“While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”  John 9:5 (NAS)

And it was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, the sun being obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit.” And having said this, He breathed His last.     Luke 23:44- 46 (NAS)

In the biblical Jewish manner of keeping time, a day is over the moment the sun sets, and everything about that day is past. It belongs to yesterday as soon as the sun goes down. Jesus was the Light of the world, so it is significant that darkness covered the land on the afternoon of His crucifixion. Darkness fell from noon to 3p.m. that day- not the darkness of a cloudy sky, but a total disappearance of the sun. When Jesus died, the light died. His death was the end of the old day and the old life. And because it was the time of the Passover, Jesus Himself became the sacrificial Lamb who took away the sins of the world (John 1:29). When the Light disappeared, all our guilt and shame became part of yesterday. And for those who truly grasp the importance of that darkness, a new dawn will come.

Dear Lord Jesus,

It is impossible to imagine the suffering You endured, and so humbling to know that You did it for me. Why You would choose to die for me is beyond my understanding, but since I can’t rationalize it, I choose to accept it as a gift from Your hand. Never let me forget who You are and what You did for me. Remind me to be a witness to those who may not know. Someday I will see You face to face and experience a light far greater than the light of the sun. I will see the light of the radiant Lord of Glory!

I love You, Lord.

Amen.