Why was there such darkness on Good Friday? It’s because God wanted us to have the light.

In the Bible, God uses darkness to represent evil, sin, unbelief, and death, and he uses light to represent goodness, holiness, faith, and life. It’s interesting to see that contrast of darkness and light on the two most important days in the history of the world: Good Friday and Easter Sunday. This contrast helps us appreciate all the more how our loving Savior would suffer the punishment for the darkness of our sin on Good Friday so that we could receive the blessing of the light of life that Easter Sunday brought.

The darkness of Good Friday

Every day we see darkness coming as the sun sets. But in the history of the world, no day was as dark as Good Friday because that’s the day the Son of God died.

During the night before, Jesus had been arrested, falsely tried, and condemned. Jesus was nailed to the cross around 9 A.M. that Friday. By noon, when the sun normally shines the brightest, darkness covered the earth. It’s as if creation was hiding its face from what was happening. Its Creator was dying at the hands of evil men.

But there were other darknesses on Good Friday too. There was the darkness of people’s sin. Sadly, there was the sin of Jesus’ own followers—their betrayal, denial, and desertion as they fled into the darkness of that night. Jesus’ enemies were guilty of dark crimes against the sinless Son of God too. They beat Jesus, mocked him, spit on him, falsely accused him, and tried him. There was the darkness of misjustice as Pilate hypocritically washed his hands of any guilt as he gave in to the demands of the mob to crucify an innocent man and let a guilty murderer go free.

Underneath the cover of all that darkness was the darkness of unbelief as the religious leaders and the Jewish people rejected Jesus.

But an even deeper darkness happened that day. Not only was the sun hiding its face from the earth, but also the Father was hiding his face from his Son in anger as he made his Son suffer the punishment of hell. That’s why Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). For what is hell other than total separation from God?

Did you ever notice how our countenance is darkened and our eyes are filled with tears when we attend a Tenebrae service on Good Friday? The reason for that is because it was our sin that caused Jesus’ suffering and death. In that great Good Friday prophecy in the Old Testament, Isaiah wrote, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. . . . The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. . . . He . . . was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many” (Isaiah 53:5-12).

The light on Good Friday

Why was there such darkness on Good Friday? It’s because God wanted us to have the light! As you read the Good Friday accounts in the gospels, do you see any light?

First of all, there was the light of God’s saving love. The Father was willing to let his Son suffer the darkness of hell so that one day we could see the light of heaven in his eternal presence.

There was also the light of forgiveness. Even while the soldiers were nailing him to the cross, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). The forgiveness for which Jesus prayed is the very forgiveness he purchased by shedding his blood. How do we know that forgiveness has been won? Jesus’ cry of “It is finished” (John 19:30) assures us that no more sacrifices are needed to pay for sins. That was visibly demonstrated when the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom and light shined on the mercy seat that had been covered in darkness and the blood of animals behind that curtain.

The Father was willing to let his Son suffer the darkness of hell so that one day we could see the light of heaven in his eternal presence.

There was also light shed on what happens in the moment of death for God’s people. One of the criminals who was with Jesus turned to him with a plea: “ ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise’ ” (Luke 23:42,43). Because Jesus keeps all his promises, that dying thief saw the light of heaven when he closed his eyes in death. Because Jesus prayed before he died, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46), we too can close our eyes in death knowing that our souls don’t fly off into some dark unknown but will rest in the Father’s care until our bodies are raised to life again on the Last Day.

That hope of life beyond the grave was also seen on Good Friday. When Jesus died, there was an earthquake. Matthew’s gospel tells us that’s when some believers who had died were raised to life. They came out of their graves and entered the holy city, Jerusalem, but only after Jesus rose on Easter Sunday (27:51-53). That event sheds light on what ultimately is the hope of every Christian: When Jesus comes back on the Last Day, all believers who are in their graves will come out and will enter the heavenly Jerusalem to live in the light of heaven forever.

Finally, there was also the light of truth. In spite of all the lies spoken during the darkness of Good Friday, someone finally spoke the truth about Jesus. After witnessing all that happened at that place of execution, a Roman centurion confessed, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). Whether the centurion believed that truth, we are not told. But we do know this: All those who believe the truth about Jesus will one day see everlasting light in heaven with Jesus.

Darkness and light. They both were there on Good Friday.

Author: Bruce McKenney
Volume 112, Number 03
Issue: March 2025