It Is Finished

The New Covenant – A Sacrifice Like None Other Written By: Londa Boone


Luke 23:44-49 NIV
44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for
the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a
loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous
man.” 48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat
their breasts and went away. 49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed
him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Oh! How my heart grieves over the death of our Lord. Heaven wouldn’t endure it and darkness came
over the land as prophesied in Amos 8:9 “In that day, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will make the
sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.”

Chuck Smith of Calvery Chapel described it this way, “The sun was darkened, that is, nature refused to
look at this horrible sight. Nature revolted against man. There was a great earthquake, the rocks were
torn, nature revolting against man. Had God not restrained it, I’m sure that nature would have
destroyed man at that point for his heinous crime.”


The curtain or veil of the temple between the Holy place and the Holy of Holies was torn from top to
bottom. The veil that separated sinful man from divine righteousness was torn. Because of Jesus and
what He did for us, we can approach the throne of God with confidence. The relationship with our
Father God was repaired.


These passages remind me that humanity didn’t last very long before the Fall; but God, in His great
mercy and love for us, formed a plan to have a relationship with us in spite of ourselves. Jesus was
the answer to take away the sins of the world; a sacrifice that didn’t require yearly atonement as
Hebrews 9:26 tells us “But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin
by the sacrifice of Himself.”


What will we do with this? Will we be like the centurion that saw and praised God or will we be like
the witnesses that beat their breast only in temporary reverence borne out of fear of displeasing God
…until something else captures our attention?
What will we do? Hold fast to Jesus.
Alistair Begg wrote, “We never would have known Christ’s love in all its heights and depths if He had
not died; nor could we guess the Father’s deep affection if He had not given His Son to die.”


Father God, thank you for your plan of reconciliation for us. We could not enter your presence
without you, yourself, providing a lamb for a sacrifice. There is nothing that we can do to save
ourselves. Jesus did it all. Thank you, Lord.