“The Miracles of Lent: Earthquake”
Matthew 27:51-53

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Lent Service VI—March 21, 2018

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

In the first message for this year’s Lenten sermon series, “The Miracles of Lent,” we looked at the miraculous darkness that enshrouded the earth for three hours as Christ hung upon the cross.  I mentioned that miracle is also recorded in ancient sources outside the Bible.  For instance, the classical Greek author Phlegon wrote a book about unexplained natural phenomena, titled “Questions of Nature.”  He reports: “In the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad there was a great eclipse of the sun, greater than had ever been known before.  For at the sixth hour the day was changed into night, and the stars were seen in the heavens.” The 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad is equal to the year 33 A.D.!

Phlegon also records the miracle we are considering this evening, the great earthquake that took place the moment of Christ’s death.  Matthew reports: “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.”

Phlegon confirms this miracle also when he says that along with the mysterious darkness, at the same time: “An earthquake occurred in Bithynia and overthrew a great part of the city of Nicea,” which would be only about 700 miles from Jerusalem.

Similarly, the Roman historian Thallus connects the darkness and the earthquake that followed.  Thallus wrote a history of the Mediterranean world, including the Holy Land, and he recorded: “Over the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were split by an earthquake, and many cities in Judea and other areas were destroyed.”

Jesus once said that “the stones will cry out” in testimony to him, and as would be expected the earthquake which occurred at the moment of his death also left indisputable geological evidence, in very land of the Holy Land.  Earthquakes leave a particular kind of sediment layer, and such a layer is found in the Holy Land, also dating to 33 A.D., indicating an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5.

The powerful enemies of Jesus dismissed the miracles, the healings, all the wondrous works he had done, as “fake news.”  They dismissed Jesus himself as an illegitimate, phony messiah, and scorned the Good News he preached as “fake news.” 

So, that’s why God sent the miraculous earthquake, and other miracles, at the moment of Christ’s death.  God the Father was dramatically using every means possible to get our attention, to impress upon us the truth about Jesus of Nazareth.

It was those conspiring against Jesus who were the ones really spreading

“fake news,” about him, in an attempt to discredit him.  They said that he was in league with the devil: “He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”  They claimed that he was crazy: “He is . . . out of his mind. Why listen to him?”  Before Pontius Pilate they falsely accused him of leading a rebellion against Caesar and paying taxes to the Romans: “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar.” But, all these accusations against Jesus were nothing more than “fake news.”

Jesus’ enemies thought that the ultimate discredit against him was the manner of his death, for crucifixion was considered the most shameful and humiliating way to die.  “Those who passed by hurled insults at him . . . Save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!’  In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he cannot save himself! He’s the King of Israel? Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.’”

It was because of all the “fake news” about Jesus, and especially the lie that since he had been crucified he could not possibly be the Son of God, that at the moment of his death God the Father used every means possible to get people’s attention, to impress upon them the true message about his Son.  “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.”

Matthew goes on to record yet another mysterious miracle that took place the moment of Christ’s death: “The tombs broke open and the bodies of many saints who had died were raised to life.  They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.” 

This mysterious incident is often misunderstood as some sort of “zombie apocalypse,” with masses of resurrected people roaming the streets of Jerusalem.  But, Matthew specifically says although these saints were resurrected at the moment of Jesus’ death on Good Friday, they didn’t appear to anyone until after Jesus’ own resurrection appearance on Easter Sunday.  That means these resurrections were not like Lazarus, who did indeed walk out of the tomb in his burial wrappings, and resume his former life.

In contrast, these resurrections at the moment of Christ’s death were instead like the resurrection of Jesus himself.  Not just with restored earthly bodies, to resume earthly life; but, like Jesus, they were resurrected with glorified bodies, to enter eternal life.  They weren’t “zombies” roaming the streets of Jerusalem.  But, just like Jesus, who suddenly appeared for a time to his disciples in the Upper Room, and then disappeared, by supernatural means these resurrected saints would appear to people for a time to bear witness to Jesus, and then disappear. 

And because of this supernatural nature of their resurrection, it is also assumed these resurrected saints did not resume their natural lives, and then someday die again, like Lazarus. But, rather, like Jesus, when their time of testimony was completed, they also ascended, body and soul, into heaven.

“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.  The tombs broke open and the bodies of many saints who had died were raised to life.  They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.”

Earthquake tremors can be felt for many miles from the epicenter. According to Phlegon, this earthquake was felt by not only by the people throughout the Holy Land, but also in neighboring countries.  Just as this earthquake radiated out from Jerusalem, following Jesus’ resurrection the Good News about him spread from Jerusalem throughout the world and across the centuries, all the way to us.  As Jesus said, “Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in [my] name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. . . and to the ends of the earth.”

The Romans were brutal rulers who routinely carried out large numbers of crucifixions.  But, the strange events that took place at the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth—the darkness, the tearing of the Temple curtain, the earthquake, the mass resurrection—was all God the Father’s way of testifying that this was no criminal, or a routine crucifixion.  And Matthew tells us that was exactly the effect all these extraordinary events had even on the centurion and the squad of Roman soldiers who put Jesus to death: “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!’”

Amen.