Matthew 27:52

Matthew 27:52

An extra devotional

Imagine if you will, that the ten, greatest philosophers of all time suddenly came back to life and descended on Ivy League schools. Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Socrates and others came back to life and went to major universities. Or perhaps the ten greatest musicians in all of history resurrected and went to Julliard. In walks Bach, Brahms, and Beethoven, among others, to instruct on how music should be written, conducted, or played. Again, what would happen if the ten most brilliant military commanders of all history appear at West Point to teach? Julius Caesar, Hannibal, Stonewall Jackson, Chief Joseph, Alexander of Macedonia are ready to inspire the next generation of officers. Finally, consider the result if the 10 most beautiful women or handsome men appear in Hollywood to begin shooting movies.

You get the picture. If such a thing were to happen, it would be the sole topic of conversation around the world. Every network would end regular programming so that they could dedicate 24/7 camera time to these living icons of past ages. The Internet would explode with coverage. Entire segments of our world would be dedicated to nothing other than following every move these people make. Books, magazines, e-books, photo journals would be printing to cover every nuance of the second lives of these people.

At least today that is what would happen.

But when it happened before it was almost unnoticed. In Matthew 27:52-53, we read: The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And they came out of the tombs after His resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many. (NASB) This is the only reference to this resurrection of a group of people. This event is treated as if it were really not a very big deal. Matthew gives it less than 35 words. It doesn’t even appear in Mark, Luke, or John. It is kind of incredulous that a mass resurrection would occur, but be treated as of little importance.

Until we see it is put in juxtaposition to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. In light of that grand event, nothing else in all of the universe is very significant. An eight-foot rowboat is inconsequential when set beside an aircraft carrier. When compared to a state funeral for a great President, wiping a crushed cockroach off the sole of your shoe is no big deal. There is no way to contrast the wedding of the Crown Prince of a great Empire with a 4th grade school dance. A flashlight is nothing compared to a star. And the resurrection of the saints of old is just barely a footnote when set beside the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah.

We, who have placed our hope in the One who was on the cross and who left the tomb empty, have a treasure beyond words. But, I fear our familiarity with the telling and retelling, hearing and rehearing, recalling and re-recalling of this event, may cause us to fail to notice its grandeur. Take a moment to consider how utterly huge, unparalleled, and beyond comparison is the reality of the cross and the empty tomb. Everything else in history is less than a period at the end of Gone With the Wind when compared with the greatest of all events.

"Awaken in me, Oh Lord, a renewed love for the grandeur of the Gospel. AMEN"