The Passion of Christ: From Darkness to Dawn: The Path of Redemption

Bible Passage: Luke 23:44–53

Luke 23:44-53: "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.

Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid."

1. Darkness Declares Judgment | Declaration of Divinity | Dawn of Redemption

Darkness illustration-lack of light.

Our passage begins by telling us the time of day—about the sixth hour. In Jewish culture, they divided each day into twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness, regardless of the season. Since daylight began around 6 AM, the sixth hour would have been around noon, and the ninth hour around 3 PM. This was when the sun should have been at its strongest. Yet we see God's divine power causing the sunlight to fail.

Remember the illustration of being in a cave where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face? This darkness came without warning. Normally at sunset, we see the light gradually fade and can prepare by lighting lamps. But here—there was no notice. Just sudden, complete darkness.

This darkness is significant both in our passage and throughout the Bible. God uses darkness to help us understand evil and sinfulness, ignorance and separation from God, and His judgment.

Darkness Represents Evil and Sin

Scripture often uses darkness to paint a picture of moral evil and sinful hearts—a world that rejects God's truth and chooses wickedness instead.

John 3:19: "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil."

Proverbs 4:19: "The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble."

Darkness Shows Separation from God

Scripture also shows us darkness as spiritual blindness—being cut off from God's truth, life, and salvation.

Speaking of unbelievers, Paul writes: Ephesians 4:18: "They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart."

But for believers: Colossians 1:13: "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son."

Darkness Signals God's Judgment

God also uses darkness as a sign of judgment or to reveal His awesome presence.

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

Think back to when Moses received the Ten Commandments. The mountain was smoking with flashes of lightning and trumpet sounds. This scared the people, and they told Moses: "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die" (Exodus 20:19). They feared the Lord's awesome power, so "The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was" (Exodus 20:21).

The Temple Curtain Torn

But God wasn't finished declaring His judgment. Luke tells us, "And the curtain of the temple was torn in two." What's the significance here?

The temple was where God met with His people. Everything about the temple's design made clear that God was unapproachable—that sinners simply could not live with God. If you were a normal Israelite, you could never come closer to God's presence than the outer courtyard. If you were a priest, you might enter the Holy Place for one week in your entire life. But even then, you were still separated by the curtain. Only the high priest could spend a few precious minutes each year in God's presence.

What separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was the veil—a curtain about four inches thick, sixty feet tall, and thirty feet wide. Exodus 26:33 describes it: "And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy."

The curtain tore from top to bottom. Think about this: for you or me to tear such a curtain, we'd need a sixty-foot ladder, sharp instruments to cut through four inches of woven fabric, and considerable time. Yet Luke shows this happening instantly—like a light switch turning from on to off.

This tearing signified two crucial things:

The End of the Old Covenant

Hebrews 10:8–14 tells us that Christ "does away with the first in order to establish the second... by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."

As Jesus said in Matthew 5:17: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."

The old covenant finds its fulfillment in Jesus. He is the only one who lived a perfect life. Perfect and sinless. He perfectly submitted to all of the laws given as a way to come near to God.

Access to God Through the Son

Hebrews 10:19–22: "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh... let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith."

Jesus' Final Words

Luke records Jesus calling out with a loud voice: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And with those words, He breathed His last.

God demands a righteous life, which none of us can live. If you honestly examine your heart and life, you know what I mean when I say, as Romans 3:10-12 tells us: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."

But Romans 3:21–24 gives us hope: "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law... the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

Jesus died on the cross. His death "canceled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross" (Colossians 2:14). Jesus willingly paid the debt for sin for all who would believe.

Are you trusting in Jesus for your salvation?

2. Declaration of Divinity

Luke 23:47–49: "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."

Just a few verses earlier, we saw soldiers mocking Jesus and dividing His garments. This centurion—a Roman commander of a hundred men—was overseeing these soldiers' actions. It was by his command that Jesus was stripped and nailed to the cross. His command that lead to Jesus’ side being pierced by a spear. He experienced the darkness and the earth shaking and rocks being split Matthew 27:51. His response to everything that happened? Luke records him saying, "Certainly this man was innocent!" Mark records him declaring, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

The people watched everything that happened. They too experienced the trembling earth and rocks being split. Their response was to beat their chest in guilt. They were worried some dreadful judgement would come on them and their nation for this sin of crucifying Jesus. Their guilt was was warranted because they were guilty of crucifying an innocent man. What we see next is that they return home. There is no mention of the crowds repenting and believing in Jesus. We see their guilt as worldly sorrow which does not lead to repentance, Paul says it leads to death. 1 Corinthians 7:10-11 They feared punishment and regret that killing an innocent man would bring not the Godly sorrow which would bring repentance and eternal life.

His acquaintances and the the women who followed him from Galilee stood at a distance. They also saw all these things. Their hearts were aching and likely still stood in astonishment of the things that had happened.

This centurion, however, had received the forgiveness Jesus prayed for in verse 34: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Praise God for His awesome work—this man acknowledged his sins and turned from them. He “repented and believed in the gospel” Mark 1:15. "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." Romans 10:11

Have you believed in Jesus? Or will you be put to shame?

3. Dawn of Redemption

Luke 23:50–53: "Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid."

Here we meet a man Scripture calls both righteous and good—titles not used often in the Bible, so there was clearly something special about Joseph's heart. He hadn't agreed with the council's decision to crucify Jesus because he was seeking the Kingdom of God.

Joseph was an unusual man. If you're a Christian, it will make you what Scripture calls "a peculiar people" because you've been "called out of darkness into the light" (1 Peter 2:9). Your actions won't be motivated by self-satisfaction or personal desires, but by love for others.

Joseph shows us this love of Jesus in at least two ways: by risking his reputation and bearing the financial cost.

Risking His Reputation

By going to Pilate and asking for Jesus' body, Joseph risked his reputation. This might seem simple, but it would have brought unwanted attention from those who agreed to crucify Jesus—including the High Priest, who had significant political and religious influence. As a council member, this was directly opposing the High Priest and would likely ruin his standing.

Regardless of the personal cost, Joseph went to Pilate and received Jesus' body.

Bearing the Cost

Joseph took Jesus' body from the cross, wrapped it in fine linen, and laid Him in a tomb cut from stone where no one had ever been buried. Stone-cut tombs were expensive and labor-intensive. Joseph spared no expense, even using fine linen for the burial shroud.

The Call to Discipleship

Joseph’s actions show us a picture of the dawn of redemption. Jesus had defeated sin by paying it deadly cost. Josephs actions help us to see that we need to count the cost of following Jesus. If we are true disciples we will be willing to give up our reputations, our money, our time for the Kingdom Jesus was bringing near.

Mark 8:34–38: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

Are you a disciple of Jesus? A disciple is simply a learner—someone who believes that Jesus is who He says He is, the Son of God, and has chosen to follow Him.

If you are a disciple, then you come after Jesus. You need to deny yourself, give up your own desires, and even suffer or die for Jesus' sake. The riches of this world cannot give you eternal life. But Jesus can and does. Jesus said in John 10:28: "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."

Only Jesus can give us eternal life. As He prayed in John 17:3: "And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

Do you have eternal life? Do you know Jesus and the one true God? If you'd like to know more about this eternal life or have questions, please come see me, and I can tell you about it.