When Jesus dies in Matthew, there’s a host of inanimate objects that suddenly become animate enough to bear witness to you, the reader, that Good Friday is not a loss. It’s the win of wins. The curtain speaks first, then the ground, rocks, and graves join together to point you forward to Sunday. Matthew doesn’t want you to think about Jesus’s death apart from the hope of resurrection.

The Curtain

Jesus’s body was the barrier between heaven and earth, symbolized by his anointing (Matt 3), the Transfiguration (Matt 17), and many other ways in Matthew. At his death, the curtain of the temple was torn in two (Matt 27:51). The curtain symbolized the barrier to the most holy place (Ex 26:31–33). You see, the curtain and Jesus’s body, during his life, were similar — they were both gateways between God and humanity.

Matthew tells you that Jesus died (Matt 27:50) and the curtain immediately tore (Matt 27:51), and he does this to allow the curtain to explain Jesus’s death. The tearing of the curtain highlights that (1) Jesus is the true gateway between heaven and earth, the fulfillment of the temple curtain, and (2) the tearing of the curtain also highlights the tragedy of Jesus’s death. The gateway to God has been tragically ripped apart.

The Ground, Rocks, & Graves

Matthew does not, ultimately, want you to think about Jesus’s death as a tragedy. Right after the curtain tears (Matt 27:51), in the same verse,

The land shook, the rocks split, graves were opened … (Matthew 27:51–52)

What in the world could Matthew be telling us here? What, oh what, could Matthew want you to hear by having graves open when Jesus dies? Matthew continues,

… Many bodies of the saints who had slept were raised, and when they came out of their tombs after his resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. (Matthew 27:52–53)

Matthew infuses his story of Jesus’s death with a story of resurrection to make sure you know that Good Friday is not a loss. It’s the win of wins. Creation itself bears witness. The rocks and tombs open and wait expectantly for Sunday.

Once Jesus rises, the bodies of many saints step out of the tombs and make an appearance in Jerusalem. Abram and I were talking about this verse yesterday, and it dawned on me that this story is sort of like “Matthew’s Lazarus story.” Jesus is the resurrection and the life, even on Good Friday — so says creation.

Conclusion

Today is not an L; it’s a huge win. On Sunday, the win will be proclaimed for all to hear and see. Jesus refused to take what seemed good on his own terms. He refused to do it. He chose to suffer instead doing what was easy and comfortable. There is no one like him, and so we cheer and praise him for the win of wins. He’s the human of all humans to such a degree that he must be more than a mere human, but certainly not less.

When he ascended he led captivity captive; he gave gifts to humanity. (Ephesians 4:8)

May we have the grace to follow.