Happy Easter everyone! Today we’ll take a fresh look at the Easter story, but we’re not going to start at the traditional place – the gospel, the story of Jesus rising from the dead on the third day in triumphant glory. Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to end up there! But today we’re going to start with a verse in the Old Testament, from the prophet Isaiah.
We want to show you that the Easter story was not some surprise event. It was predicted by the prophets hundreds of years before it happened, and even though the disciples didn’t see it coming (they were expecting a different kind of triumph), it was part of God’s brilliant plan all along. The Bible bears this out, because there are traces of the cross throughout the Old Testament. Here’s one of them:
Rend the Heavens
Isaiah 64:1-2 (NIV) Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you!
Let me tell you about why this passage was so important to Jewish people in Isaiah’s day. And then I’ll tell you why it should matter to you on this Easter Sunday, thousands of years after it was written. Let’s focus in on the passage:
- Rend the Heavens – pay attention to this phrase, cause we’ll see it again in the NT
- Speaks of God’s revelation of himself
- Israel had hoped God would reveal himself as conquering king!
- Come down and make the nations quake
- This is what many of Jesus followers were looking for from him: a conquering Messiah who would overthrow the Romans. Then he ended up hanging on their cross.
Jesus’ Ministry
We’ve been studying the Gospel of Mark as a church since the beginning of the year. In chapter 1 we looked at the baptism of Jesus. Let’s look at it again with Isaiah 64 in mind:
Mark 1:10-11 (NIV) Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
- This is the beginning of the Isaiah 64 prophecy – Jesus starts his earthly ministry
- (Notice the Triune God here…)
- But instead of a fire to make the nations quake, here’s a sampling of what Jesus did:
- Heals a leper (“I am willing…”)
- Heals a paralytic (only after he forgives his sin)
- Invites fishermen and tax collectors to follow him
- Challenges the religion police
- Preaches good news, not hellfire
Torn in Two
Fast forward to the crucifixion. This is where it gets really interesting. Jesus was convicted at a sham Jewish trial, beaten by Roman soldiers, and nailed to a cross. Pay attention to what happens the moment after Jesus dies on that cross:
Mark 15:37-38 (NLT) Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
- This is the climax of the Isaiah 64 prophecy. “Oh that you would rend the heavens…”
Matthew 27:51 (ESV) And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
Exodus 26:31-33 (NLT) “For the inside of the Tabernacle, make a special curtain of finely woven linen. Decorate it with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim. Hang this curtain on gold hooks attached to four posts of acacia wood. Overlay the posts with gold, and set them in four silver bases. Hang the inner curtain from clasps, and put the Ark of the Covenant in the room behind it. This curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
Hebrews 10:19-22 (NLT) And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
Mark’s forceful language of the “tearing” or “ripping open” (σχίζω) of the heavens indicates a theophany, or revelation of God. (Isaiah 64:1) There may also be an inclusio (“bookends”) between this passage and the centurion’s cry at the climax of the Gospel (15:38–39), where the temple curtain is torn (σχίζω) in two and the centurion cries out, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” Acclamations of Jesus’ divine sonship would therefore frame the Gospel narrative. If this inclusio is intentional, Mark is indicating that access to the Father is now available through Jesus the Son.
Matthew 27:51 (ESV) And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
What about the Resurrection?
Mark 16:5 (NLT) When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, 6 but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. 7 Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”
Luke 24:51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
Leviticus 16:2 (ESV) and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.
Exodus 34:33-35 (NLT) When Moses finished speaking with them, he covered his face with a veil. But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the Lord had given him, and the people of Israel would see the radiant glow of his face. So he would put the veil over his face until he returned to speak with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:14-16 (NLT) But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Isaiah 64:5-6 (NIV) You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved?
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
