Matthew 27:50 NIVUK
[50] And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. https://bible.com/bible/113/mat.27.50.NIVUK
There are many dramatic and important moments in the life of a human being: birth, first solid food, first steps, first day of school, graduation, first day of work, marriage, birth of the first child or grandchild, retirement...
But isn’t ironic that the most significant moment in the life of many human beings is the day they die?
Think about it for a minute: when do our actions gain the most attention? When do they draw the largest crowd? When do people say the nicest things about us?
Isn’t it at our funeral?
Of course, it should not be this way. But we have to admit, it is.
When my father was alive, he was seen as a bit of a character: a little guy with a sense of humour, a bit of a temper and a faith in God that sometimes exposed him, and us to ridicule.
But when he died, the church was packed with mourners. Years later, people he’d worked with still told me how much they missed him.
Now, I do not recommend dying to get attention. That is a fool’s game. Sooner or later, you will be forgotten, as will we all.
My point is that our death is always highly significant.
One of my father’s favourite songs was by Mike and the Mechanics and features this lyric:
'So say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you hear
Because it’s too late, it’s too late
When we die
To admit we don’t see eye to eye'
I don’t care who you are or what your relationship is with your loved ones. All I am saying is: read the words and put it right.
You won’t regret it.
Jesus’ death is the most significant of them all.
And like the death of anyone loved, it affected people. But not just people. Four elements of nature were affected by His death on the cross.
The first was The Heavens:
Matthew 27:45 NIVUK
[45] From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. https://bible.com/bible/113/mat.27.45.NIVUK
Now, we might think this is an exaggeration. However, it is attested to in non-Christian, Roman sources. Phlegon, a Roman historian, wrote these words:
‘In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was an extraordinary eclipse of the sun: at the sixth hour, the day turned into dark night, so that the stars in heaven were seen; and there was an earthquake.’
This is around the time when Jesus was crucified.
So this is real. It is history.
It happened.
There are many theories as to how. Some theorise that this was a solar eclipse. I don’t discount that.
But what we see here is far from natural. The Gospels are clear: it lasted from the sixth hour until the ninth hour – in our modern way of measuring time, this is midday to 3pm. It also happened at Passover, during a full moon. So this would have had to be a three hour eclipse (and they don’t usually last that long) at a time when the moon was fully visible.
Not entirely implausible, but unlikely this was a completely natural event.
But that is not the main question.
The main question is: why? Why did the heavens go dark for three hours?
The great preacher Charles Spurgeon had his theory:
‘The darkness is the symbol of the wrath of God which fell on those who slew his only begotten Son. God was angry, and his frown removed the light of day.’
Here is mine.
Jesus proclaimed this about Himself:
John 8:12 NIVUK
[12] When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ https://bible.com/bible/113/jhn.8.12.NIVUK
John 5-9:4 NIVUK
[4] As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no-one can work. [5] While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ https://bible.com/bible/113/jhn.9.4.NIVUK
John said this about Jesus:
John 5-1:4 NIVUK
[4] In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
But right there, on the cross, in the face of heartless jeering and mocking, men sought to extinguish that light because the sin within them could not tolerate its glare (John 3:19).
So since human beings had the light, but sought to extinguish it, why would God not take the glow of natural light from them?
The heavens went dark as the Light of the World was extinguished – but only for three days.
The heavens were not the only element affected by Jesus’ death. The Curtain was also affected:
Matthew 27:51 NIVUK
[51] At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split
Never in all of human history has a piece of drapery so deeply significant. We see this in the Old Testament:
Exodus 26:31 NIVUK
[31] ‘Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker. [32] Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. [33] Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
This is the curtain that was torn. It was not just any old curtain: it separated the human from the Divine; the utterly sacred from the slightly less sacred; the inner sanctum from the inner court.
Through the tearing of this Temple, any priest could enter and set their eyes on the Holy of Holies.
The way to God was now open.
God had come down to humans. Now humans had access to God.
And yes, this was restricted. In the design of the Temple, only priests could enter the Holy Place, and only the High Priest should enter the Holy of Holies – and even then, just once a year.
But this is a symbol: a symbol of Heaven descending and tearing the barrier between God and mankind.
This is truly an awesome symbol.
But not only the heavens and the curtain reacted to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
So did The Earth:
Matthew 27:51 NIVUK
[51] The earth shook, the rocks split
Again, we have to note that this is not an exaggeration – an attested-to earthquake really did take place when Jesus died.
And why not?
The very Word of God begins with these words:
Genesis 1:1 NIVUK
[1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. https://bible.com/bible/113/gen.1.1.NIVUK
And in John we read these words:
John 1:1 NIVUK
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning. [3] Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
In other words – and this is important – the Man dying on a cross was not some renegade teacher or preacher or philosopher. No, He was the Creator God!
As the old hymn puts it:
‘Ti’s mystery all, the Immortal dies!
Who can explore this strange design?’
It should be no wonder that the earth shook. No wonder at all.
But apart from the heavens, the curtain and the earth, the last element to respond to Christ’s death is somewhat challenging to those of us who approach this passage from a Western viewpoint. However, it is believed that Matthew wrote his Gospel in around AD 80. This puts it at approximately 50 years after Jesus died on the cross – so a generation after it. In other words, many of the people who were there in Jerusalem would have still been alive. Or, at worst, their children. If this had not happened, there would have been many who could easily have refuted him and caused his Gospel to be ridiculed or silenced.
What am I talking about?
We see that The Grave responded to Jesus’ death:
Matthew 27:51 NIVUK
[51] At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split [52] and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. [53] They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. https://bible.com/bible/113/mat.27.52.NIVUK
It might not seem like such a big deal that the tombs were opened. Most tombs in those days were not coffins buried in the ground or great mausoleums, but were instead caves. These caves often had rocks placed at the entrance to seal them from grave robbers. It isn’t hard to comprehend that an earthquake could dislodge those rocks.
But the dead walking?
Now, this might seem like the stuff of horror movies. After all, the prospect of waking up and find some long dead religious figure walking around the streets outside our homes might not fill all of us with joy.
However, we should not be surprised by this. After all, the prophet Isaiah wrote these words:
Isaiah 26:19 NIVUK
[19] But your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise – let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy – your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.
And we know that one day the dead will rise forevermore (1 Corinthians 15; Revelation 10:11-15).
This is just a foretaste of it. This is the entrée for the feast that will follow.
Symbolically, though, this is very interesting. It is as if death itself was opening its doors to receive Christ. And when Christ walked back through that door and became alive again, it seems that others may have walked through it too.
So, hard as it may be for us to understand this, the Bible teaches that death itself reacted to Jesus Christ dying on the cross.
Sadly we have became well used to royal funerals. Either when they are taken seemingly before their time (Princess Diana) or after a long and fruitful life (Queen Elizabeth II), we have seen those huge processions through the streets of our great cities, the gun salutes, the mourners, the TV presenters dressed in black, the hushed commentary, the overly-uptight mourning.
It seems like the bigger the star, or the more powerful the member of the Royal family, the bigger the funeral.
Death can have a profound effect on us. It can provoke really strong emotions.
But the death of Jesus Christ did much more than that. It provoked a reaction in the heavens that caused the sky to go dark for three hours. It tore the Temple curtain, making access to the Holy of Holies possible. It shook the earth and opened the grave.
The death of Jesus Christ is significant. It is important. For Christians everywhere, it is crucial.
Because the death of Christ on the cross brought about our forgiveness, and His resurrection brings us life.
It is the most important event in history.
It should never be forgotten.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for dying for me. Thank You for willing to go that far to save me. Help me to never forget it. Amen.
Questions
1. Is Jesus’ death important to you? Why?
2. What are the four elements that reacted to Jesus’ death? How did they react?
3. What does this say about Jesus?
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