DEVOTIONAL

Holy week is here. The last three chapters of Matthew are packed with major events one after another that changes eternity for all. It is so important to experience the shouts of “Hosana”, the Last Supper, the betrayal, and the crucifixion before we celebrate the resurrection of King Jesus. All of it matters. I am tempted to fast forward from the scene of Jesus anointed at Bethany that we read last time to the resurrection of Jesus. The darkness, the sorrow, the betrayal. It can be too much to take in. However, sitting in the uncomfortable is one of the places I find Jesus does his best work. Be bold and let’s check out the passage together in Matthew 27:45-56.

The scene looks much different than the previous chapter when Jesus is anointed by a woman bowed at his feet with love and honor. In Matthew 27 Jesus has been arrested, mocked, stripped naked, beaten, and nailed to a cross. He spends hours suffering on the cross where his body is exposed, weakened, and stripped of dignity. The part of history I have pondered this week is Matthew 27:50-54. First, Jesus yields his spirit. Second, creation responds. The two events cannot occur apart from each other. When Jesus acts, there will always be a response from creation.

As I researched how Jesus the Son of God yields his spirit on the cross, the explanation in John 10:18 reminded me that Jesus chose to do it. He holds authority even on the cross. Jesus is the one that demonstrates perfect obedience to God the Father. We see it right here in verse 50. Immediately after Jesus gives up his spirit life is taken out of his physical body. He is dead.

What happens next? Creation responds.

The curtain in the temple that separates the holy of holies from all things unclean is torn straight in two. Why? Jesus died to atone, pay the penalty, for sin once and for all (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 7:27). I wonder who was in the temple to witness the thick threads of fabric shred in two. Did they collapse on the ground in worship? Then, things turn wild outside too. The earth erupts, rocks split, and graves open. Creation responds in big and undeniable ways. You feel this act by Jesus on the cross giving up his spirit shake you. How do I know? Lastly, the centurion is filled with awe (maybe a little bit of fear too) and says, “Truly this was the Son of God!” The ripple effect starts with eternity in the temple, then takes a step down to the physical earth made outside of the image of God and ends with the personal human response.

Jesus is the Son of God. The death of Jesus on the cross changed eternity for you and me. By yielding his spirit on the cross, Jesus removed the barrier between my sinfulness and the holiness of God the Father. What do we do with that? Move toward Jesus. Draw near. I want to give more of myself to Jesus than I do to distractions. I want deeper relationship with Jesus because the barriers of my sin and shame were left on the cross. This holy week looks different for me. No fast forward to Sunday. Instead, I am sitting in what it means that Jesus chose to yield himself on the cross to pay the price for sin, once for all. 

What about you? How do you respond to the act of Jesus on the cross for you?