Dig to find truth in Bible

On Good Friday and Easter, or more appropriately, Resurrection Sunday, Christians celebrate the death and victory over it, of our Savior, Jesus Christ by rising from the dead. Some of the physically observable events surrounding His death are truly astounding. The gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, tell us darkness covered the whole land from noon to 3 pm. The original Greek, from which our English translations are taken, leaves no doubt. This darkness covered the whole world. Later historians verified this worldwide lack of light at the time of Jesus crucifixion.

Noon was when the high priest, in this case Caiaphas, headed for the temple to kill the Passover lamb, the once a year offering for the sins of the nation. This spotless lamb was sacrificed at 3 pm at which time Jesus, having said it is finished”, “bowed His head and gave up his spirit”, as John state. At the same time, with utter amazement, Matthew tells us, “And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, and the earth shook and the rocks were split”, Matthew 27:51.

The earth quaking at the death of its Creator was another observable worldwide event. The temple curtain was remarkable for its sheer immensity. Sixty feet tall, thirty feet wide and a full handbreadth thick, splitting it in two from ceiling to floor would have been a humanly impossible feat. I wonder if Caiaphas was standing there when it ripped?

The significance of this taking place at this exact time is that now there is no longer the need for the yearly sacrifice of the Passover lamb to cover the sins of the people, for now the true spotless “Lamb of God”, has been offered up for the sins of the world and, “to all who believe on His Name, He gives the power to become the children of God”.

In our day, centuries removed from these happenings, many educated people in their pomposity and arrogance do not accept these events as factual. To my mind, they are in league with the serpent in the garden of Eden, who said to Eve, “did God really say?” Many are not convinced of the veracity of the Bible and a lot of that has to do with being unfamiliar with what is truly contained within the text.

The guard at the cross, when he experienced the earthquake and darkness, had no doubts concerning the actuality of the situation when he blurted, “Truly, this was the Son of God!” The historians Phlegon, Thaddus and Julius Africanus all refer to the darkness of that day in their writings as commonly known.

No one in that day argued over whether these events had happened or not, and only in our day of delusional, progressive enlightenment, is history called into question. Christianity is not a list of historical incidences, but a matter of changed hearts by the power of God. It is the Holy spirit and power, and includes what is written in scripture.

I would encourage you to dig deep and the historical facts will verify the truth that is God’s Word. May you have joy in the journey as you “taste and see that the Lord is good”.

— By Pastor Pat Estes of Odessa Christ Lutheran Church