#1326 Matthew 27 Part 4 Darkened

 

45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 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?”

47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 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.

49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

54 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!”

55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons. Matthew 27: 45-56 ESV

Matthew 27: 45-56

Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land - In Roman time this would be from noon till about 3 in the afternoon. Darkness is associated with God's judgment. He is giving a physical, historical sign here of the time at which His wrath is being poured out on His Son. Jesus is the altar upon which the sin offering rests, and this is every sin from the fall till the end of time. This is the darkness that awaits the unrepentant, those that hold onto their sin, demand that God bow to them, live unto themselves and forever reject God's only way, Jesus. He was hung up there in the light, had been a spectacle during the day, had been mocked, and recognized beyond the shadow of a doubt. Africanus, the historian, makes remarkable comments below, not arguing about whether this happened, but arguing against the naturalist's desire to put it off, dismiss what happened with an unsuitable natural explanation. 

There was contemporary evidence for this unusual darkness. “Origen (Contra Celsus, ii,33) and Eusebius (Chron.) quoted words from Phlegon (a Roman historian) in which he made mention of an extraordinary solar eclipse as well as of an earthquake about the time of the crucifixion.” (Geldenhuys in his commentary on Luke)

iii. Phlegon, Roman historian wrote: “In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was an extraordinary eclipse of the sun: at the sixth hour, the day turned into dark night, so that the stars in heaven were seen; and there was an earthquake.” (Cited in Clarke)

On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun. For the Hebrews celebrate the passover on the 14th day according to the moon, and the passion of our Savior falls on the day before the passover; but an eclipse of the sun takes place only when the moon comes under the sun. And it cannot happen at any other time but in the interval between the first day of the new moon and the last of the old, that is, at their junction: how then should an eclipse be supposed to happen when the moon is almost diametrically opposite the sun? Let opinion pass however; let it carry the majority with it; and let this portent of the world be deemed an eclipse of the sun, like others a portent only to the eye. Phlegon records that, in the time of Tiberius Caesar, at full moon, there was a full eclipse of the sun from the sixth hour to the ninth—manifestly that one of which we speak. But what has an eclipse in common with an earthquake, the rending rocks, and the resurrection of the dead, and so great a perturbation throughout the universe? Surely no such event as this is recorded for a long period.8

Africanus rightly argues that a solar eclipse could not have occurred during the lunar cycle of the Passover, as this diagram shows. He also questions the link between an eclipse, an earthquake, and the miraculous events recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. Eclipses do not set off earthquakes and bodily resurrections. We also know that eclipses only last for several minutes, not three hours. For Africanus, naturalistic explanations for the darkness at the crucifixion were grossly insufficient, as he showed by applying real science. Creation.com - Africanus

…13He catches the wise in their craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning. 14They encounter darkness by day and grope at noon as in the night. Job 5: 13-14

…30I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD. 32And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has promised, among the remnant called by the LORD.… Joel 2: 30-32

…10And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness, and men began to gnaw their tongues in anguish 11and curse the God of heaven for their pains and sores; yet they did not repent of their deeds. 12And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East.… Revelation 16: 10-12

…29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 30And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 31When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne.… Matthew 25: 29-31

Eli Eli lama sabachthani - My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me - This is from Psalm 22, a Psalm that describes the crucifixion in vivid detail 1,000 years before it happens. This is the Son of God, a member of the Trinity, God the Son being forsaken by God the Father and Spirit. It is honestly beyond my comprehension, but so complete was His obedience, so complete was my salvation, that Christ stoops this low, to be forsaken of His own Father until Holiness is satisfied. People ask, "how can God forsake God?", but Scripture is clear that there are three persons. I ask them, "how could anyone but God appease the infinite nature? How could anyone but the eternally begotten Son satisfy the infinitely holy and just God, and take the cup of His wrath towards all those who are being saved from all of time, in 3 hours?" 

1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning? 2I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest. 3Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.… Psalm 22: 1-3

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit - In John's gospel we find what Jesus said, "It is finished", the debt is paid, My sheep are bought back, the slaves are set free. The requirements of justice have been met, and God's holiness remains intact even in His mercy. 

…29A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit. 31It was the day of Preparation, and the next day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed.… John 19: 29-31

The veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom - This is the veil that separated the Holy place from the Most Holy place in the temple. As many have mentioned, it was notably torn from top to bottom because God did the tearing. God and man have long been separated because of sin, but Christ made atonement for this. In the Holy of Holies is the Ark of the Covenant, and inside the Ark is the scrolls, the ten commandments, the law which was broken. Above them, the lid, that is the mercy seat, the foot stool of God, where the cherubim face His presence. On this thin layer, the mercy seat, which separates God from the broken law beneath, the priest sprinkles the blood of the atonement. Imagine being the priest who walked in to this scene.

Acts 6:7 says that in the days of the early church, a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. Perhaps this torn veil demonstrated to them the greatness of the work of Jesus. It is also probably how the torn veil became common knowledge.

iii. “It is not a slight rent through which we may see a little; but it is rent from the top to the bottom. There is an entrance made for the greatest sinners. If there had only been a small hole cut through it, the lesser offenders might have crept through; but what an act of abounding mercy is this, that the veil is rent in the midst, and rent from top to bottom, so that the chief of sinners may find ample passage!” (Spurgeon)

…24and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand. 26He did this to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and to justify the one who has faith in Jesus.… Romans 3: 24-26

Earth quaked and rocks were split - Interestingly this will happen again at His second coming.

…3Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. 4On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half the mountain moving to the north and half to the south. 5You will flee by My mountain valley, for it will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him.… Zechariah 14: 3-5

Saints who had fallen asleep were raised - This is an interesting testament and encouragement to those who are waiting even now. It should also help with understanding the picture of  rapture in 1 Thessalonians.

They were raised, “Not to converse again, as heretofore, with men, but to accompany Christ, that raised them, into heaven; and to be as so many ocular demonstrations of Christ’s quickening power.” (Trapp)

…16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. 17After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.… 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18

Truly this was the Son of God - The centurions offer up the fear of God which is the beginning of knowledge, and even in their uninitiated state, not understanding before Who this was or why these Jews were so angry, they make a confession that bears the earmarks of those who truly believe. They have witnessed and participated in His abuse, have seen the sky blackened, the earth quake, all on the day when a man who has a placard above His head that reads, "King of the Jews", a man Who claimed to be the Son of God, was accused of blasphemy for such, and crucified. What a coincidence that it would all happen on this day. How wide their eyes must have opened when they looked further into the festival, the meaning of the Passover, and wider still when they find that all these things were spoken of by the prophets. Some heathens see what the religious elite refuse to accept even with more evidence than these soldiers had available to them.