" And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."
Matthew 27:52-53
Matthew, in his Gospel, gives us the details of what happened when Christ died on the cross (Matthew 27:45-52). Each of these details is worthy of our study and has tremendous significance for the believer, but for the sake of time and space, we will look at verses 52-53.
“And the graves were opened.”
This statement makes sense, for, in verse 51, Matthew said, “and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.” When Jesus “yielded up the ghost” even nature mourned. Her Creator has given His life’s blood for the sins of His creatures. The ground shook, and the rocks were torn apart, resulting in the graves of some of God’s Old Testament saints breaking open. On the cross, Jesus has been victorious in paying for the sins of mankind. As the “Prince of life” died, the “sleeping places” of many of His saints opened. And as Lazarus did, these saints awaited their wake-up call.
“And many bodies of the saints which slept arose.”
We are not told how these sleeping Saints were awakened. I would like to think they each heard their own name spoken to them the way Lazarus did. But regardless of how they were roused, the fact is they got up out of their graves. Those who had been dead were now alive in bodies of flesh and blood.
Think of the gospel truth here! As Jesus Christ the Redeemer expired, the graves of these slumbering saints were opened, symbolically proclaiming, “death is swallowed up in victory!”[1]
“And came out of the graves after His resurrection.”
And these believers followed Jesus out of their graves! He arose, and then brought saints with Him from the dead! How fitting that it was Jesus Christ who was the first to rise.
“That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:23).
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20).
“But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Corinthians 15:23).
“And went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”
As I look back at many of the extraordinary events in the Bible, this is one that I would love to have seen. We don’t know who Jesus took from the grave with Him, but surely some of them must have been recognizable to those who were still alive in Jerusalem. Imagine the surprise and the spontaneous reunions as old friends were reunited. Imagine the testimony of God’s immense power shown to the ungodly leaders in Jerusalem. Jesus Christ’s life and ministry are vindicated before those who put Him on the cross. And still, the leadership refused to believe.
On that day, “many saints” arose with Christ. But not “all the Old Testament saints.” The next resurrection, it will be “all saints” who are sleeping in Christ that will be raised up together. O glorious day!
[1] See Jamison, Fausset, and Brown’s thoughts for this passage. Jamison-Fausset-Brown’s Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.