Ehud M. Garcia, Ph.D.
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:45-54, ESV)
The year was 1980. I received some literature in Spanish from a Christian group from Los Angeles, among them a study on the Miracles of the Cross. I devoured all the literature they sent me on a regular basis but this particular one became a part of a personal decision that I made at the time: From now on, I will teach on the miracles of the cross every Good Friday, when I am given the chance. So I have been doing that since, with a few exceptions. This study is based on the original one that I received in 1980; unfortunately I do not recall the name of the Christian group but I give them full credit. Of course, with the passing of the years, I have added new insights whose sources are shown in the bibliographical data at the end.
The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ are the center of his ministry. It was there that our human history had its most crucial turning point; it will have its final turn when he comes back in all his glory to establish the Kingdom of God in its fullness. Nothing in human history is more important than this event that started with the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth and had its culmination three days later when the Son of Man was raised from the dead.
I take the day of the crucifixion in this reflection in a particular way, dealing with the “surroundings” of the moment. For that, a question is here raised: Why did those miracles take place?” Of course, when we read all the gospel narratives of the crucifixion, we will certainly find numerous side events taking place. But the miracles play key confirmations and affirmations of God’s working in the sacrifice of his Son Jesus Christ.
The text in which those miracles appear shows that there were six miracles that took place between the sixth and the ninth hours (noon – 3:00 PM), the time of Jesus’ ultimate suffering for the punishment of sin, not his own—he never committed any sin—but for the sins of actual sinners, from a depraved and condemned human race. This are the miracles that took place during that historical and cosmological moment.
The Darkness in the Middle of the Day
“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” The context of the miracle had tremendous implication for that moment as we can see in the physical description of the miracle.
It lasted three hours, between 12:00 noon and 3:00 PM. There are other events in the biblical narrative that elicit the power of God in dealing with nature in a supernatural way. One that comes to mind is the three days of darkness in Egypt (cf. Exodus 10:21-29). It was the ninth plague that God sent over the land; however, God did not allow darkness on the land of the Israelites, as we can read, “but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.” But the three hour darkness surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion is a new work of God, not found before and not repeated after.
It was not an eclipse. Eclipses last all but just a few minutes. The crucifixion took place during the Passover and it was during the full moon; it is physically impossible to have an eclipse in that part of the world during this time of the year. It was more than just a twilight: It was darkness, a “frightful darkness” that lasted three hours.
There was a somber silence during those three hours. There is a blank in the Evangelist’s narrative. Tertullian said that, “At the moment of Christ’s death, the light departed from the sun, and the land was darkened at noonday, which wonder is related in our own annals and is preserved in your archives to this day.”
What is the meaning of this miracle? There is a number of considerations behind this question. One of them is the answer to the question that had been present throughout the earthly ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, when the Jews kept asking him for a sign. In that case, the darkness served as a sign from heaven. The non-believers had asked him for a sign that would affirm that he was indeed the Son of God. Someone has suggested that it was the “magnifying” of the death of the Messiah. This shows how important that death was in a cosmological level. The death of Jesus Christ affected even the outer limits of our planet. It affected the entire universe.
A passage from Isaiah that points to the suffering of the Messiah speaks of the Servant of Yahweh as “Smitten of God” (Isa. 53:4). This miracle also shows the suffering of the Messiah in its totality. Here Jesus was receiving the “punishment that brought us peace” (Isa. 53:5) and he suffered all in the complete process of darkness.
Differently from the Garden of Gethsemane, where Peter, James and John were present in the suffering expectation of Jesus; here, Jesus was alone, completely alone, to the point of crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This terrible time was probably felt as a portion of eternity for the Son of Man; a time of total abandonment, a time of complete silence from God to his Son.
It foreshadowed the doom of those who were crucifying Jesus as well. It is the description, the image of the Great Day of Judgment, as prophesied by Amos, “‘In that day,’ declares the Sovereign LORD, ‘I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight’” (Amos 8:9, NIV).
The Tearing of the Temple’s Curtain
“And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” The symbolism behind this miracle is of great import for all of us, Jews and Gentiles. It brings to us the assurance that through the death of Jesus all the barriers, all the walls have been torn down to make way to eternal life.
The physical description of this miracle is significant. The Temple in Jerusalem had two veils that separated the outer court from the Holy Place or Sanctuary, and the Sanctuary from the Most Holy Place or Holy of Holies. It was the second veil[1] that was rent in two pieces at the middle from top to bottom. This miracle preceded the earthquake; therefore, the veil wasn’t torn apart because of the tremor. In fact, if that was the case, the Temple’s supports for the veils (both of them) would have been broken, which is not the case. It so happened after Jesus Christ cried for the second time. These are the two cries of Jesus: First, close to the end of the darkness; the second, when he gave up his spirit: “It is finished!” Again, the earthquake happened after the veil was torn in two.
What is the meaning of this miracle? The meaning of the curtains (or veils) was the imperfection of our worship to God. By tearing off the veil, God was “sending a message” to his people and to us today that that “wall of separation” has been torn down. This leads us to a very important passage in the New Testament: Hebrews 10:19-22, which reads, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (NIV). The tearing of the Temple’s second veil meant the restoration of our worship to God through the perfect act of worship in his Son Jesus Christ.
The Earthquake and the Split Stones
“And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.” These two miracles happened after the veil was rent into two parts. They can very well be considered one miracle in themselves.[2] However, they are also related to the second cry of the Messiah. In fact, the Centurion and those with him were terrified after they saw the earthquake; but Mark says that the Centurion pronounced his words about Jesus[3] after he heard the loud cry of the Messiah.
The physical description of these miracles brings a profound sense of God’s presence and judgment over the earth and all of its people. But it is also an understanding that God was showing that nothing could change his plan of salvation. Both miracles—the veil’s tearing and the earthquake—are results of the loud cry of Jesus Christ on the Cross. It was the Incarnate Word crying loudly to surrender his spirit to the Father, consummating thus his mission as our Redeemer.
There are several reports of earthquakes in the Bible. Among them, these prove to be key for our realization of God’s power over nature. During the revolt of Korah, Dathan and Abiram (Num. 16:32), when Elijah flew to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:11), during King Uzziah’s reign (Amos 1:1, perhaps the worse earthquake mentioned in the Bible), the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (Matt. 27:51), the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:2), in Philippi, when Paul and Silas were in jail (Acts 16:26), the prophecy about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Rev. 16:18-19; cf. Zech. 14:4-5).
Usually earthquakes in the Bible are accompanied by other phenomena such is volcanic eruptions, convulsions and receding of the sea, opening of the earth, overturning of mountains, and rending of rocks.
What is the meaning of this miracle or these miracles? Since they can be considered one miracle, I will deal with them as a singular miracle, earthquakes. Earthquakes in the Bible demonstrate God’s power, presence and anger. They illustrate two important aspects of God’s work, his Judgment and the overthrow of kingdoms. Matthew Poole comments on this passage as follows, “Earthquakes were sometimes no more than indications of God’s power and majesty, Psal. lxviii. 8; Joel ii. 10; and some think by this earthquake Christ declared his Divine power. It is certain that the centurion concluded from it, this was the Son of God, ver. 54. But earthquakes were sometimes not only the indications of the Divine majesty power, but also of his wrath, Psal. xviii. 7,8; Joel iii. 16; Nah. i.6. And such doubtless was this; to show that the earth abhorred what these men had done.”
It is important to note that although the earth trembled and the rocks split, the Cross did not shake, meaning that the Gospel cannot be shaken at any cost or circumstance. It also means that the Redemptive work of Jesus extends to all creation. Along with Paul, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:19-23, NIV).
The Open Tombs and Holy People Back to Life
“The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” Here we have two miracles that go together; the tombs were broken open and some holy people came back to life. Leon Morris joins other commentators who see the possibility that the open tombs are result of the earthquake and that the resurrection of the saints is a “new” miracle on the series of miracles reported by Matthew. This is possible and if this is the case, the open tombs is to be considered a consequential miracle in my estimation.
The physical description of these miracles. There are several interpretations around these two miracles. Some suggest that the bodies received the same resurrection as did Lazarus and that they stayed in their tombs until after the resurrection of Jesus. Others don’t have any problem in interpreting this text as it shows: that the tombs were broken open and that the resurrected bodies raised from them. They appeared to others after Jesus resurrection, but this doesn’t mean that they were still “locked down” into their places of rest.
Matthew Poole interprets these miracles in this way, “… probably it was not till Christ’s resurrection; only Matthew puts it in here, reckoning up together all the prodigious things that happened, for Matthew himself saith, ver. 53, they came out of the graves after his resurrection, and it is not likely that the graves opened any considerable time before they came out of the graves.”
William Hendriksen suggests that they received their glorified bodies and are now in the presence of God. That they could not have received a temporary resurrection (as Lazarus had) but that they are alive today. This kind of resurrection is the affirmation of the power of Jesus own resurrection as well.
Apparently, what may have happened is that the tombs were broken open and when Jesus rose from the dead, the bodies of the saints rose from death. The difficulty here is that this narrative describes what took place during, not after the death of Jesus Christ.[4] It seems to me that Matthew put these two miracles in a “literary” sequence; as consequential miracles. That means, in the process of death, burial, and then resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is biblical evidence of this kind of rhetoric; for example, Peter’s quote of Joel 2 in his first sermon in the Pentecost (Acts 2:17-21; cf. Joel 2:28-32). There are several prophetic utterances there that will happen in the last days, but that have not happened yet. The same may be said about Jesus eschatological/ apocalyptic preaching in Matthew 24-25 and Mark 13. In this case, I side with Calvin in his interpretation.
What is the meaning of these miracles? The open graves mean that when Jesus died he opened the gates of Hades to give proof of a new life; eternal life. The new resurrected bodies followed the promise of God immediately after Jesus Christ’s resurrection that he was the first-fruit, but right there, some of his elect were raised as proof of the power of resurrection. No matter what position one person takes in this passage, the truth is that these two miracles are prove that there is resurrection for Jesus Christ and also for his followers.
Conclusion
“When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’” This passage is most important for our understanding of the power of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. These miracles fulfilled God’s purpose in showing that the death of his Son was not an accident or a mistake, it was the most important tribunal and punishment in the Universe; it was the punishment for our sins, according to the Scriptures.
This was the exact moment when Jesus exposed the Devil and overcame him, according to Paul’s letter to the Colossians: “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Col. 2:15, NIV).
To Him, even to the Resurrected Jesus Christ, King of kings, and Lord of lords, be all the glory forever and ever.
Bibliographical Data
Calvin, John. Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Third Volume. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 324, rep. 2003.
Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus The Messiah. New Updated Edition. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1993.
Hendriksen, William. New Testament Commentary: Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1973.
Jeremias, Joachim. Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1969.
Nicholson, William R. The Six Miracles of Calvary. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1928 (reprint: 1988).
Poole, Matthew. A Commentary on the Holy Bible — Volume III — Matthew-Revelation. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Reprint, 1985.
[1] “On the basis of Heb. 6:19; 9:3; and 10:20 it is natural to think of this curtain as the inner one, ‘the second veil,’ the one that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of holies. This inner curtain is the one described in Exod. 26:31-33; 36:35; II Chron. 3:14” (Hendriksen, Matthew, p. 974).
[2] It is good to note that sometimes God performs these kinds of “dual” miracles: for example, the speaking and hearing of tongues in the Pentecost; Acts 2. The same for the next two miracles: the open tombs and the saints that came back to life, vv. 52-53.
[3] “And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’” (Mk. 15:39, NIV).
[4] “Yet it is doubtful if this opening of the graves took place before his resurrection; for, in my opinion, the resurrection of the saints, which is mentioned immediately afterwards, was subsequent to the resurrection of Christ. There is no probability in the conjecture of some commentators that, after having received life and breath, they remained three days concealed in their graves. I think it more probable that, when Christ died, the graves were immediately opened, and that, when he rose, some of the godly, having received life, went out of their graves, and were seen in the city. For Christ is called the first-born from the dead (Col. i. 18,) and the first-fruits of those who rise, (1 Cor. xv.20,) because by his death he commenced, and by his resurrection he completed, a new life; not that, when he died, the dead were immediately raised, but because his death was the source and commencement of life. This reason, therefore, is fully applicable, since the opening of the graves was the presage of a new life, that the fruit or result appeared there days afterwards, because Christ, in rising from the dead, brought others along with him out of their graves as his companions. Now by this sign it was made evident, that he neither died nor rose again in a private capacity, but in order to shed the odour of life on all believers” (Calvin 3:324).