Reflection: Darkness

It’s dark in Jerusalem.

It’s been dark while Jesus battles in prayer; dark at his betrayal, dark at the denial, dark at his mistrial … and now it’s day-time-dark. Dark from 12 to 3pm.

 Darkness feels ominous even to us onlookers. But Jews would inherently recognise darkness in a symbolic and panoramic sense.* There’s something deeply spiritual happening right here in Jerusalem. Did they see it? Something of God’s foreboding judgement. Were they warned?

Darkness on this particular week, Passover week, is sure to evoke chilling whispers of the three-days-dark in Egypt. Remember? nudges one Jewish neighbour to another; one participant to another, remember how after the long dark, on that bloody night, all Egyptian firstborn sons were killed?

Visions of blood-splashed wood in Israelite quarters of Egypt.

Today there’s blood-splashed wood in Jerusalem.

In the dark there’s bloody business on a cosmic scale:

the blood of God’s ‘firstborn’ for the life of the world.

From 12-3pm, judgement and salvation lock antlers.

And Light pierces the darkness in God’s cosmic victory over evil!

Well might the sun in darkness hide, and shut its glories in,
when God, the mighty maker, died for his own creature’s sin. (‘Alas! and Did My Saviour Bleed’, hymn by Isaac Watts)

Prayer:

In you is life and light, Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God!

Thank you for living and dying to light up this world’s darkness; to enlighten us!

By your resurrection triumph, darkness will never prevail. Thanks be to God!

Bring justice out of darkness.

Enable us to enhance your world-wide light …

Until your brilliant glory, goodness, holiness and love is all-consuming and all we treasure.

*See Amos 8:9-10.