Signs at the Death of Jesus - Matthew 27:45-61

Because of my job, I have watched many people die. It is never a pleasant experience. Even when the person dies easily you still find yourself watching each breath to know if it is the last breath. When it is not an “easy” death, it is agonizing to watch.

This morning we read the account of the death of Jesus. No one has ever suffered like He did. He bore the wrath of God for the sin of all mankind. It was an agony we cannot possibly fathom.

Rick looked at the crucifixion last week and told you about the things Jesus said while on the cross. This morning we are going to look at the remarkable things that happened at the death of Jesus. There were five events that took place around the cross. Each of them points to the supernatural nature of what was taking place.

Three Hours of Darkness

45At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 46At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

47Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 48One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. 49But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”

Many have tried to explain the darkness. Some suggest it was an eclipse. However, an eclipse cannot happen during a full moon (which would have been the case during Passover). A dust storm would not have been noteworthy nor would a cloudy day. This was darkness timed with the suffering of Jesus upon the cross. I believe this was the kind of darkness that makes it impossible to see. The darkness would have conveyed a sense of foreboding or Judgment (since it happened from noon to 3:00 p.m.). In some respects, the darkness was also a kindness in keeping others from having to see the agony of our Lord.

When the darkness ended Jesus was exhausted. He used every ounce of energy left to cry out, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” These words are usually considered a cry of anguished bewilderment but it could also have been a cry of faith. When you read Psalm 22 (which contains these words and describes the crucifixion centuries before crucifixions were even a “thing”) you will see that it is a Psalm that ends with an expectation of deliverance.

One of the observers gave Jesus vinegar to drink. I believe earlier they gave him something to dull the pain. Most commentators do not believe that to be the case here. The observer was not being helpful. The shocking taste of the vinegar would only serve to act like smelling salts and awaken Jesus to experience the pain more vividly. The cruelty of men is staggering.

What makes this scene so captivating is realizing Jesus did all of this willingly. He was given every opportunity to defend himself but chose not to do so. He could have avoided the confrontation entirely but did not. He suffered as He did because of His love for us!

Torn Veil (51a)

50Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

Likely, this was when Jesus cried, “It is Finished” (tetelastai) and then said, “Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit”. As soon as Jesus died the curtain in the temple tore in two.

This was the curtain that separated the two parts inside the Temple. Think of the temple as a rectangle that is divided into three squares. The curtain stood between parts two and three. Parts 1 & 2 were combined as one room. This room is where the priests did their work. Here they offered incense to the Lord. The curtain stood between this section and the place known as the Holy of Holies.

No one was allowed to go into this Most Holy Place. Originally, that room held the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was considered the throne of God. It was a wooden box covered in gold with rings on the side which allowed for poles to be inserted when the Ark was carried in the wilderness. The poles remained in the rings even though the Ark was no longer transported. The top of the Ark was the Mercy Seat. It was here that sacrifices were made for the sin of Israel. Attached to the Mercy Seat (or to the Ark itself) were two golden angels who faced each other. The Ark originally contained the Law of God that was written for Moses on stone. The offering on the Ark was symbolic of covering the law (that was broken) with the blood of a sacrifice.

Many people believe after the Babylonians ransacked Israel and destroyed the Temple in 586 B.C. the Ark was lost. There is no mention of the Ark of the Covenant after this time. Nothing even when the Temple was rebuilt! That means, unless someone built a replica (which is unlikely) the most Holy Place may have been empty! When the Roman General Pompey entered the Temple before it was destroyed near 70 A.D. he was disappointed to find that it was empty.

Some traditions (in the apocrypha) say Jeremiah took the Ark and hid it. It will be revealed when the Lord wants it revealed in the last days. This is however, all speculation. Plus, with the death of Christ, the Ark is no longer necessary.

When the curtain tore, it tore from top to bottom (meaning this was not done by any person). It was around 3:00 p.m. which would have been a very busy time around the temple because all the Passover lambs were being slaughtered (It is appropriate Jesus died at this very moment). We can only guess at the pandemonium and terror of that moment when anearthquake hit and the curtain tore. I imagine priests running out of the temple terrified.

The tearing of the temple curtain symbolized at least a couple of things:

The time for sacrifices was over. The perfect and sufficient sacrifice had been given. The Mercy Seat was no longer necessary.

Mankind was given access to the Almighty. We could approach God directly. A curtain was no longer needed. This is because our sin was put on Jesus account and His riches were transferred to our account. We are no longer seen as sinful people!

The whole sacrificial system, which had existed for thousands of years was designed to point to this very day. Sin had finally and fully been taken care of! Jesus was the fulfillment and the final answer to our sin problem.

This is a blessing we have too often taken for granted. We have constant access to God and we treat it as if it was nothing! This was a monumental change! We are no longer pushed away . . . we can come near and can do so boldly (that is not the same as arrogantly) because we have been declared righteous through the blood of Christ.

Sadly, we are used to taking blessing for granted. We take freedom for granted, our mates, our children, even our senses! But of all the things we take for granted, we must never take our forgiveness for granted. This was attained at a price much greater than we can comprehend. Every time we open our Bible, approach God in prayer, or gather with His people for worship, we would be wise to stop and reflect on the privilege that has been given to us because of the sacrifice of our Lord on our behalf. We have been given a blessing that every Old Testament person longed to have. Thanks be to God for removing the barrier that keeps us from Him!

The Earthquake

The earth shook, rocks split apart, 52and tombs opened.

We have all witnessed the terror and destruction that comes with an earthquake. The nightly news shows us the impact regularly. An earthquake makes the strongest person quiver at its power. It causes great structures to crumble.

Earthquakes are a fitting picture of Judgment. Did the earthquake symbolize the Judgment of God that had been satisfied by Jesus, or was it pointing TO the Judgment of God on those who presumed to kill the Son of God? Even though the death of Christ was God’s plan for our salvation, those who rejected Him and treated Him with such hatred are still held responsible for their actions. Just because God brings good from bad decisions does not mean those decisions are suddenly good.

Bodies of the Saints Arose

The next sign is the most bizarre and is only recorded by Matthew.

The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. 53They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.

If we put this together in its most logical fashion, it is likely that the tombs may have opened by the earthquake. However, the people did not come out of the tombs until after the resurrection. One commentator suggested that Matthew put the whole account here so as not to detract from the resurrection of Jesus.

The passage raises a bunch of questions!

Who was raised? Saints who recently died (like Lazarus) or saints long dead (Like Isaiah)?

How long were they raised? Was this just briefly or was it longer?

Why is Matthew the only one to mention this? (The fact that he records it in a matter of fact way adds to the evidence of its truthfulness. If you were making something up for the purpose of deceiving, you would be much more specific and detailed.)

What kind of bodies did these people have?

I don’t believe we are given details because this resurrection is not the point of the story. The point is: the death and resurrection of Jesus makes it possible for the dead to live even though they die. The death and resurrection of Jesus was cosmic in significance. It was not only something that happened to Jesus . . . what happened to Jesus has bearing for everyone who puts their trust in Him. In a sense, these resurrected bodies were a “preview of coming attractions”. Because He lives . . . we too can live even after we die.

The Centurion’s Testimony

54The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

There are a couple of things to notice here. First, apparently this was no run-of-the-mill earthquake. The Romans soldiers were terrified. Even these men interpreted the earthquake as a sign from God.

Second, notice it was not just the Roman officer who concluded Jesus was the Son of God . . . all the soldiers agreed. They had seen hundreds of prisoners and watched lots of people die. Never had they seen anyone like this. These soldiers saw what the Jewish leaders were unwilling to see. The Jewish leaders saw all these same things. Their response was to ask for a guard around the tomb so “the lie” could not continue.

The contrast we see between the soldiers and the Jewish leaders is one we see all around us. The leaders have made up their minds before they look at any shred of evidence! They have concluded there is no Savior, there is no God, simply because that is what they have decided to believe. They haven’t examined truth! They have made up their mind based on what suits their desire . . . truth is irrelevant.

One of the things I loved about the movie “A Case for Christ” is it is the story of how reporter Lee Strobel had to confront his atheistic beliefs with the facts . . . even though he didn’t want to. He set out to disprove the Resurrection because if the Resurrection isn’t true, Christianity is built on a lie. He didn’t realize the facts would lead him to Christ.

As Christians, we sometimes make the mistake of telling people that they have to simply take the message of Christ by faith. This can make it sound like there are no facts on which to anchor that faith. That is just not true! Faith does not go against facts; it is anchored to the facts! Faith is reasonable.

As you encounter people who think the Christian faith is just a made up religion for weak people, ask them a simple question: “Have you examined the evidence?” Or you can ask, “Which of the facts about Jesus have you found to be not true?” We have faith in the promise of Jesus that those who seek the truth will find it.

The Importance of the Burial of Jesus

55And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance. 56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee.

57As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, 58went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. 59Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. 60He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. 61Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.

These seem like incidental comments but they are significant. First, it shows us Jesus was truly dead. Before Pilate agreed to the request of Joseph and Nicodemus he made sure Jesus was dead. The Bible tells us the guard poked a spear into the side of Jesus and water and blood came out. This indicates the spear pierced the heart. Even if He had only passed out, He would not have survived the spear.

Second, this account fulfills prophecy. In Isaiah 53:9 we read

9He had done no wrong

and had never deceived anyone.

But he was buried like a criminal;

he was put in a rich man’s grave.

Burying a body was significant to the Jews (as it is to us). Normally, crucified people would be dumped in a ditch or left for the birds. The reason the family of Jesus did not ask for the body was because someone being crucified was a disgrace to the family! Joseph and Nicodemus set out to rescue Jesus from this final indignity.

Third, the Bible tells us we are buried with Christ. Walking away from the cemetery is the hardest thing to do when you are leaving a loved one behind. This is because burial is the final piece to the end of this life. It is the “closing of the door” on the life that is buried. When the Bible talks about how we were “buried with Christ” it is a reminder that our old life is left behind. We leave the old and embrace the new.

Fourth, these verses set up the Resurrection. This text shows the Women did not go to the wrong tomb! They were there when Jesus was buried. They KNEW the location of the tomb on Easter morning. The empty tomb was the one which previously had been occupied by Jesus.

Conclusions

As we look at the events around the cross of Jesus on the day He died, we cannot help but shake our head and whisper to ourselves, “It is true!” Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Son of God sent to give His life as a payment for our sin! Nature itself declared this to be true.

Now, we are left to decide what to do with this information. We can, like the Jewish leaders, try to spin the facts to suit what we want them to say. We can twist the evidence and call it all coincidence or a plot. We can scoff at the things that happened and continue to harden our hearts.

Or, we can, like the Roman guards, conclude Jesus is the Messiah and turn to Him as the One who alone can save us. He is the One who was promised from the beginning the one who would save us from the curse and bondage of sin.

To walk away from what happened in Jerusalem without responding, is to turn away from your own rescuer; it would be like seeing a fireman coming to rescue you in a burning building and turning to walk into the flames! This is not just a great story! This is a historical record of what took place! And it is not just about what happened in the past . . . it is about what that event means for our present, our future, and what happens after we die. So, the question that remains is this: “What will you do in response to His love?” Will you run to Him or turn your back on Him? Will you resist the truth or embrace it? God has done what He promised and more . . . what happens next is up to you.