“Now from the sixth hour (noon) there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour (3pm). And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ That is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”

Matthew 27:45-46

Are you ready? Do you have your glasses? The solar eclipse is coming today. Did you know that a total solar eclipse happens every 1-3 years? That was news to me. However, most of the time they are only visible from one of the poles or from somewhere in the middle of the ocean. The next total solar eclipse won’t be visible from the United States until the year 2044.

The times vary by location for how long this eclipse will last. And only those in the path of the total solar eclipse will get the full experience of this natural phenomenon. The moon blocks the sun from hitting the earth. For a few minutes, the sun refuses to shine in a particular place. 

NASA amazes me. Push pause for a moment on the incredible realities of our creation. I am amazed that there are people that can figure out the math to know where the total eclipse will happen, what time it will happen, and for how long it will last. Incredible. There are people who can know that another one of these events doesn’t happen here until 2044. Not to mention that this type of astronomy and these types of calculations have been taking place for centuries as people have studied the heavens. I put things on my calendar and still get confused and lost!

An eclipse isn’t the only time when the sun refuses to shine.

We recently gathered for worship on Good Friday. Jesus was glorified on the cross. It was on this tree that Jesus was lifted up for the world to see. Behold, the life giving cross upon which hung the savior of the whole world. We worship Jesus and the scars that He received on the cross. Here He stretched out his arms for you and me.

All eyes were on Jesus. During the event and every day since. Sure, some join the crowd to celebrate his death. But, make no mistake about it, all eyes are on Jesus as he hangs from the cross.

And yet, the people couldn’t see him. Darkness fell over the land for three hours as your savior died. It was as if it was night—in the middle of the day. Unlike today’s eclipse, this darkness dwelled upon the earth for three hours, not three minutes. Picture the scene?

Are you one of those people that knows right where the flashlight is when the power goes out? More to the point, do your batteries still work? I’m always struggling in the dark looking for them. The matches are never in the right spot either. 

Can you imagine the soldiers? I imagine they started some fires in order to see and in order to maintain order at the gory scene. And I imagine them waiting to see if the darkness was a momentary fluke or if it was going to stick around for awhile. Maybe they cast lots to see who was on fire duty as well…

It’s fitting though, right? As the light of the world is being extinguished on a cross the sun refuses to shine. This, I believe, is one of the clearest indicators of Jesus’ holy work extending beyond just humanity. He came to redeem all of creation. And, all of creation was responding to what was taking place on that trash heap outside the city.

Jesus is the Word (John 1:1-3) and all things were made through Him. Paralleling Genesis 1 and the creation story, God speaks a word and things happen. The first word spoken was, “Let there be light.” And there was. The light of the world—he was there at the beginning. He was what brought the beginning to bear. At His death there is an undoing of creation. It’s as if, in his dying, the Lord said, “let there be darkness.” And there was…

Have you been enveloped by darkness before? Complete and total darkness is disorienting. It is suffocating. This is what descends upon the earth as Jesus hangs his head in death. Creation is lost. The chaos and void from the first words of Genesis return. 

You’ve been there too, right? When the world flips on you. When you loose a job. When a relationship that is dear to you is soured by betrayal. When the doctor gives a diagnosis. When your parent looses their mental faculties. When hospice is brought in and when you stand next to the casket. The darkness and void swell within you in these moments.

As Jesus dies, this darkness and this void cover the face of the whole earth. The sun stops shining because the Son stopped breathing.

Fear not, dear friends. For Jesus is not finished when he cries out “It is finished.” Jesus doesn’t say, “I am finished.” The great I AM is never finished. In this moment, I Am is just getting started. For a new creation is being born out of this darkness. A fresh ordering from this chaos is coming. Jesus is replacing this void. Jesus is emptying this tomb. Jesus is shining in this darkness. “Let There Be Light!”

And, He sends you to go and be the light. You are the light of the world. So, shine so bright that darkness never floods the whole earth again. And, more specifically, shine so bright that your neighbor is never consumed by darkness either.

If you’re in the path of the Eclipse, enjoy it. Regardless, ponder the darkness you’ve encountered in this life and the way that god has shined His light for you and your loved ones.