Lasting to eternity, Your word, Yahweh, unchanging in the heavens: Your faithfulness lasts age after age; You founded the earth to endure. Creation is maintained by Your rulings, since all things are Your servants. Psalm 119:89-91 JB.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I hope in Him!” Lamentations 3:22-24.

And now our chapter, Matthew 27. Though this happened over two thousand years ago, we are undone anew as we see darkness on display; the very things Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, warned us against because of what the darkness does to our hearts. God’s love goes deeper. Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. So they bound Him, led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate the governor. When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on Him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.” (Zechariah 11:12, 13). v. 1-10. Now Jesus is standing before Pilate who asks Him, “Are You the king of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. When He was accused by the chief priests and the elders, He gave no answer. Then Pilate asked Him, “Don’t You hear the testimony they are bringing against You?” But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge – to the great amazement of the governor. v. 11-14. They are bringing Jesus before the very man who can order His death by crucifixion and Jesus will not answer to the lies they told. So Pilate turns to the crowd to see if they want Jesus released as was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner to them. “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him. While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of Him.” But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify Him!” “Why? What crime has He committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!” When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” v. 17-25. So he had Jesus flogged. Then He was taken by a company of soldiers, a division of the Roman legion numbering about 200 men. They stripped Him. They put a scarlet robe on Him, put a crown of thorns on His head and mocked Him. He was struck on the head again and again. After this, they redressed Him, and led Him away. Because He was too weak by the flogging and the beatings to carry His own cross, they forced Simon from Cyrene to carry the cross. They went to Golgotha, crucified Him by nailing His hands and feet to the cross. Above His head they placed the written charge against Him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. And the insults and mockings continued by those passing by, including the chief priests and elders and teachers of the law, v. 31-44. Can you imagine. Just the week before, they hailed Jesus as Son of David! And then…From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”). When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” v. 45-47. One hearing Jesus offered a sponge filled with wine vinegar and then they waited to see if Elijah would come to save Him. Can you appreciate the confusion of what we think? And Jesus endured all of this. And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His Spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely He was the Son of God!” Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for His needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons. v. 50-56. And then a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea, went to Pilate. He asked for the body of Jesus. He wrapped Him in a clean linen cloth, and placed Him in his own new tomb and rolled a big stone in front of the entrance. v. 57-60. To ensure what Jesus had said would not happen, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate and asked to secure the tomb until the third day, and a guard was placed with a seal. v. 62-66.

I try to imagine what it was like then in Jerusalem. What of the disciples and of hearing the news of Judas’ death? What was it like for those whom Jesus had healed after they heard the news of that awful day? What confusion with the earthquake, the darkness, the dead rising? What confusion and darkness in the minds of those who conspired to…and those who approved…the killing of an innocent man, much more Jesus, God the Son! And in the heavenly realm? Imagine seeing these events, the culmination of the darkness of the fall of man. Lasting to eternity, Your word, Yahweh, unchanging in the heavens: Your faithfulness lasts age after age; You founded the earth to endure. Creation is maintained by Your rulings, since all things are Your servants. We wait. We hope. We trust Creator God.