I see holy people

Matthew 27:52-53 - The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

I find it interesting that the death of Jesus caused the resurrection of many holy people right then and there. I wonder how many were raised to life. Somehow those who witnessed the resurrected people knew they were holy. Assuming their deaths were normal, their souls had been in heaven. Notice that no souls were brought back from hell -- no sparing of punishment for them.

The question of how long these people lived on earth after this resurrection often comes up. And did they have to die again? No one knows, but I have the hope and the feeling that, since God treated them specially at Jesus' death, he treated them specially and quickly by taking them directly back to heaven as soon as their witnessing work was done.

I wonder how many people in Jerusalem (the holy city) recognized them. The resurrected people must have either been well-known and easily recognizable or they must have gone specifically to those people they had known -- perhaps close friends, relatives, and coworkers.

The earth shook

Matthew 27:51 - At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.

I wonder if this was a "normal" localized earthquake or if the entire planet gave a shudder.

Torn curtain

Matthew 27:50-51 - And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.

I wonder who first put two and two together and figured out that the Temple curtain was torn at the same time that Jesus died. It was probably a priest, teacher of the law, or elder, since there were some of these men at Golgotha who would have later discussed the curtain with others who were at the Temple at the time.

I wonder if any of them grasped the significance of it -- that it was no longer needed due to Jesus' sacrifice of himself for everyone.

I wonder if anyone tried to repair the curtain. If so, they obviously didn't catch the significance.

Passers by

Matthew 27:39-40 - Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"

I wonder how well-known and widely spread Jesus' words had become. If these passers by were just your average Shekaniah from Shiloh and his brother Eliphelet from Edom, I wonder how they knew that Jesus had said this about the Temple. If they hadn't been nearby when Jesus spoke those words, they must have heard them 2nd, 3rd, or nth hand from those who had been there.

I find it interesting too that these should be some of the jeers that they shouted. They obviously didn't understand what Jesus was talking about and yet there he was -- beginning to fulfill those very words before their very eyes.

Two robbers

Matthew 27:38 - Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

I wonder what they had stolen. And how many crimes were they guilty of? Even considering Old Testament laws, this seems pretty harsh to be crucified for robbery.

Pilate's wife

Matthew 27:19 - While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him."

I wonder what the dream -- or was it a nightmare? -- was about. Was Jesus in it or was it just about him? Did Pilate's wife know who Jesus was? How much did she know about him? Did she know he was innocent from the dream or from elsewhere?

Did Pilate's wife really expect her husband to do what she said? To change his mind? Had she ever "interfered" in his business as governor before? (And been successful?) What did she fear if Pilate didn't release Jesus? More bad dreams? Something worse like bad reality? Was she afraid something bad would happen to Pilate?

Maybe she hadn't done anything like this before. Maybe it was God trying to shock Pilate into doing the right thing from a totally unexpected source.

The potter's field

Matthew 27:7 - So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners.

I wonder if the potter's field had been up for sale. How many acres was it? Was 30 pieces of silver a fair price for it?

Prior to this purchase, did they have a special place to bury foreigners? Were foreigners never shipped back home for burial?

Legions of angels

Matthew 26:53 - Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

I wonder how many angels there are. To the disciples, a legion would have conjured up thoughts of several thousand, perhaps 5000. So 12 legions would have been a number almost too large for them to imagine in one group -- 60,000. Certainly many more than needed to handle the current situation.

But are there billions of angels like there are billions of people? Is there (at least) one to watch over every individual -- Christian or not -- on the planet? (Nowhere does the Bible say so. I'm just wildly speculating on numbers.) Assume for a minute that there is. Does an angel get "reassigned" when someone dies? Or are there enough for every human that will have ever lived? Infinity plus 1? ;-)

I wonder how many fell from grace and now follow Satan. But I don't wonder much about that.

Betrayed with a kiss

Matthew 26:47-49 - While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.

I've always wondered why Judas concocted this relatively elaborate scheme for identifying who Jesus was to the mob that was following him. I would think at least some of them already knew him. Did Judas tell them before they got there that it was Jesus they were going to capture? Perhaps not.

Still, why the fuss? Why not just point to him when they arrived and say, "Take him."? Would there really have been any doubt as to which guy to grab?

Was the plan supposed to trick the 11 disciples into thinking nothing bad was going to happen so they wouldn't be upset or be on the defensive? If so, it didn't work as fas as Peter was concerned.

A hymn

Matthew 26:30 - When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

I wonder what the lyrics were. It may have been a psalm, though psalms and hymns are elsewhere noted as if they are different from each other.

I wonder if they all knew the words from memory. They probably chose one they all knew. I wonder how many they had to choose from.

I wonder how often they sang. Did they ever sing harmony? Four part? 12? 13?

Expensive perfume

Matthew 26:6-7 - While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

I wonder where she (Mary) got the money for the perfume. Had she saved up for it for a long time? Had it been a gift? Had she planned to use it for anointing Jesus from the start? Or even before she acquired it? Or was it a spur-of-the-moment thing?

I wonder where it came from. It seems (from my wiki-search) that it most likely would have been imported from the Far East. Did she have to leave town (Bethany/Jerusalem) to get it? Did she have someone get it for her? Seems like there must have been some very wealthy people in the area who could afford such items, or else they wouldn't have been available.

A year's wages. Think what one item you could spend a year's wages on. Probably a car or a down payment on a house. Would you spend it on something you intended to give away; that is, give to God -- which is to say, to the work he has given us to do today?

The tables are turned

Matthew 21:12 - Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.

I'm a little surprised that Jesus was able to throw all these guys out by himself. Maybe he had a little help, or at least encouragement, from his friends. I wonder that no one stood up to him or tried to stop him. There's no indication that anything miraculous was going on here.

How many buyers and sellers were there to kick out? A handful? Dozens? Hundreds? Did he take them too much by surprise before they could gang up on him?

Cloak and palm

Matthew 21:8 - A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

I wonder who first thought, "Hey, I know! I'll take off my cloak and toss it down on the road in front of the donkeys so Jesus will ride over it." I'm sure they thought it was an honorable thing to do at the time. Perhaps it had some historical precedent and meaning of which I am unaware. If not, then I wonder where the idea came from.

Pretty much the same with the palm branches. Whether they had cut them earlier or on the spot, I wonder who thought it was a good idea to throw them down on the road.

Moses and Elijah

Matthew 17:1-4 - After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."

How did Peter know it was Moses and Elijah? From the topics of their conversations? Divine revelation? Once again, there were no portraits, photos, or jpegs of them that Peter might have linked them to.

12 basketfuls

Matthew 14:17-21 - "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.

"Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

I wonder at what point during the distribution the disciples or any of the people realized what was happening. The story is told matter-of-factly. There's no big fanfare or hubbub mentioned to indicate when that might have been.

I remember seeing one Hollywood director's idea of how this happened. There were large baskets (probably several bushels each) with a fish or some bread deep down inside each one. As food was taken out, more replaced it (unseen) until the baskets were soon overflowing with food.

Possible. I'm not creative enough to imagine another method.

I wonder how much each person had to eat before being "satisfied." Did Jesus give the food extra "filling power"?

I wonder what was done with the 12 basketfuls. Perhaps it was given to some of the poorer folk in the crowd.

I wonder who counted the ~5000 men.

Siblings

Matthew 13:55-56 - "Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us?"

Assuming that these brothers and sisters were children of Mary and Joseph and not more distant relatives (since I think these terms can be ambiguous at times in the original -- but I may be wrong), I wonder what it was like growing up with Jesus as a sibling, a real brother, a physical, visible member of the family. I've heard comedians joke about this -- usually implying that it would be tough to be his sibling. If something was wrong, it was never, ever Jesus' fault -- really! He probably got blamed for wrong doing though -- just look at his adult life! You were never quite as good as him at anything.

But I wonder if it really would have been all that bad living with the perfect brother. He never treated you badly. He never got you into trouble by his own bad behavior. He loved you at all times. He helped you whenever possible. He was really your best friend, if you wanted him to be.

Hm, sounds like the Jesus I have as my brother today.

The carpenter's son

Matthew 13:55 - "Isn't this the carpenter's son?"

I wonder if Joseph was the only carpenter in Nazareth. If so, no competition -- a monopoly. Nice...as long as he did good work.

Where ya been?

Matthew 12:38 - Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you."

I wonder if these Pharisees and teachers of the law were new to the area. Had they never seen Jesus before? Was their timing (earlier) just bad? How could they not have seen one of his miracles if they were amongst that group who always seemed to be hanging around?

Or were they going to ask for some particular kind of miracle? Was it some sign that they thought would prove something about Jesus one way or the other?

I wonder if any of them understood the sign of Jonah that Jesus did give them.

Dead vs Asleep

Matthew 9:23-25 - When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.

We often use Jesus' words here (and elsewhere -- see Lazarus' death) to compare death to falling asleep -- only to wake up the next time either in heaven or in hell. But I wonder if that was really what Jesus had in mind here. He said, "The girl is not dead...." And yet it seems he brought her back to life. I'm not questioning his power to bring someone back to life. (See Lazarus again where he plainly said he was dead.) I'm wondering whether or not the soul of this girl had gone to heaven or hell yet. Was it somewhere else? I'm not advocating Limbo or Purgatory either. "The girl is not dead...." Was her soul still in her body, but her bodily functions had ceased? Was she in some kind of extreme hibernation? Again, Jesus can and did raise people from the dead, but I'm not sure this example can be used to prove it.

Pharisees abounding

Matthew 9:10-11 - While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

There often seem to be Pharisees around ready to criticize Jesus and his followers. It probably wasn't always the same bunch of Pharisees, but I wonder...Didn't they have day jobs to go to? How could they spend so much time following Jesus?

Peter's mother-in-law

Matthew 8:14-15 - When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.

I wonder why Peter hadn't (apparently) mentioned to Jesus that his mother-in-law was sick.

• Didn't he know?
• Didn't he like her?
• Did he think Jesus' healing powers were only meant for others?
• Did he "get it" that Jesus hadn't come mainly to heal people's bodies?
• Didn't he think the illness was severe enough to pray; that is, ask Jesus about?
• Was he just too busy, and it slipped his mind?
• Was he just about to mention it, but Jesus beat him to it?

I wonder if anyone in Peter's family asked Jesus to heal her or if he did this miracle of his own accord.

Don't tell anyone

Matthew 8:1-4 - When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

Very often Jesus told those on the receiving end of a miracle, "Don't tell anyone." (Jesus didn't want to be known primarily as a miracle worker but as the promised Savior and Redeemer of everyone.) I wonder how many actually did what he told them to; that is, didn't do what he told them not to do.

It had to be tough to keep something so good to yourself. How could you not tell your family, neighbors, and coworkers? If you had been healed of an awful disease like this man, they'd notice something different about you. If you had a demon removed, they'd notice a drastic change in your behavior.

Faith in Jesus as your Savior and Redeemer is a miracle too -- something only God can accomplish. If you've been the recipient of that miracle, do you find it hard to keep it to yourself? Do your coworkers, neighbors, and family members notice anything different about you, a difference in your behavior, compared to those who haven't yet experienced the miracle of faith?