At least five supernatural miracles occurred as Jesus died.
• The sky turned black at noon. (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33)
The day Jesus died, at the moment the sun should have been the brightest, a dark gloom filled the sky + fell over the land, lasting for the next three hours.
In the Bible, darkness is often connected to the judgment of God. The darkness that filled the sky the day of Jesus’ crucifixion was an indication that the judgment + wrath of God upon all sin had been poured out upon Jesus. On the cross, Jesus died for our sin + in our place.
• The veil within the Temple was torn. (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45)
At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. —Matthew 27:51 NLT
The veil was a very thick curtain that separated the entrance into the Holy of Holies or Most Holy Place from the Holy Place in the Jerusalem temple. The Holy of Holies was the place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. The Ark was the visible symbol of the invisible presence of God. Only one person, the high priest, could go behind the veil, only once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16), + just long enough to offer the annual sacrifice for the sin of the people. The curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place was 60 feet high + 30 feet wide. We are uncertain as to how thick the veil was.
But the moment Jesus cried out, “It is finished!”, the veil within the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The specific mention that the curtain was torn from top to bottom is an indication that it was God Himself who was removing the barrier that had separated you + me from His presence.
What’s even more amazing is that the veil was torn during the afternoon sacrifice, the very period of time when the priests were on duty in the Holy Place + the temple was packed with worshipers who were there for the killing of their Passover lambs, that last of which would have been slain at 3 p.m.
By God’s design, the very hour that thousands of lambs were being slain, the true Passover Lamb—the Lamb that all the other lambs merely symbolized + pointed to— the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world , had died while hanging on the cross!
When Jesus cried, “It is finished!” + the veil was ripped in two, for the first time ever, priests + people could look from the Holy Place into the Holiest of Holies, the most sacred place in the temple!
What did the priests + people in the temple see when they looked into the Holy of Holies for the first time?
Other than a few pieces of furniture, the answer is nothing. Absolutely nothing! The “lights were out” in the Most Holy Place because the glory of God was no longer housed in that little room!
The glory of God was hanging from a cross on the hill called Calvary.
Through that act God was saying, “My Son has removed the veil. He has torn down the dividing wall that separates you from Me + My glory! He has created a way for you to know Me, love Me, connect with Me + relate to Me. He has made a way for you to be forgiven + free!”
What kind of effect did the tearing of the veil have on some of the priests who may have been on duty that day?
Perhaps this event is one of the reasons Acts 6:7 says that “ . . . even a great number of Jewish priests became believers + were obedient to the faith.”
• A supernatural earthquake. (Matthew 27:51)
Not only was the veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place in the temple torn from top to bottom, but there was also a seismic earthquake, powerful enough to split rocks.
At that moment, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom. There was an earthquake + rocks were split in pieces. —Matthew 27:51 MSG
The earthquake was like a divine punctuation mark!
Maybe it was a reminder of God’s absolute sovereignty. That the religious authorities in Jerusalem, the political power structure in Rome + the forces of hell + darkness hadn’t placed Jesus on the cross, but God’s sovereign will, purpose + plan had put Him there + that God had received His sacrifice.
“By his death, Jesus opened a new + life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.” —Hebrews 10:20 NLT
• Dead people raised + brought back to life. (Matthew 27:52-53)
Matthew 27 also adds another interesting detail. Only Matthew mentions this event, but he writes that at the moment Jesus died, another miracle took place. Several believers who had died + had been in + around Jerusalem, were raised back to life!
. . . tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men + women who had died were raised from the dead. 53They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem + appeared to many people. —Matthew 27:52-53 NLT
This is incredible! The moment Jesus cried, “It is finished!” life started breaking out as a result of His death. Hebrews 2:14 says that “through death He [destroyed] the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.”
The moment Jesus died there was some kind of mass resurrection!
Matthew writes, “The bodies of many godly men + women . . . were raised from the dead.” Matthew is letting us know that Jesus’ death was a death-defeating death. Jesus’ death actually produced life!
After Jesus’ resurrection, all of those who had been raised, walked into Jerusalem + began declaring Jesus’ message of victory + freedom. They were “Plaintiff’s Exhibit #1” that not only had Jesus conquered death for Himself, but He had conquered death for every person on the planet.
• A Roman soldier worships. (Matthew 27:54)
This may have been the greatest miracle of all.
When the centurion + those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake + all that had happened, they were terrified + exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” —Matthew 27:54 NIV
A Roman military officer or centurion was usually the commander of
a one-hundred man division, the basic building block for a Roman legion. This was probably the guy in charge of Jesus’ crucifixion. He was a trained, hardened executioner who was familiar with death.
This officer + his soldiers had taken in all of the events of the last several hours. They even perpetrated some of the brutality. But they also had a ringside seat to Jesus’ beauty, grace + dignity in the face of mockery, humiliation + murder. They were there when the sky turned black. They watched as Jesus prayed for those who were mocking him. They saw Jesus offer grace + forgiveness in the face of jealousy + hatred. They heard Him cry out with a loud voice, “It is finished!” They felt the earthquake!
Something about the way Jesus died, something about all that they had observed, caused this group of trained killers to look at one another + say, “There is no doubt. This man was definitely the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:38-39; Luke 23:47)
Luke goes so far as to say that this Roman officer actually “worshiped” + “glorified God.” In other words, He did what so many have done who have looked at the sacrifice, love, grace + beauty of the cross over the last 2,000 years. He surrendered His life + said, “There is no doubt. Jesus is the Son of God. I’m trusting my life + future to Him.”
God’s love is reckless! His grace is extravagant! Just think of it. Some of the first people to receive the work the cross was designed to accomplish, were the very people who had helped to put Jesus on the cross in the first place.
Today’s Verse: Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” + with those words he breathed his last. 47When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God + said, “Surely this man was innocent.” — Luke 23:46-47 NLT
Today’s Prompt: Can you say that you entrust your life + your spirit to God, your Father?
Today’s Gratitude: I am grateful that God’s love is reckless + His grace is extravagant.
Today’s Prayer: Father, I pray that I always revere, honor + glorify Jesus as Your Son—the One who saved my life because I could never save myself. May I always look to His sacrifice, love, grace + beauty + live a surrendered life to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
