Lent Day 40: Matthew 27 (#12)

51: At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom...

52: The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.

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

◇ Jesus, who breathed his last on the cross, seemed to have ended everything in death. To the people, it was a moment of despair.

However, it was a victory that overcame the power of death. The curtain of the temple was torn, and the way to God, which had been blocked, was opened. The power of death, which had been blocked by sin, crumbled.

Then the tombs were opened, and the dead were raised to life. A small resurrection occurred, showing a taste of the defeat of the power of death. It is a preview that not only Jesus will rise from the dead, but everyone will rise again.

On the day when Jesus returns after his ascension, we too will rise again like Jesus and be with God. That is why we are not the most pitiful people, but the happiest people (1 Corinthians 15:13).

♧ God, thank you for making us the happiest people. Holy Spirit, lead us in truth!