Practising what I preach

On Sunday, I said that in our quiet times we should follow the author of Psalm 119, and pray, 'Open my eyes that I might see wonderful things in your Law'. And I said that this meant reading about God's great wonders in the past and seeing how they applied to us today.

So, I've been reading Matthew 27:45-54:

And Jesus again cried out in a loud voice and gave up his spirit. Suddenly the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook and the rocks were split apart and the tombs were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had died were raised, and the came out of the tombs after his resurrection, went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Why did Matthew include this? Surely it's to demonstrate that it's the death & resurrection of Jesus that brings about the resurrection of the 'saints' or 'holy ones', and if my eyes are open to 'wonderful things', I will see that this encourages me to trust that Jesus has power over life and death - my life and my death.

But why does Matthew say that those who were raised were, 'the saints' / 'the holy ones' / 'the sanctified'? Well, the tearing of the temple curtain shows that the old sacrificial system was replaced by the sacrificial death of Jesus. The 'saints' were those who had been 'made holy' under the old system - those who believed and kept God's covenant by confessing their sins and sacrificing an animal as a substitute for themselves - the animal died, they were free. Now, it's not those who sacrifice animals who are made holy, but those who come to Jesus - his is the final sacrifice, the one who brings full and final forgiveness, who makes us holy and enables us to be raised to life with him.

So today I'm encouraged to keep on believing that my hope beyond death is indeed in Jesus Christ. Resurrection isn't 'pie in the sky when you die', but a definite hope based on solid evidence!