Moving out if the tomb

July 14, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today:Saints rise, after Christ's resurrection; Matthew 27:52-53

Matthew 27:52-53 AMP

The tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep in death were raised [to life];  And coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

The people were raised to life when Jesus died on the cross. Something of better or equal value had to be given in exchange for all the lives of all the sinners. How often have I read these words, marveled at what happened, and not noted the next verse.

They could not leave their tombs till Jesus received His resurrected body. They were alive but still in a place of death.

For several years I have been involved in classes at my church that deal with issues of codependency. It may be that the person themselves have an addiction, or it may be someone related to a person with addictive tendencies. They may have anger or trust issues. One thing is clear with all of them. Though they are Christians, they still live in the tombs that codependency brings.

I was that way once myself. Like me, each one of these people will have to learn to leave the tombs and walk in the resurrection that Jesus provides to them. They do this by learning what Christ provided them in the resurrection.

Many choose to stay in the tombs. When the healing gets painful, they do not want to go through it anymore. Moving out of the tomb will mean some pain. It also means that like the saints in our verse, you get to go to the city.  This is done so we can tell others how Jesus can heal.

Read for next time: Centurion glorifies God; Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47