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Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!" Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him." And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"
- Matthew 27:45-54
Yesterday, we read that as the soldiers came out of the Praetorium leading Jesus away to the sight of crucifixion, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. And when they had come o a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Hm sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: "They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross." Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'" Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.
Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. My study bible refers us to the prophecies of Zechariah and Amos. Amos quotes the declaration of the LORD: "I will make the sun go down at noon and I will darken the earth in broad daylight." The sixth hour to the ninth hour correspond to the hours between noon and three o'clock in the afternoon.
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" My study bible says here that Jesus is praying Psalm 22, which "foretold the very details of the Crucifixion. Taken without the rest of the psalm, His cry of 'Why have You forsaken Me?' could be misinterpreted as a cry of despair. Since He took on our nature, Jesus experiences our alienation from God in His humanity, knowing our suffering and distress, yet He does not despair. He speaks these words in the name of humanity, completely identifying with us in our condition, for in His divinity, He is never forsaken by the Father."
Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!" Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him." And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. My study bible comments on the phrase yielded up His spirit that Christ's death was voluntary to the end. Even on the Cross, His life could not be taken from Him against His will. The note reads, "Christ accepts death on the Cross neither to receive the Father's punishment on our behalf, nor to satisfy the Father's need for blood-justice (as if God would demand such things), but so that by entering death as the divine Son of God, He can destroy this last enemy, which is death itself (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)."
Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, . . . My study bible notes that the veil that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple "was a symbol of the separation between God and man. Christ's death opens the way into the presence of God for all people, giving people access to that which is the most holy of all: God Himself." It notes that in most Christian churches of Eastern Christianity, there is a curtain between the altar and the nave which is drawn open during the liturgical services in order to emphasize that communion with God, which was at one time sealed off from humanity, is now available to all who approach in faith. Some denominations use the curtain either drawn or open in order to emphasize these differences at different seasons of the liturgical year, or during parts of the liturgy itself.
. . . and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. Here, a note reads: "The completeness of the salvation won by Christ is signified in the resurrection of the saints from the Old Testament. This guarantees the promise given to Ezekiel that God can and will one day open the graves of all mankind (Ezekiel 37:1-14). The saints entering the holy city is an icon of resurrected humanity entering the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 11:10; 12:22-23; Revelation 21:2-22:5)." Let us note this sign of resurrection of those who had not heard the name of Jesus of Nazareth; in this is "the completeness of salvation" as my study bible phrases it.
So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!" Another note says, "The centurion, a Gentile, realizes Jesus has dominion over nature, and therefore acknowledges Him as the Son of God. Tradition knows this soldier as St. Longinos."
Immediately upon Jesus' death on the Cross, two significant events take place, giving us already the power of the Resurrection and its unlimited capacity: (aside from the tearing of the temple curtain, the darkened sun, the split rocks and earthquakes) we are given the resurrection of the Old Testament saints, and the conversion of the centurion standing guard at the crucifixion itself. He will also come to be known as a saint in the early Church. Neither the earlier faithful of the Jews nor this Gentile (Roman) soldier were beneficiaries of Jesus' direct ministry, but here at this giving up, or "yielding up" of His spirit, immediately the effects of Resurrection begin -- even in those who might have been considered outside of His "followers." Not so, according to God's mystery, God's judgment. And the really "good news" hasn't been given yet to His disciples, who are scattered. That will come soon. After this "darkness at noon" we await the coming of the Light, dawning of the Resurrection. But God's mysteries of resurrection are already at work. Jesus' resurrection isn't just about Jesus, and it's not just about what happened to Him. It's also about where He takes us with Him, what He shares with us, and offers to us all of the time. The Resurrection is unlimited as is God's mercy, something immeasurable by any of our standards, something that remains a mystery we can't predict, we can't call nor judge, and is not ours to decide for. It is ours to accept as a gift, it is ours to pray for, its effects in our lives are those we share with others. It's something we invite others into, and we pray might be shared by everyone. The statement, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6) manifests immediately following Jesus' giving up of His spirit (in Luke Jesus says He "commits His spirit" -- again an active choice). At this moment of what seems to be the greatest limitation possible at the hands of others, let us remember the power of His Resurrection, the true reality behind what we see. It will always defy our expectations.
