1 Corinthians 15:20,23; Matthew 27:50-53
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept…But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
JOHN CALVIN (1509-1564): This was also a striking miracle, by which God declared that His Son entered into the prison of death, not to continue to be shut up there, but to bring out all who were held captive. For at the very time when the despicable weakness of the flesh was beheld in the person of Christ, the magnificent and divine energy of His death penetrated even to hell. This is the reason why, when He was about to be shut up in a sepulcher, other sepulchers were opened by Him.
JOHN TRAPP (1601-1699): The graves were opened to show that death was now swallowed up in victory.
C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892): It is written that they came out of their graves. Of course they did. What living man would wish to stay in his grave?
JOHN GILL (1697-1771): The bodies of the saints did not arise, till after Christ was risen.
ADAM CLARKE (1760-1832): Why the graves should be opened on Friday, and the bodies not be raised to life till the following Sunday, is difficult to be conceived. The passage is extremely obscure.
MATTHEW POOLE (1624-1679): It is not likely that the graves opened any considerable time before they came out of their graves.
JOHN CALVIN: In my opinion, the resurrection of the saints, which is mentioned immediately afterwards, was subsequent to the resurrection of Christ. There is no probability in the conjecture of some commentators that, after having received life and breath, they remained three days concealed in their graves. I think it more probable that, when Christ died, the graves were immediately opened: and that, when He rose, some of the godly, having received life, went out of their graves, and were seen in the city.
THOMAS COKE (1747-1814): The ancient sepulchres were hewn out of rocks, which being rent by the earthquake, discovered the cells wherein the bodies of the dead were deposited; but though these sepulchres were opened by the earthquake at our Lord’s death, yet the dead in them did not come to life until His resurrection: for Jesus Himself was “the first-born from the dead,” Colossians 1:18, and “the first-fruits of them that slept.”
C. H. MACKINTOSH (1820-1896): In this, as in all things else, Jesus must have the pre-eminence.
JOHN CALVIN: But here a question arises. Why did God determine that only some should arise, since a participation in the resurrection of Christ belongs equally to all believers?
JOHN GILL: These were saints, such as slept in Jesus; and not all, but many of them, as pledges of the future resurrection, and for the confirmation of Christ’s resurrection, and the accomplishment of a prophecy in Isaiah 26:19, “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise.”
JOHN CALVIN: As the time was not fully come when the whole body of the Church should be gathered to its Head, He exhibited in a few persons an instance of the new life which all ought to expect. For we know that Christ was received into heaven on the condition that the life of His members should still be hid, Colossians 3:3, until it should be manifested by His coming. But in order that the minds of believers might be more quickly raised to hope, it was advantageous that the resurrection, which was to be common to all of them, should be tasted by a few.
MATTHEW HENRY (1662-1714): We may raise many enquiries concerning it, which we cannot resolve, as, Who these saints were, that did arise? Some think, the ancient patriarchs that were in such care to be buried in the land of Canaan, perhaps in the believing foresight of the advantage of this early resurrection. Christ had lately proved the doctrine of the resurrection from the instance of the patriarchs, Matthew 22:32, and here was a speedy confirmation of His argument. Others think, these that arose were saints such as had seen Christ in the flesh, but died before Him; as His father Joseph, Zecharias, Simeon, John Baptist, and others, that had been known to the disciples, while they lived, and therefore were the fitter to be witnesses to them.
THOMAS COKE: It seems probable that those saints were not some of the most eminent ones mentioned in the Old Testament, but disciples who had died lately; for when they went into the city, they were known by the persons who saw them, which could not well have happened, had they not been their contemporaries.
JOHN GILL: They appeared unto many of their friends and acquaintances, who had personally known them, and conversed with them in their lifetime.
JOHN CALVIN: That they continued long to converse with men is not probable; for it was only necessary that they should be seen for a short time; that, in them, as in a mirror or resemblance, the power of Christ might plainly appear—Another and more difficult question is, What became of those saints afterwards?
MATTHEW HENRY: Some think that they arose only to bear witness of Christ’s resurrection to those to whom they appeared, and, having finished their testimony, retired to their graves again.
JOHN CALVIN: But it is more probable that the life which they received was not afterwards taken from them; for if it had been a mortal life, it would not have been a proof of a perfect resurrection.
MATTHEW HENRY: It is more agreeable, both to Christ’s honour and theirs, to suppose―though we cannot prove, that they arose as Christ did, to “die no more,” and therefore ascended with Him to glory. Surely on them who did partake of His first resurrection, a second death had no power.
C. H. MACKINTOSH: It is a remarkable passage, and shows the complete victory of Christ over death, no doubt.
MATTHEW HENRY: We may learn many good lessons from it: that even those who lived and died before the death and resurrection of Christ, had saving benefit thereby, as well as those who have lived since; for He was the same yesterday that he is today, and will be forever, Hebrews 13:8…Death to the saints is but the sleep of the body, and the grave the bed it sleeps in.
JOHN BUNYAN (1628-1688): When the author to the Hebrews had given us a catalogue of the worthies of the Old Testament, he saith at last, “These all died in faith,” Hebrews 11:13. In the faith of what? That they should lie and rot in their grave eternally? No, verily―they all died in faith, that they should rise again.
JOHN CALVIN: We know that “God is the God of the living, and not of the dead,” Matthew 22:32. Accordingly, if we are God’s people, we shall undoubtedly live.
