The death of Jesus Christ was truly extraordinary! In this message we explore three signs that attended Christ’s death, and four different responses of people to Christ’s death. May God help us to make the right response to the cross of Christ.
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The Extraordinary Death of Jesus Christ
Luke 23:44-56
We come this morning to the final hours and minutes of the life of Jesus Christ. We enter into the holy of holies, and watch our holy God die. Even saying that sounds crazy. It is an oxymoron. How can God die?! But, of course, we must remember, that this One, although He has existed from all eternity as God, has assumed a true human nature. And that human nature is capable of becoming tired, and hungry, and suffering, and even dying. Truly, as we come to this text which speaks of the death of Christ, we are standing on holy ground.
All of this reminds me of Charles Wesley’s immortal hymn, “And Can It Be?” The chorus says, “Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God shouldst die for me?”
Now, if it is really true that the One dying on that cross was none other than God manifested in the flesh, we would almost expect that His death would be unusual. Just as we would expect the way He entered the world to be unusual, we would expect the way He left the world to be unusual as well. Well, He entered the world through a virgin, accompanied by many angelic visitations and pronouncements. That was certainly unusual! So, what about His death? When we come to the Scriptures, we are not disappointed. His death is very unusual.
In fact, just about everything about His trial and death have been unusual. For starters, even though He was absolutely innocent of every crime He was accused of, He never objects, retaliates, or even defends Himself. When was the last time you saw that? Later, as He is marching towards Golgotha, He meets a large crowd of women who are weeping and mourning for Him. However, Jesus turns around and says “Stop weeping for Me. Instead weep for yourself and your children, for there is coming a day in which you will wish you had never had children.” Now, that’s kind of an unusual response, wouldn’t you say? Then, when He is nailed to the cross, He prays and says, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” Anyone else, would be spitting out venom, or praying for God’s judgment upon his enemies. Then, when there are two thieves crucified on each side of Him, He tells one of them that today he would be with Him in Paradise. He was even snatching a sinner out of the jaws of Satan while He was hanging from that cross.
Now, all of those unusual circumstances, merely lead up to Christ’s final hours on the cross. We are going to take a look at the extraordinary death of Christ in two parts. First, we will look at the signs attending Christ’s death. Then, we will look at the responses of others to Christ’s death.
1. The Signs Attending Christ’s Death
An Eerie Darkness. Verse 44-45 says, “It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, because the sun was obscured.” Now, Mark 15:25 says it was the third hour when they crucified Him. The Jews measured time from 6 a.m. So, the third hour would be 9 a.m. However, now it is Noon, the sixth hour. Jesus has been hanging from the cross for three hours already. But at high noon, when typically in Jerusalem in Spring there would be blazing sunshine, darkness fell over the whole land for three solid hours. From noon to three in the afternoon, it was dark. It was an eerie darkness. Some have tried to say there was a natural explanation to this darkness. They say it was just an eclipse of the sun. However, Passover always falls on a full moon, and eclipses do not take place when there is a full moon. No, this was not an eclipse of the sun. This was a supernatural sign attending the death of Christ.
Well then, if this was not an eclipse, how did this darkness take place? How is it possible that at noon until three in the afternoon, the brightest and hottest portion of the day, a darkness would fall over the whole land?! The only answer is God.
You see the first three hours of the cross could be described as a comedy. It was filled with taunting, jeering, mocking and scorn. It came from all quarters – from the religious leaders, to the soldiers, to the criminals on Jesus’ right and left side. However, at noon, everything changed. This comedy turned into a drama. The first three hours of the cross were dominated by the mockers. The last three hours of the cross were dominated by God. When darkness fell, they weren’t mocking any more! There’s no sneering, blasphemy or taunting going on. In fact, there doesn’t appear to be any speaking at all, even by the Lord Jesus Himself. There is just silence.
You see, sometimes when God manifests His presence in judgment, He does so by bringing judgment. When God brought His plagues on Egypt, one of the signs was darkness. In Exodus 10:21 it says, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.” Later, when the children of Israel were fleeing from the Egyptians, God put darkness between the children of Israel and the Egyptians (Josh. 24:7). And then, in the New Testament, when Jesus describes Hell, He does so in terms of “outer darkness.”
So, when all of a sudden at noon, while Jesus is hanging on the cross, a darkness fell over the whole land, what is going on? I’ll tell you what’s going on. God has come down. God has shown up. God has come down to judge sin, and pour out His wrath on iniquity. The outer darkness of Hell has a counterpart. It is the outer darkness of the cross. You see, God brought Hell to Jerusalem that day. It was not God’s wrath on the religious leaders, or Roman soldiers, or the Jewish people, though all of them deserved His wrath. It was His wrath upon His beloved Son!
This darkness is not the absence of God. It is the presence of God in full wrath, vengeance and judgment. Jesus is bearing in His own body the due penalty of our sins. The wicked will spend eternity in hell, and never fully pay for their sins. But Jesus Christ pays for sin in three hours. How is that possible? It is only possible because He is God! Only an infinite person can remove an infinite amount of wrath, but that’s exactly what Jesus did.
The eerie darkness at the cross meant that Jesus was satisfying the wrath of God against sin. Brothers and sisters, if you are in Christ, God has no more wrath for you! All of His wrath was spent upon His Son. He has shot all of His bullets into Christ. There are no more for you. All God has left for His children is grace and mercy. You are free from condemnation. You are free from punishment. You are free!
A Torn Veil. The last portion of verse 45 says “and the veil of the temple was torn in two.” Matthew 27:51 says the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. Now, of course, that’s how the veil would have to be torn. This veil was 60 feet high! That’s the height of six story building! And this veil was four inches thick. If this veil was torn from top to the bottom, that means God did the tearing! No man could reach that high, or had the strength to tear through that thick of a veil.
Now, try to imagine the scene. You’ve got all these priests assembled at the temple on Passover, ready to begin slaughtering the lambs at 3:00 p.m. However, everything has been chaos since noon, because of the darkness. No one can see anything. The whole place is in great confusion. But then, at 3:00 p.m. the lights come on. So, the priests begin their work. But, just as they begin their butchering work, they hear this loud tearing sound coming from inside the temple. When the priests flocked inside to see what was going on, they would have been shocked and horrified.
The thick veil was placed between the Holy place and the Holy of Holies as a barrier. The ordinary priest, let alone the ordinary Jew, could not go into the Holy of Holies or even see what was there. Now, exactly what was the veil hiding? Inside the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant, which was really God’s throne. God dwelt between the cherubim over the Ark of the Covenant. So, this veil was shielding a holy God from sinful men. The veil was put there to protect men from carelessly and irreverently entering God’s presence. The only person that could enter the Holy of Holies was the high priest, and he could only go in one day a year, the Day of Atonement. And he could only enter on that day after elaborate preparations had been made. He had to wash himself, put on special clothing, carry incense so that the smoke would cover his eyes from a direct view of God, and bring the blood of a sacrificial animal. During all the generations from Moses on, God had remained shielded behind a veil, first in the Tabernacle, and then in the Temple.
How shocking it must have been for those priests to come into the Temple and be able to see right into the Holy of Holies! They had never seen this in all their lives. Their jaws must have dropped to the floor.
But why would God tear the veil in the Temple? What was He showing us? He was showing us that through Christ’s death, the way into the very presence of God is open to all. It is not limited to the High Priest of Israel. It is open to anyone who will come through faith in Christ. The darkness signified propitiation. The torn veil signified reconciliation.
Hebrews 4:16 says, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Hebrews 10:19-22 says, “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Brothers and sisters, God has removed any barrier between you and Himself, and He urges you to draw near. Boldly approach His throne! Draw near with confidence to the throne of grace!
“Boldly I approach Your throne, Blameless now I’m running home
By Your blood I come, Welcomed as Your own, Into the arms of majesty”
A Loud Cry. Verse 46 says, “And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last.”
Now, this loud cry of Christ was also a supernatural sign attending Christ’s death. Why? Because people who were being crucified did not die uttering a loud cry. Remember, that people died of crucifixion by suffocation. As they hung in such an awkward position, they could not take a breath, so they had to push themselves up by their hands and fee to take a breath. Now, if you can’t breathe, you have no ability to speak, let alone cry out. You are barely able to whisper.
But, Jesus is not dying as a helpless victim. He is dying as the Great Conqueror of sin and death. Jesus said in John 10:18, “No one takes My life from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again.” Jesus was in control of when He died. He didn’t die against His will. It says that He cried out with a loud voice. He was shouting at the top of His lungs, in full strength, triumphant.
Well, what did He cry? “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” Earlier He had prayed, “My God, My God, what have You forsaken Me?” There He addressed the Father as “My God.” When God’s full wrath was burning against Christ, Jesus felt forsaken, and distant, and could only address Him as “My God.” Now, He has born the penalty of sin, and so can address Him as “Father.” Jesus is actually quoting Psalm 31:5. Jesus was giving up His spirit to God, and voluntarily dying. I do not believe when Jesus died His spirit went down into Hell to preach to the demons or to the damned. I believe Jesus’ spirit went into the presence of His Father in Paradise, just as He told the thief.
And, my friend, if you die in Christ, that’s where your spirit will go. Your body will go into the ground in a grave or perhaps be cremated. But your spirit will fly into the presence of God Himself to rejoice and worship Him. One day your spirit will be reunited to your body which has been glorified, and then you will dwell on the New Earth to serve the Lord and rejoice in Him for all eternity!
Well, having seen the signs attending the death of Christ, let’s turn our attention to the responses of people to the death of Christ.
2. The Responses of People to Christ’s Death
Here, Luke has given us four different people or groups of people. He shows us the centurion, the crowds, the disciples, and Joseph of Arimathea.
The Centurion. A centurion was a Roman soldier who commanded a Century, or 100 men. That’s why he was called a centurion. This is how the Roman Army breaks down. It consisted of about 25 legions. A legion consisted of 6,000 men. Each legion was broken down into about 10 cohorts of 600 men each. Each cohort, consisted of 6 centuries. So, a century was really the smallest unit in the Roman army. Each century was commanded by a centurion. These men had proven themselves in battle by their bravery and wisdom. They were not elite men, who commanded their troops while they sat in the safety of their fortresses. No, they led their men into battle, much like the generals did in the Civil War.
Now, this centurion would have been the one involved in this whole ordeal for the last several hours. This centurion and his soldiers were the ones who had mocked Jesus. They were the ones who put a gorgeous robe on him, and put a reed in His hand, and a crown of thorns on His head, and then knelt before Him and said, “Hail! King of the Jews!” To them, it was all a big joke. They were the ones who spat on Him. They were soldiers. They were hardened and cruel. These soldiers had heard all of the accusations hurled against Him, but had also heard declarations of His innocence, over and over and over. And, through all the abuse, they watch Him respond with meekness, and grace, and majesty. He never retaliates, and never threatens His persecutors.
When He arrived at Golgotha, they showed Him no mercy. They drove the nails through His hands and feet, just as they did to any other criminal. They cast lots for His garments, and then sat down to watch Him die, as they had watched scores of others die. After all, that was their job. They were executioners. As they watched Him die, they heard Him pray that God would forgive them. They heard Him tell one of the thieves that he would be with Him in Paradise that day. They saw the noble way He suffered. And then they witnessed the thick darkness fall upon the whole land. And then they heard Him shout, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” They had never heard that before. No person dying from crucifixion, ever died by shouting. It was just not possible in his incoherent condition.
And, after watching all of that, the centurion says in verse 47, “Certainly this man was innocent.” In Matthew 27:54 the centurion says, “Truly this was the Son of God!” I believe the centurion made both of those statements. Perhaps this centurion had been present when Jesus was brought before the Council. In Luke 22:70 it says, “And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then? And He said to them, “Yes, I am.” Well, no doubt, this centurion didn’t believe that this man was the Son of God. But now, several hours later, after He had witnessed everything, He had changed His mind. He was convinced that He was righteous. He was convinced that Jesus was the very Son of God. Perhaps that centurion also went home saved that day!
Friends, that’s how this Roman centurion responded to the death of Christ. He believed and confessed that Jesus was the Son of God. Have you ever made that confession? If you are a doubter, or a skeptic, I urge you to cast away your doubts in the face of all of the evidence of who Jesus is. He is the Holy One, the Son of God!
The Crowds. Verse 48 says, “And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts.” Who comprised this crowd? They were those that enjoyed a little entertainment, and a little diversion. Here was a crucifixion. They thought it would be fascinating to watch these criminals be executed. So, they were hanging out, just to watch the news of the day unfold. Perhaps they had been some of the same people that had been putting down palm branches and their coats on the road for Jesus to ride over. They shouted, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!” Well, they seemed to be a fickle crowd, for the religious leaders had been able to convince them to cry out “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” So, they had gone from joyful euphoria at thinking Jesus could be their Messiah, to hateful angry shouting when He disappointed their hopes. But now, their mind has changed again. The three hours of darkness has given them time for reflection. They considered all that Jesus had done for the people in healing the sick, and teaching them about God, and casting out demons. The darkness and great earthquake convinced them that they were in the hands of an angry God. After watching all of these amazing events at the foot of the cross, they starting walking home, beating their breasts.
Now, what did beating their breasts signify? When Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, he said that the Tax Collector would not lift his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breasts saying, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” Beating the breasts was a way of expressing remorse, and guilt, and repentance for sin. It appears that the crowd that witnessed the crucifixion were also convinced that Jesus was innocent, and that a holy man of God had been executed that day. In consequence, they smote their breasts in anguish and remorse and repentance.
How did the crowds respond to Christ’s death? By expressing shame, anguish and repentance. Again, this is a right response. We should follow their example, in showing remorse and repentance for our sin.
The Women Disciples. Verse 49 says, “And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.” Who is in the “acquaintances” group? These are distinguished from the crowds. These would be those who followed Christ. We know that, because Luke singles out the women who accompanied Him from Galilee. Luke has already identified who some of these women are in Luke 8:2-3, “Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.” These were women who loved the Lord, and followed Him, and did whatever they could to serve Him and support Him and His disciples.
So, what was their response? The text just says that they stood at a distance, seeing these things. Verse 55-56 adds some additional insight. It says, “Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.”
The women who followed Christ watched everything very carefully. Now, that proves to be very important. One of the ways that people have tried to disprove Christ’s resurrection is to say that on Easter morning, everyone went to the wrong tomb. Well, that is absolutely ludicrous, because just a couple of days earlier they had gone to the tomb. They knew where it was. And even if one of the women had gotten mixed up as to the location of the tomb, the others would have set her straight.
Also, the text tells us that they saw how His body was laid. In other words, they saw the dead corpse of Jesus Christ. They were witnesses to the fact that Jesus actually died. Now, of course Jesus died. The centurion, who was an expert in executing criminals, told Pilate that Jesus was dead. If anyone would know, it would be him. But both Joseph and the women disciples also confirmed that He was dead. If he wasn’t dead, they never would have put Him in the tomb.
Why is that important? Because others try to say that Jesus never died. He just “swooned”, and that later in the tomb He revived and left the tomb and appeared as if He had resurrected. That’s also ridiculous, because you don’t revive a man in a swoon by putting him in an airtight tomb. Not only that, but this revived person would then have to somehow muster the strength to roll away the heavy stone that three women felt incapable of moving, and then walk on pierced feet 7.5 miles to Emmaus!
The response of the women teaches us that the death of Jesus Christ is a historical fact. And if that is true, then Jesus must have been raised from the dead, because hundreds of people witnessed to the fact that they saw Him alive, and these people went on to live the rest of their lives preaching that truth, and then sealing it with their own blood. A man may lie about something, but he will not suffer and die for something he knows is a lie. Liars and martyrs are not made of the same stuff.
Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph is mentioned in all four gospels, but all of the information we have about him is given us right here.
- He was a member of the Council, the Sanhedrin, and was a good and righteous man.
- Like Simeon and Anna, he was part of the Jewish remnant who were waiting for the kingdom of God.
- He was a rich man, according to Mt. 27:57
- John 19:38 says “being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews.”
No doubt, Joseph remained a secret disciple, because everyone else in the Sanhedrin opposed Jesus and wanted Him dead. It was a very difficult thing for Joseph to buck the whole religious system he was involved in. But, at the death of Christ, he decided he was done. He was casting his lot in with Jesus Christ, and was going to let the chips fall where they may.
Being a rich man, he had purchased a tomb where no one had ever been buried. Perhaps he had bought the tomb for himself, but now he decided that Christ would have it. So, he went and got permission from Pilate to take Jesus off the cross, and wrapped the body in linen clothes, and then laid the body in the tomb.
So, how did Joseph respond to Christ’s death? By showing Him respect and honor in His death. He didn’t come out and confess Christ publicly during His life, but now He does so in His death. He uses His wealth to honor the Lord. And, it’s a good thing He did. If no one had buried the body, it would have been thrown into the garbage dump where all of the other criminals were thrown.
So, let’s put it all together. What were the responses to Christ’s death? Confession of Him as the Son of God, beating the breasts in remorse and repentance, watching where He was laid, and using his wealth to provide a proper burial for Christ.
Conclusion
My friends, how have you responded to the death of Christ? Have you confessed Him as Savior and Lord? Have you repented of your sins with shame and grief? Have you believed that He has truly risen? Do you use your wealth to honor Him in your life? Let us go, and do likewise!
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