Spurgeon Writes...

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”…
Mark 15:33-34 NIV

From the writings of Spurgeon:
"This darkness tells us all that the Passion is a great mystery, into which we cannot pry. I try to explain it as substitution, and I feel that where the language of Scripture is explicit, I may and must be explicit too. But yet I feel that the idea of substitution does not cover the whole of the matter, and that no human conception can completely grasp the whole of the dread mystery. It was worked in darkness because the full, far-reaching meaning and result cannot be beheld of finite mind. Tell me the death of the Lord Jesus was a grand example of self sacrifice— I can see that and much more.

Tell me it was a wondrous obedience to the will of God—I can see that and much more. Tell me it was the bearing of what ought to have been borne by myriads of sinners of the human race, as the chastisement of their sin—I can see that, and found my best hope upon it.

But do not tell me that this is ALL that is in the cross. No, great as this would be, there is much more in our Redeemer’s death. God only knows the love of God; Christ only knows all that He accomplished when He bowed His head and gave up the ghost. 

There are common mysteries of nature into which it were irreverence to pry, but this is a divine mystery, before which we put our shoes from off our feet, for the place called Calvary is holy ground. God veiled the cross in darkness, and in darkness much of its deeper meaning lies; not because God would not reveal it, but because we have not capacity enough to discern it all. 

God was manifest in the flesh, and in that human flesh He put away sin by His own sacrifice, this we all know, but “without controversy great is the mystery of godliness.” Once again, this veil of darkness also pictures to me the way in which the powers of darkness will always endeavor to conceal the cross of Christ. We fight with darkness when we try to preach the cross.

“This is your hour, and the power of darkness,” said Christ, and I doubt not that the infernal hosts made in that hour a fierce assault upon the spirit of our Lord. Thus much we also know, that if the prince of darkness is anywhere in force, it is sure to be where Christ is lifted up. To becloud the cross is the grand objective of the enemy of souls. Did you ever notice it? These fellows who hate the gospel will let every other doctrine pass muster, but if the atonement is preached, and the truths which grow out of it, straightaway they are awakened. Nothing provokes the devil like the cross. Modern theology has for its main objective the obscuration of the doctrine of the atonement. These modern cuttlefish make the water of life black with their ink. They make out sin to be a trifle, and the punishment of it to be a temporary business, and thus they degrade the remedy by underrating the disease. We are not ignorant of their devices.

Expect, my brethren, that the clouds of darkness will gather as to a center around the cross, that they may hide it from the sinner’s view. But expect this also, that there darkness shall meet its end. 

Light springs out of that darkness—the light eternal of the undying Son of God, who having risen from the dead, lives forever to scatter the darkness of evil."

Prayer:

Father,

           Thank You for Your Living Word - And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined. Thank You for the Light of the World - Your precious Son - who redeemed us from sin, death, hell, and the grave. Open our spiritual eyes to see Your Light so that we may walk in the light as He is in the light. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen