Although man was unrighteous, beginning in verse 45 God came in in a righteous way. This verse says, “Now from the sixth hour darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour.” The sixth hour is our 12 noon, and the ninth is our 3 p.m. The Lord was crucified at the third hour, our 9 a.m. (Mark 15:25). He was suffering on the cross for six hours. In the first three hours, He was persecuted by men for doing God’s will; in the last three hours, He was judged by God for the accomplishment of our redemption. It was during this time that God counted Him as our suffering substitute for sin (Isa. 53:10). Hence, darkness came over all the land because our sin and sins and all negative things were dealt with there, and God forsook Him (v. 46) because of our sin.
By the time of verse 45, men had exhausted their deeds. They had done everything they could. At that time, God came in to judge this crucified Savior and to forsake Him. Verse 46 says, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” God forsook Christ on the cross because He took the place of sinners (1 Pet. 3:18), bearing our sins (1 Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:6) and being made sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21).
According to the four Gospels, the Lord Jesus was on the cross exactly six hours. During the first three hours, men did many unrighteous things to Him. They persecuted and mocked Him. Thus, in the first three hours the Lord suffered man’s unrighteous treatment. But at the sixth hour, twelve noon, God came in, and there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour, until three o’clock in the afternoon. This darkness was God’s doing. In the midst of this darkness, the Lord cried out the words quoted in verse 46. When the Lord was suffering the persecution of man, God was with Him, and He enjoyed the presence of God. But at the end of the first three hours, God forsook Him, and darkness came. Unable to tolerate this, the Lord shouted loudly, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” As we have pointed out, God forsook Him because He was our substitute bearing our sins. Isaiah 53 reveals that this was the time God put our sins on Him. In the three hours from twelve noon to three o’clock in the afternoon the righteous God put all our sins upon this substitute and judged Him righteously for our sins. God forsook Him because during these hours He was a sinner there on the cross; He was even made sin. On the one hand, the Lord bore our sins; on the other hand, He was made sin for us. Therefore, God judged Him. This was altogether a matter of righteousness.
Close to the end of His crucifixion, people still mocked Him by giving Him vinegar to quench His thirst (vv. 48-49; John 19:28-30; Luke 23:36).
Verse 50 says, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and dismissed the spirit.” This was to give up His spirit (John 19:30), indicating that the Lord voluntarily yielded up His life (Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46). The Lord Jesus was not killed, but willingly yielded up His life. He gave His life for us, and He died.