It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When He had said this, He breathed His last.
The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew Him, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
*******
They stood at a distance…watching. It’s almost as if they were waiting to find out it wasn’t real. That Jesus was just testing them. It’s like they were waiting to see Him get off the cross by Himself or the angels and taking His rightful throne and ruling the world. They waited…but nothing changed. Jesus was dead. At the moment, they couldn’t understand what they had just witnessed. He said He was the Messiah…but now He is dead. He healed the sick, raised the dead, gave sight to the blind…but now He is dead. What they didn’t know…in three days time…the whole world would be changed forever. They waited and watched…confused and defeated. But in the words of Bob Goff, “Heaven started counting to three.”
A Journey With Jesus 