"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. – John 5:28-29

Today's Scripture Reading (November 4, 2020): John 5

N. T. Wright sometimes comments that he really doesn't understand Matthew 27:51-53. The passage tells the story of the moment of Jesus's death. And at that moment, the earth shook, the rocks split, and the tombs broke open. And the bodies of many holy people were raised to life. It is a story that is told only by Matthew, and part of the reason for Matthew's inclusion of the tale was that this story would be necessary for his Jewish audience, who had a different view of resurrection than the one authored by Jesus. The story of raising holy people at the death of Jesus would be vital if they were going to believe that Jesus could be resurrected just a couple of days later.

Some have criticized Wright because he refuses to support the historicity of Matthew's tale of the resurrection of the dead at Jesus's death. Still, he also refuses to declare that the story is just a made-up tale that Matthew includes in his Gospel. Wright and several other scholars' problem is that it seems to be such an important event to be included by only one witness. And therefore, the story is hard to understand.

I am not nearly as smart as N. T. Wright, but I do have a theory. Suppose the story is accurate, and I have no reason to discount the story's historicity. In that case, I wonder if it is possible that as Jesus dies, he was released from any limitations placed on him by his human form. It might have been on Sunday morning that his disciples realized that Jesus had been resurrected, but is it possible that the transformation began at the moment that Jesus died on the cross. Suddenly, the human Jesus gave way to the unfettered presence of God, and nothing, not even death, could stand up to his unlimited presence. The very fabric of death is destroyed in the presence of Jesus. As his body is taken down off the cross, those gathered were confronted with something more.

It is the same process that Jesus speaks of to those gathered around him here. Jesus is speaking of the authority of the Son, his authority. And he says that a time is coming when not even death will be able to exercise its power over the human race. Because when his bodily presence replaces Jesus's physical absence, a moment we call the Parousia, even death yields up its control over those who are mortal. And at that moment, everyone, not just the holy, will walk out of their tombs to meet the power against which even death cannot stand. And at that moment, we will either live or be condemned. And the choice of which is really up to us. If we do not want to live in the presence of Jesus, he won't make us. But if we accept his presence, we will go on to live forever with him.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Matthew 12