At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. Matthew 27:51-52
Several years ago, while I was living in Dallas, Texas, I woke up one morning only to find out that, during the night, there had been an earthquake. Although there was, thankfully, no damage from the earthquake, many, many people woke up and felt that earthquake's impact. I'm not sure how, but I slept through the entire thing. In Matthew 27, Scripture teaches that there was a different earthquake while Jesus died, announcing His death on behalf of the sins of humanity, and the world has never been the same. With the resurrection of Jesus, death and sin were conquered forever, and now people could have the hope of salvation by placing their faith in Him.
Matthew 27 explains that as Jesus died, there was an earthquake that made rocks split and tombs open as if to tell the world what was taking place: Jesus was giving up his life for the sins of the world (verse 51). And here is the really crazy thing that you may have missed when you have studied these verses before: not only did rocks split apart. In addition, tombs opened, and the bodies of godly men and women who had died came to life! I have so many questions about this incident, don't you? What I do know is this: there was about to be an even greater resurrection: the resurrection of Jesus, conquering sin and death. I also know that it is only because of Jesus' death and resurrection that we ourselves are spiritually resurrected when we put our trust in Him and commit our lives to Him, which leads to eternal life. Perhaps the resurrection of these saints was also a picture of the spiritual resurrection of believers that was to come.
These supernatural events of the earthquake at the exact time of Jesus' death and the resurrection of godly men and women are a reminder that the cross was no accident. Jesus' death was intentional, just like His resurrection. We can rest assured that Jesus' life, death, and resurrection was God's plan all along to bring anyone who places their faith in Him from death to life. Has God radically transformed your life? Have you experienced new life because of your faith in Him? If so, does the life that you are living represent your new life in Christ? May the lives that we live be an outward reflection that the inward transformation that we have experienced because of Christ's death and resurrection.
Just like the lives of those who were resurrected when Jesus rose from the grave, if we have placed our faith in Christ, we have been spiritually resurrected. We are no longer dead in our sin but alive in Christ. How can we keep this good news to ourselves? Commit today to sharing that story of your new life in Jesus. Tell one person in your life who is far from Christ your two-minute story of how God has saved you and changed your life.
Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.
After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.
At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. At 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?”
Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”
Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
The 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!”
And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee.
