Matthew 27: 50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
Think about what Jesus did. He lived 33 years, born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, and traveled to cities and towns in Israel. He went back and forth—north and south, east and west. Some towns rejected him and he could do very little for them. Others received him and many were healed and saved. He went outside the borders of Israel to many places helping young and old, Jew and Gentile. While he walked he helped. He took care of the whatever’s of those he encountered.
He suffered six hours on the cross holding on until the price was paid. He cried with a loud voice it is finished and then he died. He yielded up the ghost. He wasn’t murdered. He laid down his life; he gave it. It wasn’t for himself. He hung on until our sins were borne. When it was accomplished, he bowed his head and gave up his life. He was as dead as anyone else who dies. The only difference in the death of Jesus and the death of our loved ones is that they couldn’t respond at all. They had no power to do anything. When Jesus died he did things in his death that he did not do in his life. It sealed the fact that he can be trusted as Savior. You can call on the Lord because he accomplished much while dead.
What did he do? The hour of his death was an hour of accomplishment. We see great miracles. The veil of the temple was fine. It was in its place to separate the holy God from sinful man. Even the High Priest couldn’t go behind the veil but once a year at a special time. If God wasn’t pleased with what the High Priest did he would die. We all sin and fail. The veil of separation was a thick heavy curtain almost like a wall. As soon as Jesus died things happened. The veil was in its place. Darkness had been on the earth for hours while Jesus was on the cross. Nature responded to the death of its Creator. At the power of his death, the earth shook. It toppled people who had railed against Jesus. I don’t care how dug in the devil is in your life, trust Jesus. He can knock the devil off his feet. We don’t need the earth to shake us now. We just need to let his power shake our heart. The power of his death tore the temple veil. The High Priest would have been ready to make the sacrifice, but the veil tore from top to bottom. A curtain of that size and make would have made a loud sound. Jesus had made his way there to give his life as the offering for sin. Regardless of what we’ve done Jesus will save and wash us clean and let us get through to God. The power of his death tore the veil and gave all who believe access to God.
People who had been buried came out. The Mount of Olives is nothing but a graveyard now. Many wanted to be where Jesus would return one day at his second coming. Jesus death was so powerful that the dirt blew through there and many stones rolled away. At his resurrection saints in the graveyard came out and appeared to many. The long-dead, the poor, the unworthy, the sufferers were held in bonds of death and died looking for the Messiah. The power of Jesus’ death opened the graves. Our only hope for life after death is in Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
The power of his death converted the impossible sinner. The centurion was a hard man. He had the power of Rome behind him. He may have nailed the nails to the cross. We all had our hands on the hammer that day. Because of our sins Jesus went to the cross. He’ll fill our lives and convert us. This centurion saw everything that happened. He witnessed the power of his death and said truly this was the Son of God. This is a greater miracle than the earthquake. The veil in the temple was tough but not as tough as our hearts. This man was cruel and merciless, yet it was he who looked up. It was his heart that the dead Savior moved. At risk of his job he made the statement about Jesus being the Son of God. In the book of Acts we read about centurions following the Lord. No doubt this man was one of them.
This power is real now. He first died for you. The power of his death and his resurrection has been made available to everyone. What will you do? The earth shook. The veil tore. What about you? Let’s do what the Lord wants.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 