Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jewish people celebrated the Passover Feast in their homes one particular evening. The Hebrew day always started at sundown, thus the Passover took place at the start of a new day. And the Passover was the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That first day of the Feast was commonly termed Preparation day. All that was permitted to be done during the sunlight hours on this day according to the Mosaic Law was a “sacred assembly,” and the preparation of food, as is stated in Exodus 12:16.
If a Jewish person went out on his or her roof after eating the lamb feast that special night, in order to think, or to pray, or to look out into the night sky, he or she would have seen the full moon. Israelites had a lunar calendar, and the Passover was in the middle of the moon cycle when it was “full.” (That is why the Passover is on a different day in different years.) The moon had the appearance of any average full moon I suspect.
Yet under that shinning moon, outside of the Jerusalem city wall to the east, at some point Jesus was praying. Being in agony, fully knowing that He was about to experience suffering beyond description, there in the middle of the night He was sweating.
Hours later, at the “third hour,” which would be 9:00 am modern western time, Jesus was crucified, pierced with nails.
Matthew records: “From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land” (27:45).
Luke adds: “for the sun stopped shining…” (23:45).
Shortly after the ninth hour, 3:00 pm modern western time, Jesus died, physically and spiritually.
Three times, Joel foretold of events when the sun would be darkened, as I discussed in one piece during the intense study and pondering of the book of Joel here during Lent of 2024. However, the sun being darkened when Jesus was dying on the cross apparently is not one of Joel’s prophecies. Joel does not even give a prophecy regarding the atonement of Jesus. Yet Joel did foretell of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. And that historic event was only possible because of the sacrificial atonement made by Jesus.
And Joel does tell the result of the atonement made by Jesus: “And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved…” (Joel 2:32).
Salvation is available because of the sacrifice which Jesus made on the cross.
Consider the fact that the entire righteous wrath of God, wrath for the terribly hurtful consequences of the sins of all people, including the wrath discussed in the book of Joel, was taken by Jesus in His heart on the cross. Jesus was the substitute for the sins of people. The result was that He physically and spiritually died.
And then Jesus was resurrected.
Jesus took that punishment for the sins of everyone of all time, because Jesus loves everyone.
Because of the atonement made by Jesus, if you believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you will be saved from spiritual death, and you will have eternal life!
I invite you this day to give your heart to Jesus, the One who loves you.
Hunter Irvine
