Matthew 28 | mysite

Matthew 28 – The Resurrection and Commission

This passage is as follows:

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

(End of passage)

In the last passage, Jesus was crucified and laid in the tomb. The chief priests wanted to make sure that the disciples could not steal the body and claim that he rose from the dead. At this point there are several important details about the tomb.

It was a new tomb – so there were no other bodies there.
Jesus was laid in the tomb.His body was identified to make sure it was Jesus.
Jesus was wrapped in a clean linen shroud.There were no markings on this shroud.Henceforth, anything that happens to this shroud happens from Jesus’ body.
A great stone was rolled over the tomb.
The stone was sealed in a permanent fashion, probably with cement.
There were a significant number of soldiers guarding the tomb.
It was a small tomb.If someone was alive with the entrance sealed, they would have used up enough oxygen and exhaled enough carbon dioxide that they would die of carbon dioxide poisoning in 24 hours.Below is a picture of the whole tomb.

In summary, Jesus is not getting out of the tomb, if the chief priests can help it. Let’s see what happens next.

Verses 1-10,

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Now what was the condition of the tomb?

It was a new tomb – and there were no dead bodies in there.
Jesus was not in the tomb.
Jesus’ linen shroud was still there – we know this from another gospel.
A great stone was rolled away from the tomb.
The stone seal was broken.
There were still some soldiers guarding the tomb.Only some of them went to tell the chief priests.The soldiers were trembling and as though they were dead.They were dumbfounded, and afraid of the angel.
There was an angel sitting on the stone.
Jesus was there and alive!

Some critics seem to like to try to point out contradictions between the different resurrection stories in the gospels. One critic says that Matthew is saying that the stone was not rolled away till the women arrived at the tomb. However, the sense of the angel’s actions are past tense – “having descended out of heaven,” and “having rolled away the stone.” So, all the gospels agree on this point. The stone was rolled away before the women arrived.

There was an earthquake. Did the angel cause the earthquake? The text here attributes the reason for the earthquake to the angel descending from heaven and rolling away the stone. Although there is reason there be aftershocks after the one that happened two days previous. Even if the angel did not cause the earthquake directly, it at least would have intended to arrive at that precise moment. This could be why the guards were so terrified. It says they became as dead. This does not necessarily mean that they fell down, but they were certainly motionless. Perhaps this condition was caused by the angel. Do you think they were trained to combat angels that could cause earthquakes and make them freeze in place?

What does the angel say to the women?

“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”

So, the angel first gives the women the assurance that Jesus has risen as he said he would. Then he gives them proof. “See the place where he lay,” the angel said. The word lay here is past tense. It is also indicative, meaning that it was a certainty. Third, the angel gives them something to do. “Go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead,” and “he is going before you to Galilee.”

So, they start running to go tell the disciples, and what happens? Jesus meets them. They worship Jesus, and he repeats the instruction to meet him in Galilee. Notice that the women took hold of his feet and worshipped him. Did Jesus tell them not to worship him? No, he does not prevent them from worshipping him. The Greek word for “took hold” here is often translated “seized” or “arrested.” So, they were really holding onto Jesus here. The word for “they came up” is the same root word as used here for “worshiped.” It is the word, “proselthousai,” which means that they fell flat on the ground and crawled up to him. Jesus repeats the instructions of the angel, telling them to tell the disciples that he will meet them in Galilee. What does Jesus call his disciples here?

He calls them his brothers. Why do you think that Jesus now calls them his brothers?

The only other time in the gospel of Matthew that Jesus calls the disciples “brothers” is in Matthew 12:46-50.

While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

So, he calls them brothers because they do the will of the Father. And boy! Is Jesus ever going to lay on them what it is they are going to do.

Now, here you have at least two witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. Now, how did they know that the angel rolled away the stone, since this happened before the two Marys arrived to the scene? Some of the soldiers would have to have provided that information. We will get to that in more detail later. The eleven disciples all saw and felt Jesus and his wounds later on. The apostle Paul saw a vision of Jesus later on. Jesus also appeared to over 500 people at once at one time. The lives of the apostles are a witness to the resurrection as well. There could be no other reason for them all to try to spread the gospel to the entire world and die horrible deaths doing so if Jesus was not resurrected. Another witness to the resurrection is the spread of the gospel to cover all of Europe and the Middle East in just a few hundred years. Christianity exploded in Jerusalem immediately after the resurrection – right where the teachings of Jesus were opposed by the establishment. The resurrection is the only logical possibility using the available facts. No single eyewitness has ever come forward to dispute the resurrection of Jesus. All disputations were not written till hundreds of years later. The garden tomb fits all the details in the gospels about the tomb Jesus was laid in. Non-Biblical sources such as Tacitus and Josephus support the claims of the gospels. On top of this all, the shroud is still with us. When people look at the shroud, they witness the resurrection of Jesus.

Now, let’s see what happens after Jesus tells the two Marys to go tell the disciples that he is risen.

Verses 11-15,

While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

So, “while they were going” refers to who? The women. While they were going, what happened? Some of the guard went into the city. They couldn’t all leave their post because they would all get executed for this. Imagine this scene! Imagine how chaotic it must have been. There’s an angel there that caused an earthquake and made the guards tremble. Some of the guards stay there, probably wondering what to do. Jesus has risen and he is nearby. The women are running to the disciples and some of the soldiers are running into the city to tell the chief priests what had happened. Now, imagine that you are one of these soldiers, and you are telling the chief priests what happened. What would you say? And how would you say it?

So, after the chief priests pay off the soldiers, they are supposed to say that they fell asleep and when they were asleep, the disciples came and stole Jesus’ body. Now, imaging that you are a resident of Jerusalem and one of these soldiers say that to you. What would you say to him? You would say, “Why haven’t you been executed yet?” So, how did Matthew, the writer of this gospel get the information that the angel rolled the stone away? Perhaps the angel told them he rolled the stone away. Perhaps after the soldiers were telling the story they agreed to tell, they then told the truth. Perhaps Nicodemus was there at the council, hearing the soldiers tell what happened.

So, what happens next?

Verses 16-20,

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

So the disciples go to the Galilee, and to a specific mountain which he had specified. What did they do when they saw Jesus? They worshiped him. But it says here that some doubted. Why did some of them doubt? Did they wonder if it was really Jesus? Did they wonder if he had really died and rose from the dead?

The doubts they had are explained in Luke 24:36-43,

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.

So they doubted because they thought they saw a spirit. Jesus had been glorified to a new life that was supernatural and imperishable. He was able to disappear and reappear. He met their doubt by showing his hands and feet that had marks of his crucifixion, and he had them touch him to see he had a real body. Then he even ate some broiled fish to show them he had a living body.

Now Matthew ends his gospel with the great commission. This comes in three parts. These are as follows:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”What is the significance of this?First, you cannot have all authority in heaven and earth without being God.Second, Jesus having all authority puts us in a really great position if we have a relationship with him.Third, this makes him the author of future events.How he fulfills the remaining prophesies and builds his kingdom is up to Him.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”This is how Jesus is going to build his nation.Old Testament prophesies emphasize that his nation will be a nation of the world, not just a nation of one nation.They also tell us that God will bring in the gentiles into his kingdom.There are three parts to this: make disciples, baptize them, and teach them.You make disciples by example.So, it demands that we be on our best behavior always.Baptizing them is inducting them and having them make a public profession of their faith.Teaching them everything he has commanded us is a livelong endeavor.We keep on learning every day.This is how Jesus is going to build his kingdom.Notice also that Jesus says, “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”One name, three entities all have this name – The Father, The Son, the Holy Spirit.”What name is that?The Jews simply say “The Name” even to this day whenever the see the actual name.That name is Yahuweh, which means, “I was, I am, I will be.”
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”Jesus promises that he will be with us always while we go and proclaim the gospel.The gospel of Mark ends with this: “And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.”So, as we go about preaching the gospel, we should realize that Jesus is right there working with us to confirm the message.He might do this with a miracle.He might do this by working in the hearts of those we talk to.He might do this with the knowledge of science and the proof of his resurrection.

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