When God Arrived at Calvary
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When God Arrived at Calvary
When God Arrived at Calvary
On Good Friday, we review the events of Last Supper in the Upper Room, the events leading of to Calvary, the events of Calvary and Christs’ death. In this review, it is only natural that we review the events with some special attention to those who were there, in various places.
On of those who was at Calvary was God himself, God the Father. We understand that God is everywhere. But we also need to consider the very clear evidences of when God made His presence very evident.
As a primer for our thoughts, please consider Hebrews.
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Most of us think of Calvary as the time and place when Jesus died in our place, allowing His body to be broken, his blood shed, his life given in our place for sin. But Calvary was also when Jesus offered Himself to God.
Luke 23:44-56 is the record of the culmination of those events and God’s presence was very clear.
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. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
Five dramatic events should be noted in the last 3 hours. Three of them were recorded by Luke.
Darkness - 3 hours - over the whole land - 6th to 9th hour - noon to 3:00 pm
Extent of the whole land not explained
Not an eclipse - cannot be a solar eclipse because the passover was only on a full moon and there is never a solar eclipse on a full moon
Not a result of Satan bringing the power of darkness on Jesus, but Satan had no such power.
This was God’s hour not Satan’s - ALTHOUGH SATAN WOULD HAVE THOUGHT HE WAS WINNING, IT WAS NO UNTIL RESURRECTION MORNING THAT GOD DEMONSTRATED HIS VICTORY.
Darkness was not caused by the absence of God, but by His presence and judgment.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Then 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.
On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.
Blow a trumpet in Zion;
sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful people;
their like has never been before,
nor will be again after them
through the years of all generations.
Darkness came with God’s judgment
Luke 18–24: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Consummation
Infinite wrath moved by infinite righteousness released infinite punishment on the Son. Because He is infinite, in just three hours He was able to absorb all the punishment of eternal hell for all who will ever believe.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
At the end of the 3 hours, God did not immediately comfort His Son.
And 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?”
Only time in Scripture record where Jesus referred to not as His Father, but as my God.
Luke 18–24: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Consummation
While hell involves the full fury of God’s personal presence to punish, He will never be there to comfort, show sympathy, or bring relief. If Jesus was to endure the full suffering of hell, it had to involve both the punishment of God and the absence of His comfort.
2. Curtain/Veil of the Temple was torn in two - Lk 23:45
Immediately after lifting the darkness
Access to Holy of Holies
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
Atonement complete - access to God, New Covenant ratified
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
Jesus had predicted the Temple’s destruction - Lk 21:5-6 - Now God tore the veil symbolizing it’s spiritual destruction.
3rd & 4th events not recorded in Luke
3rd - Powerful earthquake - Matt 27:51
Like darkness, often associated with God’s presence
Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.
Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
The mountains quake before him;
the hills melt;
the earth heaves before him,
the world and all who dwell in it.
4th - Tombs opened - many OT believers raised - not named - no more details
The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
First demonstration of life after death as a result of Christ’s death.
5. Jesus’ last words and death.
Communion with the Father restored
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.
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”
Responses:
Centurion - believed
What he and other soldiers heard and saw that was unique with Jesus:
Prayed for His executioners
Suffered with dignity
Promised to a repentant thief who had cursed Him
3 hours of darkness
Heard - “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit - Lk 23:46
Unusual behaviour re those in pain and oxygen deprived
Praised God - certainly this man was innocent - 1st covert to Christ after the crucifixion
2. Crowds - beating their breasts/chests - Lk alone - remorse and anguish - not faith
Wide range of emotions - from delirious joy/triumphal entry - anger, hatred, indifference at His trial/ chose Barabbas/murderer rather than Jesus - assumed responsibility for His death.
And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
3. All His acquaintances stood at a distance - Lk 23:49
- Not able to bear of the pain endured by one whom they loved - so much so that rather than coming near, pulled back
but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
- Unable to fully comprehend what had happened to Jesus
- THEY WERE DEVASTATED BECAUSE THAT THEY WERE OVERWHELMED BY FRIDAY AND WERE UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND AND BELIEVE/EMBRACE THAT SUNDAY WAS COMING.