04 Dec Mark 39: The darkest day in history

Mark 15:33-47

³³ And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. ³⁴ And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ³⁵ And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” ³⁶ And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” ³⁷ And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. ³⁸ And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. ³⁹ And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

⁴⁰ There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. ⁴¹ When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

⁴² And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁴⁴ Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. ⁴⁵ And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. ⁴⁶ And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. ⁴⁷ Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

Have you ever been in total darkness for more than a few minutes? If you grew up in Australia, and you are under 20, you might have no idea what I am talking about. Because whenever you are in darkness, you can easily turn on the torch application on your phone. You have no idea what real darkness is. But if you grew up in Indonesia in pre-mobile phone days like me, we had this strange occurrence that happened almost once a week called “mati lampu” or dead electricity. And it would last not a few minutes, but a few hours. It can even be longer than a day sometimes. How many of you know what I am talking about? And if we are in absolute, total darkness, we can’t see anything. We can’t see one centimetre in front of us. We can’t see where we are. We can’t see where we are going. We can’t even see ourselves. And if we stay in total darkness for any length of time, it can have a horrible effect on us. Darkness brings disorientation. For example, does any of you ever wake up in the middle of the night with the light off, and try to go to the toilet and hit the bed frame when you walk? Let me tell you, I don’t usually cuss. Let’s leave it there. I can’t tell you what happened because then I might get fired after the service. And that’s only a short darkness. To stay in total darkness for a long time is radically disorienting.

Today’s passage is about the darkest day in history. It is about the death of Jesus Christ. It is the most famous and significant death in all human history. And what’s fascinating is that all four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, tell us clearly that all the events of Jesus’ death happen in the dark. The betrayal happened at night. The denial and the mistrial happened at night. But the crucifixion of Jesus happened during the day. However, during the crucifixion, inexplicable and mysterious darkness came down and surrounded Jesus’ death. And this darkness was not a random occurrence. This darkness happened by design.

I have four points for this sermon: The meaning of the darkness; the significance of the darkness; the light of the darkness; the aftereffect of the darkness.

The meaning

Mark 15:33-37 – ³³ And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. ³⁴ And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ³⁵ And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” ³⁶ And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” ³⁷ And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.

Let’s talk about the darkness first. This is not normal darkness. The sixth hour is noon, and the ninth hour is 3 PM. So, for three hours, it is pitch dark. Some people say it might have been a solar eclipse. But it can’t be a solar eclipse. A solar eclipse does not create total darkness for more than a few minutes. Besides, a solar eclipse can’t happen at the time of a full moon. And Jesus’ crucifixion is at the time of Passover, which is at the time of a full moon. And this is not a myth. This strange darkness is recorded in many ancient sources. It is a strange phenomenon. Let’s say a mom is out shopping with her daughter. And suddenly, total darkness hits them. Her daughter would say, “Mommy, what happened? Why is it dark all of the sudden? Mommy, it’s still dark after 10 minutes. Mommy, it’s been over an hour. Mommy, will we ever going to get light again?” And the mother would say, “I don’t know honey. I am as clueless as you. I don’t know what’s happening at all. This is not normal.” There is no natural explanation for this darkness. This is a supernatural darkness.

So, what’s the meaning behind this supernatural darkness? In the Bible, physical darkness is often used to represent spiritual darkness. It is often used to describe the judgement of God toward sin. I don’t think anyone at that time would have picked up on this, but Jesus’ death happens at the time when the Jews celebrated how God set them free from Egypt by sending the angel of death to kill every firstborn in Egypt. That’s the 10^th plague, the final plague. But do you remember the plague before it? Darkness. That was God’s final warning to Pharaoh before the judgement. And now at Calvary, in fulfilment of that exodus, darkness precedes the sacrifice of Jesus, who is the true Passover Lamb. This physical darkness symbolises spiritual darkness because of sin. In the Bible, God is often likened to the sun. If everything revolves around the sun, there is life. But if not, everything dies.

Let me pause here. Do you know what it means to us? When we orient our lives around God, there is light. We experience life. But the moment we orient our lives around something else other than God, there is darkness. We experience disorientation. Just like we experience physical disorientation in the darkness, we experience spiritual disorientation when anything but God is more important to us. We experience a loss of identity. We become very insecure. We feel meaninglessness and purposelessness in everything we do. Let me be very practical. And I’ll use my own life as an example. I want to be a good pastor. I want to be a good preacher. That’s what God called me to do. But if how I am doing as a pastor becomes my source of light, my significance, and my security, if it becomes more important than God and God’s love for me in Jesus, I experience disorientation. When praise comes, I become very prideful, thinking that I deserve it. When criticism comes, I become devastated, thinking that I am not good enough. When I fail to perform, my life falls apart.

It happened during my trip to Indonesia a few weeks ago. I was one of the six trainers for the CTC Indonesia intensive. And I was the odd one out of the six. The other five trainers are the serious type. But I am different. I am the wild type. I say whatever I want to say, as you can hear every week. And on the second day, during prayer for lunch, I prayed, “Lord, bless the food we are about to eat. May this food bring health to our body and not make us fat.” And people laughed. I wasn’t even trying to be funny. I didn’t think much of it. But later in the feedback for the day, one person wrote, and I quote, “Please pay serious attention to Ps Yosia’s jokes during prayer for lunch. Because jokes in prayer might seem funny to some but can be a stumbling block to others. The Lord Jesus never teaches jokes in prayer, especially prayer that is body shaming. It is very inappropriate.” And the same person wrote in the feedback for my session that day, “Less joke.” And I didn’t even joke a lot during my session. If I can reply to that person, I would say, “Why so serious?” But that night, I was devastated. I was very discouraged. I wished I was more sophisticated like the other trainers. I was disoriented. Why? Because I have made my performance my light. I could not take the criticism. But God had a funny sense of humour. It just happened that I had to teach how to preach the gospel to yourself the very next day. So, before I taught them to do it, I needed to repent, preach the gospel to myself, and reorient my life around God. Do you see what happened? When we centre our lives on anything but God, we experience spiritual darkness. We experience spiritual disorientation.

And this is what happens to Jesus. At the cross, Jesus experiences spiritual disorientation. Just like the sun turns away from the earth, God the Father turns his face away from Jesus. That’s why in a mystery beyond any human capacity to fully understand, Jesus cries out, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” For the very first time in his life, Jesus calls his Father, my God, instead of my Father. Think about the rejection Jesus endures at the cross. Jesus is rejected by his own people, the Jews. Jesus is rejected by the authority, the Roman government. Jesus is rejected by his closest friends, the disciples. He experiences relational betrayal from every side. And to make it worse, Jesus is rejected by God the Father. Jesus in his divinity is inseparable from God the Father. But for the first time in his life, Jesus in his humanity is separated from God the Father. And no one has ever experienced the loss that Jesus experiences at that moment.

Let me put it this way. Husbands, if after the service, one of us comes up to you and says, “I never want to talk to you again. I never want to see you again,” you will feel bad. But if your wife comes up to you and says, “I never want to talk to you again. I never want to see you again,” you will feel devastated. Right? Psychologists tell us that to lose a spouse in death or through a divorce is the most traumatic thing that can happen to people. Because the longer the love, the deeper the love, the greater the pain of its loss. There is no pain like the loss of love. But think about what Jesus experienced at the cross. God the Father and Jesus have been loving each other for all eternity. The greatest love between two people in the history of the world is nothing compared to this love. This love is infinitely long, infinitely perfect, and Jesus is losing that. That is why Jesus does not say, “Oh my hands. Oh my feet. Oh my head.” Even though every part of Jesus’ body is in pain, it does not compare to the pain of the loss of love that he experiences. Instead, Jesus says, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” It is extremely traumatic. And Jesus does not deserve to be forsaken. He is the perfect Son of God. The only reason Jesus experiences spiritual disorientation is that he takes our place. At the cross, Jesus is not the perfect Son of the Father but the perfect sacrifice for sinners.

But here’s what’s amazing. Do you know what we do when we feel abandoned by God? We walk away. We turn our faces away from God. But Jesus is different. While he embraces God’s judgement on sins, he calls on God. He does not curse God; he seeks God. He cries out to God while being judged by God for our sins. What a trust in God. No one has ever suffered like Jesus, but no one has ever trusted God like Jesus. In his greatest suffering and abandonment, Jesus calls out to God. Jesus is saying, “God, it doesn’t matter if I experience hell on earth right now, I still trust you. I still love you. I am calling out to you.” No one has ever been faithful and trusted God like Jesus. And after some time, Jesus utters a loud cry and breathes his last. Mark doesn’t tell us what he says. But Luke tells us what Jesus cries out. Luke 23:46 – Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. After all the darkness, after all the disorientation, all the pain, all the suffering, all the forsakenness, we find Jesus in closest communion with his Father once again. He calls him, “Father.” Listen. Death does not kill Jesus. Even on the cross, Jesus has authority over his life. Jesus surrenders his spirit into the hand of his loving Father. Jesus completes what he came to do, and he surrenders his life as our Saviour. Jesus came to live the life we should have lived, and he died the death we should have died. Jesus lived and died as our substitute. So that we who put our faith in Jesus will never experience being abandoned by God the Father. This is the meaning of the darkness.

The significance

Mark 15:38 – And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

Now, it is easy for us to read this verse and don’t think much about it. In light of Jesus’ death, the fact that the curtain of the temple was torn in two seems insignificant. But if that’s what we think, we can’t be more wrong. This occurrence at the temple is extremely significant that all four gospels report that the curtain was torn in two. Let me tell you why. In the tabernacle and the temple of Jerusalem, there was a thick curtain that separated God’s presence from the rest of the temple. The curtain was so thick and hard, it was almost like a wall. It was impossible to tear. This curtain separated one part of the temple from every other part. This part was off-limits to anyone but the high priest. And the high priest could only enter it once a year to offer sacrifices of bulls and goats on behalf of the whole nation of Israel. This curtain blocked access for sinful people to approach God. But when Jesus died, the curtain that separated God’s presence from sinners was torn from top to bottom. So, when Jesus’s body was torn apart, the curtain was torn apart. Jesus’ sacrifice removed the barrier between God and sinful people. In other words, when the curtain was torn, it is God’s way of saying, “This is the sacrifice to end all sacrifices. Now anyone can enter God’s presence. Anyone can have a personal relationship with God. The barrier is gone.” Jesus’ death on the cross has given us open access to God. We no longer have to clean ourselves before we come to God. Because that’s the problem, isn’t it? We can’t clean ourselves. That’s why Jesus lived and died as our substitute to give us access to God. Now, we do not need to clean ourselves to come to God. We come to God to clean ourselves.

So, let’s get very practical. It means that we can go to God with our every need. God is no longer a distant God. Because of Jesus’s death on the cross, we are invited to come to God. We should never think that our problems are beneath his care, or that we have done something so terrible that God will never listen to our prayers again. Do not listen to the lie of the enemy. The enemy is trying to lie to us, “You are not good enough to come into God’s presence. Do I need to remind you of the thoughts you had, the words you said, and the things you did? Do you think God will accept you? God is disgusted with you. He cannot stand your presence. Stay away from him.” But the good news is Jesus died to cleanse us of our sins. So, we can always enter God’s presence and he will never reject us. Listen. God does not see the guilt of what we did last night. He does not see the dumb thing we did last week or even 10 years from now. He does not see us in our sins. He sees the blood of Jesus over us. He sees Jesus’ righteousness covering us. The enemy tells us to look at ourselves, but the gospel tells us to look at what Jesus’s death has accomplished for us. The curtain was already torn in two. We are invited to come into God’s presence. And when we come to God, He is ready to listen to our prayers. He is ready to help us in our struggles. God will not leave us on our own. Help is always available for us when we come into God’s presence. This is the significance of the darkness.

The light

Mark 15:39-41 – ³⁹ And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” ⁴⁰ There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. ⁴¹ When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

Let me explain to you what I mean by the light of the darkness. We might not think it is, but this is the climax of the book of Mark. Up to this point, no human being has figured out that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus has been teaching everyone about his identity over and over again, but no one truly gets it yet. Not even his disciples. And do you know who is the first person to get it? The centurion. The man who oversees Jesus’ crucifixion. He declares, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” This is bewildering. Because if anything, this is the man who is partly responsible for Jesus’ death. He committed the greatest crime in human history. And he is a Roman. He is not a Jew. He knows nothing about the Messiah. He doesn’t know the Bible. And yet he is the first person to know that Jesus is the Son of God. He sees something in the manner of Jesus’ death that causes him to confess that Jesus is the Son of God.

Now, I have never seen anyone breathe his last breath. But the centurion has seen many people die under his watch. He has seen innumerable deaths, but Jesus’ death is unique. So, what did he see? I am not sure. I am sure he sees many things, but I don’t want to speculate about them. But one thing I know for sure. Even amid this total darkness, light breaks in. He sees Jesus’ death and light pierces through his darkness. The beauty of Jesus pierces through his darkness and his life is changed forever. He was not a follower of Jesus before this darkness. He doesn’t have the theological categories to define what he sees. All he knows is his heart is melted by the beauty before his eyes. And he becomes the first person to acknowledge who Jesus truly is. Do you see? The darkness of the cross does that. It produces the greatest miracle, the light of the darkness. It changes the man who crucified Jesus into the first person who trusts Jesus at the foot of the cross.

Mark does not want us to miss the point. He wants to show us what the ripping of the curtain means. When the curtain was torn into two, access to God is open to anyone. And the first person who entered was the Roman centurion. It tells us an important lesson. The death of Jesus can turn his enemies into his friends. It can bring the hardest of sinners from the spiritual darkness into the everlasting light. It does not matter who you are. It does not matter what you have done. You might be a murderer. You might be a prostitute. The darkness of the cross has opened access to the light of God’s presence. It doesn’t matter what kind of life you have, the barrier is no more. There is mercy and grace available for you when you come to Jesus.

And not only that, but Mark also tells us that there are women looking on from a distance: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. We will learn the significance of these women next week. But here is where I want to draw your attention. Where are the men? Where are Jesus’ disciples? The chosen disciples are nowhere to be found. What we have are brave women and scared men. We expect the disciples of Jesus to be those who remain close to Jesus at his last breath. But instead what we find are a Roman centurion and a few women followers of Jesus. The people we think would be standing there with Jesus are hiding for their lives. And the people we think would not want to have anything to do with Jesus and are treated as inferior by society are the people who are there at Jesus’ last breath. God in his providence chose the unlikely people to be the eyewitnesses of the most crucial moment in the history of salvation. This is the light of the darkness.

The aftereffect

Mark 15:42-47 – ⁴² And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁴⁴ Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. ⁴⁵ And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. ⁴⁶ And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. ⁴⁷ Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

Normally, a man who died by crucifixion would be left on the cross to rot or be eaten by dogs or birds of prey. He is barred from any kind of proper burial. The crucifixion of a criminal is not the end of humiliation. The humiliation follows the person in his death. And the release of a corpse for burial depends solely on the generosity of the magistrate. Unless someone goes and asks for the body, the body would be left behind to rot. The question is, who would ask Pilate for Jesus’ body? The disciples are missing. If the women ask Pilates for it, it is certain that Pilate would not listen to them. There is no obvious candidate to step up and do it. Then suddenly a man emerges out of the shadow. His name is Joseph of Arimathea. Prior to this event, we know nothing about him. And this is the only time we hear of him. But from this story, we know that he is rich since he owns a tomb. He is also a respected member of the council. This means that he is not only a member of the Sanhedrin, but he is a prominent member of the Sanhedrin. And interestingly, he is also a believer. Mark doesn’t tell us but John tells us that he is a secret disciple of Jesus because he fears the Jews. When I read that, I immediately thought, “Wait. Hold on a second. How can you be a secret disciple of Jesus? That’s an oxymoron. I thought Jesus said that if we want to follow him, we must pay the price and carry the cross. How can he be a disciple of Jesus and hide it from everyone around him because of fear? Hmmm….”

But this is what makes his story fascinating. We do not know how long he has been a secret disciple of Jesus. Maybe it’s been months, or maybe it’s been years. But we do know that he did not have the courage to go public about his faith. Then the death of Jesus happened. And suddenly, the man who had no courage is filled with courage. It takes great courage to ask Pilate for Jesus’ body. Think about it. The Romans had just punished Jesus for high treason. The Sanhedrin condemned Jesus for blasphemy. And now Joseph comes to Pilate and asks for Jesus’ body. Do you know what Joseph has to risk in doing so? He risks his reputation among the Romans and the Sanhedrin. He risks his career which has taken a lifetime to build. Joseph is identifying himself with the enemy of the government and the Sanhedrin. How can he go back to his friends in the Sanhedrin after this? And yet he does it. He risks everything when he comes to Pilate and asks for Jesus’ body. And he is the only disciple who steps forward to take the body. Without Joseph, there is no Jesus’ body to resurrect. Without Joseph, there is no empty tomb to point to.

Here is what I want you to see. For some time, Joseph had been playing safe. But when the time came for him to step up and make a public profession of faith, Joseph was ready. It tells us that God had been preparing Joseph for this very moment. It was not that God made Joseph fearful. Joseph was fearful. Joseph was afraid of making a public confession. And yet God did not give up on Joseph. God continued to work in Joseph’s heart. So that when the time came for Joseph to step up, Joseph was ready. God’s providence was at work in his life. God saw to it that Joseph was ready when the time came. And he was. And this teaches us an important lesson. Listen. Not every disciple of Jesus grows at the same pace. But every disciple of Jesus will be ready when the time comes. If we are to look at the life of Joseph of Arimathea before the cross, we might not know that he was a believer. He did not show the boldness that we expect from followers of Jesus. Where was he when the Sanhedrin condemned Jesus to death? Why didn’t he stand up for Jesus and disagree with them? After all, he wasn’t just a junior member of the Sanhedrin. He was a prominent member. He did not speak out. And yet he was a believer. He was a disciple of Jesus who grew at a slower pace than we expected. So, let me say a word to the strong Christians. We need to be very slow in judging people’s growth in Christ. Not everybody moves at the same pace as the other. We must show a lot of patience to the secret disciples. Let us not be quick to write off those who struggle in their walk with Jesus. Who are we to say that God can’t use people like Joseph?

But let me also speak to the fearful Christians. This passage also tells us that no one can remain a secret disciple forever. No one can remain a secret disciple indefinitely. Eventually, circumstances will demand that we stand up for what we believe in and take our stand. And Joseph did take the stand. After a long time of being a secret disciple, Joseph saw the death of Jesus. And he said, “That’s it. I can’t be a secret disciple any longer. I will go to Pilate. I will ask for the body. I will risk everything to honour Jesus. I might have failed to honour him in his life, but I will not fail to honour him in his death.” And Joseph honoured Jesus by giving him a proper burial. And this might be a challenge for some of us. Have we taken our stand with Jesus? Are we willing to be identified with Jesus who died for us, no matter the cost? Or are we secret disciples? Because let me tell you, standing up for Jesus will cost us something. It is costly. It is one thing to stand up for Jesus in church, it is another thing to stand up for Jesus in the community. When we say there is only one way to God, we risk being called arrogant. When we say marriage is only between a man and a woman, we risk being called bigots. When we say LGBTQ+ is not God’s design, we risk being called haters. When we say Jesus deserves our everything, we risk being called fools. We might lose our family members, friends, promotions, and reputations. So, are we willing to take a stand with Jesus? It is okay to be a secret disciple. But it is not okay to remain a secret disciple forever. Eventually, we will have to make our stand. And I pray that when the time comes, we will be so in awe of what Jesus has done at the cross that we will have the courage to stand for Jesus.

Let’s continue with the story and end the sermon. When Pilate heard that Jesus had already died, Pilate is surprised. He thought it would take longer for Jesus to die. To make sure Joseph isn’t lying, Pilate asks the centurion for confirmation. And the centurion tells him that Jesus is already dead. So, we have three different testimonies of Jesus’ death. From Joseph, from the centurion, and from Pilate who seeks confirmation. Then Pilate grants Jesus’ body to Joseph for a proper burial. So, Joseph takes Jesus’s body down from the cross, wraps him in a linen shroud, and lays his body in a tomb that he has prepared. And he must do all this before Sabbath. Jesus died around 3 PM and Sabbath begins at Friday sundown, which is around 6 PM. So, he has less than three hours to prepare for Jesus’ burial. Because of it, Joseph does not have the time to anoint Jesus’ body properly. He quickly does what he can before Sabbath begins, and he rolls a large stone to cover the entrance to the tomb. But in the providence of God, Jesus has already been anointed a few days earlier by the woman who broke her alabaster jar for Jesus. Mark also tells us that Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses see where Joseph laid Jesus’s body. And they are determined to anoint Jesus’ body to honour him. So, they will come back to the tomb the day after Sabbath to anoint Jesus’ body with spices. And when they do, they will witness the most shocking thing they ever witness in their life. But that’s next week’s sermon. For now, it is still Friday. But Sunday is coming.

Let me close with a powerful quotation from an African American preacher, S.M. Lockridge.
“It’s Friday. Jesus is praying. Peter is sleeping. Judas is betraying. But Sunday is coming.
It’s Friday. Pilate is struggling. The Council is conspiring. The crowd is vilifying. They don’t know that Sunday is coming.
It’s Friday. The disciples are running like sheep without a shepherd. Mary is crying. Peter is denying. But they don’t know that Sunday is coming.
It’s Friday. The Romans beat Jesus. They robe him in purple. They crown him with thorns. But they don’t know that Sunday is coming.
It’s Friday. Jesus is walking to Calvary. His blood dripping. His body stumbling. And his spirit burdened. But Sunday is coming.
It’s Friday. The world is winning. People are sinning. And evil is grinning. But Sunday is coming.
It’s Friday. The soldiers nail the Saviour’s hands to the cross. They nail the Saviour’s feet to the cross. And then they raise him up next to criminals. But Sunday is coming.
It’s Friday. The disciples are questioning what has happened to their King. And the Pharisees are celebrating that their scheming has been achieved. But they don’t know it’s only Friday. Sunday is coming.
It’s Friday. He is hanging on the cross. Feeling forsaken by his Father. Left alone and dying. Can nobody save him? But Sunday is coming.
It’s Friday. The earth trembles. The sky grows dark. The king yields his spirit. Hope is lost. Death has won. Sin has conquered. Satan is laughing. But it is only Friday. Sunday is coming.
It’s Friday. Jesus is buried. Soldiers stand guard. And a rock is rolled into place. But it is only Friday. Sunday is coming.”

Let’s pray.

Discussion questions:

1. What struck you the most from this sermon?
2. How do you know when you experience spiritual disorientation? Give specific examples.
3. Jesus’ death has opened access to God once and for all. What are some common reasons that stop people from coming to God with their every need?
4. What role did the centurion play in the story of the gospel? How is his story an encouragement for us?
5. On which side do you lean more: strong Christians or fearful Christians? How does the story of Joseph of Arimathea speak to you?
6. In your opinion, what is it about the gospel that changed Joseph of Arimathea?