Matthew 27:52,53
Some commentators consider this to be one
of the more difficult passages in the book of Matthew. There certainly are a
lot of questions raised from the text.
For example: Who exactly was raised and why them and not others? If they
were raised when Jesus died and did not go into town until after He was
resurrected, what did they do in the meantime? Did they have glorified bodies?
Did they have to die again? We shall look at a solution to these issues in the
message today, but we shall not spend a lot of time there.
Our investigation will not take long, but
it will take us to a far greater subject, and that is the subject of the
resurrection itself. Two weeks ago, we mentioned that the death of Christ was
the most important event to ever take place on Planet Earth. Paul writes with
that same conviction about the resurrection of the Lord. Paul’s discussion,
however, is presented as evidence that the best is yet to come beyond the
grave, and that if this is not true, then believers are “most to be
pitied.”
The resurrection of the saints at the
crucifixion of Christ is a fact reported only by Matthew. The other Gospel
writers omit it entirely from the record. This fact may contribute to our
understanding of what actually happened. God’s ability to resurrect and His
interest in this subject are clearly substantiated by these believers exiting
their tombs.
In light of the Apostle Paul’s high view
of the importance of the resurrection, two facts come to the surface. First, if
our resurrection hope is not strong, then our faith is defective. Secondly, the
cost of discipleship is high, and few there are who are willing to pay it. If
our faith costs us nothing, if we have nothing invested in what lies beyond the
grave, our faith is defective.
Much is being taught today about the joy
of salvation and the blessings that are God-given at the point of redemption.
The fact remains, however, that Moses is not the only one required to give up
the passing pleasures of sin [Hebrews 11:25]. That same requirement is made of
all of God’s followers. Faith requires action and without it finds no biblical
definition of salvation.
Jesus made demands and required
repentance. Salvation is offered free to all. Its price has been fully paid.
However, responsibilities come with it. We can neither earn salvation nor can
we live a life that makes us worthy of keeping the salvation that has been
given to us. This truth has been a battleground of debate down through the
centuries.
Everything we see and experience here is
temporary and is constantly contrasted with what is there … beyond the
resurrection. The pain and suffering that we experience here is not worthy to
be compared with the joy that awaits us on the other side of the resurrection.
Matthew 27:52,53
The Three
of Matthew
A.
The genealogies
i.
ii.
iii.
B.
The temptations
i.
ii.
iii.
C.
The pictures of righteousness
i.
ii.
iii.
II. The
Threes of our text
A. The veil
B.
The earthquake
C.
The resurrections
The Threes
Resurrections
A.
The Lord
B.
The Finite
C.
The saints
IV. The
Threes of Application
A.
The repentance
B.
The reception
C.
The response