Events of Good Friday that fulfilled Scripture  

 

Let's take a closer look at some of the incredible prophesies that were fulfilled when Jesus died on the cross. 

 

From the supernatural darkness over the land, to the veil of the temple being torn in two, to the earth shaking beneath the feet of those who witnessed it, these were not random events but are Scripture coming to fruition. 

 

• Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children ... for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry? (Luke 23:28,31). Jesus foretell the grim future, he is the "green wood"—  completely innocent, righteous, and full of life, who has committed no crime but is yet subjected to death by crucifixion. Fact: The "dry wood" represents the city of Jerusalem and its population in the decades to follow; a direct, apocalyptic prophecy regarding the Roman Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD—roughly 40 years after his crucifixion - when the Temple was destroyed never to be rebuilt and the inhabitants scattered throughout the world without a homeland.

• Amos 8:9 had foretold this, "And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight." Fact: Darkness covered the land starting at noon, three hours after Jesus was hanging on the cross, till he died at 3 pm (Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33 and Luke 23:44-45).  

• At the ninth hour (3:00 PM), invoking Psalm 22, Jesus cries out in Aramaic, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which translates directly to, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34, Matthew 27:46). 

1. Psalm 22:1: "My God, my god, why have you forsaken me?" Fact: The very words spoken by Jesus on the cross.
2. Psalm 22:7–8: "All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 'He trusts in the Lord,' they say, 'let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.'" Fact: The very taunts Jesus had to suffer on the cross. 
3. Psalm 22:16: "Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet." Fact: Centuries before the Roman Empire invented crucifixion as a method of execution, Psalm 22 describes verse by verse the crucifixion and death of our Jesus.
4. Psalm 22:18: "They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment." Fact: The Roman soldiers did just that.
5. The middle stanzas of Psalm 22 detail the exact medical and physical sensations of someone dying by this specific method. Fact: Crucifixion kills its victims through a combination of extreme dehydration, exhaustion, and asphyxiation (suffocation).  
6. Psalm 22 ends by declaring that because of this sufferer's ordeal, "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord" (v. 27) and that "future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!" (v. 30–31). Fact: One third of the world's population today are Christians.

• It is finished John 19:30. - tetelestai (τετέλεσται) ... paid in full, nothing more is owed. Fact: In ancient commerce, tetelestai was an accounting term. When a debt was completely paid off, the creditor would write tetelestai across the top of the parchment receipt or tax document. It served as legal proof that the financial obligation had been cancelled and no further balance was owed.Around 3 pm (the ninth hour after 6 am sunrise) Jesus dies - this Pascal lamb was sacrificed at the exact time when the passover lambs were slaughtered at the Holy Temple.

• Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last (Luke 23:44–46). Fact: These events portend the passing of the old order and establishment of a new covenant. Hebrews 9:12 says this is the new and living way to God now open without animal sacrifices.

• Haggai 2:6-7, 9 has prophesied, "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations... and the glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the Lord Almighty." Fact: The earthquake that struck at the moment of His death and the rocks split apart - at the exact moment of Jesus' death. Scripture earth shakes when the law is fulfilled. The moment Jesus is struck, rocks split.

• Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. (Ezekiel 37:12–13). Fact: The tombs carved in stone and sealed were opened but no one comes out of the graves until the Resurrection and many dead people, risen saints, walked through the streets of Jerusalem signifying the beginning of the Messianic age (Matthew 27:51–53).

• So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. (John 19:31–34). The two thieves had their legs broken - a practice called crurifragium - which prevented the crucified victim from pushing themselves up to breathe, hastening their death. According to the Torah, the passover lamb must not have a single bone broken, so seeing Jesus dead they pierce his side and immediately blood and water comes out, consistent with severe trauma leading to death. Fact: Jesus is the Pascal Lamb; Water and blood are now signs of baptism/redemption and sacrifice.

• A Roman Centurion, a Gentile, says that, "Truly this is the son of God." (Mark 15:39, Matthew 27:54, Luke 23:47). Fact: This is someone outside the old covenant seeing the true God, showing that the new covenant is meant for Jews and Gentiles alike.