Barton's Bible Study Notes

Life of Christ: Unit 55 - Sections 207-214

Read Matthew 27:51-61, Mark 15:38-47, Luke 23:45-56 and John 19:31-42. Associated with the death of our Lord are several events. The darkness was lifted, an earthquake shook the city, the veil in the temple was torn in two, and the graves of some believers were opened. Whether these occurred right before our Lord’s death or immediately after it or, as is most likely, starting right before and concluding after it is not known for certain. What is certain is that they are closely tied with His death. That the veil was said to be torn from top to bottom simply means it was completely separated, not just partially torn.

1. From early Jewish literature, we are told the veil was not a thin curtain but was relatively thick, about the width of a man’s hand. However wide it might have been, it served to separate the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place. Only the high priest went through the veil into the Holy of Holies and that only once a year to offer atonement for sin. What, in your opinion, is the significance of this tearing of the veil before the Holy of Holies?

2. Although our Lord was now dead physically, He was alive spiritually. During this time between His physical death on Friday afternoon until His physical resurrection Sunday morning, where did He go, and what did He do?

3. The earthquake that shook the area at the death of our Lord opened some graves. One should remember that Jewish graves then were different from what we usually think of as graves today. Bodies were not placed in holes dug in the ground but in niches carved in the sides of a wall of a natural or man-made cave. The entrance was then walled off, or a large circular stone rolled in front of the door. The earthquake dislodged the rocks and stones which were sealing access to these tombs. They would not have been touched or resealed until after Passover and remained open until Sunday. Were these dead resurrected with our Lord? Did they accompany Him back to heaven?

4. What do we know about Joseph of Arimathea?

The Applications:

What are the applications of these passages to our lives today? Identify as many as you are able.