Matthew Chapter 27 (Continued) {Jesus' Death} 27:45~~ Now from the sixth hour {noon} until the ninth hour {three o'clock in the afternoon}, darkness came over all the land {so no one could see Him being judged for the sins of the world}. 27:46~~At about three o'clock Jesus screamed with a loud voice and kept on saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, My God, why have You rejected/forsaken Me?" {Note: "My God, My God why have you forsaken Me?' was a prophecy of Psalms 22:1. As the lamb was quiet before the shearer . . . Jesus was quiet throughout His ordeal. He did not cry out until after 3 hours of having our sins imputed to Him and judged. After 3 hours, the Humanity of Christ is spiritually dead and the Father and the Holy Spirit forsake him . . . and He cries out.} {Note: The first vocative was addressed to the Father, the second vocative was addressed to God the Holy Spirit, who rejected Jesus in spiritual death as the penalty for the sins of humanity. The blood of Christ refers to His spiritual death-not His physical death.} {Note: IF there was any separation of the deity of Christ from the humanity of Christ, it would be at this time. Deity can not 'have contact/fellowship' with sin. We do not know this for sure.} 27:47~~When some of those standing there heard it, they said, "This One is calling for Elijah." {Note: They thought when Jesus screamed the vocative "Eli" that He was calling for Elijah and the crowd became very interested. They wanted to see if Elijah would come to 'save' Jesus'. Perhaps that this may be the fulfillment of the last two chapters of Malachi that foretold the coming of Elijah. But, RBT said that Malachi really referred to the coming of John the Baptist as 'Elijah'. Elijah will return as one of the two witnesses in the Tribulation also.} {Note: From John 19:28-29, we know that while they were waiting around to see if Elijah would appear, Jesus said, "I thirst".} 27:48~~Immediately one of them {probably John} ran and got a sponge, filled it with cheap wine, put it on a stick {a cane or measuring stick}, and offered it to Him to drink. 27:49~~But the rest said, "Get away. Let us see if Elijah will come to save Him." 27:50~~Then Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and 'gave up'/dismissed His spirit {which went into the presence of the Father}. {Note: See also John 19:30 and Luke 23:46.} {Note: His body goes into the grave of Joseph of Arimathea, and His soul went to Hades or Sheol, specifically to the part known as Abraham's bosom or Paradise. This is where the souls of the Old Testament saints went until after the resurrection.} {1st and 2nd Miracle while Jesus Hung on the cross} 27:51~~Just then the temple veil was split {schizo} in two from the ultimate source of the top to bottom {as a miraculous sign to the Jews - God the Father tore it starting at the top}. The earth shook and the rocks were split {schizo - same verb used with the veil} apart {an earthquake was a miraculous sign to the Gentiles - Jesus is the Rock of the World and this is analogous to His death on the cross}. {Note: Schizo is the Greek word for tearing or splitting. The 'temple veil' was an enormously thick curtain that veiled the Holy of Holies. It was HUGE and impossible to tear by hand! It was 60 feet high 30 FEET wide. } {3rd Miracle while Jesus Hung on the cross} 27:52~~Tombs also were opened, and many of the bodies {not all} of {Old Testament} saints who had slept/'died in the past with the result that their bodies remained dead' {around Jerusalem} . . . were raised. {Note: The transfer of the Old Testament saints from 'Paradise' to the third heaven is alluded to in Ephesian 4:8 and to some extent in II Corinthians 12:1-4. The process may have been happening at this very time but this verse is NOT referring to that transfer. This is the miraculous opening of graves and these saints being resuscitated to witness for the Lord for the next 40 days.} 27:53~~(They came out of the tombs and went into the holy city and appeared to many people after His resurrection {modifies 'appeared' - they appeared after the resurrection}.) 27:54~~ Now when the centurion and those {soldiers} with him who were constantly watching something that belonged to them {tereo} . . . Jesus . . . {they} saw the earthquake and what took place, they were extremely terrified and said, "Truly {note it well/ point of doctrine} this One was . . . always was and never was a time He was not . . . the Son of God!" {Note: Tereo is a special Greek word for watching. Tereo means to 'watch something that belongs to you'. Apparently these men had made a decision to accept Christ as their own.} 27:55~~Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee . . . constantly ministering/ supporting Him were also there . . . watching from a distance. {Note: Most of the disciples ran away in fear. Maybe only the Apostle John was the only one of them actually at the cross. But MANY of the women understood doctrine and were there!} 27:56~~Among them, who kept on always being there were . . . Mary Magdalene . . . Mary the mother of James and Joseph Jr . . . and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. {Note: Mary Magdalene was a former prostitute and formerly demon possessed. At this point, she was born again and possibly the BEST student of the Lord's doctrine. She was here at the cross and she was the first to whom Jesus revealed Himself in His resurrected body. Per RBT, the other Mary is also referred to as Mary the wife of Claifus (sp) - only information given.} {Jesus' Burial} 27:57~~Now when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who came to be {that day} a disciple of Jesus. {Note: From the arist tense of the verb, it is most like he was a convert that day. Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the Sanhedrin Counsel and possibly witnessed the splitting of the veil of the Temple.} 27:58~~He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered that it be given to him. {Note: The Romans had custody of the body of Jesus. The other Jews would have killed him!} 27:59-60~~ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 27:60~~ and placed it {the body of Christ} in his own new tomb that he had cut in the rock. Then he rolled a great stone in the door of the tomb and went away. {Note: Joseph is a man of wealth and probably one who thinks ahead. For whatever the reason, he had recently constructed his own tomb, which he will now give to Jesus.} 27:61~~(Now Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there, opposite the tomb.) {The Guard at the Tomb} 27:62-63~~ The next day {Thursday - Wednesday night through Thursday sundown} . . . which is the day of preparation . . . the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled before Pilate 27:63~~ and said, "Lord, we remember that while that deceiver {derogatory term for Jesus} was still alive He said, 'After three days {anytime after Saturday sundown to Sunday sundown} I will rise again.' " {Note: Jesus was placed in the grave on Wednesday night. The Jewish days start at sundown. So Thursday is Wednesday night to Thursday sundown - day 1 in the grave. So Friday is Thursday night to Friday sundown - day 2 in the grave. So Saturday is Friday night to Saturday sundown - day 3 in the grave. So After three days is 'Sunday' . . . which is Saturday after sundown. To reconcile with other passages, He probably rose Sunday Morning at 12:01AM Gentile time (right after Midnight).} 27:64~~ "So give orders to secure the tomb until the third day {Sunday}. Otherwise His disciples may come and steal His body and say to the people, 'He has been raised from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first." 27:65~~ Pilate said to them, "Take a guard of {Roman} soldiers. Go and make it as secure as you know how to." {Note: The chief priests are in Charge! It is impossible for the body of Jesus to be stolen! Religion is going to make SURE of this!} 27:66~~So they went with the soldiers of the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.