God is a declarer. When God created all things, He was declaring (Ps. 19:1). When He flooded the world, He was making a statement (2 Pet. 3:5-7). And God’s loudest statement is the cross (Jn. 3:16). As Jesus yielded up His spirit on that cross (Matt. 27:50), God made several loud statements (Matt. 27:51b-53).
“The earth quaked.” God was declaring a change of kingdom (Hag. 2:21-23, Heb. 12:26-27). Jesus’ death began the transition from the physical kingdom of the Jews to the spiritual kingdom of the church (Heb. 12:18-24). This points to Jesus as the king of this church.
“And the rocks were split.” God was declaring a change of law. Just as the confession of Peter is the foundation of the church, the Law of Moses was the foundation of the Old Covenant. When God split the rocks at Jesus’ death, He was declaring the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34, Col. 2:14). This points to Jesus and His Word as the foundation of the church (1 Cor. 3:11, Eph. 2:19-20).
“And the graves were opened.” When Jesus rose from the dead, an angel rolled the stone away from his tomb (Matt. 28:2). When Jesus died, God did the same for some nearby graves. Even as Jesus breathed his last, God was declaring power over death itself.
“And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.” After Jesus rose, these saints (in this context, faithful keepers of the Old Testament) went into Jerusalem and “appeared to many.” Their purpose was to be miraculous evidence and confirmation (Mk. 16:20) of what the apostles would soon preach: the resurrected Jesus.
These resurrected saints are the key declaration. God desires to raise more than just Jesus. He has the ability and desire to resurrect all of His saints. A saint, then, is one prepared for bodily resurrection (1 Thess. 5:23, Rom. 8:28-30). What a statement God has made!
God has always wanted His people to look beyond this life, to anticipate a resurrection of the body. Even in ancient days, He left clues. God “took” Enoch, implying there was some other place for people to go to (Gen. 5:24). Some noticed God’s clues. Abraham concluded God could raise Isaac from the dead (Heb. 11:17-19). Job anticipated a time when he would, in his own flesh, see God even after his skin had been destroyed (Job 19:26). And these men lived before the burning bush, when God implied a bodily resurrection (as Jesus proved in Matt. 22:23-33, cf. Exod. 3:6). Of course, there are also the examples of temporary physical resurrections, both in Old Testament times and throughout Jesus’ ministry God accomplishes all of this through Jesus. He is our everyday reason for living (Phil. 1:21). He offers the best possible life on earth (John 10:10). But Jesus’ gifts extend beyond this life (1 Cor. 15:17-19, 1 Tim. 4:8). Jesus is the way to the final resurrection and eternity with God (John 14:6). He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).
At the final resurrection, Jesus will return for us. The spirits of the faithful dead will reunite with their bodies. The living faithful will be lifted into the air to meet them (1 Thess. 4:16-17). Jesus will transform these flawed, physical bodies into everlasting spiritual ones (1 Cor. 15:51-53). “And thus we shall always be with the Lord,” (1 Thess. 5:17).
Put it all together: the clues, the earthquake, the split rocks, the open graves, the resurrected saints. What was God declaring? It was time for a new, spiritual kingdom of people prepared for a bodily resurrection. Therefore, we have hope (Rom. 8:23-25). We anticipate eternity and life beyond this earthly one (1 Thess. 4:13-18). We are promised a reward so great that we have every reason to keep trying (1 Cor. 15:20-58, esp. vs. 58).
Those saints who rose from the dead with Jesus knew of the reward firsthand (at least in part). After all, they returned to earth from Paradise. We can imagine, then, that they did not return to earth to focus on physical things. They came for one purpose. Declare the good news: Jesus lives again. There were declarers just as God is a declarer.
Like those resurrected saints, we are not here to focus on the physical. We are here for one purpose. We bring God glory (Matt. 5:16). We spread the good news (Matt. 16:15). We declare (2 Cor. 4:13).
Don’t forget your purpose – your hope – today.
-Scott Dykowski