Luke 23:44-56

23:44-46 | On the cross, Jesus completed an eternal transaction with the Father. He paid the price for the sins of all who believe, taking their punishment on Himself. The darkness from noon until three o’clock was not an eclipse; it was a miracle, as though God was shielding the cross as His Son was made sin (2 Cor. 5:21). The veil of the temple torn in two opened the way for anyone to enter into the Most Holy Place – where God’s presence rests and where previously only the high priest could enter (Ex. 26:33; Heb. 9:8; 10:19-22).

23:47 The centurion’s announcement of Jesus’ righteousness reinforces that this Man committed no crime worthy of capital punishment.

23:50-53 | Again Luke emphasizes Jesus’ innocence by noting that Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin (a council member) - the religious body that had condemned Jesus to death. Luke presents Joseph as a good and just Jew who had been looking forward to the coming of the Messiah and who dissented from the council’s decision about Jesus.

23:49-56 | Mary Magdalene had heard Jesus predict that He must die and in three days rise again, but she did not yet understand His words. She returned to the tomb, not to verify that Christ had risen but to minister to His dead body.