Curious Occurrences at the Cross

Last week we looked at the death of Judas. This week we look at the death of Judas. These two deaths could not have been any more different.

Judas’ death was a suicide Jesus death was a sacrifice.

Judas’ death brought him shame. Jesus’ death brought Him glory.

Judas was driven to his death by guilt over sin. Jesus’ death was because of His love for sinners.

Judas purchased a cemetery in his death. Jesus purchased sinners in His death delivering them from the cemetery.

Jesus’ death was not only different than Judas’ death. It was different than every other death.

Matthew records the death of Jesus in an interesting way. He describes some things that happened at the death of Jesus that were unique. This morning we’re going to look at some curious occurrences at the cross.

1. A Strange Darkness (45).

A. The darkness occurred at an unusual time.

When the sun should have been the brightest darkness fell on the land. This was a supernatural darkness.

It was not an eclipse.

It was not cloud cover

God turned the lights out. Spurgeon made an interesting observation about this. He said when Jesus was born midnight turned to midday and when He died midday turned to midnight.

Luke tells us on the night Jesus was born the heavens lit up with the glory of God (Luke 2:9).

On the day He died the sun was covered. I think the Lord shut the lights out in the middle of the day so know one could say the darkness was the result of the morning or the evening. The sun was not sinking, and it was not rising. It was in its strength.

B. The darkness made a distinction.

The distinction is between Jesus suffering at the hands of men and at the hand of God. You can even see that in the words of Jesus on the cross.

Jesus made seven statements on the cross.

Between 9-12 He said:

Father forgive them…. Luke 23:34

Today you will be with Me in paradise- Luke 23:43

Woman, behold your son – John 19:26-27

The darkness fell at 12 and did not lift until 3. Between 12-3 He said:

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

“I thirst!” John 19:28

“It is finished!” John 19:30

“Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Luke 23:46

The words of Jesus on the cross show that His suffering was worse from 12-3 than it was from 9-12.

From 12-3 the Father punished Jesus for our sins. The darkness symbolized the judgment of God upon Jesus.

Listen to the words of Amos 8:9-10

“In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord,

“I will make the sun go down at noon

and darken the earth in broad daylight.

I will turn your religious festivals into mourning

and all your singing into weeping.

I will make all of you wear sackcloth

and shave your heads.

I will make that time like mourning for an only son

and the end of it like a bitter day.”

C. The darkness ended.

The darkness lifted at 3. Thank God for that! It ended because Jesus drank the lost drop in the cup of our suffering. It ended because He paid the full price of our sin. It took three hours for Jesus to atone for the sins of the world. We could not pay the full price of our sin in an eternity.

There was a strange darkness on the day Jesus died, thank God it lifted!

2. A Strange Question (46).

A. The question confused some of the bystanders (47-49).

There has been debate on whether Jesus spoke the words of verse 46 in Hebrew or Aramaic. Regardless, the words “My God, My God” sound similar to the pronunciation of Elijah’s name in either language. For that reason some of the people thought Jesus was calling on the name of Elijah for help.

This was probably Jewish people. Elijah didn’t die a physical death. There was a belief that he would return. These people didn’t really believe Elijah would come and help Jesus. They believed Jesus was cursed by God. In their minds Elijah wouldn’t help a man cursed by God. This should be seen as more mockery, like we saw in verse 43.

Someone dipped a sponge in the soured wine, or vinegar as the KJV says, and gave Him a drink. This was a mixture the soldiers drank from because crucifixion day could be long and hot.

We don’t know if this was an act of mercy or not. It could have been. We don’t know for sure who gave it to Jesus. What we do know that those watching weren’t concerned about Jesus’ thirst. They were too busy mocking Him.

If they had understood that Jesus was quoting Psalm 22 perhaps they would have read it and seen that it was a prophecy of the death of the Messiah.

B. The question and the darkness are linked.

When the darkness falls Jesus asks, “My God, My God why hast thou forsaken Me?”

This is proof to what I was saying earlier. There is a distinction in the suffering of Christ when the darkness falls. What happened to Christ beginning at noon was hell on earth. In His body Christ experienced the pains of hell.

1 Cor. 15:3 says Jesus died for our sins.

Isaiah 53:5 says He was pierced for our iniquities and crushed for our transgressions.

1 Peter 2:24 says He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree…

The question is the result of experiencing the physical & emotional pain of hell.

We speak of Jesus as our sympathetic High Priest. He has tasted all of the sufferings we experience in this world. But Jesus has even experienced things we will never experience as believers. He has experienced hell.

C. The question was sincere.

Some have suggested Jesus felt forsaken but was not actually forsaken. They say this question was the result of someone who was suffering and questioning their relationship with God. That’s not the case. Jesus was forsaken.

He was forsaken in the sense that the Father poured out the full judgment of sin on Him.

The Father treated Him as if He were a sinner.

The Father did not deliver Him from the cross.

The Father did not intervene at all.

This strange question allows us to see that Christ did not die as a martyr, He did not die as an example. He died as a substitute for sinners.

3. A Strange Death (50).

A. Jesus still had strength in His death.

It says He cried out with a loud voice. That’s strange. You would think He would be reduced to a whisper at this point. You would think He could hardly speak.

He’s been beaten.

He’s been abused.

He hasn’t had any sleep.

He has lost a lot of blood.

He has been nailed to a cross.

He has been hanging in the sun for hours.

It’s a wonder He could speak at all. Matthew, Mark, and Luke say His dying words were shouted. There is supernatural strength in Jesus.

B. Jesus chose the moment He would die.

When He was ready to die, He died. Jesus said in John 10:18 that no man could take His life from him. He said He had the power to lay it down and take it up.

The Romans would sometimes break the legs of the crucified when they were ready for them to die. They did that with the two thieves. When they came to Jesus, He was already dead. This fulfilled the prophecy of “Not a bone of Him shall be broken.” Exodus 12:46 tells us that none of the bones of the Passover lamb could be broken.

Please understand Jesus chose the exact moment He would die. No human being could do that. Jesus didn’t jump off of a bridge or hang Himself like Judas. He chose when He would die simply by “yielding up the ghost” the text says.

Jesus has the power over death and life. He has the power over death and life in my life too. It’s up to the Lord when we die. It is appointed unto man once to die. Who appoints that day? The Lord does. Just as He chose the moment he would die He has chosen the moment each of us will die.

C. Jesus death was genuine.

Verse 50 says His spirit left His body. That is when a person dies.

There was no faint pulse.

There were no brain waves.

There was no shallow breathing.

Jesus went from giving a powerful shout to being completely dead in a moment.

I have watched many people die. That is not how it happens. Death happens slowly. Sometimes it seems to happen too slowly. Sometimes people appear to be dead and the only way you can really determine if they are is by a machine.

Christ was dead and we know He was because His spirit left His body.

4. A Strange Destruction (51).

A. There was an earthquake when Jesus died.

Earthquakes are symbolic of the presence and the judgment of God in the Bible (Exodus 19:18). This earthquake was strong enough that it split rocks in two. I have experienced an earthquake in Haiti and it was genuinely one of the most frightening things I’ve ever experienced.

B. The Temple veil was torn.

Earthquakes were not uncommon in Palestine. But the splitting of the Temple veil was uncommon. This was a curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The height of the Temple would mean that the veil was at least sixty feet tall (1 Kings 6:2). The Jewish historian Josephus tells us it was about four inches thick.

No man could tear this veil because it was too thick. But it was torn form the top to the bottom. No man could reach the top. Notice it was torn completely in two from top to bottom.

Certainly, there were priests in the temple when this happened. There were witnesses to this event. It could not be explained away. God tore that curtain with His own hands.

C. The Temple was unnecessary after the death of Jesus.

The tearing of the veil symbolized that the Temple was no longer needed. Christ fulfilled the Law. There was not a reason for the High Priests to enter the holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement and offer up a sacrifice for the sins of the people. The Temple had run its course.

Jesus already told them that the entire thing would be torn down (24:2). The tearing of the veil was proof that the whole thing would be destroyed soon. It was destroyed in 70 AD and has not been rebuilt since then.

God is doing these things to encourage people to come to Christ for salvation. Salvation is not found in the Temple rituals. It is not found in a priesthood. It is found in Christ.

5. A Strange Resurrection (52-53).

A. There are some unanswered questions regarding this.

Many saints were resurrected:

Who were they? How long had they been dead?

Were they resurrected in a natural body like Lazarus?

Did they die again?

Were they raised in a resurrected body and went to heaven?

When there are this many questions surrounding a text, we should be careful not to be dogmatic but to be satisfied with what is clear.

B. This was a historical event.

This is seen in that many people witnessed it. This wasn’t a dream or a vision the disciples had. This isn’t a story added to the Bible years later.

When Christ died there were some believers who were resurrected from the dead. Not all believers. But there were some. These believers went into Jerusalem and walked and talked among the people.

Some people might wonder how this could happen without there being a major uproar. First, a lot of people were in Jerusalem. These people would have appeared like we appear. They weren’t glowing or floating around. They were people who had been dead and were now alive. Second, they didn’t go into the city until after Jesus rose from the dead. It’s not like a zombie movie. People aren’t climbing out of the graves in front of people as Jesus is dying on the cross.

C. This miracle symbolized Jesus victory over death.

The Bible says Jesus is the first fruits of all who rise from the dead (1 Cor. 15:23). Jesus is like the first portion of a harvest that represents there is more coming. The resurrection of these people symbolize that Jesus has defeated death. It points to a day in which every believer in Christ will be resurrected from the dead and receive a glorified body.

That’s what’s important for us to see. How God did this should not matter to us as much as why God did this. God did this to encourage us. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus we who believe will be resurrected as well.

6. A Strange Confession (54).

A. Unbelievers witnessed many of these curious events.

Virtually everyone at the cross was an unbeliever. Most were there to:

Make sure Jesus died

Mock Him as He died

Out of curiosity

Look at the phrase in verse 54 “watching Jesus” and now look back at verse 36,” And sitting down they watched Him there”.

This is the same people. These are Roman soldiers. They are executioners. They are killers. It’s their job to watch Jesus until He dies. These men were accustomed to death. Crucifixions were common to them.

B. Unbelievers were amazed at these events.

The darkness

The earthquake

The strength of Jesus

This was not a normal crucifixion. A fear fell upon them. They stood in awe at all they were witnessing.

It is by the grace of God those unbelievers are positioned in a way to see the power of God. God put these men there that day. He wanted them to see all of this.

Think of all that centurion had seen that day.

Jesus beaten

Jesus mocked

Jesus nailed to a cross

Jesus praying for the forgiveness of His enemies

Darkness falling over the land

The earthquaking

Those soldiers had a front row seat to the most important event in history.

C. Unbelievers confessed Christ as the Son of God.

Look what the soldiers said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

They are convinced before the resurrection He is the Son of God. Was this a true profession of faith? It certainly could have been. I would like to think that these events would convince me!

They admitted they crucified the Son of God. Who would have thought these hardened men would be the ones to confess Christ? They knew the least about Him.

They hadn’t heard His teaching.

They didn’t have the Law and the prophet’s testimony of Him.

They hadn’t seen His miracles.

All they knew was what happened that day. They saw enough!

How strange that those who are raised around the things of God often forsake the Lord and those who know nothing of Him sometimes become faithful followers.

Have you made this confession? Have you looked at the events of calvary and stood in awe of Christ? Have the curious occurrences at the cross melted your heart & opened your eyes? I pray they have.