I believe in the
perspicuity (clarity) of the Bible. And though there are passages (or maybe even
books) whereby Evangelicals might defer with regards to interpretation, Evangelicals
largely agree on core Gospel issues. Nevertheless, I would like to spend some
time considering (what I would regard as) ‘confusing’ Bible passages and offer some
thoughts about them. Here I discuss Matthew 27: 51-53.
Here are vv.51b-53:
“And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And
many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of
the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to
many.”
This description
is unique to Matthew’s Gospel, and I have thought it very strange. And yet, I have
yet to come across a satisfactory explanation as to why ‘the bodies of the
saints … were raised.’ This could not be some kind of pre-Easter resurrection,
yet the text is clear and unambiguous. Then I came across Ezekiel 37:12-14. I quote
snippets from it: “Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and
raise you from your graves, O my people… And you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.” (Please
also read the passage in full.) I think the language is similar, so perhaps Matthew
is making reference to this passage in Ezekiel, saying that Jesus’ crucifixion
is the fulfilment – or the moment – that God fulfils His promises stated in Ezekiel
37 and its larger context. Generally speaking, the promise is that God will
restore the nation of Israel and make a new covenant with them.
This opens up
the possibility that what Matthew wrote did not ‘literally’ happen (this is
controversial, I know, but bear with me). It could be that when Matthew looked
at the events surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection, and looked back at the
Scriptures, he found that Jesus fulfilled the promises, or inaugurated their
fulfilment. Thus, he applies Ezekiel’s vision to Jesus’ death, showing to his (likely)
Jewish audience that Jesus is the answer to the vision God gave to Ezekiel.
But our Bible reading
should never be for dry theological knowledge, and so I’d like to consider some
implications of reading this passage this way. Firstly, I think that would help
us think more deeply about the significance of the cross. I think too often in Evangelical,
gospel-centred circles, we read books or sermons about the death of Jesus and
think that it’s only about penal substitution. I understand the emphasis, but
there is so much more there that I think we will discover if we allow ourselves
to dig deeper and ask more questions. This, I think would help us appreciate
Jesus’ crucifixion more and increase our wonder at our God who works out all of
His promises through His Son – allowing us to rejoice even more greatly in the salvation
He has graciously given.
Secondly, this
might encourage us to read our Old Testament even more closely. Over the past
few years I’ve been introduced to Biblical Theology, and I’ve come to see the
richness of the Old Testament as part of God’s redemptive revelation. I believe
we cannot properly understand the Old Testament without the New, and vice
versa. And rooting the New Testament in the Old is grounding it in the overall sweep
of redemptive history, avoiding an ‘a-temporal, philosophical’ Christianity
that I find to be quite prevalent.
However, there
are many more issues to consider, like the context of this passage – especially how Matthew reads and uses the
Old Testament. Another potentially problematic are would be the question of whether
things happened exactly as Matthew writes it. Another legitimate worry is that I
am making things up and going too far with how I use the Bible. Regarding the third
concern, I hope to gradually consider more passages and write about the
Biblical Theological methods that I’m employing, so that people can read and
judge for themselves. I’m no Bible scholar, but I firmly believe a layperson can understand Scripture and I believe that we don’t need to get a certificate
in theology before we can read our Bibles well. I’m embarking on a journey of
discovery, so join me if you are interested.
Also, if anyone
reading this has thoughts, do feel free to share them in the comments.
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