The Shadow of Death

Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up his spirit. And, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth did quake, and the rocks split. Matthew 27:50-51

Reading Matthew 27:45-54

Descent from the Cross, depicted by Rubens

Jesus cried out in a loud voice, it is finished (John19:30). He must have been in tremendous physical and spiritual agony, the sort that the world has not seen ever before.

According to King James Version, Christ gave up his ghost. It is curious that after that, all versions when referring to the Holy Ghost said Holy Spirit. It is intriguing that the Holy Spirit was called the Holy Ghost in most places in the King James Version. Today when we say spirit we mean life and when we say ghost we mean the vision of a dead person.

It was fascinating how Jesus on many occasions just walked by or melted into the crowd when a mob of people wanted him dead. However as he hung on the cross he gave up his spirit, something only he as God could do. In John’s gospel he said he had the power and authority to lay down his life and  take it up again. He was simply saying he had the divine power over life and death (John 10:18).

After all the death that Jesus chose was filled with agony, suffering, and humiliation. Neither did Jesus want to live comfortably, nor did he want to die comfortably. Here we see the Good Shepherd deliberately lay down his life for his sheep (John 10:11).

When Jesus died the gospel account says the veil in the temple tore in two. It was symbolic of the doors of heaven falling open to all who believed in him. During Jesus time the veil in the temple signified that God and man were separated because of sin. But Jesus death caused us by the grace of God to have free access to heaven.