Chapter 9: The Signs

The moment Jesus died, three things happened simultaneously.

First, in Jerusalem stood the Temple, the most sacred building in the Jewish world and the center of all Jewish worship. At its heart was a chamber called the Holy of Holies, believed to be the dwelling place of God himself. It was sealed off from ordinary people by an enormous curtain. According to ancient historical accounts that veil stood as tall as a six-story building and was extraordinarily thick. Only the high priest could pass through it, and only once a year.

At the moment Jesus died, the veil tore in two from the ceiling downward. The barrier between God and humanity had been removed when Jesus died.

Second. At the same moment the ground shook. An earthquake split rocks open.

Third, tombs outside Jerusalem cracked open. Matthew records that after the resurrection, the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised and appeared to people in the city.

The Roman centurion who had been standing at the foot of the cross, watching all of it since nine that morning, saw what happened and responded with the only words that fit.

CENTURION“Surely this man was the Son of God.”— Mark 15:39

The man condemned for blasphemy — for claiming to be the Son of God — was declared exactly that by a Roman soldier who had spent the day executing him.

At a distance, a group of women watched. They had followed Jesus from Galilee and had been with him through his ministry. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's sons. They had not fled like the disciples. They were still there.