Monday 09 July 2012

Background

The death of Jesus is shown by Luke's Gospel to have cosmicsignificance, through supernatural phenomena. Although it was noon,darkness came over the whole land (verse 44). It seems that for atime the powers of evil had won, blotting out the light of the onethat the disciples have hoped would be the light of the world. Itwas as if time paused while the whole of creation stood aghast atthe tragedy that occurred. In this awesome moment, the curtain inthe temple separating the sacred dwelling place of God in the Holyof Holies, from the inner sanctuary was torn in two (verse 45). Itis a place no ordinary person can go into. The tearing of thecurtain signified the ending of an old order, and that God, throughthe death of Jesus, was providing a way to be accessible to allpeople, Gentiles (non Jews) as well as Jews.

Jesus did not see the darkness as an absence of God. His lastwords echoed the prayer of Psalm31:5, a prayer of trust that Jews pray before going to sleep atnight. Jesus commended his spirit into God's keeping. The centurionand the crowds were impressed with the dignity with which Jesusdied (verses 47-48). But those who have been closest to Jesuswatched his death from a distance (verse 49).

One faithful Jew, Joseph of Arimathea, who although on theJewish council, was not present when they voted for Jesus' death,took responsibility to give Jesus a burial with dignity. And thewomen prepared Jesus' body for burial.

Meditating on the death of Jesus can help us, like those whowatched his death, to enter into the pain and anguish of some ofthe very difficult experiences that happen to us, or those known tous, or communities known to us. As we see the darkness fall overthe land, we know that Jesus has entered into the depths of humantragedy. We can draw strength from his final words of trust, andthat some deeper spiritual purpose might somehow come out of thesuffering. And like the spectators around Jesus we can acknowledgethe awfulness of the situation, and treat the victim(s) withdignity.

To Ponder

• Why do you think that Jesus' acquaintances (verse 49) stood ata distance and watched his death?

• What emotions do you think that those watching the death ofJesus might have experienced and how might it have changed theirlives?

• My grandfather told me as a child that he had learned to trustin God throughout his life, and he would trust God in his death.How do we learn to have such trust in God?