And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. {51} At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. {52} The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. {53} They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. {54} When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

As Good Friday draws to a close, what are we to conclude? What have we learned about Jesus? The same type of question entered the mind of a Roman centurion and his soldiers on that Good Friday long ago when Jesus died on the cross. According to tradition, the centurion’s name was “Longinus,” but we aren’t certain of that. We don’t know for sure how many soldiers there were with him. But we know that they were eye-witnesses on the scene. They saw what happened when Jesus died. They were impressed and terrified. In the end, they said:

The term “surely” leaves no room for doubt. They were not doubtful. They became certain. They had been watching Jesus closely. They noticed how he suffered, and how he spoke. They heard his words. And, the Holy Spirit worked powerfully in their hearts that day so that they said, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

At the very moment when Jesus died, the temple curtain was torn in two. This was no accident. It was not a weird coincidence. God was making a statement. But what was he saying? Two solutions have come to the minds of Christians over the years, and perhaps both are correct.

The first explanation is that God was making it very plain that Jesus had removed the sins of the world. Sin had separated the people from God. The curtain had kept the people from the part of the temple called the “holy of holies.” But, with his suffering and death on the cross, Jesus had atoned for sin. The separation was no longer needed. Sacrifices were no longer needed. The ministry of the Jewish high priests had now ended. The real eternal High Priest, Jesus, had made the sacrifice for sin, once for all. He reconciled sinners with holy God. Now access is open to God through the blood of Jesus Christ. Now we can approach God directly through Jesus. The curtain is torn in two!

And, there is another explanation too, one that is less known among us, and perhaps less important for us. The second explanation is that God was making it plain that he was forsaking the temple in Jerusalem. It was a simple fact that the Ark of the Covenant was not really in the “holy of holies” anymore, as it had been many years ago. There was a reason for that. When the people had forsaken the Lord and his will, he turned them over to their enemies, and the ark was taken away. Now, it was clear that the symbols and sacrifices were no longer needed to point forward to the Savior’s coming. The Savior had come. The atonement had been made. The sacrifice was complete. The work of redemption was done. And so, God now abruptly withdrew his gracious presence from that temple, so that it was now like a corpse from which the soul has departed.

Something else miraculous happened when Jesus died. There was an earthquake. It says that “The earth shook and the rocks split.” That was impressive – even to tough Roman soldiers. This too, was no accident, no mere coincidence. Then the tombs broke open. And some believers rose from the dead and came out of their tombs. They would appear to many people in Jerusalem on Easter Sunday.

All of these miraculous signs proclaimed the tremendous importance of Jesus’ death. This was no ordinary person who died here. This was no ordinary day. When the centurion and the other Roman soldiers considered everything... the darkness, his forgiving words, his patience through suffering, the loud cry, the earthquake when he died, “they were terrified.” They were in the presence of someone greater. They exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!" Not maybe, not possibly, not probably, but "Surely he was the Son of God!"

Now this Good Friday is drawing to a close. If you joined us for the 1:00 P.M. Service, or if you have read the Scripture accounts of what happened that day, you know that we have much to consider. Consider the words of Scripture. Consider what it all means. Who was Jesus? It is good to answer: "Surely he was the Son of God!"

Jesus was more than just a man. He was true God in the flesh, the Second Person of the Triune God, the eternal Son of God. He had to be, to save us. Either we had to die eternally, or someone eternal had to die in our place. And that’s what Jesus did, as true God and true man in one person. He had lived a perfect life. Then the LORD laid on him the iniquity of us all. All of our sin, all of our guilt, all of our punishment fell upon him. He suffered agonies that we cannot begin to explain or comprehend. And, around 3:00 P.M. on that Good Friday, he cried out in a loud voice a word that means “It is finished” or “Paid in full!” He had fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. He had paid the full price for sin. He did all the was needed to save us. Then, Jesus said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Jesus “gave up his spirit.” His soul departed from his body. He died.

Now, we must keep in mind here that death does not mean “end of existence.” Jesus did not cease to exist. No, far from it! Instead, Jesus committed his spirit to his heavenly Father. His soul departed from his body to be with his heavenly Father in paradise. Remember what he had told that man dying next to him, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” And now, Jesus said “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” And his soul went to be with his heavenly Father in paradise.

He had finished the work of redemption. His soul went to heaven. His body would be placed in a tomb, where it would not decay. It would remain in that tomb for Friday night, and all day Saturday, and then Saturday night. But, then Jesus would rise again early on Easter Sunday morning. May that move us to say, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

He died for you. He paid for your sins. He took them away forever. Whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Because Jesus took our sins away, we too can look forward to being in paradise. When believers die, essentially Jesus is saying, “Dear believer, today you will be with me in paradise.” And when that happens, it is better than what we have here – better by far. Look forward to that. Don’t dread death. For believers in Jesus, it is just the entrance to eternal life. When we die, our soul leaves our body. Thanks to the redeeming work of Jesus, we believers can also die saying, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” And then, know that when we die, our souls will go to be with Jesus in paradise.

So, then, let us worship our Savior and praise him, saying: "Surely he was the Son of God!" Amen.