As today is Good Friday, we continue to consider the historic life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. I like to read Matthew’s gospel account because it includes some details that are not told in the other gospels. The death of Jesus was not something done in secret that passed without notice; it touched the lives of everyone living in that region! Today’s scripture gives us more details, so let’s listen to the passage:

Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people. The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!” (Matt. 27:50-54)

I like to call this passage “The Death of Jesus and Dead Men Walking.” Let’s stop and consider what happened. We can’t really know all of what was taking place when Jesus shouted out and "released His spirit." What we can know is what Matthew tells us people saw. The sun blocked by an eclipse that had been going on for three hours. The curtain in the Temple that separated Holy of Holies from the outer court was torn “from top to bottom.” There was an earthquake and tombs split open. People who had long been dead came out of their tombs and walked right out of the cemeteries. Then, after the resurrection, they walked into town and appeared to many eyewitnesses. The Bible says that a Roman officer and the other soldiers who were present at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and everything happening around them. Then it was said, “This man truly was the Son of God!” Wow! Can you see it? The death of Jesus was a cataclysmic event! But it wasn’t the end of the story, was it?

As Easter approaches, take a few moments to consider how the death of Jesus and His resurrection has affected your life and is still affecting it today. Truly this Man was—and is—the Son of God!