Big Idea: The taunts from the onlookers, soldiers, and leaders are overturned by God’s supernatural intervention in the tearing of the veil and the unconscious testimony of the centurion to the true nature of the one crucified.

Understanding the Text

The events in verses 38–41 and the burial in verses 42–47 provide the aftermath of Jesus’s death and a transition to his resurrection. The mockery and horror of his crucifixion lead to the divine affirmation of the actual significance of his death, and both the Gentile centurion and the faithful women followers function as witnesses to that significance. His honorable burial provides the transition from his death to his resurrection.

Interpretive Insights

15:38  The curtain of the temple was torn in two. Matthew 27:51 reports an earthquake…