Shake Up

Matthew 27: 50 – 53

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two form the top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

Try to wrap your mind around all of this for a moment. We generally accept that Jesus arose from the grave and appeared, in the flesh, to his disciples. Sometimes I think we don’t make enough out of that truth but at least there is general recognition of it. How about the rest of the manifestations? Don’t they boggle your mind just a little? How is it that when Jesus gave up his spirit, the earth reacted so violently?

I know, the unbelievers will chalk a great deal of this story up to a natural earthquake. I have no doubt the earth quaked. That’s kind of the point. Why, though, did it shudder? The answer, I think, is because the life force which had sustained it ever since it was created was yielded, released. For a brief time, Jesus was not the life (John 14: 6) and the earth trembled in response. The life, for a brief time, went out of it.

What about the veil in the temple? That is such a poignant fact. The veil separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple, and indeed, the rest of the world. Symbolically, this represents the reality that no longer is God hidden behind a veil from the ordinary person. The veil has been pierced, rended and ultimately abolished. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, God is available to every person without the need of an intermediary. Was it coincidental that the veil in the temple was torn in two when Jesus gave up his spirit? I wouldn’t agree that damage of that sort is a likely result of an earthquake.

But lastly, surely no seismologist would argue that bodies coming back to life and arising from their graves is an expected consequence of an earthquake. These people entered the city and appeared to many people. It is surprising to me that we don’t make more of this amazing consequence of the life of Jesus. He is resurrection life and those saints are the proof of it.

The world shook when Jesus gave up his breath. Never before in the history of the earth had there been a moment without “the life.” Jesus’ release of his spirit shook the earth to its foundation, literally to its core. Many who did not previously believe, including the soldiers who participated in the crucifixion, were instantaneously converted. Of course, the news of this Jesus spread throughout Asia. This was a big deal.

I think we forget how big this event was. It is so far away from us in time and experience that we have lost the measure of its importance. Jesus’ death, quite literally, shook the world. But hold on to your hat because he isn’t done. He is coming back and he is going shake up the world again. Many, so called, unbelievers will recognize the truth of his deity and will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.