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!"

Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtani?

 Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?"  Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, "Look, He is calling for Elijah!"  Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down."  And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.  Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!"

- Mark 15:33-39

 Yesterday we read that the soldiers brought Jesus to Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.  Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.  And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.  Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.  And the inscription of His accusation was written above:  THE KING OF THE JEWS.  With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left.  So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with the transgressors."  And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha!  You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, come down from the cross!"  Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.  Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe."  Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

  Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.   The sixth hour is noon; the ninth hour is three o'clock in the afternoon.  My study bible refers us to Zechariah 14:6-7 and Amos 8:9, which are fulfilled in the darkness at noon.

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?"   Jesus prays Psalm 22.  This psalm foretells the details of the Crucifixion, another fulfillment of prophecy.  If this cry is taken without the rest of the psalm, my study bible points out, "Why have you forsaken me?" could be misinterpreted as a cry of despair.  Christ took on our nature, and Jesus experiences our own alienation from God in His humanity.  He knows completely our suffering and distress, but He does not despair.  According to my study bible, He speaks these words in the name of humanity, a complete identification with us in our condition.  But in His divinity, He is never forsaken by the Father. 

Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, "Look, He is calling for Elijah!"  Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down."  And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.   In Matthew's Gospel, we're told that Jesus "yielded up His spirit."  My study bible says that His death was voluntary to the very end, because even on the Cross, His life could not be taken from Him against His will.  He accepted His death neither to receive the Father's punishment on our behalf, nor to satisfy the Father's need for blood-justice (which really makes no sense as a demand from God), but rather by entering death as the divine Son of God, He can destroy the final enemy -- death itself (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).  We should understand this event as transfiguring everything we experience, a profound redemption.  As my study bible puts it, whatever divinity touches is healed.  He accepts our nature in order to sanctify it, our weakness in order to strengthen us, our sin to free us from sin, our suffering in order to transfigure suffering -- and our death in order to destroy death.

Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.   My study bible tells us 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.  The death of Christ opens up the way into the presence of God for all, giving human beings access to what is in fact the most holy of all, which is God.  In many Orthodox churches, one sees a curtain between the altar and nave which is opened during services to emphasize the communion with God, which at one time was sealed off from human beings, and is now available to all who approach in faith.

So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!"   Although the centurion is a Gentile, according to my study bible he realizes that Christ has dominion over nature.   Therefore he acknowledges Him as the Son of God.  Tradition knows this particular soldier as St. Longinos.


 Jesus dies on the Cross.   It is a voluntary death.  He has experienced all the suffering of human beings, all of the life that we live, and including our death -- even the most ignominious of deaths as He is executed in a manner fit for the worst of criminals.  From the earliest centuries of Christianity, the Church has understood that in uniting His divinity to our humanity, Christ is the very instrument of salvation.  St. Gregory of Nazianzus wrote in the 4th century:  "For that which He has not assumed He has not healed; but that which is united to His Godhead is also saved" (Critique of Apollinarius and Apollinarianism, Epistle 101).    From the beginnings of the establishment of the Church, and through all its subsequent foundational Councils, the fundamental viewpoint on the unity, in Christ, of humanity and God is the stone on which the Church was built and refined.  That is, each new controversy in some way touched upon this issue, and has been resolved with a return to its basic truth:  that God's divinity, touching and assuming our humanity, is the very action of redemption, of salvation.  As St. Gregory says, whatever is not assumed by Christ can't be healed; what He has assumed is saved.  In the story of the Cross, humanity's suffering, pain, death, isolation, injustice, and all the rest of the things that we can read into the experience of Jesus is transfigured.  It is the way to defeat evil at its root.  Salvation does not come from manipulation, it doesn't come from "blood justice," and it doesn't come from human or worldly force.  It comes through this unification of God and humanity.  Christ, through all things, has given over His human will to the Father's will, and the result is this death on the Cross, at which even the centurion -- no doubt one who has witnessed many crucifixions -- comes to faith.  In the story of our faith, it really isn't what we do and what our lives look like from the outside that makes all the difference.  It is how we live them, how we come through whatever it is we experience or are given, and how we come to those decisions about what we will do in life.  Like Christ, we must find the key to redemption and salvation through this union of energies of God and our humanity, and through faith.  Whatever we see in this scene is redeemed through the voluntary act of Christ.  When He is raised, so will be all the things He has experienced, God touching the worst and the ugliest of evils in the world.  In the Orthodox hymn of Easter, it is sung repeatedly that Christ trampled down death by death.  When we go through suffering of any kind in our own lives, let us follow where He leads.  The very cross, instrument of death, is transformed into an instrument of the deepest strength and power to save and to redeem.  Whatever it is, let us turn it over to Him and find our own way to that salvation; let Him take on the suffering He has voluntarily endured for us, and give it back to us in His own way for our healing.

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, thy feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

- Matthew 27:45-54

 In our current readings, it is Holy Week, and Jesus has been convicted of blasphemy by the Council.  He has been denied three times by Peter, and Judas has committed suicide.  He has appeared before Pilate, and been rejected by the crowds.  He's been scourged, mocked and spat on by the Roman soldiers, and taken for crucifixion.  Now as they came out, 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 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.'"

 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.    From the sixth hour until the ninth hour is approximately from noon to three o'clock in the afternoon.  This darkness in the brightest times of the day reflects prophecies found in Jeremiah and Amos.   When Jesus asks, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" He is beginning to pray Psalm 22, which prophesied even details of the Crucifixion.  Without knowledge of the psalm, this could be taken for a cry of despair.  He took on our nature, explains my study bible, and so experiences in His humanity our alienation from God -- He fully knows our suffering and distress.  But there is not despair here.  These words can be spoken in the name of humanity, completely identifying with us in our condition.  But in His divinity, He's never forsaken by the Father.  In fact, the words seem to be a signal that He knows the time to go to the Father has arrived.    The text tells us He's yielded up His spirit.  This is a voluntary death.  My study bible says that even on the Cross, His life could not be taken from Him against His will.  He accepts death on the Cross not to receive punishment instead of us, nor to satisfy a need for blood-justice (God does not need nor demand such).  Rather, by entering human death as divine Son of God, He destroys the 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, 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, thy feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"   The veil of the temple separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple.  It was a symbol of the separation between God and man.  Christ's death opens the way into the presence of God for all.  Through Him, we have access to the most holy of all: God Himself.  In many Orthodox churches, there is a curtain between the altar and the nave which is drawn open during the liturgical services;  this emphasizes that communion with God, at one time sealed off from humanity, is now available to all who approach in faith.  My study bible says that the completeness of the salvation won by Christ is seen in the resurrection of the saints from the Old Testament.  It is a guarantee of the promise given to Ezekiel that God can and will open the graves of all mankind (Ezekiel 37:1-14).  This image in Jerusalem is an icon of the resurrection of all humanity entering the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 11:10, 12:22-23; Revelation 21:2-22:5).   The centurion is a Gentile who recognizes that Jesus has dominion over nature through witnessing these events, calling Him the Son of God.  By tradition, the Church knows him as St. Longinos. 

It's, to say the least, a strange time described here.  Christ is killed on a cross, mocked  and ridiculed and reviled by everyone, even the robbers crucified with Him.  It is an absolute bottoming out of all one could wish for in life, not just 'the end of the road,' so to speak, but one of complete humiliation.  This is a total self-emptying.  But here, at the time of His death, with His remarkable prayer of prophesy in Psalm 22, we have an image of heaven and earth turned upside down:  there is first darkness from noon to three, and after He gives up His spirit, the saints walk as if alive again on earth and we have an icon - like a superlain image - of the heavenly Jerusalem in the time of eternity.  Here at the Crucifixion, the human Jesus' entire community joins in His humiliation.  But it is first a Gentile soldier who recognizes His divinity.  Just after His death, the crisis is past and a sudden clarity is here.  The events of resurrection are stirred, and His death happens voluntarily, even as He prays the Psalm that prophesies what is happening and ends with praise and confidence in God and God's kingdom for all posterity.  It seems to me that we would do well to remember that these events may go unnoticed by the world at the time they occur.  Crucifixions were not one-time events at this time in Jerusalem.  Surely many knew of Jesus, but the violence and upheavals of this time period characterize its history.  Those who mocked Jesus or sought to have Him put to death do not immediately understand the effects of what they do.  And that is somehow what life is like:  the holy isn't something that screams out at everyone.  It doesn't "prove" itself with effects that are available or understood by all.  Those whose hearts and minds are not open to it will rarely perceive or receive it.  And even that perception is a great mystery; the depths of the heart work in strange ways that are not really known to us or up to us.  All of this is to say that tremendous and world-shattering realities may be hidden and contained in the most mundane of times and circumstances, and their effects and truths realized only much, much later and perhaps by those who can understand them.  In our lives, the one way to take this lesson to heart is to know His words to the disciples before being betrayed and taken away, and that is to "watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation."   These words have the effect of telling us, perhaps warning us, that it's always going to be our job to be aware and alert (the word for "watch" in Greek is also about wakefulness, being roused from sleep).   Coupled with prayer, it's an admonition that we're always to know what we're about, where we are spiritually, where we stand with God.  Events we're going to encounter or be surrounded by in life may ask us for all kinds of things -- and if we're not aware of where we are and who we are, we may be blind to what we enter into and blind to their temptations for us.  As such, Jesus calls us always to a consciousness of the spiritual realities of our lives, not to be asleep, not to be just drifting along with 'the world,' but to make the effort to know what we're about, and to serve in our ways as disciples.  These events may go unnoticed by all kinds of people and unknown by humanity everywhere.   But to watch and pray is to be reminded that we're here for a purpose, that our lives are not meaningless, that this great drama of Passion, Crucifixion and death is one played out for us -- and that His very life is something in which we, too, participate via our own existence as His followers and disciples.  That participation is what we do when we watch and pray, when we follow His commands (such as participation in the Eucharist, for example).  We commune in His life; we live our lives with Him.   Let us be aware that we need His life, and live as if every single moment were important.