Matthew 27:45-54
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
45 From the sixth hour
until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 46 About the ninth hour
Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
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 stick,
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
and the rocks split. 52 The
tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to
life. 53 They
came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they 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!”
What
does it take for people to see the Power of our Lord and Savior? The mocking of Jesus went on until He breathed
His last breath. Even though many of
these people had seen the miracles or if they hadn’t seen them they certainly
had heard about the miracles that Jesus had performed throughout the
region. They might not have had the
technology we have today but they had word of mouth and that spreads
rapidly. Even though they knew this man
was innocent they could not believe that He was really the Son of God and so
they continued to mock Him and make fun of Him.
It
took an earthquake to wake some of them up.
It is recorded that there was at least one man that did recognize that
He was the Son of God after he witnessed the trembling of the earth.
Maybe
the tearing of the curtain woke them up because it would not have been as easy
task as it was very thick. It didn’t
tear just a little, it tore in half. God
was no longer confined to a little room with only the select group of people to
commune with. He was now available to
those who believed.
I
also found it interesting that people were raised from the dead! Surely that would wake up those who did not
believe. Yet the Jewish leaders
continued to deny He was the Christ.
What
does it take for us to realize that He is always with us? Even during those times that we think He
might be distant we must realize that He is always present and His plan is
better than our own. As I write this, I
have been praying for a dear brother in Christ.
He is a man that has always been a friend to us and who loves the Lord
deeply. I have been praying for a
miracle and that he will be healed from his horrible illness. My will is that he live and I know God can
heal Him. I think, if only he would be healed what a testimony he could have
for the Lord. Then I have to stop and
think about the many miracles that Christ performed and He was mocked,
ridiculed, spat upon and even put to death.
People didn’t believe because of the healings that Christ did. People did not even believe when people were
raised from the dead. When catastrophe
hit, some people believed but not all of them. So I must trust that God will do
His will in our friend’s life, so that our Father will be glorified. I know that is what our friend would want.
Some
see life as being in their own hands and sometimes when that is taken from them
they become more aware that He is the One in control. That is what it took for some during the
death of Christ. They mocked Him right
up to His last breath and then they had quite an awakening.
What
about you? Does it take a catastrophe
for you to realize He is in control? Or
do you seek Him daily and find Him and His mightiness helping you through the
life He has given you.
Seeking
Him with all my heart,
Sheila
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