From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah." At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!"
and they shall look on him whom they have thrust through (Zechariah 12.10)
Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins...so Christ has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9.22,26)
What sort of God do we have, who wished to become his own creation so he could walk among us, heal us, forgive us, teach us but ultimately so he could suffer and die for us? What happens to death, now that God himself, in his human nature, has died? Death, the greatest human suffering of them all, now becomes a doorway through which Christ has gone. Now, instead of death having the final say in life, mocking all our happy years alive, it is simply a doorway through which Jesus himself wished to pass so he might be the perfect, final sacrificial lamb which justifies us to God. We look with longing toward that golden door through which Christ has gone. Because he went through, we want through. It is our portal to him.
Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify
the people by his own blood. Let us then go to him outside the camp and
bear the abuse he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we are
looking for the city that is to come. (Hebrews 13.12-15)