THE DEATH OF THE SON OF GOD

Matthew 27:45-66 / Keywords 27:54

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!"

27:45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,[c] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[d]

47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

54 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!”

55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph,[f] and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

The Burial of Jesus

57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

Footnotes

c. Matthew 27:46 Some manuscripts Eloi, Eloi

d. Matthew 27:46 Psalm 22:1

e. Matthew 27:53 Or tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they

f. Matthew 27:56 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph

 

1. Surely he was the Son of God! (45-56)

As Jesus hung on the cross, darkness covered the land from noon until 3 pm. Jesus suffered most from carrying our sins in his body. He cried out, “My God, my God, why have your forsaken me?” (46). He felt deep separation from his Father as he bore our sins. With a shout, Jesus gave up his spirit and died. An earthquake followed and the bodies of holy people were raised to life. When those guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that happened, they exclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus, the Son of God, bore all of our sins in his body and died on a cross.

 

2. Jesus’ burial (57-66)

Joseph was no longer afraid to identify himself as a disciple of Jesus. He asked for Jesus’ body, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and buried it in a new tomb. The religious officials remembered Jesus’ words about his resurrection and asked for the tomb to be secured. They tried to stop the resurrection, but would only help to prove it.

 

Prayer Lord, thank you for suffering on the cross and dying for me.

One Word Jesus died for us