What parent would choose one of his or her children to die for people who don’t like them? Or which of us would die ourselves, not just for our mother or spouse or friend, but for an enemy?

God sent Jesus to die for the ungodly—those not devoted to Him, those even against Him. This was the darkest moment in the history of planet Earth.

The spiritual darkness was seen and felt physically: “At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon” (Mark 15:33, NIV). Jesus was put on the cross at nine, and then, after three hours of suffering, everything went dark. Was it a windstorm? Was it a supernatural act of God, with the light of the sun blocked out?

It was a sign of the forces of darkness that had contrived to put Jesus on the cross—the evil of the moment. It also showed the absolute control of God over everything, since He could have taken His Son off the cross and spared Him this suffering.

At three that afternoon, “Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ (which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’)” (Mark 15:34, NIV).

“Listen, he’s calling for Elijah,” people said. “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down” (Mark 15:35–36, NIV). A tradition was believed that at crucial moments the Old Testament prophet Elijah would appear. But Jesus wasn’t calling for Elijah. He didn’t need Elijah. He could have come down from the cross on His own.

But He kept seeing you and me—the salvation of people for thousands of years now, all over the world, every color, every tribe. Countless numbers have had their sins washed away because of what Jesus endured on the cross.

“With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last” (Mark 15:37, NIV). He finished His life, misunderstood right to the very end.

John’s Gospel tells us that as He died, Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30, NIV). What was finished? Salvation. Full and free. Not earned by us. Only to be received as a gift.

“It is finished.” Mission accomplished. Substitutionary death accomplished. Jesus punished for things that we did, and, as we put our faith in Him and are born again, giving us His righteousness.

You know what? I think we got the best of that trade.

But notice this: as Jesus breathed His last, the “curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Mark 15:38, NIV). The temple veil—a huge, thick curtain—was rent in two. It was torn not from bottom to top, but from top to bottom—to prove that no person had come in and torn it. It was an act of God, just like the darkness at noontime had been. What did it mean?

Before Jesus’ death, nobody could go into the holy of holies, where the presence of God rested. But the curtain that kept people from God’s presence was rent in two to say to us, “Now not just the high priest on the Day of Atonement can go in there. Every believer in Jesus Christ has access to the holy of holies.”

Because of what took place on the darkest day in history, not only are we offered Jesus’ righteousness. Now we can also pour out our needs to God and seek from Him the necessary requirements for each day, like mercy and grace. All of us today have access to God. The veil was torn in two to remind the Christian church forever, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NIV).

How many people can go to Christ? Everyone. He’s waiting for us today.


Prayer

Oh God, help us to take advantage of the access we have to You. Thank You for sacrificing Your only Son so that we can live forever with You. We love You, Lord. Commune with us today. Amen.

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