Bible Study on Matthew 27, verses 50 to 56, Truly this was the Son of God

 

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. 55  And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: 56  Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.

 

As the body of Jesus died He cries out and then gives up His human spirit, ghost, lowercase g. For ghost and spirit as synonyms see;

 

Luke 4:1  And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

 

Luke 23:46  And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

 

John 1:33  And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

 

John 7:39  (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

 

Acts 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

 

1Corinthians 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

 

It is no wonder both English words are typically translated from the same Greek word, pneuma, from which we get pneumonia.

 

The veil of the temple separating the profane from the holy is then torn from top to bottom indicating a work not of man but of God, from Heaven downward to earth. The significance of this action is referred to by Paul in Ephesians, chapter 2.

 

Ephesians 2:11 ¶  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

 

    14 ¶  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

 

 

An earthquake accompanies His death on the Cross according to Matthew. Then some of God’s anointed ones rise up and are seen in Jerusalem after Christ’s resurrection. Are these Old Testament prophets? Would they be recognized? What if they are followers of Christ who died during His ministry? These are questions we ask ourselves when we read this passage like what happened to these people? Like Lazarus we must assume that they would die again as they would need resurrection bodies to live forever and we would have seen or known of them if they were alive today, movies and fantasy books notwithstanding.

 

The centurion in command of the crucifixion acknowledges that Jesus is God in the flesh, the Son of God, and one would presume that saves him and he will be seen by us in eternity. Women who ministered to Jesus witness this single-most important event after creation itself. There are so many good preaching points in this passage but I’ll leave them for another time and move forward.