This is a passage about which very little has been written. Commentators
seem to pass it by as something very mysterious. But if the Holy Spirit be with
us we will find that there is a lesson for us in this part of the Word. 'The
rocks rent.' Wherever we read of this taking place we know it is the presence
of the Lord. This explains Jonathan's wonderful victory — 'there was
trembling . . . and the earth quaked' (1 Sam. 14: 15). At Philippi the earth
shook (Acts 16: 26) —the Lord was present. 'The saints which slept arose.'
When death is spoken of as sleep, it is generally in reference to God's people.
Daniel speaks of those that 'sleep in the dust' (12:2). Then we have it in John
11:11; I Cor.15: 6,51; Acts 7:60. It is as if the Lord did not wish us to think
of death as anything sad or disagreeable. He wants us to think of it as a sleep
or rest,—a blessed sleep without even dreams. Let us learn from this the
connection between the graves opening and the Veil rending.
The Veil
separated between the Holy and Most Holy Places. It was a doorway or gateway
representing Christ. 'I am the Door.' And when the Lord put down His hand and
rent it from top to bottom, He opened the way for us to go in. He can come out,
and we can go in. In this connection we shall see some special meaning in the
graves opening. It was the death of Christ that opened them. Your body is
redeemed by Christ's death as well as your soul, and it must come out of the
grave.
'After His resurrection.' The graves were opened at His death, but
the saints did not come out of their graves till Christ's resurrection. It is
like when Christ breathed on the disciples and said, 'Receive ye the Holy
Ghost,' but they did not actually receive the Spirit until Pentecost. 'Many
bodies,' —not merely one or two. I think it means a great company. What is
the meaning of this? The graves stood open till the third day, and passers-by
would be amazed to see the stones rolled away. You begin to see now this was a
testimony to Christ in more ways than one. These are all saints, and they are
coming out of their graves to honour the Holy One. Perhaps the reason Christ
did this was to show a sample of His power. These saints were the first-fruits
of the resurrection, and when He went up they would be His body-guard, nearer
Him than the angels.
If you ask, why does only Matthew mention this? The
answer is, the Holy Ghost gave one part to one and another to another. To Luke
He gave the part of the record that showed He was the Saviour of the Gentiles;
to Mark, that which showed by little things that He was the Messiah; to John,
that which showed His divinity. Matthew shows prophecy fulfilled in Christ.
Dan. 12:2 says, 'many that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake.' Matthew
says, 'many of the saints which slept arose.' Christ did what Daniel says will
be done for all the saints. He took some of them and raised them up. In effect
He was saying, 'I am the Resurrection and the Life.'
These saints were
likely those who had lately died, for they 'went into the holy city and
appeared to many.' If they had been saints of an older time they would not have
been known. Perhaps old Simeon was one of them, and Anna and Zacharias. When
Christ appeared after His resurrection He conversed as well as appeared. These
saints appeared and conversed with many. At first they would cause alarm, but
that would soon be dissipated. It is not likely they spoke of the other world.
Very likely they appeared as witnesses for Christ.
From all this let us
learn the connection between Christ's resurrection and ours. Christ's love to
His own is so great that He will not lose even the dust of His people. He will
fashion it all into beauty and comeliness. Where there was weakness He will put
power, and where there was corruption He will put incorruption.
Transcribed from Reminiscences of Andrew A.Bonar D.D.
first published
LONDON, HODDER AND STOUGHTON,
27 Paternoster
Row
1895
HTML transcription files copyright © 2001-2006.
Jane Newble
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This sermon added 2 July 2001