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Day 7: Resurrection Revisited; The Calvary Miracles, Matthew 27:52

Do you sometimes wish you could know more about certain biblical events than what is revealed to us in Scripture? Matthew 27:52 records one such incident that piques my curiosity.

This brief verse tells us that people whose graves had flown open following the subterranean aftershocks of Christ’s crucifixion suddenly began showing up in town. In person. Alive.

I can’t help but wonder why this remarkable story would be given such scant attention in the narrative. All we get is a tiny slice of barebones reporting: “They came out of the tombs after his resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many” (Matt. 27:53).

Dead people disinterred and walking around town? Surely such a miraculous moment calls for a little more elaboration!

But let’s simply go where the biblical account leads us. These were “saints,” the Bible says—literally, “holy ones,” probably Old Testament believers who had died looking forward to and trusting in the redeeming work of Jesus the Messiah. After coming out of their tombs, they physically “appeared” to people, most likely to other believers, just as Jesus did following His own resurrection (1 Cor. 15:4–7). So there’s power at work here. The power of God. The earthquakes that cracked these tombs open were not just random tremors. They clearly coincided with the spiritual convulsions of the crucifixion.

But beyond this extraordinary evidence of God’s power, we see also signs of His provision. By multiplying the proof of what the resurrection represents, He gave Christ’s followers exactly what He knew they would need in days to come, thus demonstrating His love and care for them.

Imagine how the sight of these resurrected saints must have served to bolster the disciples’ faith, to give them hope, and to remind them that

• Christ’s death had truly put death to death.
• Christ was (and is) indeed the resurrection and the life.
• Christ was (is) the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20).
• Every person who dies in Him will be raised in Him, brought back from the dead to live with Him forever.

The community of early believers needed this visible, tangible encouragement of rubbing shoulders with resurrected saints as preparation for the challenges of faith that lay ahead for them. At any time in the future when their spiritual supplies were running low, they’d be able to look back and remember their interactions with the truly dead who were now truly alive.

They needed it. God knew they needed it. And God gave them what they needed.

God still—always—provides what His people need. And He will give you and me exactly what He knows we need, in preparation for every trial to our faith that lies ahead.

Let me suggest another important takeaway for our encouragement from this account recorded in Matthew’s gospel: perspective.

The soldiers who witnessed the earthquake and the other wonders surrounding the crucifixion “were filled with awe” (Matt. 27:54 esv). No doubt the same was true of those who encountered these newly resurrected saints. This was all so fresh and amazing to the participants in these world-changing events.

Yet I’m struck by how easy it is for us to lose our sense of wonder over what took place on that historic weekend. Is it possible that His great, redeeming, life-giving works have become both too familiar and too distant in our eyes and hearts? Have we lost confidence in what He can do— what He is still doing today?

God’s power to move heaven and earth, to awaken those who are spiritually dead, to bring them to life, grant forgiveness, and change the entire trajectory of people’s lives, is no less a miracle than the earth quaking and all those saints coming out of their tombs in anticipation of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Charles Spurgeon said it like this:

“These first miracles wrought in connection with the death of Christ were typical of spiritual wonders that will be continued till He comes again—rocky hearts are rent, graves of sin are opened, those who have been dead in trespasses and sins and buried in sepulchers of lust and evil are quickened and come out from among the dead.”[1]

Praise God, the resurrection story is not limited to a given historical moment. God’s miraculous story is still being written today in us and in the lives of others around us who are coming to life by the power of

the resurrected Christ. Opening our eyes and our hearts to that reality can energize our faith and renew our joy.

And here’s one final takeaway from this intriguing little snippet of Scripture: not only does it remind us of God’s power, His provision, and His gift of fresh perspective; but it also provides the promise of resurrection miracles yet to come. Thinking of friends and loved ones who have died in the Lord, I find great joy in knowing that their souls are now in His presence. And that one day—the great Resurrection Day—their physical bodies will be raised and glorified. On that day you and I will also be raised to live forever with our resurrected Christ.

What a wonder this is! And what a triumph it will be.

Father in heaven, thank You for knowing what we need—and supplying it. Thank You that You are still bringing dead souls to life. Thank You for the promise that one day my dead body will be raised in glory, never to die again. And in the meantime, thank You for the gift of daily hope through the resurrection life of Jesus within me.

AMEN.

For more devotions that focus on who Jesus is and what He has done for us, consider Incomparable: 50 Days with Jesus by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth.

[1] Charles H. Spurgeon, Commentary on Matthew: The Gospel of the Kingdom, Matthew 27:50, Spurgeon Gems, www.spurgeongems.org/chs_matthew. pdf. Note: This commentary was originally published in 1893 (shortly after Spurgeon’s death) under the title The Gospel of the Kingdom.