The Story Behind the Painting
Matthew 27:45 “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.”
At the ninth hour, as darkness still covered the land, Jesus gave up His spirit, while declaring, “It is finished,” and thus breaking the barrier between God and humanity.
With hundreds of thousands of people entering Jerusalem for Passover to sacrifice their lambs, the holy and blameless Lamb of God was being killed outside the city, and the darkness of humanity's sins was revealed. Not only did He perform miracles and heal the sick, but, being tempted as we are, He remained sinless. What the ongoing sacrifices of animals could not accomplish, Jesus fulfilled as being the propitiation for our sins.
Even during the darkest hours of history, the Light was still victorious. Many thought that His death would be His defeat, yet He is Risen, and seated on the throne of His everlasting kingdom!
And as John wrote in Revelation 21:22-24 “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”