Awakened Saints: Unveiling the Mystery of Matthew 27:52-53

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We've all experienced the odd occurrence in the Bible, and was left with fringe questions.

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Watch and listen, as we leave no question unanswered.

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Matthew 27, 45 -54 says this, Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

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And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, That is,

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And some of the bystanders hearing it said, And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink.

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But others said, And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yield up his spirit.

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And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks were split.

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The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming out of the tombs, after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

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When the Satorian and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said,

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Truly, this was the Son of God. Within Matthew's gospel lies a mystery, a moment so astonishing, so peculiar, that it has sparked awe, skepticism, and countless debates.

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Here, among the most grave event in history, the death of the sinless Son of God, Matthew's narrative takes an unexpected turn.

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The sixth hour brings an unnatural darkness, a foreboding veil over the land. The cry of the forsaken

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Messiah echoes from Psalm 22, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

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A chilling fulfillment of prophecy. Bystanders misunderstand his pleas, speculating wildly, he's calling

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Elijah. Their curiosity is tinged with mockery as they wait to see if this ancient prophet will intervene.

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Yet with a final, loud cry, Jesus yields his spirit. In consequence,

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God's creation itself reacts. The curtain of the temple, that fabric barrier representing the unbridgeable distance between man and God, tears from top to bottom.

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The earthquakes, the rocks, then cry out in worship to God as they split in witness to Christ's solemn death on the cross.

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And then comes the anomaly, a miracle so strange that it's easy to overlook or dismiss entirely.

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Matthew writes that the tombs were also opened. Then the saints, awakened from their rest, emerged from their graves.

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Be not confused, this resurrection is clearly tied to Jesus's, yet the timing is peculiar.

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The tombs opened upon his death, but the saints do not rise until after his resurrection. Matthew here inserts a disruption in the natural sequence of events, a miraculous time -traveling foreshadow of what is yet to come.

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Matthew doesn't stop there. He records that eyewitnesses saw them. They saw these resurrected saints as they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.

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Can you imagine the shock, the awe, and all of the questions that must have surged through the minds of those who encountered them?

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Right after though, Matthew brings the reader back to standing at the foot of the cross, where the hardened

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Roman soldiers who had mocked and crucified Jesus now tremble. Seeing the sky darken, feeling the earthquake, they are overcome, confessing, truly, this was the

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Son of God. But why does Matthew break the chain of events and record the resurrection of the saints?

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Why play such a miraculous account here at the very moment of Jesus's death? What happened to the saints after their resurrection?

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Were they to die again, or were they taken into heaven with Christ? Better yet, did this event even occur?

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In order to unravel this mystery, we must first understand that Matthew had a purpose in recording the miracle.

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He had a purpose in placing the account where he did, and in this episode of Unanswered, we will discover the miracle that is the resurrection of the sleeping saints upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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First, let's talk about whether or not this actually happened. To answer that, we must consider the context of the book of Matthew.

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This will help us understand whether or not Matthew intended for the reader to think that this was a historical account.

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The author of the book of Matthew, he was the former tax collector who turned disciple, who is recorded in Matthew 9 -9, paralleled within the synoptic gospel accounts in Mark 2 -14 and Luke 5 -27.

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He is also mentioned again in Matthew 10 -3 and in Acts chapter 1. Therefore, within the testimony of Scripture, we find that Matthew was a

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Jewish tax collector, for his name in Mark and in Luke was Levi, and Levi is a

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Jewish name, who upon the calling of Christ set to follow Christ. He was one of the twelve disciples, an eyewitness to the events that unfolded in the gospel of Matthew.

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See, Matthew walked with Jesus, ate with Jesus, he knew Jesus as friend, teacher, and finally

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Messiah. The focal point of the gospel of Matthew is to show that Jesus Christ was indeed the

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Messianic Savior who was spoken of in the Scriptures. And when I say Scriptures, I'm talking about what we now call the

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Old Testament, the Scriptures of Matthew's time. Therefore, Matthew's audience, those who would read the gospel of Matthew, would have been largely

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Jewish. But again, he does not leave out the Gentile crowd. He wants all to know and believe that Jesus Christ is

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God, that he came to fulfill the will of the Father and to bring his kingdom to the earth. Matthew does so in such a way throughout his gospel that he highlights the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy with regards to specific judgment language used by the

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Old Testament prophets about the coming of the kingdom of God and the judgment that takes place first in the house of Israel.

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This is important to understand because when Matthew is writing about the death of Christ, he is speaking literally.

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These events are not to be taken allegorically. Matthew is giving an account of God's fulfillment of history in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is all promised from where, guys?

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The Old Testament Scriptures. He is showing how God in history upheld his promises to Abraham, Moses, and the prophets.

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In other words, what we find here is that Matthew is making crucial details known about the eyewitness accounts of what occurred through the power of God upon the death of Christ.

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It's easy to just look at what happened and go, wow, you know, God's powerful. But what

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I want you to understand is that each miracle that has occurred here has its purpose. Our God is a

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God of order. He is not the author of confusion, and he has declared the end from the beginning. There is significance to what

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Matthew recorded, and let's look at each miracle from this account to get the point across. Matthew 27, 45 speaks of darkness over the land.

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This is what Matthew recorded. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

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Check this out. Amos 8, 9 states, And on that day, declares the Lord, I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.

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I want to let you know the sixth hour is noon. But here's the context of Amos. Amos speaks of a time when

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Israel was going to face judgment for their constant disobedience. The height of this coming judgment will be made known when the sun will go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.

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Now the darkness was threefold. It represented the spiritual darkness, which is the separation between God and man.

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It also represented the wrath that was poured out upon Jesus on the cross. It was also a sign that judgment was soon to come upon the house of Israel.

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This prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew 27, 45, when the Son of God was dying on the cross at the hands of his own people.

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Now, continuing on in Matthew 27, 46, Jesus cries out, My God, my

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God, why have you forsaken me? Upon hearing this, the Jews should have repented in sackcloth and ashes.

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And notice this. Jesus is directly quoting from Psalm 22, 1, which is the messianic psalm that gives in detail prophecy of the death of the

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Messiah, along with the resurrection of that Messiah, which is played out in the end of the psalm.

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But this is also perfectly paralleled with Isaiah 53, 10, which states this, that it was the

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Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer. Again, though, like Psalm 22, Isaiah ends with messianic themes of redemption and resurrection.

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If the people of Israel had ears to hear at this time, they would have begged the Lord for forgiveness in this moment.

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Now, let's continue on. Let's look at the offer of sour wine. Matthew 27, 48 states this,

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Immediately, one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink.

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Now, it's easy to overlook this section of Scripture. But remember, Matthew is noting these events for a purpose, and there's nothing purposeless in God's universe, especially when we are dealing with the death of Jesus.

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This was the fulfillment of Psalm 69, 21, which stated, They gave me vinegar for my thirst.

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And when you have time, read the entire psalm. Everything after 69, 21 deals with judgment upon those who gave the poison to eat and sour wine to drink.

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And the psalm even foreshadows the rescuing of that poisoned individual by the

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Lord, and all those who are his offspring will also be rescued. It is quite amazing.

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Again, all of Israel is watching Jesus die. And when they are watching him die, and they see these things happening, they should have been repenting in sackcloth and ashes.

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They should have known better. Well, what comes next? It's noted from the sixth hour to the ninth hour, which would have been from twelve to three o 'clock in the afternoon,

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Jesus finally gave up his spirit. These last details that Matthew recorded were the last three hours of Jesus' life.

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Three hours of intense suffering, not to mention the hours and hours of beatings, lashings, all of the torture that he already faced.

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Matthew is here showing us, to all who read this gospel, that when the darkness was over the face of the earth, the

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Son of God, the light of the world, because of his great love for the Father, and in turn his love for those whom the

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Father has given to him, he became the sacrifice. The great high priest in the order of Melchizedek was presented on the mercy seat before the

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Father. His body endured the wrath of God on behalf of his people, bones not broken but out of joint, heart melted like wax with a company of evildoers that surrounded him.

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They opened their mouths against him. And in these final moments of Christ upon the mountain, where God withheld his hand against Abraham's offspring

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Isaac, the Father did not withhold his wrath from the Son of his love, but instead he handed the light of the world into the darkness, the wickedness of the hands of his people.

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He came to his own, like John recorded, but his own did not receive him. Please listen carefully.

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When Abraham came upon the mountain with his son Isaac, carrying the wood upon his back, an altar was made out of that wood to sacrifice

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Isaac upon it. But in the heat of the moment when Abraham lifted up his knife to slaughter his son,

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God set his face upon Abraham and called to him. He stopped Abraham.

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And Abraham replies, Here I am. But here's the juxtaposition which is set in stone.

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The promise was that God would provide the sacrifice. The angel of the Lord, the pre -incarnate

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Christ, foreshadowed his own death upon the same mountain. Do not miss this.

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More than a millennia later, the Father set his face against the Son. The Father did not call out to Christ upon the altar.

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He did not stop his wrath from being placed on Christ. Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, my

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God, my God, why have you forsaken me? The only righteous one to ever walk the earth has

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God's face set against him. In that moment, the

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Father was silent. He called out, but the Father was silent. And I imagine Christ again in his final moments, crying out, shouting,

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Here I am, but with no response. The God of promise upheld his promise at the expense of his unique and only

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Son. This was indeed the darkest moment in history. He was poured out like water.

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And there it was recorded in Matthew 27, 50. And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit, fulfilling what was spoken of from the prophets.

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Isaiah 53, 12 records, he poured out his life unto death and was numbered with the transgressors.

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Jesus's voluntary death fulfills the prophecy of the suffering servant who gives himself for the sins of others.

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And Psalm 31, 5 states, Into your hands I commit my spirit. Though the face of God was set against Christ, Jesus still trusts in God.

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And at the moment of his death, make no mistake, Jesus gave up his life. He considered it not something worth to be held on to.

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For there is no greater love than this, the one who lays his life down for his friends.

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This is our God of glory, the righteous one, willingly humiliated on our behalf.

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Though he knew no sin, he became sin, that we, unworthy people, may inherit the righteousness of God.

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Check this out. Matthew records that before the creation itself reacts to the death of Christ, something else happens.

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Matthew 27, 51 states, At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

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This is of paramount importance, guys. Don't miss this. Exodus 26, 31 -33 shows that the veil in the tabernacle symbolized separation between God and humanity.

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And Isaiah 25, 7 tells us this, On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations.

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This tearing of the curtain signifies the removal of the barrier between God and humanity, fulfilling the promise of restored access to God.

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In that moment, just as the earth was rocked when sin entered into the world, where every deep crevice of the earth, every beast of the field and fowl of the air was infected with sin, the creation now responded to a reconciled relationship with God.

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And we're told in Matthew 27, 51, The earth shook, the rocks split. I'm guessing by now you must understand the impact behind why

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Matthew is recording this. Your first thought ought to be, why an earthquake?

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Well, earthquakes in prophetic literature often signified God's direct intervention into history, particularly in judgment or redemption.

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But in this case, it's both judgment and redemption. Nahum 1, 5 -6 states this,

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The earth trembles at his presence. When the curtain was torn, the presence of God invades the earth.

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The earthquake. The present earthquake mentioned in Matthew is that of coming judgment, but it is also a sign for the restoration of the world as well.

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Therefore, this event mentioned will be followed by more earthquakes. Again, this is a sign for Israel to repent.

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Do you see the theme? If only they would have listened to the prophets. Therefore, the crucifixion's earthly shaking prefigures the ultimate renewal of creation and the shaking that was soon to come again.

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Now, Haggai 2, 6 tells us this, And Zechariah 14, 4 -5 details future earthquakes that are described as accompanying the

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Lord's redemptive acts. Please understand that the writer of Hebrews, this is so important, also tells us that God will once more shake the heavenly places.

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And he relates that the kingdom we receive is one that cannot be shaken. This is in reference to the end of the age with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

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Listen to this, Hebrews 12, 26 -29 states, This phrase yet once more indicates the removal of things that are shaken, that is, things that have been made, in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

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And then he tells us here, verse 28, Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

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And thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

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Matthew is telling his Jewish audience that the kingdom of God is coming to invade earth and judgment is coming.

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And this is consistent with Matthew's theme within prophetic literature all throughout his gospel, guys.

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Let's take Matthew 24 during the Olivet Discourse given by Christ, for example.

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He tells his disciples this in verse 29 of Matthew 24, He then states in verse 34 -35 of Matthew 24,

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Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. What we find taking place here in Matthew 27 is the earthquake prior to the shaking of the heavens.

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This is a sign to the Jews that judgment is coming. Repent. Matthew has been saying this whole time with every fulfillment of prophecy recorded, repent.

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And now within the context of Matthew 27, we find in verse 25 the bloodthirsty people of Israel stating this.

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This is what they said, Any first century

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Jew reading Matthew's gospel would have realized the importance of what he was communicating.

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Judgment is coming. This generation, like Jesus promised, will face the wrath of God.

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And God gave them many signs at the death and resurrection of Christ. Thank you for bearing with me, guys.

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I understand that we've taken quite a bit of time to get now to the section of scripture that we wanted to really get into today on Unanswered.

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It was of the utmost importance for you to understand the degree to which Matthew was explaining the miraculous events that literally happened in order to show you that God is fulfilling prophecy and how to the

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Jew it was a sign that judgment is soon to come to Israel. We must be very clear these events took place in history.

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They are miraculous and must not be taken figuratively or allegorically. Now we find that after the earth quaked,

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Matthew records this in 27, 52 through 53. So what's really cool here is we find that after the earth quakes, the tombs made of stone also opened.

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And so he's staying within the sequence of the events during the crucifixion, but he jumps instantly ahead in time to tell us that after the resurrection of Jesus, the saints within these tombs rose from the dead and came out to be a witness to Israel of the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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What we find here is a foreshadow that occurred that points to the future resurrection at the end of time that all believers will have.

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This was just a taste of what was to come. A partial fulfillment of prophecy.

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It is a foreshadowing of the general resurrection at the end of time. Now at the resurrection of Christ, I want to make note that it doesn't say all of the saints who were dead were resurrected after Christ, but some.

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This is a sign of the coming redemption, but also a sign of judgment to the house of Israel. Why? This initial resurrection is a partial fulfillment of Isaiah 26, 19, which states,

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But your dead will live, Lord, their bodies will rise. Let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy.

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Ezekiel 37, 12 through 14, which states, I will open your graves and bring you up from them.

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And even Daniel 12, 2, where God says multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake. The resurrection of the saints in Matthew 27, 52 through 53 did occur, and it demonstrated the power of God and anticipates the eschatological hope of life for his people.

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For the Jew, they should have repented. God did what he promised with the fulfillment of what happens when the

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Messiah comes. This was no accident. It's a divine signpost pointing not only to the significance of Christ's sacrifice, but to the power of his resurrection.

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This moment, strange and wondrous as it is, serves as a proclamation. Death has been defeated.

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The grave has lost its grip and the reign of the Messiah has begun. For the Jew during this time frame who was reading

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Matthew, the only way to escape the punishment of God was not found in the temple, for the veil had been torn, but to be born again by the

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Spirit of God through the power of the gospel. Now this brings us to the question that is probably in everyone's minds.

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What happened to these individuals who rose from the dead? Did they die again? Or were they taken up into heaven with Christ at his ascension in Acts 1?

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Well, there's a host of different viewpoints on this matter. Let us first consider some commentary from the early church.

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Cyril of Jerusalem states from Catechetical Lectures 14, He, Christ, descended into hell alone, but ascended to vents with a great company, for he went down to death, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose through him.

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And here he's commenting on Matthew 27, and he cites Ephesians 4 .8, which has to do with the ascension of Christ into heaven, meaning that it appears

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Cyril believed that these saints were never to die again. Clement of Alexandria from Stromata Book 6 states this, and translation through the economy of the

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Savior. The gospel says that many bodies of those that slept arose, plainly as having been translated to a better state.

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So it appears Clement believed that these individuals received their glorified bodies and ascended with Christ into heaven never to die again.

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Now, Tertullian, on the other hand, in his defense against Marcion, Book 4, does not address whether or not the saints went to heaven.

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He states this, Now, this appears to be in line with the thought that this miracle, though it did occur, was a sign to the

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Jews that Jesus Christ is indeed the Messiah, as an evidence of divine judgment.

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We could go over more and more quotes about what John Calvin, Matthew Henry, and others believed about this account.

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However, there is something more important that we need to discuss. Here it is. Scripture is silent on this.

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And this is what's most important. I believe that where Scripture is silent, we must respect it. It is okay to speculate where Scripture is silent, but it is not okay to impose where Scripture is silent.

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You can make up your own mind on what happened to the saints after the resurrection. What I know is that there is a scriptural precedent for people who are raised from the dead, who do indeed die again.

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We also have scriptural precedents of people ascending into heaven who had never died.

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Enoch and Elijah, for example. Furthermore, we have scriptural precedents that teaches that at the end of all time, all men will be raised for judgment, the just and the unjust.

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Those who are still alive when Christ returns, they will be caught up into the sky. I believe it is at that time where all men in Christ will receive their glorified bodies, including the saints that were resurrected after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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The resurrection that occurred in Matthew 27, 52 -53 was a miracle, and it indeed did happen.

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And it was the shadow, the precursor of the future resurrection that all will have, either to receive wrath for all eternity for rejecting the

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Messiah, or to receive glorified bodies to inherit the earth restored through the blood of Jesus Christ by the power of the gospel, living with God for all eternity.

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So to summarize this, this is not a tale meant to provoke mere wonder. It's a historical account, rich with theological purpose, demanding reflection.

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Each detail points to the power and glory of God, unveiled in the death and resurrection of His Son. The mystery of the risen saints may confound the skeptic, but for the believer, it is a foretaste of the resurrection life promised to all who are in Christ.

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The question is not merely what happened, but what it means for us, for eternity, and for the kingdom of God.

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The veil has been torn. The graves have been opened. What will you do with this truth? Will you be like the

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Jews who rejected the Messiah? Or will you be like the Roman centurions, the

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Gentiles, in the last verse, who said, Truly, truly, this is the

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Son of God. Think about it. Until next time, let's consider this one silent.