At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

The Light of the World was dying, and darkness covered the whole land from noon until three in the afternoon. This was no ordinary event—it was supernatural. Jesus was bearing our sins on the cross, paying the price of death on our behalf. Symbolically, darkness reigned while he was being crucified.

Then, around 3 PM, in a moment unlike any other, God could no longer dwell with Jesus. He had forsaken him. Why? Because Jesus was carrying the weight of the world's sins on his shoulders as a sacrificial lamb. On the cross, Jesus wasn’t only rejected, persecuted, tortured, and crucified—he was also forsaken by God, even if just for a moment, as he bore the full cost of our sins. We don't know exactly how long that moment lasted, but it was extremely painful for him.

In life, so many people experience the pain of being forsaken by someone. But Jesus experienced something even deeper: he was forsaken not just by people, but by God himself. And yet, the irony is this—he was forsaken so that we never would have to be. Because of his sacrifice, we, who follow Jesus, are never alone.

Lord, you allowed yourself to be separated from your Father for a moment so you could be the sacrificial lamb for my sins. Thank you for laying everything down for me. May I humbly surrender to God my Father and follow his will for me today, just as you did.