Saints were Raised
Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:51-54
Do we who believe have a sure hope of a resurrected life? God has not left us without assurances. The miracle of the resurrection of a select group of saints as recorded in Matthew’s gospel seems to be given as one such assurance.
The details matter here. Matthew’s description lacks the detail one might expect from someone who is sensationalizing a story. There is no embellishment of the narrative. It is bare facts. Just enough to let us know what happened.
These tombs were opened the moment Christ died, but these saints did not rise from the dead until after Christ’s resurrection. The tombs, like the one Christ was buried in, were not graves dug out of the ground like we might use today. They were sepulchers, caves in the hills over which large stones were rolled to cover the entrance. Typically, they were not burial places for one individual but would be used for several people over time.
Thus, when Matthew says, “The rocks were split. The tombs also were opened,” he seems to be saying the rocks that were covered the entrance to these tombs were the ones that were split. These weren’t random rocks lying about breaking in two. These were the stones, like the one covering Jesus' tomb, but they were not gently rolled away. Rather, they were violently broken in two.
This, I believe is God’s way of demonstrating the effect of Jesus’ death on death itself. “O’ death where is your victory?” Christ conquered death through His death and split the grave open.
Another important detail Matthew includes is the timing of this resurrection. These saints were not raised until after Christ’s resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection preceded theirs. This is important. Our resurrection depends on His. He is the firstfruits. If Christ has not risen, we have no hope of being raised ourselves.
It seems that God is demonstrating through this resurrection miracle what the resurrection of Christ means for the saints. Because He has been raised, we also shall be raised. And it is a bodily resurrection. Matthew is careful to say that. “Many bodies of the saints…”
Who were these resurrected saints? We can’t say with certainty. Most likely they were some of the first followers of Christ, His disciples who had died before His death. I doubt this was a resurrection of significant Old Testament saints like David. These were most likely run-of-the-mill followers of Christ. People like you and me. Men and women who put their trust in Christ and through sickness, accident, or old age had “fallen asleep” in the Lord.
God was not obligated to do this. The resurrection of Christ is enough evidence of what the future holds for those who believe. But God is merciful and kind and gives us more than the bare minimum for belief. He gives us strong evidence. And so, to demonstrate the effectual power of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God raises a few saints and says, “This is what awaits those who believe. Your graves will be opened also. And you will walk out in a new body, alive forevermore.”
