Matthew 27:53 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

NIV: They came out of the tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

NASB: and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

CSB: And they came out of the tombs after his resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.

NLT: They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.

KJV: And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

NKJV: and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Several dramatic things happened in the moments following Jesus' death. One was an earthquake that apparently broke open the tombs of many saints who had died in Israel's past (Matthew 27:50–52). The gist of the narrative is that the earthquake disturbed the bodies in some way. After Jesus' resurrection, these saints were seen alive by many people. Whether they came to life at the moment Jesus died, or were only uncovered, and rose after He rose, Matthew is not explicitly clear. Matthew is the only gospel writer who describes this event, and he does not provide many details. This has frustrated scholars for many centuries, as the event described naturally invites curiosity.

Bible scholars suggest two possibilities for how this may have worked. It's possible these people were resurrected in the same way as Jesus' friend Lazarus. Lazarus returned to a full and healthy human life, not in a glorified body as Jesus did. In other words, Lazarus lived for a time and then died again. If that's what happened with these saints, the "holy city" is Jerusalem, where they appeared to many regular people. Seeing formerly dead saints of Israel would have caused a huge stir after Jesus Himself was resurrected. They likely pointed many people to the power of God through Christ.

The other possibility is that these resurrected souls came back in glorified bodies as Jesus did and went off, after a time, to the "holy city" of heaven. Before leaving, they appeared to many, but when they left, they did not die again and never returned.

Others suggest that Matthew's claims here are poetic, or symbolic, and not meant to be taken as part of the literal narrative. This is an extremely difficult interpretation to support, given that everything else Matthew says in this passage is framed as literal. Another suggestion is that this incident was not part of Matthew's original writing at all, yet there is no textual evidence suggesting it was added.

The most reasonable interpretation is that this is an actual event, which happened as Matthew describes it. Ultimately, we are left with almost no detail or explanation, making it difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions.

Matthew 27:45–56 describes the climactic moment when Jesus dies on the cross. Darkness falls over Israel as Jesus hangs near death. Jesus cries out the words of Psalm 22:1, which mean "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some nearby think He is calling for Elijah the prophet to come and save Him. Jesus dies. Immediately, the massive temple curtain is torn in two, top to bottom. Earthquakes open the tombs of some of the saints of Israel, who are later resurrected. A Roman centurion is shocked enough to declare that Jesus was the Son of God. Three women, Jesus' friends, watch from a distance.

When Judas learns Jesus has been condemned, he regrets betraying the Lord. He throws down his ill-gotten money and hangs himself. Jesus is taken to Pilate, who finds nothing to charge Him with. Given the choice, the people shout for the release of a convicted murderer and insist on Jesus' death. Jesus is mocked by a battalion of soldiers and then taken to be crucified. On the cross, He is mocked for not being able to save Himself. After three hours of darkness, Jesus dies. He is buried by a rich follower in a new tomb. This location is tightly guarded to prevent anyone from stealing the body.

Matthew 27 begins with an official meeting of the Jewish ruling council. They affirm Jesus' condemnation from the previous night, described in chapter 26. Judas confesses his betrayal and hangs himself. Pilate tries to release Jesus, but the mob shouts for Jesus to be crucified. Jesus is humiliated by Roman soldiers and marched to be executed. On the cross, He is mocked by Jewish religious leaders and others. He dies and is buried in a never-used tomb. Extensive efforts to secure His body from being stolen only serve to prove the miraculous nature of His resurrection, which is detailed in chapter 28.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.