Truly this was the Son of God!

 

 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, following His trial before Pilate and assignment to be crucified, as Jesus and the soldiers came out from the Praetorium, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name.  Him they compelled to bear His cross.  And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him 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 of 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 built 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.   The sixth hour is noon; the ninth hour is 3:00 in the afternoon.  Regarding this darkness at noon, see Zechariah 14:6-7; Amos 8:9.

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?"  Jesus is praying Psalm 22, a psalm which foretold the details of the Crucifixion.  My study Bible says that if this is taken from the rest of the psalm, Jesus' cry of "Why have you forsaken Me?" can be misinterpreted as a cry of despair.  We should understand that since He took on our human nature, Jesus also experiences our alienation from God in His humanity, knowing our suffering and distress; but He does not despair.  He speaks these words in the name of humanity, my study Bible notes, completely identifying with us in our condition, as 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.  The text tells us that Christ yielded up His spirit.  My study Bible comments that Christ's death is voluntary to the very end.  Even on the Cross, it says, Christ's life could not be taken from Him against His will.  He 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 by entering death as the divine Son of God, He can destroy the last enemy -- which is death itself (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).  In allying Himself completely to our nature, He transforms human nature for all of us.

 

Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, . . .  The veil of the temple separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple.  My study Bible calls it a symbol of the separation between God and humanity.  Christ's death now opens the way into the presence of God for all people, giving human beings access to that which is the most holy of all:  God.  Additionally my study Bible notes that in many Orthodox churches, there is a curtain between the altar and the nave; it's drawn open during liturgical services in order emphasize that communion with God, which was at one time sealed off from humanity, now available to all who approach in faith.  

 

 . . . 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.  My study Bible says that the completeness of the salvation won by Christ is signified in this resurrection of the saints from the Old Testament.  It says that this is a guarantee of the promise given to Ezekiel that God can and will one day open the graves of all humankind (Ezekiel 37:1-14).   The saints entering the holy city, it notes, is an icon of resurrected humanity entering the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 11:10; 12:22-23; Revelation 21:2-22:5).

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!"   According to my study Bible, this centurion is a Gentile who realizes that Jesus has dominion over nature, and therefore acknowledges Him as the Son of God.  In tradition he is known as St. Longinos.

The text tells us that, immediately after Jesus 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.  These images sear the mind as those of things popping open, almost like spring -- the tearing of the veil of the temple in two from top to bottom, the earth quaking, the rocks splitting, graves opened and the bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep raised and coming out of the graves, even appearing to many.  Everything splits open to reveal extraordinary things setting forth, pouring out, appearing before people, as if the whole world has suddenly broken open with these extraordinary things exploding out like chicks breaking out of an eggshell they've broken open from within.  Christ's voluntary death lets forth an unprecedented outpouring from the world, splitting the veil in the temple and the rocks, opening the graves, and saints appearing to the people.  It's like an eruption of life that was just waiting to be revealed, which nobody knew was there.  But poetically, perhaps ironically, it is Christ's death which explodes this vivid outpouring of life.  It's as if there were all these things hidden, and all it took was this one event to unleash them for all to see.  This is a strange parallel with the understanding of the season of spring, its name in many languages indicating the "springing forth" of flowers from the ground.  But Christ's death springs forth everything, not just flowers.  It's an indication of things to come, the kinds of truths and meanings that will flow from this event and through the Church, bringing countless things to light and into history in ways that inform every facet of our lives --  most of which is now so woven into our culture we are likely no longer entirely aware and might struggle to name.  This outpouring has to be understood as the effect of the Sower, who will now be "sown" in the ground Himself, and whose Resurrection it all portends.  Jesus has said to Himself, in John's Gospel:  "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain" (John 12:23-24).  Even more powerfully, He asks us to follow Him, for participating in His life, death, and Resurrection, we may also do the same:  "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor" (John 12:25-26).  He sows His life and expands new life for us all.  Whatever we "lose" in following Him, is raised up with many, for the Father will honor such endeavor, and all of the life exploding out in Jerusalem at Christ's death affirms this unmistakable power.  Let us consider what His death and sacrifice give to us; let us live His life He gives us in His Resurrection, and share in what we reap.  For even as the centurion can see, "Truly this was the Son of God!"