Redemptive Witness

Please take your Bible and turn to Matthew 27:45-54, as we consider the Redemptive Witness.

Just prior to the launch of Jesus’ public ministry, and at the time of His baptism by John, God the Father gave a public witness as to who Jesus of Nazareth really was:

Matthew 3:13–17 CSB

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. But John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?” Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John allowed him to be baptized. When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. And a voice from heaven said: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”

Years later, on the Mount of Transfiguration, with just Peter, James, and John with Jesus, Moses and Elijah appeared before Christ and had a discussion with Him. Peter, never wanting to be left out of the discussion, opened his mouth. And as he was speaking the Father stopped him, and offered this witness about Jesus:

Matthew 17:4–5 CSB

Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here. If you want, I will set up three shelters here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!”

In our passage today we have a mixture of both divine and human witness regarding who Jesus is, and what was happening during His crucifixion. The bulk of our text refers to the Divine witness, but it concludes with a surprising human witness as to who Jesus of Nazareth was.

Let’s read our text together.

Matthew 27:45–54 CSB

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over the whole land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling for Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and offered him a drink. But the rest said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” But Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And they came out of the tombs after his resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many. When the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Let’s consider first:

The Divine Witness

Note that:

The Divine Witness was Active, not Verbal

This active witness was seen in the various supernatural events which took place during the time of Jesus crucifixion. Many of these events might have a natural explanation to them, though certainly not all of them. But is clear that Matthew is describing supernatural events rather than natural. The first of these events was

Supernatural Darkness

Darkness is often seen in biblical metaphors as a reference to judgement on someone or some thing. It was seen in Exodus as a judgment of Egypt and on Pharaoh, king of Egypt. One of the most intriguing references in the OT prophets is found in

Amos 8:9 CSB

And in that day— this is the declaration of the Lord God— I will make the sun go down at noon; I will darken the land in the daytime.

This is exactly what occured on Good Friday. Our text tells us

Matthew 27:45 CSB

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over the whole land.

Understand that this was not an eclipse or some such natural phenomena. This was a supernatural darkening. We really don’t know the extent of the darkness. Was it just on the land of Israel, or was it over the entire planet earth. The Greek term can be taken either way.

We are also left to speculate the reason for this supernatural darkening. But I think Amos provides some clarity. We’ve already seen that he prophesied the darkening on the land at midday. But he went on in the next verse to say this:

Amos 8:10 CSB

I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make that grief like mourning for an only son and its outcome like a bitter day.

Did you catch that last line? I will make that grief like mourning for an only son and its outcome like a bitter day!

Can you imagine what it must have been like to experience this supernatural darkness? Spiritually speaking we were all once in darkness until the light of Christ shone on us.

When Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the World, was receiving the wrath of God for our sins, darkness came.

The second event is tied to the first event. It had to do with Jesus being

Temporarily Forsaken

Look again at verse 46.

Matthew 27:46 CSB

About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

One commentator said that this “might be called sovereign departure, as somehow God was separated from God.” (MacArthur, pg. 269).

During His earthly ministry Jesus always referred to God as “My Father.” But at this specific moment when He was forsaken He used the term “My God.” “Because the Son had taken sin upon Himself, the Father turned His back. That mystery is so great and imponderable that it is not surprising that Martin Luther is said to have gone into seclusion for a long time trying to understand it and came away as confused as when he began.”

We need to understand that “the separation between Jesus and the Father was not one of nature, essence, or substance. Christ did not in any sense or degree cease to exist as God or as a member of the Trinity.”

Those who are students of the Bible will recognize that this statement is a quotation from

Psalm 22:1 CSB

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning?

Most commentators that I’ve read believe that it was at this very moment in which He uttered this cry that Jesus became sin for us. I’d have to say that this statement by Paul has become my favorite statement in all of Scripture. I cannot fully fathom how it can be that the sinless One became sin without ever sinning! Nor how I can come to be declared righteous when it was Jesus who fulfilled all righteousness, and not me. I think that singer/songwriter Chris Tomlin put it well:

He became sin, who knew no sin That we might become His righteousness He humbled himself and carried the cross Love so amazing, love so amazing

Jesus Messiah, name above all names Blessed redeemer, Emmanuel The rescue for sinners, the ransom from Heaven Jesus Messiah, Lord of all

Notice the reaction of the onlookers to Jesus’ cry:

Matthew 27:47–49 CSB

When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling for Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and offered him a drink. But the rest said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

There were some rabbinic teachings that said that Elijah, a man who never died, but was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire, would come to the aid of those who were in distress. The onlookers (presumably Jewish) thought that Jesus was calling for Elijah. It’s easy to see how they could have been mistaken since the Hebrew term for God was Eli. Not much different than the term for Elijah.

One person immediately rushed to Jesus with some sour wine for him to sip. This was the common drink of Roman soldiers, so it would have been readily available since the soldiers were overseeing Jesus’ execution.

Commentators are divided as to whether this was an act of compassion or cruelty. To me it would appear that he had some compassion on the suffering servant. But we’ve already seen how positive things can be used as a cloak for cruelty and mockery.

Whether out of compassion or spite, the onlookers wanted this man to stop what he was doing. They could tell that Jesus did not have long to live and they wanted to be able to see the spectacle if Elijah did, in fact, come to Jesus’ aid.

The third supernatural event was

The Surrendering of His Spirit

Look at verse 50.

Matthew 27:50 CSB

But Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit.

Matthew does not tell us the content of Jesus’ cry, simply that He cried out in a loud voice. But John tells us:

John 19:30 CSB

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.

What was finished? Jesus had fulfilled His mission to be the sin-bearer for His people. Jesus had absorbed the Father’s wrath for our sins. Jesus had become a curse, so that we, through faith in His person and His work, might find true blessing.

Though the phrase “gave up his spirit” could be a general reference to death, as we might say so and so took his last breath, clearly Matthew has something supernatural in mind.

The fact that Jesus was able to muster the strength to cry out with a loud voice indicates that He was not yet at the point of death. And then we have the witness from Jesus in John’s Gospel, spoken in the context of Jesus being the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep:

John 10:17–18 CSB

This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

The fourth supernatural event on this fateful day was

The Tearing of the Curtain

Look again at verses 51.

Matthew 27:51 CSB

Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.

In the temple complex there were two curtains. One separated the court from the holy place in which the priests would enter daily to offer incense. In this place was the table of showbread,and the lampstand, among other things. The second curtain separated the holy place from the holy of holies, which is the innermost part of the temple. It was here that the ark of the covenant was stored, and the covering of the ark was called the mercy seat. Once a year the high priest of Israel, on the Day of Atonement, would enter into this place and sprinkle some of the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat to make atonement for the people of Israel.

It was probably this second curtain that was torn from top to bottom. Note that:

The tearing of the curtain signified that the believer now has direct access to God, through the death of Jesus Christ.

Rom 5.1-2

Romans 5:1–2 CSB

Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

The fifth supernatural event was

The Shaking of the Earth

Notice verse 51 again.

Matthew 27:51 CSB

Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.

Only Matthew tells us about the earthquake and the event which follows as a natural progression of the earthquake. Obviously earthquakes are a natural phenomena which occur all too frequently on planet earth. Not having a scientific mind I will not attempt to explain how they happen. But the point Matthew is making is that this particular earthquake was of supernatural origin. This earthquake may look forward to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., a destruction that occurred because the nation rejected Jesus as Messiah.

The sixth event was

The Resurrection of Dead Saints

During the supernatural earthquake Matthew, and Matthew alone, informs us that the tombs were opened. Look at verse 52.

Matthew 27:52–53 CSB

The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And they came out of the tombs after his resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.

Now it is not all that unusual for tombs to open up during an earthquake. But remember this was definitely a supernatural event.

As intriguing as this account is, there are some definite questions about it. The first thing I thought about was “how did these resurrected saints pass the time while waiting for Jesus to rise from the dead so they could leave the tombs?”

Almost every commentator has pointed out that this problem can be easily solved with a shift in punctuation. The recommended reading goes like this:

The tombs were also opened. Many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised and they came out of the tombs after His resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.

With this in mind, this statement would be an affirmation of what Paul stated in Eph. 4.8

Ephesians 4:8 CSB

For it says: When he ascended on high, he took the captives captive; he gave gifts to people.

There are other questions which remain a mystery to the student of the Bible.

How many people were raised from the dead?

Who was raised from the dead?

Were they raised with a restored human body, like Lazarus, only to die again?

Where they raised with a glorified body? If so, what happened to them?

My take is that they were raised from the dead immediately after Jesus, who was the firstfruits from the dead. They were raised with a glorified body, never to die again. And like Jesus, they at some point ascended into heaven.

Let’s turn our attention from the Divine Witness to:

The Surprising Human Witness

Look at verse 54.

Matthew 27:54 CSB

When the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

This centurion would have been one of the four soldiers who scourged Jesus, and then led Him to Golgotha to be crucified. He would have been the person in charge of the crucifixion.

After seeing the Jesus’ manner during the trial, scourging, and crucifixion, along with the miraculous things which occurred — the supernatural darkness, the earthquake, etc., he determined that Jesus must truly have been the Son of God.

Once again Matthew highlights how it was a gentile who recognized Jesus for who He was, while the bulk of Israel did not.

This morning we have looked at the redemptive witness. We have seen the Divine witness through the means of supernatural events. And we have seen the verbal witness of a gentile.

The question for us to wrestle with is have we received this witness and testimony about Jesus? Have we embraced Him as our Savior? If not, will you do so today? If you have will you commit your life to following Him with your whole heart regardless of the personal cost?

Let’s pray.

Dear Father,

I thank you for the testimony that you provided about Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. I thank you that He willingly became sin so that I might become righteous through Him.

I pray that those who are listening today, who have not yet embraced Jesus as their Savior, that this would be the day that they do so.

I pray for those who are believers, that they would readily reaffirm their commitment to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, in His name I pray. Amen.

Closing Song: # 302

Lamb of God