and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints fallen asleep arose,
Jesus dies, and the signs come fast: the temple curtain tears, the earth shakes, rocks split, tombs open. Readers still ask why graves opened at a death, why these saints did not rise until later, and what became of them.
One writer hears in the open tombs a word spoken to death itself:
"The earth shook, and the rocks were split" — every sphere felt the touch of the victor. He made His touch felt in heaven and on earth. "And the tombs also were opened," as if it were said to death, Until now you have had a right to hold, but no more.
Another writer notes what Matthew adds next, and who now holds the keys of death:
The first Gospel mentions the earth shaken, the rocks split, and the tombs opened. It takes care to add that after Christ's resurrection many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, left the tombs, entered the holy city, and appeared to many. This is a bright testimony to the victory after His atoning death. By that death He annulled the devil's might, and He Himself has the keys of death and of Hades.
The tombs open at the death, but the bodies come out only after His rising. One writer explains the order:
They do not come out of their graves till "after His resurrection." They do not rise till then. The reason is plain: Christ is the "firstfruits" of those who have fallen asleep, the "firstborn from the dead," and no one could go before Him. Yet the graves open when the Lord dies. His death is what opens them. We are meant to see the link between that death and the appearing of living men brought up out of death. These were no ghosts, we are assured. "Bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep" rose — not to take up their place among men again, but as those who belong to another sphere.
Matthew records this beside the death, though it happened three days later. One writer asks why:
Why is it mentioned here and not in the next chapter in connection with His own resurrection? It belongs there historically. The Holy Spirit puts it here to show the effect of the great work finished on the cross, the power of our Saviour's death. Death is now to be swallowed up in victory... His death has finished the great work of deliverance, and this makes resurrection possible.
One writer ties this to the torn curtain three days earlier:
So three days passed between the tearing of the curtain and the resurrection of the saints. The Holy Spirit has still joined the two, because both alike are the fruits of the death of Christ. The tearing of the curtain speaks of the power of His precious blood. The raising of these saints tells just as clearly of Him who is the resurrection and the life.
Matthew's words settle what "sleep" means in Scripture:
Resurrection teaches that what is dead is raised. It must therefore apply to the body, for it is the body that dies, not the soul. We read, "many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised."
Commentators differ here. One argues these saints were not like Lazarus, who came back to normal life and died again:
There would be no point in saying "after His resurrection," seeing that He is the firstfruits, if these saints were like Lazarus and died again. They had risen bodies. They did not go on living here again like Lazarus. I take it these belong to the company of those who have part in the first resurrection.
Another calls the question itself idle curiosity:
It is a question of the bodies of saints — a precious anticipation of the first resurrection, when death will be swallowed up in victory. Someone may ask, "What became of them?" No one knows, because God has not said. The fact itself is a testimony rendered to the efficacy of the death of Jesus. The question comes only from man's empty curiosity, and God does not reveal things to satisfy it.
- Cause — The tombs open the moment Jesus dies; His death, not merely His rising, is what breaks the grave's claim.
- Order — No one may go before the firstfruits, so the bodies wait and come out only after His resurrection.
- Placement — Matthew reports it beside the cross to show what the cross achieved. The torn curtain and the open tombs are twin fruits of one death.
- Reach — They entered the city and appeared to many. On the ground where He was condemned, His death broke the devil's might.
- Result — A foretaste of the first resurrection. What happened to them next, Scripture does not say.
and going out of the tombs after his arising, entered into the holy city and appeared unto many.
The graves near Jerusalem opened at the moment Jesus died, yet the bodies inside did not walk out until the third day. Matthew alone records this. The gap between those two moments — the opened tomb and the raised body — carries the meaning of the whole scene.
The order is deliberate. Death broke the graves open, but no one left them ahead of Christ.
Notice the unusual way Matthew here ties this resurrection of the saints to the work of atonement. They do not come out of their graves till "after His resurrection." They do not actually rise till then. The reason is plain: Christ is the "firstfruits" of those who sleep, the "Firstborn from the dead," so no one could go before Him. On the other hand, it is when the Lord dies that the graves open: it is this that opens them. We are meant to see the connection between this death and the appearing of living men brought up out of death. This was no mere phantom, we are assured. "Bodies of the saints that slept" were rising — not to take their place among men again, but as those who belong to another sphere, glowing with its light.
In time this happened after the resurrection. Matthew still reports it beside the cross.
Historically it was only after the resurrection of Jesus that the dead rose and appeared to many in Jerusalem, as a witness to what had been done. Yet the fact stands here connected with the death of Jesus. By this death Christ accomplished the work of deliverance, and that work made resurrection possible. This event bore witness to that work in an extraordinary way. It is a question of the bodies of saints — a precious anticipation of the first resurrection, when death will be swallowed up in victory.
Only some graves gave up their dead.
All around Jerusalem lay the graves of those who had died. But Christ, the Firstfruits, rose from among the dead. He was the "Firstborn among many brothers" (Rom. 8:29). He was the "Firstborn from among the dead" (Col. 1:18; the ESV reads "the firstborn from the dead"). And with Him, after His resurrection, many bodies of the saints rose also. But not one grave of an unbeliever was stirred to let him rise.
One writer traces this back to God's purpose for His own people.
Why did the bodies of these saints come forth? Because God would not separate His people from Him in resurrection. His own people should first be raised up in blessing. He would not have it hidden that He was raised from the dead. "Ah, Satan, you can do nothing! You cannot keep the prisoners. The prison door bursts open, and they escape." Looking at these bodies of the saints, we may see their rising as a stamp put by God on the resurrection of His Son. He would not let Him come up from the grave alone.
The words "appeared to many" do real work as evidence.
Such wonderful testimony as "many saints coming out of their graves" after Christ's resurrection was certainly not useless. It showed that death was then overcome. To give such testimony they had to appear. They appeared "to many." That ruled out one person's overheated imagination. It also ruled out an invented story from a few supporters of Jesus' claims.
Jerusalem had just crucified its Messiah, yet Matthew still gives it this title.
Some may wonder why Scripture calls Jerusalem the "holy city." Even at the time of the crucifixion Matthew calls it "the holy city" (Matt. 4:5; Matt. 27:53). But the word "holy" has two different meanings. Sometimes it means holy in nature, as God is holy. But it also means "set apart," or devoted — as the temple, the city, the land are holy because chosen by Him.
Matthew names none of them. Commentators differ on how far the wording lets us go. One draws what he can from it:
They must have been people of that generation, who had been known, and so this was a striking testimony to the value of the death of Christ. What happened to them after that is not stated, but the language does not sound as if they remained.
Another writer stops the question at the door:
Perhaps someone will ask, "What became of them?" No one knows, because God has not said. The fact itself is a testimony to the power of the death of Jesus. The question only comes from the empty curiosity of man, and God does not make revelations to satisfy that curiosity.
- Cause — His death opened the graves. The bodies came out after His resurrection. Both halves of the verse trace back to the cross.
- Order — No one could rise ahead of the Firstfruits. Christ keeps first place in the world of resurrection.
- Selection — Only saints rose. No unbeliever's grave stirred. This is an anticipation of the first resurrection.
- Witness — They "appeared to many." Many people saw them, so this was not one person's imagination or a small group's invention.
- Silence — Scripture does not say where they went. The fact itself testifies to the power of Christ's death, and God does not answer mere curiosity.