light of the World.”  

But on the cross Jesus was light-less.  Jesus was stripped of that first, great blessing of creation.  The Light of the World was not allowed to enjoy the light of the world.  For he was under God’s wrath and curse.

On the cross Jesus was to suffer.  Everything was to be taken away.  He may not enjoy one good thing.  He was to bear the punishment for sin.  As a result, he had to be excommunicated from the blessing of light. 

Ironically, it was supposed to be the brightest part of the day.  Jesus was crucified from noon to 3pm.  But, at the cross, it was blacker than midnight.  He had to occupy the darkest pit of hell as he died.

It is true that “God makes the sun to shine on the just and the unjust.”  However, that is only for a limited time.  God will judge sinners.  He will eventually throw a blanket over the sun.  The prophet Isaiah had said, “The sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.”

In another place the Lord declared, “I clothe the heavens with blackness and make sackcloth their covering.”  

Jesus himself had even spoken of this terror.  He said evil doers would be “cast into the outer darkness.”  

But now, as the darkness descends upon Jesus, we understand that he himself was descending into hell.  He is cast into the outer darkness because he is the one who would bear the penalty of sin.

Could there be a darker message?  Certainly not.  But there is a glimmer of good news: Jesus is a Savior.  His death brings light and life to those who do not deserve it.

In those three hours Jesus made the trek through eternal darkness.  By doing so he delivers his people from the despairing darkness of God’s wrath.  Christ allows the light of heaven to radiate upon those who put their trust in him.  Salvation to eternal life and light may be obtained because he was thrust into the cavernous depths of death.   

Christ is now pleased to give those who would receive him the inexpressible light of God’s eternal presence.  Having taken upon himself the dark curse of sin, he allows the sweet rays of grace to beam down upon his people.

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