The longest day ever!

Today is June 21- summer solstice- the longest day of the year. As Alaskans, we love summer solstice! Fishing, camping, mud volleyball, hiking. It is a great day. I plan to celebrate summer solstice dip netting. I love the Copper River. The Copper is a mighty, powerful river. Watching salmon fill our nets is exciting. Myself, a wife, and four children all adds up to alot of fish!

Summer solstice is a long day and a good day. It reminds me of the longest day that has ever occurred. It was the longest day in God’s economy. In fact, God gave a supernatural commentary on that very long day. It was the day Jesus died for the sins of the world. In Matthew 27 God noted the importance of that day with six miraculous events that accompanied the death of Jesus.

The first miracle was supernatural darkness. “Now from the sixth hour (12 noon) darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour (3 PM)….” Matthew tells us the darkness covered “all the land.” We know from archaeology this darkness extended to modern day Turkey and Egypt. Why the darkness? The darkenss revealed God’s judgment against sin. Darkness often accompanies God’s judgment (Isaiah 13:10, Amos 8:9). D. A. Carson writes, “The cosmic blackness of that day hints at the deep judgment that was taking place.” God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus to pay for our sins.

The second miracle was divine separation. Jesus suffered in silence for three hours. In Matthew 27:46 Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” Forsaken speaks of a place that is barren and undeserving of human occupation. Perhaps you know what it means to be forsaken or abandoned by someone you love. From eternity past God the Son and God the Father enjoyed a perfect, intimate relationship. God turned on His Son because Jesus bore our sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21 reads, “God made Christ Who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

The third miracle was a unique death. In Matthew 27:50 we read, “And Jesus cried out with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit.” Normally death by crucifixion was a slow, suffocating process. The average person lasted thirty-six hours on a cross. As each hour passed and the person grew closer to death the victim grew weaker and weaker. But Jesus cried out with a loud voice! He still had a large reservoir of physical strength. He wasn’t anywhere near death. Jesus lowered His head and gave up his spirit. Normally a person dies and then the head falls. Jesus did not die as a victim but as a victor. Jesus could have endured for many more hours upon that cross. He died because he chose to lay down his life for you and me.

The fourth miracle was a torn curtain. “And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom….” (Matthew 27:51). The veil blocked access to the Holy of Holies in the temple in Jerusalem. The Jewish Mishnah tells us this veil was thirty feet by sixty feet. This veil was primarily a rich blue. It was almost four inches thick.

This curtain served as a barrier. One person (the high priest) was allowed behind the curtain one day per year (the Day of Atonement). What’s the message of the torn curtain? The sacrificial system was ended. The priesthood is gone. We have access to God the Father through His Son, Jesus. We can come boldly into God’s presence through the blood of Jesus. God can become our Father and we His children.

The fifth miracle was a major earthquake. “And the earth shook….” (Matthew 27:51). Living in Alaska we know about earthquakes. Every earthquake, no matter how small, gets my attention! In the Bible earthquakes often symbolized the divine presence. God indicated that His divine presence was there in the death of His Son, the Lord Jesus.

The sixth miracle was an unexplained resurrection. Matthew 27:52 states, “The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.” In John 2 Jesus based the authority for His ministry on the resurrection. Romans 1:4 says that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God by raising Him from the dead.” The perfect sacrifice of Jesus for our sins demanded His resurrection.

On this the longest day of the year, my plans are to be on the Copper surrounded by friends, family and, hopefully, lots of fish. May your thoughts, like mine, meditate on the greatest, worst, longest, most wonderful day of all- when Jesus secured the salvation of His people. Do not miss God’s supernatural commentary on the cross. Jesus died for you and me.

Ethan Hansen is the pastor of Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake.