# Bodily resurrections after Jesus' resurrection: is this mentioned elsewhere?



## Jake

I'm trying to understand this portion of Matthew 27:

52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

Many commentaries seemed speculative about it at best. I looked through some cross references, but surprisingly, I didn't see another mention of this passage. Is there another mention of this event in Scripture?

Gill does mention some versions say "after their (own) resurrection" instead of "after his resurrection."


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## earl40

I will never forget a class I was in many years ago and the teacher said that they had the pleasure of getting to die again.


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## Peairtach

These would have been believers who were buried in the Jerusalem area, who rose again as a "firstfruits" of the general resurrection at the end of time, and no doubt went into Heaven rather than died again, as did our Lord.


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## Contra_Mundum

Someone once suggested to me: most likely these visitants merely paused to witness to some select few on their way to glory and attending the Lord's ascension and session. I rather like that reasoning.

When Jesus comes forth from his tomb, it just seems perfectly sensible to me that the raw power of his resurrection engenders "sympathetic" resurrection from buried saints nearby, especially the recently dead who would have had living relatives to comfort or bear witness unto.

I doubt if we could offer any specific rationale for this person being one of the number who experienced this miracle, and not that person. God knows his own purpose.


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## Jake

I'm guessing the answer is that there are not other mentions, then?


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## Zork

Jake said:


> I'm trying to understand this portion of Matthew 27:
> 
> 52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
> 
> Many commentaries seemed speculative about it at best. I looked through some cross references, but surprisingly, I didn't see another mention of this passage. Is there another mention of this event in Scripture?
> 
> Gill does mention some versions say "after their (own) resurrection" instead of "after his resurrection."



John Macarthur on this:
"But there's more to it. Look in Verse 52. Here's another point. Subduing death. Subduing death. The last of these several features. It says, "And the tombs were opened." And let me read it to you the way it makes most sense - from the original. "And the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints that slept were raised and came out of the graves." So, to read the sentence right the flow goes into Verse 53 and stops after the word graves or tombs. The graves were opened. An earthquake could have done that. An earthquake can split caves, split rocks, roll stones away. But an earthquake can't raise the dead. And so God acts. Many bodies - somatof - physical bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep that were co mi oh mi is used mainly of death though occasionally of sleep. Many of the dead are resurrected. Literal, bodily, physical resurrection. Did you get that?

Did you know that happened? Did you know that at the very moment in time when Jesus died the earthquake hit and graves split open and dead - Old Testament, old covenant saints - came out? In bodies. This is a real resurrection. It's my personal belief that they came out in their glorified bodies. They came out in resurrection bodies. They sure didn't come out in the original one. A real resurrection. And what is this saying? This is saying you may have thought you killed the Son of God but all you've done is crack open the graves because He will rise just like these. You may have thought that this is a victory for death but this is a victory for life. And God makes another commentary on the cross. The immediate effect of Jesus is a mini resurrection. Actual bodily resurrection of certain selected saints who received their eternal immortal and glorified form right on the spot. Their spirits came from heaven, were joined with their bodies and they were alive. This is a pre-enactment of the final resurrection.

And the reality of it is unanswerable. Unmistakable. Look what it says. "After His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many." People saw them. They went and talked to people. They went in and said, I'm so and so's great, great, great, great grandfather. I just came out of the grave. That is incredible. That must have been some interesting discussions going on. Actual visible, physical resurrections. They didn't appear until the Lord was resurrected. He being the first one risen from the dead. The chief one. 1 Corinthians 15:20 says, "They stayed out of the city until Jesus arose," and then He sort of led the parade. Out of the grave. And here was God's testimony to the fact that killing Jesus Christ opens the graves. Why? Because the sin penalty's paid. And that gives life to all who were dead. No one would ever rise from the dead if Christ hadn't paid for sin. The resurrection began then at the moment Jesus died."

Very good Sermon
http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/80-48?Term=graves were opened


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## brendanchatt

This verse was surprising to me when I first was given notice of it a few years ago by a friend. It seems like such an event, but not a lot of people talk about it, to my hearing at least.


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## Jake

brendanchatt said:


> This verse was surprising to me when I first was given notice of it a few years ago by a friend. It seems like such an event, but not a lot of people talk about it, to my hearing at least.



Yes. I appreciate some of the other comments in helps to interpretation, but I was initially just trying to figure out where else it's talked about, as there is a lot of talk about resurrection of the dead in the NT. But as far as I can tell, there is no other mention of this particular event. The other Gospel writers did not make note of it and it does not seem to be in Acts or the epistles. I guess this would make it akin to Lazarus for example who is not mentioned outside of the Gospels and does not have significance to the future bodily resurrection.


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## Peairtach

It doesn't need to be mentioned again. There are lots of quite interesting and striking incidents in the Gospels mentioned only once e.g. in relation to Christ's birth. Humanly speaking it maybe wasn't deemed as significant or as noteworthy as we might think it. It's put very much in the background to Christ and His resurrection, as it should be, since it is concomitant to, and dependant on the latter.

Some have speculated that the error of Hymenaeus and Philetus was related to this incident (II Timothy 2: 17-18).

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## Mr. Bultitude

It is not mentioned in any other verse.

I fancy myself a writer, and I've been interested for a few years in writing a novel about Babel, with a sequel short story about one of the witnesses to the event being raised when Jesus was crucified, then preaching to various Israelites and witnessing Pentecost. I'll never get around to writing either story, but it's a nice thought.


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## ReformedChristian

It is not mentioned elsewhere in scripture, however it maybe an illusion to 1st Corinthians 15:20 of how the Resurrection of the dead will be in the future on a greater scale this passage in Matthew is just a picture of that.


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## bookslover

Contra_Mundum said:


> When Jesus comes forth from his tomb, it just seems perfectly sensible to me that the raw power of his resurrection engenders "sympathetic" resurrection from buried saints nearby, especially the recently dead who would have had living relatives to comfort or bear witness unto.



Doesn't that sort of imply that Jesus had no control over His own resurrecting power, that some of it sort of "slopped over" so that some others were resurrected, too? After all, when Jesus resurrected Lazarus, only Lazarus came forth. The general tone of Scripture is that God is not only omnipotent but is absolutely in control of His power. Just thinkin' out loud, here.


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## Contra_Mundum

I wouldn't have considered any such exhibit "unintentional" on God's part. No more than the outpouring of the Spirit was, in point of fact, a deluge comparable to the Flood, and therefore it must have been an "accident" of location that the 3000 were caught in the effect-radius.

Read whatever you like into what I proposed. This question is not a pillar of doctrine....


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## Peairtach

Mr. Bultitude said:


> It is not mentioned in any other verse.
> 
> I fancy myself a writer, and I've been interested for a few years in writing a novel about Babel, with a sequel short story about one of the witnesses to the event being raised when Jesus was crucified, then preaching to various Israelites and witnessing Pentecost. I'll never get around to writing either story, but it's a nice thought.



On that thought, of course it is unlikely that a believer who witnessed Babel would be buried in the vicinity of Jerusalem, although you never know.

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