Day 89: Resurrection of the Saints

Based on Matthew 27: 52-53.

A loud coughing could be heard deep in a cave, right after the earthquake ended that erupted after Jesus breathed His last.  A white linen-clad body slowly sat up.

"It's dark.  What is this this over my eyes?"  The mummy removed the bandage that covered his eyes, revealing the face of John the Baptist.  "I still can't see.  Everything is so dark."  He swung his legs over the side of his coffin like structure and stood up somewhat shakily, as though he hadn't used his legs in weeks.  John saw a light in the distance that indicated the beginning of the cave.  He walked towards it and thought hard about how he got there.  He could not remember.

"What's the last thing I do remember?  I was... in Herod's jail.  Then he called to see me.  I was led into a another room, and there was a large guard.  They made me get on my knees, and I saw the guard pull out a sword.  Then-"

John touched his neck.  No scar could be felt.  He moved his head around.  It functioned perfectly.  He looked at his wrists.  There was no evidence that chains had chaffed them.  It was a miracle.  John jumped up and praised God.

In another tomb, a man slowly rose from what had been his resting place for the past...the decades were too numerous to count.  He groaned as he took his bandages off and coughed from the dust that arose.

"Oohh, where am I?"  The greyed man stared at his surroundings.  "A tomb?  Yes, that makes sense.  I believe I even remember dying, but...what am I still doing here?  Now?"

Puzzled, Samuel decided to look around outside.  He shielded his eyes from the bright sun.

"Gah!  I haven't felt the sun in years!"  He blinked as his eyes adjusted, and he nearly had a heart attack.  "The land looks so different!  So many houses, and they're so funny-looking!  And what's that?  A temple?  It's marvelous!  Wait a minute."  The old man bent his legs a few times.

"They don't hurt me."  He bent down and touched his toes.  "Haha!  This is amazing!!"  He even started to run around.  He smiled and laughed as he felt the breeze in his face and no pain at all.

"It's like I'm a new man!  God is good!"  He stopped short again and felt his stomach.  "Man, I'm starving!"

One man walked out of his tomb and seemed to know that he had risen from the dead.  He was whispering prayers of thanksgiving to God.  When he saw the dark clouds outside, he stopped short and stared towards Golgotha at the three wooden crosses.  "I knew I was right.  God told me the truth all along.  Precious Savior!" Isaiah fell to his knees and wept tears of wonder, thanksgiving, and sorrow for the death of the Son of God.

This was just a few examples of the hundreds of saints that rose to life again on the day Jesus died.  These saints stayed close by their tombs until the day Jesus rose from the dead.  Without even knowing, they felt it was safe to venture out into town on that day.  Most of the older saints went unnoticed by the people that passed them.  The Jews didn't know exactly what the saints looked like.  The younger ones, those who died several years to a few days ago, gave the people of Jerusalem more of a scare.  Here are some of the reactions.

"Ahh!  J-J-Jude, you're here!  Standing right in front of me!"

"I'm sure I saw him!  It was John the Baptist!  He walked right past me, and I clearly saw his face!"

"There's this strange man that was talking to me earlier today that acted like he'd never seen the city before.  He was dressed in dated, peculiar clothes."

"I think I've been out in the sun too long."

"First, Jesus risen from the dead, and now His followers and the saints, what a miracle!  Praise God!"

"I..just got scolded... from the prophet Isaiah.  I think I have some praying to do."