Easter Miracles

It’s Easter time again. Time to meditate on all of the wondrous things that happened during “Holy Week.” There wasn’t just one miracle, but many events that can only be defined as miraculous. No human power – only God’s power was responsible.

As I have read and reread the gospel accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, I’ve been contemplating the extra miracles that accompanied these main events. We tend to overlook them. But not today. Let’s stop and wonder.

Did you know that Jesus wasn’t the only one resurrected that week in history? Here’s Matthew’s account of what happened when Jesus died. “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many” (Matthew 27:51-54, NIV).

Don’t you wonder what those resurrected people did? Were they glad to be back in society again? Did they go through dying again or just appear and then disappear? Whatever the details, we know that the miracle of resurrection life affected many!

And there’s another miracle often overlooked. The veil in the temple was ripped from top to bottom. Don’t you wonder who saw this happen? What was their reaction? I mean, this was no thin veil like a bride might wear. It was a thick curtain elaborately embroidered in bold reds and blues. Certainly no human could have torn it. And the fact that the rending started at the top shows that it was God doing the splitting.

And what was the point? The significance? It was a demonstration of the fact that Jesus, by His sacrifice for our sins, had accessed a way to God. Now common man could connect to God. Previously only the high priest could enter the holy place where God dwelt, and that only on the Day of Atonement. Now Jesus had died on that Day of Atonement. His blood atoned for our sins and made it possible for us to come before a holy God as if we were as pure as His Son.

What a gift! What a miracle. Not only can I have my sins forgiven, but I am given Jesus’ righteousness. The old hymn, “Rock of Ages,” puts it this way: “Be for sin the double cure: save from sin and make me pure.”

Are you basking in Christ’s miraculous provision at this special time of year? How has His death and resurrection impacted your life?

“Rock of Ages” from “A Grandmother’s Legacy”