The Darkness and the Glory

A while back I was given a book called The Darkness and the Glory by Greg Harris. I was excited about the book, but I must admit that having read Dr. Harris’ first book, The Cup and the Glory, I was kind of apprehensive about reading this second book. Now, don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Cup and the Glory, however it was extremely sobering – Lessons on Suffering and the Glory of God is simply not the kind of lessons I jump at the chance to get into. I was also going through a lot of “hard-things” in every day life, and so getting into a “deep-book” was not something I wanted to do. I wanted something “light-flowery-kind-of-book”. However, God kept prompting me to pick up the book – The Darkness and the Glory.

In the beginning, do to my state of mind, I was simply not getting into it. I even thought of putting the book down and away until another “season”, but God would not allow me to.

I am not finished reading the book, however, the things that have been etched in my heart are so deep; they are not the kind of things that you read and move on. Some of the aspects of My Savior’s crucifixion have been shown me through this book that I couldn’t even began to think or understand. Thus far Chapter 3 has left a picture in my heart that has been so deeply sketched that I can’t shake it from my mind. Dr. Harris writes about those three hours of darkness during Jesus’ crucifixion in a way that I have never heard and in a way that shake me to the core.

And I quote:
…In answer as to why the darkness was over the cross comes this best bliblical response: in the same manner by which the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenant had darkness when they were ratified, so too did God employ darkness as He ratified His New Covenant in the blood of Jesus. This obviously requires God’s presence at the cross. Could God possibly be absent from a covenant that He Himself ratifies?

…Part of what made the cup that Jesus drank differ from all others and also added to torture that marred His body beyond measure was this second element unique to Him: God the Father struck and smote God the Son. Satan and rebellious man each had his role in this crime, and God held each party accountable for his actions. However, the Father played a unique role in Jesus’ suffering.

…While human and satanic agents all had a part, the Word mandates a specific and deliberate striking of God’s Messiah by the Father – a fact that we would never know unless God revealed it. Somewhere in the crucifixion narrative, in order for Scripture t be fulfilled, there must be a divine striking of God’s own Shepherd by God Himself.

…It seems best to understand that Satan had completed his God-ranted hour of authority at this point. He would no more play a major role in the crucifixion from this point onward; Scripture makes no more reference to him again regarding the crucifixion. What would transpire now lay only in the Father’s hands. Jesus had endured so much by the midpoint of His crucifixion, yet the two most horrific aspects of His suffering were only now beginning. No one needed to explain to either the angelic or demonic realm the key question at hand: what would god the Father do once He approached His son?

…For three hours – divine wrath inflicted and received by the One alone able to do so.

For three hours – silent, willful submission by the Lamb of God, the Servant of Yahweh.

For three hours – Jesus bore the full burden of sins past, present, and future.

For three hours – the Father smote the Son with the full wrath He alone could render.

And then – He stopped.

~~~~~~

I read Dr. Harris’ blog and on his post dated January 30, 2009 he writes, “With The Cup and the Glory, many of them had life experiences of their own cup and hardships. With The Darkness and the Glory, which deals with the cup that Jesus alone had to drink because no one else could, it has been a lot less vocal as a reverential awe and worship of what Jesus endured for us permeated our last session. There were still comments, of course, but when we look at what He endured, we see how far removed we are from Him, and often there are no words fit to express this. This is fitting and is as God intends and is at the heart of true worship.”

And to think that Jesus did this for you, for me…

Dr. Harris website: http://www.glorybooksministry.org/
Dr. Harris blog: http://glorybooksministry.blogspot.com/