The Rocks Were Split

 

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:50-54 ESV).

 

There are those times when a particular part of a Scripture passage yields a previously unnoticed truth. While writing I came to one of those “gems.” Looking at the last words of Jesus from the cross in our reading today, I noticed Matthew recalling that “the rocks were split” (v. 51). I couldn’t help thinking that it is somewhat like the splitting open of a geode. In this “splitting open” of the rocks which followed Jesus’ death, like the geode the beautiful crystals of life inside are now made visible. Only by breaking the geode can the stunning creation on the inside be revealed.

 

God, who split the mountains and rocks in the story of Elijah (cf. 1 Kings 19:12), also caused the rocks to split when Jesus died on the cross. And Jesus’ death changed history—not only for human beings but also for the world God made. Through his life and death, Jesus broke the stranglehold that sin and death had over us as well as God’s creation (cf. Genesis 3; and John 3:16). Jesus opened a new way for us to live—with God and for God—so that we can have life to the full, as God intended from the beginning.

 

The curtain in the temple had separated the people of God from the inner sanctuary, where God’s powerful presence came to dwell in Old Testament times. So the tearing of the curtain meant that God’s presence was no longer separate from his people, and God’s Spirit would now come to live in the people’s hearts. However, that act in itself only tells part of the story. It is not merely that God is now with us, He is also returning us to the state prior to the sin of Adam and Eve.

 

This is a picture of the beginning of God truly redeeming all of the creation.  It calls us to look toward the beau­tiful life he intended for us all along. The Lord breaks through, showing his good and powerful love for us all. When I see the dark ugliness of this life, I am encouraged by the beauty God is restoring to His creation, which includes us!