Easter Series Part 4--The Sun Stops Shinning

“So you are a king are you?” the Roman soldiers jeered…. They gave Jesus a crown made out of thorns. And put a purple robe on him. And pretended to bow down to him.
Then they whipped him. And spat on him. They didn’t understand that this was the Prince of Life, the Kind of heaven and earth, who had come to rescue them…They walked up a hill outside the city. Jesus carried the cross on his back. Jesus had never done anything wrong. But they were going to kill him the way criminal were killed.

They nailed Jesus to the cross.
“Father, forgive them.” Jesus gasped. “They don’t understand what they’re doing.”
“You say you’ve come to rescue us!” people shouted.
“But you can’t even rescue yourself!”
But they were wrong. Jesus could have rescued himself. A legion of angels would have flown to his side—if he’d called.
“If you were really the Don of God, you could just climb down off that cross!” they said.
And of course they were right. Jesus could have just said a word and make it all stop. Like when he healed that little girl. And stilled the storm. And fed the 5,000 people.
But Jesus stayed.
You see, they didn’t understand. It wasn’t the nails that kept Jesus there. It was love.
“Papa?” Jesus cried, frantically searching the sky. “Papa, where are you? Don’t leave me!”
And for the very first time—and the last—when he spoke, nothing happened. Just a horrible, endless silence. God didn’t answer. He turned away form his Boy. Tears rolled down Jesus’ face. The face of the one who would wipe away every tear from every eye.

Even though it was midday, a dreadful darkness covered the face of the world. The sun would not shine. The earth trembled and quaked. The great mountains shook. Rocks split in two. Until it seemed that the whole work would break. That creation itself would tear apart.

The full force of the storm of God’s fierce anger at sin was coming down. On his own Son. Instead of his people. It was the only way God could destroy sin, and not destroy his children whose hearts were filled with sin.
Then Jesus shouted in a loud voice, “It is finished!”
And it was. He had done it. Jesus had rescued the whole world.
“Father !” Jesus cried. “I give you my life.” And with a great sigh he let himself die.