Creation's Pain

A few years ago, whenever a major disaster like an earthquake or flooding happened, people would say something like, “The act of God” or “Nature’s fury.” These days, we often hear the phrase “Global warming” or “Climate change.”

While Jesus was on the cross for three hours, from the sixth through the ninth hour (or from noon to three), creation went through much turmoil. First, an eerie darkness came upon the whole land (Luke 23:44). Then, the sun stopped shining (scholars think it might have been an eclipse) (23:45a). At the temple, the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy torn down the middle (23:45b).

At this point, Jesus shouted in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands, I give my spirit” (23:46a). After saying that, he exhaled or breathed his last (23:46b).

Once again, the Lord quoted a psalm of trust (Ps 31:5). David was in danger of some sort. He referred to a trap (v. 4) and God as his fortress and rock (v. 3). These suggest that he sang this psalm while running around to save his life from Saul’s vengeance. He said, “Into your hands, I commit my spirit; deliver me, YHWH, my faithful God” (Ps 31:5).

Just as David cried to his God in times of uncertainty and possible death, Jesus, too, cried out to God on the cross, not knowing what awaited him: eternal death or resurrection. Regardless, he trusted God and breathed his last.

Seeing creation’s pain and Jesus’s suffering and death evoked two reactions among the spectators. One group, the crowd, gathered around and saw the events, “beat their chest,” a sign of mourning in that culture, and returned home (Luke 23:48). They were indifferent or not curious about the implications of what they witnessed. The other was a centurion, most likely supervising the crucifixion. “He glorified God saying, ‘This man was indeed righteous’” (23:47). He was a Roman centurion, yet he was positively moved by Jesus’s death and the creation’s pain. He knew it wasn’t Jesus’s sinfulness that led him to the cross or his death. It was his righteousness; the creation mourned and testified how unrighteously he was crucified.

Jesus endured death because it was God’s will for him, so he entrusted his spirit to him. Those who believe in him see the joy of such surrender to God as a righteous act.