“The Miracles of Lent: Earthquake”
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. Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office
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