What would you say is the most glorious moment in the life of Christ? Many might point to His miraculous resurrection as the most glorious moment – when He conquered death and proved His deity. After all, rising from the dead in an immortal glorified body is an astounding feat never seen before or since.
However, if you asked Jesus Himself, I believe He would give a different answer. In John 12:23-27, Jesus declares, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified…Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Here Jesus equates His glorification with His impending death. The very purpose for which He came was to lay down His life.
As remarkable as Jesus’ teachings and miracles are, what do we as Christians lift up and proclaim above all else? It’s not His life, but His death. “We preach Christ crucified” (1 Cor. 1:23). It’s pretty remarkable if you think about all the things Jesus has done in his lifetime. Think about the teachings Jesus has left the world with, all the miraculous stories we can go over and ponder at. Yet, the very essence of Christian preaching is not His life but his death. We preach Christ crucified. We would fix our eyes on the cross. His death was the climax of His life and ministry.
In Mark 15:33-39, four supernatural phenomena accompany Jesus’ crucifixion that vividly demonstrate the monumental significance of this moment. Let’s examine each one and reflect on what they reveal about the meaning of the cross.
Darkness Descends
“When the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.” (Mark 15:33)
Imagine the scene – at high noon when the sun should be at its brightest, an eerie darkness suddenly blanketed the land for three hours until 3 pm. Other historical records of the time reference this same remarkable event. Phlegon of Tralles writes about this period of time, saying, “In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad”—which would be around AD 32 or 33—”there was a great and remarkable eclipse of the sun, above any that had happened before. At the sixth hour, the day was turned into darkness of night, so that stars were seen in the heavens, and there was a great earthquake in Bithynia, which overthrew many houses in the city of Nicaea.” This independent attestation shows that this was a historical event seen by many people around that land.
But this was no mere natural occurrence. There’s a critical detail that proves this darkness was supernatural. Passover always coincided with a full moon, and a solar eclipse is physically impossible during a lunar eclipse. The moon cannot simultaneously block the sun’s light and be obscured in Earth’s shadow. No, this midday darkness was a miraculous sign from God Himself.
Throughout Scripture, darkness often symbolizes judgment. Exodus describes a plague of thick darkness that fell on Egypt for three days before the Passover. In Exodus 10:21-23, before the plague of the Passover lamb, darkness filled the land. It says, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.’ So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.”
In the same way, the darkness over the whole land as Jesus hung on the cross pointed to universal judgment. Every person is under the just condemnation of a holy God because of our sins. Like the Egyptians, we all deserve to be eternally separated from the light of God’s presence.
The darkness makes a bold statement – we are all guilty and in desperate need of a Savior to take our place. But even as it highlights our hopeless condition, it also directs us to the One who is our only hope. Which brings us to the second phenomenon…
Jesus Was Forsaken
“At the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'” (Mark 15:34)
These words that Jesus exclaimed are actually the opening line of Psalm 22, a vivid prophecy of the suffering Messiah. By quoting it, Jesus was applying it to Himself, putting His agonizing death in the context of God’s sovereign plan.
But let’s not miss the depth of anguish captured in His cry. From eternity past, Jesus enjoyed perfect, unbroken fellowship with His Father. John’s Gospel describes the Word as being “with God” from the beginning in intimate communion (John 1:1). Yet as He bore the crushing weight of humanity’s transgressions, for the first time Jesus experienced the horror of separation from God. The sinless Son of God actually became sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21).
And in that moment, the Father had to look away. Habakkuk 1:13 says of God, “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong.” A holy God could not gaze upon the hideousness of our iniquities that Jesus willingly took upon Himself. Out of love for us, God the Father forsook His precious Son.
Of all the trials and torment Jesus endured, nothing compared to the terror of losing fellowship with His Father. He who was fearless in the face of contagious leprosy, violent crowds, raging seas, and demonic powers, trembled at being alienated from Him. It should be the same for us. Too often we are complacent about sin because we’ve grown numb to being out of step with our Creator. But our relationship with God should be so precious to us that we shudder at even the thought of anything coming between us. Jesus certainly did.
We can scarcely imagine the agony Jesus experienced in that moment. The word “forsaken” in Greek (enkataleipo) conveys desertion, abandonment, and being left helpless. Jesus wasn’t merely separated from His Father; He was utterly cut off and alienated, left to bear divine wrath alone.
Isaiah 53:10 prophesied this some 700 hundred years earlier: “It was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief.” Jesus’ plea from Psalm 22 was a fulfillment of Scripture and proof that this was God’s plan all along. Yet knowing it was God’s will didn’t lessen His anguish. The sinless Son of God actually became sin for us.
If you’ve ever felt forsaken by God, take heart that Jesus endured the ultimate rejection by the Father so you would never have to. He was deserted so you could be eternally accepted. His alienation purchased your reconciliation. Marvel at such amazing love!
The Curtain Was Torn
“The curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” (Mark 15:38)
The instant Jesus breathed His last, another astonishing miracle occurred. The thick veil that cordoned off the Holy of Holies in the temple was suddenly ripped in two, from top to bottom. This curtain was no flimsy piece of fabric. Jewish tradition says it was as much as four inches thick, woven from blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen. No human could tear such a massive curtain from the top down. Pause and consider how mind-blowing this would have been for the priests ministering in the temple that day.
The implications are unmistakable – Jesus’ death forever removed the barrier between God and man. God’s presence had dwelled in the Holy of Holies, shielded from sinful man by the thick temple curtain. Only the high priest could pass through the curtain once a year on the Day of Atonement to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people (Hebrews 9:7).
But Jesus’ sacrifice was so perfect and complete that it ripped the barrier away permanently. His sacrifice was the once-for-all atonement that the temple sacrificial system and priesthood could only imperfectly foreshadow. Access to God’s presence was now available to any and all, not just the high priest one day a year. The torn curtain opened the way for all believers to confidently enter God’s presence (Hebrews 10:19-22).
The torn curtain means we don’t need to jump through hoops of legalism, get our lives in perfect order, or pass some arbitrary standard of holiness before approaching God’s throne of grace. We come boldly through the merit of Jesus’ shed blood alone. The way is permanently and irreversibly open because of what transpired at Calvary.
Don’t ever let anyone try to stitch that veil back up with religious rites or man-made requirements. Stand firm in your blood-bought freedom to enter the Most Holy Place. The dividing wall is forever toppled, granting access to God to both Jew and Gentile alike. Which leads directly into our fourth and final phenomenon…
The Centurion’s Confession
“When the centurion who stood facing him saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39)
Amidst all the signs and wonders accompanying the crucifixion, perhaps the most astonishing was this spontaneous profession of faith by a hardened Roman soldier. This man was an eyewitness to Jesus’ final moments, with a front row seat to everything that occurred. And instantly, he recognized Jesus’ true identity, declaring “Truly this was the Son of God!”
Don’t miss the magnitude of this. As a Gentile, this centurion was as far removed from God as one could be. He had no knowledge of Old Testament prophecies and didn’t grow up revering the God of Israel. He made his living carrying out the brutal oppression of the Roman government. If anyone should have been blind to spiritual truth, it was him. Why is this so remarkable? Because it demonstrates that the cross tears down every wall separating people from their Creator. Even a battle-scarred centurion can find forgiveness and new life.
There was something about the manner of Jesus’ death that deeply impacted this hardened soldier. Despite Jesus’ physical torture and apparent defeat, the centurion saw in His final moments a glimpse of His true majesty. Perhaps he recognized that only the Son of God could maintain such composure, dignity, and supernatural control in the face of death.
This Roman’s spontaneous declaration of faith is a foretaste of the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth. Jesus died to make salvation available to people of every tribe, tongue, and nation. His final words “It is finished” (John 19:30) rang in a new era in which all people, both Jew and Gentile, could be reconciled to God. The cross is the great equalizer. It humbles the proud, religious elite while welcoming the vilest of sinners.
Grasp the Gravity
What happened at the cross was a cataclysmic event, with repercussions that reverberate for all time and eternity. As we’ve walked through the extraordinary events of Jesus’ crucifixion, I hope you’ve gained a deeper appreciation for the glory of the cross. It may seem like a place of defeat, darkness, and despair. But it’s actually the site of Christ’s supreme victory over sin, death, and the devil.
The darkness, Jesus’ cry of abandonment, the torn veil, and the centurion’s confession all point to the earth-shattering significance of what transpired at Calvary. The Son of God absorbed the wrath we deserved, endured alienation from the Father, removed all barriers between us and God, and opened the way of salvation to even the unlikeliest of individuals.
As you contemplate the weight of what occurred, ask yourself some honest questions:
- Am I truly awed and humbled at the thought of Jesus absorbing my sin and shame?
- Do I cherish my relationship with God as the most important and non-negotiable priority in my life?
- Am I trying to earn God’s acceptance through good deeds instead of fully embracing the implications of the torn temple veil?
- Is there someone I need to reach out to with the good news that salvation is freely available to all?
If you’re a believer, rejoice afresh in the finished work of Christ on your behalf. You are fully forgiven, eternally accepted, and free to approach God with confidence. If you’re struggling with sin or discouragement, behold the Lamb of God who triumphed over the powers of darkness on your behalf. If you’re still trying to make yourself presentable to God in your own strength, stop and rest in the finished, atoning work of Jesus. Walk in the light of this reality and extend the same mercy you’ve received to others.
And if you’ve never trusted in Christ, I urge you to embrace the reconciliation He offers you today. There could be no better time than right now to surrender your life to Jesus and receive His forgiveness. Romans 10:9 promises, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Repent and believe in the One who died in darkness to bring you into His marvelous light. Let your confession be the same as the centurion’s: “Truly this man was the Son of God!” Will you trust Him today?
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