The Dead Resurrected and Appearing to Many - Matthew 27:53

Matthew the apostle wrote, “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calls for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose”, and in chapter twenty-seven and verse fifty-three of his book, Matthew wrote how many people, “came out of the graves … went into the holy city, and appeared unto many” where we read:

And came out of the graves after his resurrection,

and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

The verse reads, “And came out of the graves after his resurrection, ...” Matthew began words, “and came out of” which means “and emitted, arose and proceeded from” “the graves” or “the sepulchers and tombs” “after his resurrection” which means “after Jesus rose from the dead”. Matthew shared how a great number of people “rose” from their “graves” after Jesus was “resurrected” from His.

The verse goes on to say, “... and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” Matthew continued with the words, “and went into the holy city” or “and entered the pure, morally blameless and religiously and ceremonially consecrated town or habitation which refers to Jerusalem”, “and appeared unto many” or “and manifested and exhibited themselves to many other people”. Matthew shared how these who “rose” from their “graves” entered the city of Jerusalem and showed themselves to “many” people.

When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus' “resurrection” had an immediate effect upon those who previously died. When Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (See John 11:25), and as a preview to come, people who were in their “graves” were raised, went into Jerusalem and showed themselves to “many” other people. Jesus came to give “everlasting life” to every person who will yield their lives to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”, and all who read these words should seek to know and understand the significance of this “resurrection” and submit their lives to Jesus.

Next time Matthew wrote how, “the centurion, and they that were with him” were “saying, Truly this was the Son of God”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.