JUNE 29,  Matthew 27:45-46

Death by crucifixion was a slow and cruel death. Jesus was hung on the cross at 9am (called the third hour in their method of calculation), according to Mark 15:25. Then at the sixth hour which is 12 noon, something unusual happened. Verse 45 of Matt 27 tells us darkness was over all the land. That would have been a strange sight, for the sun was shining and then suddenly it disappears at the time when it was supposed to be brightest! Why was there darkness?

This physical darkness or the lack of light is symbolic of the spiritual darkness the place was in. They had the incomparable privilege of having the Son of God in their midst, teaching and helping them. They were able to have God the Son walking in their midst, healing the lame whole, making the blind see, restoring those who were ill, casting out demons. And even raising some from the dead! Yet, they wanted to kill him. That is why there was this darkness that fell upon the land. During this darkness, thousands must have wondered what happened. It was not an eclipse of the sun for no solar eclipse lasted that long. It was God’s supernatural act as His precious only begotten Son was experiencing his last hours on earth as a man. This darkness lasted 3 hours until the ninth hour (or 3 pm), when Jesus died. So how long did Jesus hang on the cross? 6 hours.

6 hours was how long it took to kill Jesus. Some others who are crucified may take shorter or longer, but in any case, it was a cruel and slow death. That is why crucifixion is banned; no country allows death by crucifixion today. Now that we know Jesus was on the cross for 6 hours, we want to ask ourselves another question. Was it only during these 6 hours that Jesus suffered? Of course not. Jesus suffered even before he hung on the cross. He willingly bore the taunting, mistreatment, physical pain even before he went up to the cross. Such a wonderful Saviour Jesus is! As we examine this other aspect of death by crucifixion and realise it is such a slow and cruel death, let us draw nearer to God and thank Him even more for the precious and unsurpassed gift of Jesus.

Thought: O how I love Jesus!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for teaching me that crucifixion is such a slow and terribly painful death. Cause me to now want to love Jesus more and to be more grateful to Him who died for me. In His precious name I pray, Amen.