Groundbreaking news

It was March 27th, 1964 and at around half past five in the afternoon the working population of Alaska was returning home for the evening. It was to these unsuspecting people that a ground breaking event took place. Literally ground breaking.  At 9.2 on the Richter scale and lasting over 4 minutes, the most powerful earthquake ever in US and North American history struck causing colossal loss of life and untold damage.

 

It happened on Good Friday. Hundreds of years earlier another earthquake struck on Good Friday, an event once again marked by significant loss of life. The epicentre was a hill just outside of Jerusalem and unlike most earthquakes that cause death, it was death that caused the ground to shake. As Christians all over the world remember Jesus’ death on the cross on that first Good Friday, our thoughts are focussed on the events surrounding the crucifixion. As well as reading the gospel narratives, we sing hymns and songs about the cross and this Easter time I discovered a new song by the popular song writer Stuart Townend, entitled The Power of the Cross.

 

The song leaves behinds most of its contemporary peers by virtue of the fact that the words have meaning and theological content. Sitting with 5000 people in the Royal Albert Hall watching Stuart perform the song on Easter Saturday caused me to ponder the words he was singing:

 

Now the daylight flees, now the ground beneath

Quakes as its Maker bows His head.

Curtain torn in two; Dead are raised to life;

Finished! the victory cry.

 

Why did the ground quake when Christ died? (Read the account in Matthew 27). Perhaps there is a link with Genesis 3 v 17 (the ground being cursed), but what I think is more noteworthy is the fact that God sent an earthquake to let men know that something serious had happened. Cast your mind to the few occasions in scripture when God causes the earth to quake:

 

Exodus 19 v 18 - An appropriate setting for the giving of God’s holy law, a reflection of His holiness and moral character;  1 Samuel 14 v 15 - God showing His power over armies;  1 Kings 19 v 11 - Elijah experiences God’s presence in preparation for his future ministry;  Acts 16 v 26 - An earthquake is used to help establish the early church in Macedonia;  Revelation 11 v 19 - The end of the world is marked by a mighty earthquake.

 

When God shook the earth, He was telling men to wake up and take notice.

 

The other references to earthquakes in the Bible are mainly concerned with God’s anger and wrath at sin which is leading to judgement, graphically illustrated for us by pictures of earthquakes and other such events (Psalm 77 v 18; Isaiah 13 v 13), and when God is angry, men need to wake up and listen.  When, like Israel, the church has lost its edge (1 Samuel 13) and is heading away from God, it needs to wake up and listen to God again, marvel at His power and His willingness to help us.

 

This generation, alas, is no different to the people in Christ’s day: “show us a sign…” (Matthew 16 v 1 - 4). But notice the divine answer to the people then: “No sign will be given except that sign of the prophet Jonah…” Jonah? The one who spent three days in the belly of a fish before being spewed out? What does that symbolise? After Jesus died and the ground shook He was placed in a tomb and for three days remained there - dead - but then came the glorious rising from the dead, the resurrection, the confirmation of His power over death and His victory over sin.

 

And what event marked the Resurrection? Matthew 28 v 2: “There was a violent earthquake…”

 

A truly ground breaking event that should cause the church to wake up and do something, namely live in resurrection power and preach in it, glory in it and look forward to worshipping in it with the angels for eternity.

 

Restore, O Lord

The honour of Your name

In works of sovereign power

Come shake the earth again

That men may see

And come with reverent fear

To the living God

Whose kingdom shall outlast the years.       

(G. Kendrick)

 

Let that be our prayer that God in His mercy would metaphorically shake the earth again, to cause sinful men to wake up and listen to Him, before the world quakes before Him in judgement.