Matthew 27:51, commentary and pictures

At His death the inner veil separating the holy from the most holy place was torn in two from top to bottom by the hand of God, while the earth quaked, the rocks split and tombs were broken open. It happened at the very moment He cried It is finished and yielded up His life at the hour of the evening sacrifice. Type met antitype in that death, so the system of animal sacrifices and temple offerings ended forever and stood valueless before God. A new and living way into the holiest was thereby laid open for all, Jew and Gentile, to come directly to God through Christ, who henceforth ministers by His own blood in the heavenly sanctuary. The rent veil with quaking earth and sundered rocks proclaimed that the Son of God had died, striking terror into mockers and rulers and forcing conviction on the centurion, soldiers, and many priests who afterward believed.

Setting of the Signs

The verse records the signs that accompanied Jesus' death, when His dying opened the way for people to be saved. The veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom, the earth shook, and the rocks split. These came immediately when He cried with a loud voice and yielded up the ghost, after darkness over the land, mocking by priests and passersby, and crucifixion between two thieves, and before graves were opened, the centurion's confession, and the watching of the women.

The rending happened at the very moment Christ in His expiring moments exclaimed It is finished. His loud final cry struck terror to His murderers amid great darkness upon the earth, after He had thirsted and been insulted with vinegar and gall to drink, and as He died the disciples' hope seemed lost and was swept away. The crucifixion was at Calvary outside Jerusalem's gate, where condemned criminals were executed, where He redeemed people from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for them.

It was in the afternoon at the hour of the evening sacrifice. At that moment priests were ministering in the temple before the veil separating the holy from the most holy place, officiating and about to slay the lamb prefiguring Christ, the Passover lamb that pointed to Him. The earth trembled beneath them with a great earthquake, terror and confusion seized all, the terror-stricken priest's knife dropped from his nerveless hand, and the bound lamb escaped unfettered and unsacrificed. This happened at Passover, in the spring of A.D. 31, when Jews were assembled at Jerusalem from all scattered countries and thousands who had heard of Jesus came to behold Him, a publicity appointed by God.

Jesus died as the mysterious darkness that enshrouded the earth passed away. He died so soon that Pilate was surprised, since those crucified frequently lingered days upon the cross, and the fact that He was really dead was purposely kept from Pilate amid conflicting reports of the strange events attending the crucifixion. The report of His death caused Pilate to believe more firmly that Jesus was innocent and no ordinary man, and left the Roman governor strangely agitated and keenly regretting the part he had taken in condemning the Saviour.

Veil Torn Described

The veil that was torn was the inner veil that separated the holy place from the most holy place. It was the veil that divided the holy from the Most Holy Place, the gorgeous inner curtain of the temple.

It was a strong rich drapery renewed yearly. It was very significant to the Jewish nation, made of most costly material of purple and gold, of great length and breadth, strong and heavy. The heavy veil of tapestry was made of pure linen and beautifully wrought with scarlet and purple.

It was torn in two from the top to the bottom, fully from the upper to the lower end. It was rent not by the hand of a priest but by unseen hands, by a divine bloodless hand, the hand of God Himself. It was the same hand that wrote the words of doom on Belshazzar's palace wall and traced the end of the Babylonian kingdom. The Lord Himself drew near and tore it with a rending noise before witnesses in the temple.

Its tearing threw open and exposed to common gaze and every eye the most holy place in its sacred solitude. That apartment had formerly been most sacredly guarded from intrusion, with all secrecy ended only now. It had been entered by human feet only once a year by the high priest alone to make atonement for the sins of the people.

That apartment had once been filled with the presence of God, where the Shekinah had dwelt and God had manifested His glory above the mercy seat. It was God's sacred audience chamber, where Jehovah met with the priest to communicate His glory. There the light of His glory flashed upon and the cloud of His approval or disapproval shadowed the precious stones in the high priest's breastplate.

Earthquake Rocks Graves

At His death there was a mighty earthquake with violent trembling and hoarse rumbling like heavy thunder, the earth heaving and reeling and shaking the multitude together in heaps in wildest confusion and consternation. Spectators were left paralyzed, mute with terror and prostrate, as if creation were shivering to atoms. The heavens, the earth, the rocks, and the very atmosphere declared that the Son of God was dying, with the heavenly throng present and nature mourning. The shaking came at the moment He cried It is finished and died, while priests were in the temple about to slay the lamb, and was felt there at that same moment.

The rocks rent and split, and the rocks in the surrounding mountains burst asunder with loud crashing. They shivered into fragments and tumbled down to the plains below. The earth shook and the rocks split as the terrible upheaval accompanying His death.

Tombs and sepulchers were broken open and many of the dead cast out of their graves. Among them were the graves of Israel's prophets and judges, torn open by the great earthquake. Some graves were shaken open at His death to prepare for what followed when He conquered death and walked forth a triumphant conqueror. The saints whose graves were opened arose when Christ came forth from the tomb, obedient to His call.

An earthquake marked the hour when Christ laid down His life. It is answered by a second distinct earthquake that witnessed the moment when He took His life up again in triumph from the tomb.

Sacrificial System Ended

Type met antitype when the One to whom all the sacrifices pointed died, the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world for the sins of the world, offered as the one perfect final infinite sacrifice. In that death the sacrificial offerings found their fulfillment and reached their reality and purpose, so the Jewish system of sacrifices, offerings, ordinances and temple services ended forever, stood valueless, and were no longer accepted by God. Christ was the foundation and life of the temple, and its whole priesthood with its burnt offerings and blood of beasts had been established to represent His mediatorial character and work and to foreshadow His death to redeem the world from sin, pointing to Him as the great antitype. His crucifixion virtually destroyed the temple, and because those services had meaning only through Him, the Jews' rejection and killing of Him left them without significance.

The laws governing Jewish sacrifices and offerings then ceased at His death. The Ten Commandments did not end, for His death did not abolish God's law, and the shaking of earth at the sight of God's Son suffering wrath for transgression shows sin's penalty could not be set aside without His death. Though the antitypical Lamb had been slain by wicked hands and lay in Joseph's tomb, the Passover was still kept as for centuries with morning and evening sacrifices. On the Sabbath beginning at sunset after the preparation the temple courts were still filled with worshipers, and the next day the high priest from Golgotha with the white-turbaned priests went on.

At the hour of the evening sacrifice, while the priest stood with lifted knife over the bound lamb representing Christ and the people watched, the terror-stricken priest's knife dropped from his nerveless hand and the lamb escaped unfettered and unsacrificed. The priests still offered the blood of bulls and goats for the sin of Israel without knowing it was ended, performing the Passover services with conflicting feelings and a sense of strangeness and curious horror and inquiry. Many who united in those Passover services would never take part again, as light shone into their hearts.

The tearing declared that Israel was divorced from God for rejecting Him, the antitype of its symbols and the substance of its shadows, and separating itself from God. By the same hand that traced Belshazzar's doom and the end of the Babylonian kingdom, not by a priest's hand, the Jewish nation was pronounced unchurched. The most holy place of the earthly sanctuary was left no longer sacred nor recognized by the Lord as His sacred audience chamber, and the high priest's robes no longer had meaning as a sign of his representative office. The tearing was connected with Jerusalem's coming desolation and the removal of the glory God had intended for Israel, when its mysterious veil was rent asunder, its sacred vessels demolished, and the Jewish people scattered to every part of the world.

He who had hitherto dwelt in the temple made with hands went forth never again to grace it with His presence. God declared He would no longer reveal His presence in the most holy place, meet people in the earthly temple, or accept its sacrifices. His presence would no longer overshadow the earthly mercy seat, nor would the light of His glory flash upon nor the cloud of His disapproval shadow the precious stones in the high priest's breastplate.

New Way Opened

The tearing laid manifest and opened a new and living way into the holiest of all with no veil between, so that Jew and Gentile, free and bond, high and low, rich and poor can come to God and find pardon and peace. Sinful sorrowing humanity need no longer await the coming of the earthly high priest, for the way is offered to all. The hidden glory of the holy of holies stands revealed through Christ, who suffered death for every man that the sons of men might become sons of God. The mercy seat where the glory of God rested is opened to all who accept Christ as the propitiation for sin, and through it they are brought into fellowship with God, beholding with open face as in a glass the glory of the Lord and being changed into the same image from glory to glory.

The rent veil means the barrier between Jews and Gentiles was broken down, the partition walls broken, the handwriting of ordinances canceled, and by virtue of His blood the enmity abolished. Jesus offered Himself for both, and salvation for either depends on believing in Him as the only offering for sin and the Saviour of the world, partaking through faith of the living bread. From henceforth people may come to God without priest or ruler, and all may draw near directly through Christ's merits and blood without depending on a human priest or ceremonial sacrifice, with liberty given to everyone to come through a personal Saviour. Christ's completed sacrifice made Him priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Henceforth the Saviour officiates as Priest and Advocate in heaven, in the heaven of heavens, having entered in once by His own blood into the holy place and obtained eternal redemption. His blood is then to be ministered by Him in the heavenly sanctuary to apply the benefits of His atonement, the earthly sanctuary services having ended so that God would no longer meet people in the earthly temple or accept its sacrifices. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit directed the disciples from the earthly sanctuary to the heavenly sanctuary where Jesus had entered by His own blood. Those Jews who rejected this change remained in darkness, trusting in sacrifices and offerings that could no longer benefit them, and therefore could not receive His mediation in the holy place.

The rending set an open door before the human race, giving another trial, declaring God satisfied with justice and mercy now blending so He can be just and yet the justifier of all who believe on the expiring victim. It declares the redemption price paid, with mercy and truth meeting together and righteousness and peace kissing each other, by which He perfected forever them that are sanctified. It declares Satan fallen like lightning from heaven and his power made of none effect. He did not yield His life until He had accomplished the work He came to do, by which Satan was defeated and knew his kingdom was lost, while angels rejoiced that the great plan of redemption dependent on Christ's death was thus far carried out and obedient sons of Adam could through obedience be finally exalted to the throne of God, though His death made the powers of hell seem to prevail and He was conqueror over the power of darkness.

Nature Witnesses Divinity

All nature sympathized, groaned and mourned with its insulted, bleeding, dying Author and Creator, protesting the murder of the Son of God. The earth trembled and shook, heaving and reeling, while the heavens gathered blackness and were clothed in sackcloth and deepest darkness, with the sun veiled and refusing to behold the scene. Thunderings and lightnings came with terrific darkness like the pall of death about the cross, and heaven could not remain silent while the heavenly throng and army witnessed its Commander's suffering and indignity. Inanimate nature groaned in sympathy with her dying Author amid His agonizing sufferings.

The three-hour darkness and nature's mourning concealed the Son's suffering and humiliation when the Father's glory and sustaining presence left Him. He bore the iniquity and guilt of every descendant of Adam as man's substitute and surety under the wrath of God and the withdrawal of the divine countenance, with despair pressing its crushing weight of darkness upon Him. His despairing mental agony under heaped sin far outweighed His physical pain, while the Father suffered with Him. Yet hardened, blind and deluded men controlled by the powers of darkness remained unfeeling, reviling God's dear Son in His expiring agonies and quarreling at the foot of the cross over dividing His vesture, and angels veiled their faces and looked on with sorrow and amazement because they could look no longer. The darkness over the cross was the heavens clothed in sackcloth to hide the sight of the divine sufferer, in contrast to nature's testimony of triumph at His second coming.

The earthquake, rent rocks, torn veil and darkness proclaimed that the Son of God had died. They displayed the glory of God's justice and holiness in the sacrifice made for the world, a solemn display of His purity, hatred of sin and purpose to punish it with the innocent Surety bearing strokes in the sinner's place. They stand as miraculous testimony and powerful, overpowering evidence intended to confirm the faith of later generations and to mark the enormity of the guilt of mockers. These signs accompanied His death as part of the extraordinary events surrounding the crucifixion.

These convulsions struck terror into executioners, spectators, priests, rulers, soldiers, actors in the mock trial and murderers, troubling His enemies. Darkness settled again with hoarse rumbling like heavy thunder and violent trembling that shook the multitude together in heaps in wildest confusion and consternation, so creation seemed to be shivering to atoms. All stood paralyzed gazing with bated breath, then lay mute with terror prostrate on the ground, hushed from mocking and jeering. They groped in darkness toward the city smiting their breasts, hastening away stumbling and falling for fear the earth would open and swallow them, whispering and wondering whether an innocent, righteous person, indeed the Son of God as He asserted, had been murdered.

The signs struck terror into the leaders who had urged the people to release Barabbas and crucify Christ, so they recognized they had shed the blood of the Son of God. Their earlier appeal for that blood to fall on them and their children made them accountable. Christ prayed for their forgiveness, yet His prayer could not avail them while they refused conviction, repentance and conversion.

The rent veil with shaking earth, trembling rocks, piercing cry and sudden death with the words It is finished and Into Thy hands I commend My spirit forced overpowering conviction on the Roman centurion and soldiers watching Jesus. They confessed Truly this Man was the Son of God and Assuredly this Man was righteous, and fled in terror beating their breasts. It sowed seed that ripened into harvest after Pentecost when the disciples boldly proclaimed the gospel.

Many ministering and officiating priests saw the veil still unrepaired with gloomy foreboding and shuddering dread of coming calamity, for there was no time before the Sabbath to replace or fully repair it. Together with fulfilled prophecy in the events of those days, the event deeply convicted many whose study of prophecy had not been in vain. After He was raised they acknowledged Him as Son of God and Redeemer and the world's Redeemer, and a great company became obedient to the faith when the word increased in Jerusalem. Those who saw these things were led to search the Scriptures as never before until many settled for themselves what these things meant.

Nicodemus witnessed the tearing, quaking earth, shattered and splitting rocks, darkened heavens, final conquering cry, prayer for murderers and promise and answer to the dying thief. The sight brought back Jesus' night teaching on the mountain that the Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. Scales fell from his eyes, doubt and uncertainty gave place to faith, and the light from that secret interview illuminated the cross for him. With Joseph his faith in Jesus' divinity was settled and established forever as the promised Saviour.

Even inanimate rocks shivering into fragments and shattering at His dying cry bore testimony they knew Him and that He was the Son of God. Priests and rulers with minds enveloped in denser darkness than covered the earth were unchanged by what they witnessed, rejected the evidence of His divinity, steeled their hearts against His truths and proved less susceptible than mountain granite. Though nature and the elements bore witness, Israel's leaders failed to recognize Him, which condemns them.

The supernatural convulsions of nature at Christ's death, with rending rocks and lightning displaying nature's agony, struck terror and remorse into the Romans and the people. Together with the supernatural darkness and the people's inhuman conduct, their impact helped bring crucifixion in Judea into disuse soon afterward as an instrument of execution.

Resurrection and Future Hope

The shaking at death opened graves to prepare for what followed when He conquered death and walked forth a triumphant conqueror from His prison house. Obedient to His call and by His power, the saints whose graves had been opened arose when He came forth from the tomb. Earthquake and darkness surrounded the cross and hid His final agony, while at the same time graves opened and some of the saints came out and appeared to many in the city as a testimony. Those raised were many faithful righteous dead, a few chosen and holy ones who had lived in every age from creation down to Christ's day. Brought up glorified, they were witnesses that He had risen, that His sacrifice was complete, and that He had victory over death and the grave, appearing to many, testifying to His resurrection, and declaring His glory while chief priests and Pharisees sought to cover it up. Their resurrection is a sign of the final resurrection of the righteous. Nature's mourning at His death, when heavenly beings were present amid three hours of darkness concealing the suffering of the Son of God, contrasts with its testimony of triumph at His second coming.

The cross reveals God's love without excusing sin and gives a true view of His love and justice. The earth shook at the sight of God's dear Son suffering the wrath of God for human transgression, while the heavens were clothed in sackcloth to hide the divine sufferer. His death did not abolish God's law but shows sin's penalty could not be set aside without His death, for God did not lower His claim on men in order to save them. The One on the cross is Wonderful, Counsellor, a mysterious victim stooping beneath the amazing burden of the race, clothed with humanity yet one with Deity. He interposed Himself as sinless offering to bear transgression's punishment as man's ransom, so the transgressor might have another trial and men might be brought into favor with God the Father. The great sacrifice made on the cross of Calvary, together with Gethsemane, is the measure for the church's work. It shows she is far behind in the greatest work ever given to mortals and calls her to greater zeal, greater devotion, and far greater consideration of missions at home and abroad to bless a world in darkness.

The earthly temple is no more: its mysterious veil was rent asunder, its sacred vessels demolished, and the Jewish people scattered to every part of the world. The judgments that fell on that nation are a symbol of those that will fall on all who, like Jerusalem, know not the time of their visitation. Yet the rent veil gives no ground to mock the ancient Jewish economy, for Christ was its Originator and foundation and the One to whom its types and shadows pointed. In those types and shadows the everlasting gospel is revealed.