“The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after [Jesus] resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many” (Matthew 27:52–53).
October is a favorite month for a lot of people. Many quaintly call this time of year “spooky season” because of what happens at the end of the month—Halloween!
I’ve never been that big on Halloween. We had some decorations growing up, and my siblings and I would dress up and go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. But we never went all-out like some people do. In some yards (even already at the beginning of the month!) you can see large skeletons, inflatable pumpkins, and many decorations colored with orange, black, and purple signifying the season.
As this time of year comes again, I pondered the images on the windows in our
church’s sanctuary—and I landed on the one featured here. It is from the north window depicting images of Christ’s Passion. Many of the other images are what you would expect surrounding Jesus’ death. There is the chalice overflowing with blood, the spear that pierced Jesus’ side, the temple curtain torn in two, and even the sponge that was filled with sour wine. But one of the three prominent images at the top is of something depicted only in Matthew’s gospel: the tombs of the saints being opened at the moment of Jesus’ death on the cross.
Matthew sets the scene this way: “Behold, the curtain in the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook and the rocks were split.” (Matthew 27:51). It must have sounded like the end of the world! No wonder the centurion who saw all this said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (v. 54). The rocks splitting coincides with the opening of the saints’ tombs in the following verses.
What Matthew describes raises many questions: which saints were raised? What happened to them after they appeared? And when did they come out of the tombs, because Matthew writes, “and coming out of the tombs after [Jesus’] resurrection they went into the holy city…” (v. 53). Did these saints wake up, sit in the tombs until Sunday, then come out?
These questions have led some to believe the saints didn’t rise—at least, not literally. Some believe the saints may have appeared to have risen, or that they were apparitions that only seemed alive. But to believe this would also lead one to say that the temple curtain wasn’t torn in two, or that the earth didn’t shake. If these events happened, so too did the resurrection of the saints. So, what does this mean? And why did Matthew record it?
Well, Matthew recorded this for the same reason he recorded the rest of the Gospel: it happened! He and many others were eyewitnesses (2 Peter 1:16). I would imagine this resurrection was like others in the Gospel—like Lazarus, or Jairus’ daughter. And, like these events, the resurrection of the saints carries a similar meaning. When Lazarus was raised, it was so the people could see the glory of God (John 11:40). When the saints are raised, we also see God’s glory. The death of Christ is the final payment for sins. It satisfies the wrath of God against sin which first came into the world at the fall of Adam and Eve. It fulfills the debt incurred by mankind—and as a result it leads to life. The saints who are raised are ones who died long ago. We don’t know who they were, but because they are called saints, we can conclude that they followed God’s covenant. They relied on God’s grace and mercy, offering atoning sacrifices while waiting for God’s Messiah. And now that He has come, and has paid the full price for their sins, God gives them and us a glimpse of the reward—physical life after death. When the tombs are opened, we see the glory of God.
Now, the gift these saints received was not eternal life. Like Lazarus and others before them, they would die again to await the second coming of Christ. But their appearance provided hope—for those who saw them and for us. So, as I approach this spooky season, I give thanks for the image reminding me of our Lord who split the tombs of the saints. The open tombs remind us that our tombs will one day be opened—never to be closed again. And this is a reason for us to celebrate and give thanks to God!
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