Matthew 27:53 Commentary: The Saints Raised and Christ's Victory

Jerusalem is called "the holy city" here, a title reflecting the presence of the temple and God's choice of this place for worship (Nehemiah 11:1; Isaiah 48:2; Daniel 9:24). Matthew uses the same phrase at 4:5, where the devil takes Jesus to the temple pinnacle. Yet by the time of the crucifixion, Jerusalem was filled with political and religious corruption; Calvin comments that it was profane on man's part but holy on God's part.

Jewish burial customs placed tombs outside city walls. That the saints "came out of the tombs" and "entered into the holy city" would have been striking: the dead crossing from the space of impurity into the space of God's presence. The earthquake at Jesus' death (27:51) split rocks and opened graves, preparing the way for this emergence.

Matthew alone records this raising. The timing connects to Passover, when Jerusalem swelled with pilgrims, many witnesses would have seen this. The Old Testament background, especially Ezekiel's vision of dry bones being revived (Ezekiel 37), would have shaped how Jewish readers understood this. Jesus' death is depicted as initiating the end-time resurrection, a sign that the new age has broken in.

The raising of these saints is not a general resurrection of all the dead; only "many bodies of the saints" are raised. This limited event serves as a guarantee of the greater resurrection to come, anchored in Christ's own rising first.

The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Matthew 27:53. The verse is present in all major Greek manuscripts and early translations. Adam Clarke mentions a theory that these verses (52, 53) may have been introduced from the Gospel of the Nazarenes, but this is not supported by the manuscript evidence and is rejected by the vast majority of scholars. The passage has been part of the canonical text as far back as our earliest witnesses.

Early Christian writers treated this event as a literal sign of Christ's victory over death and a foretaste of the general resurrection. It reinforced the belief that Jesus' death directly affected the realm of the dead. Reformation commentators such as Calvin, Gill, and Matthew Henry used it to emphasize that Christ was the firstborn from the dead and that his resurrection guarantees the resurrection of all believers. In the modern period, critical scholars sometimes interpret it as apocalyptic imagery expressing the meaning of Christ's death, while confessional traditions continue to read it as history. The passage has been sung in hymns of resurrection hope and remains a key text for the promise that “because he lives, we shall live also.”

Three-point outline

1. Christ’s death opens the graves, The earthquake and opened tombs show that Jesus’ death directly confronts the power of death itself.
2. Christ’s resurrection brings the saints forth, The saints rise after him, confirming that he is the firstborn from the dead and that his victory is the source of all resurrection.
3. Christ’s victory is witnessed in the city, The saints appear to many in Jerusalem, providing tangible evidence that death no longer holds its prey.

Five-point outline

1. The earth responds to its Creator, The veil tears, the rocks split, the tombs open.
2. The saints are raised after Christ, Timing underscores that Christ is the firstfruits.
3. The holy city sees a preview of glory, The living dead enter Jerusalem, unsettling and astounding.
4. The witnesses testify, “Appeared to many” establishes multiple testimonies to the resurrection.
5. The mystery remains, Matthew does not say what happened next, leaving us with awe.

Illustration hooks

• A courtroom where the key witness appears only after the verdict is secure, Christ’s death is the verdict, the saints are the witnesses.
• A race where the lead runner crosses the finish line, and then others finish behind him, Christ first, then those who belong to him.
• A sealed door that breaks open in an earthquake, and people long thought dead walk out, the shocking power of Christ’s achievement.

Questions your congregation is asking

• Did these saints die again later, or did they ascend to heaven?
• Why does only Matthew record this event?
• How does this event give me confidence that I will be raised too?

This short passage is packed with wonder and mystery. It connects the death of Jesus directly to the defeat of death itself. As you discuss, help your group stay grounded in what the text says and what it leaves open.

Discussion questions

1. Read Matthew 27:50-54. What physical signs accompany Jesus’ death? How does the raising of the saints fit into that series?
2. The text says the saints came out “after his resurrection.” Why do you think the timing matters? (See also 1 Corinthians 15:20.)
3. What does the phrase “the holy city” tell you about Jerusalem’s identity even in a moment of its greatest sin?
4. Barnes suggests this event was meant to convince the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. Do you think that worked? Why or why not?
5. These saints “appeared to many.” What effect might that have had on the people of Jerusalem that week?
6. Why do you think Matthew does not tell us what happened to these saints afterward? Can we trust that God’s plan for them was good even without details?
7. How does knowing that Jesus’ death and resurrection already started the resurrection of the dead change the way you view death today?