Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 28 as we continue our study through the Word of God and we finish up our study in the Gospel according to Matthew this evening.
Keep in mind that Matthew is written primarily to the Jewish reader, although not exclusively. As we have seen, Matthew shows us how the Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. And, of course, that was important to the Jew. Thus, as Matthew writes these things down, he quotes or alludes to the Old Testament some 129 times. Matthew, in a sense, is the bridge-builder between the Old Testament promises and the New Testament fulfillment’s. And we have clearly seen that in our study through Matthew, that Jesus is the fulfillment of what the Old Testament prophets spoke of. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords! He is the Messiah. It is as Isaiah said and Matthew quotes, "So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’" Matthew 1:22-23 and Isaiah 7:14.
With that said, let’s finish up our study in Matthew this evening beginning in verse 1 of Matthew chapter 28 and see what the Lord has for us this evening.
VERSE 1
1. The reason Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James the Less and Salome came was to anoint the body of Jesus with spices. It is early Sunday morning, before the sun was fully up, but they missed the point, He was no longer in the tomb, He had risen!
2. As you put all the Gospels together, you get a picture of what transpired from the resurrection morning until His ascension. I am going to try and give you an overview of these things that happened on resurrection morning and that first week, and latter I will finish up what transpired during those 40 days, until His ascension. The events go as follows:
SUNDAY MORNING:
A. An angel rolled away the stone from the tomb of Jesus before sunrise. (Matthew 28:2-4).
B. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary with Salome discover the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. The other women arrived shortly after this. (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1-4, Luke 24:1-3, John 20:1).
C. Mary Magdalene left in a hurry to go tell Peter and John that someone stole the body of Jesus. (John 20:1-2).
D. The other women, arriving and remaining at the tomb, encounter two angels who tell them that Jesus is risen and to go and tell the other disciples the good news. (Matthew 28:5-7, Mark 16:5-7, Luke 24:4-8).
E. As they leave, Peter and John arrive, Peter rushing in and not understanding what transpired, while John then came in and understood. (Luke 24:12, John 20:3-10).
F. As Peter and John leave, Mary Magdalene returned to the tomb weeping. And as she looks in she see’s two angel’s, and they asked her why she was crying. And she explains that someone stole the body of Jesus, her Lord. As she then turns around, she thinks she see’s the gardener and he asks her why she is crying, and she responds with the same answer, not knowing it was Jesus who asked. And He says to her "Mary!" and she responds by saying "Rabboni!" She recognized Him for His sheep know His voice! Jesus first resurrection appearance was to Mary Magdalene. (Mark 16:9-11, John 20:11-18).
G. As the other women left the tomb, Jesus appeared to them, His second appearance, telling them to go and share the good news, He is risen! (Matthew 28:8-10).
H. The guards report to the religious leaders what happened, how the angel rolled the stone away. (Matthew 28:11-15).
I. Jesus appeared to Peter. (I Corinthians 15:5).
SUNDAY AFTERNOON:
J. Jesus appeared to two men on the road to Emmaus. (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:13-32).
SUNDAY EVENING:
K. The two disciples return to tell the others that they encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus, they saw the risen Lord! (Luke 24:33-35).
L. Jesus appeared to the 10 apostles, Thomas was absent, as they were gathered in the upper room. (Luke 24:36-43, John 20:19-25).
THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY:
M. Jesus now appears to the 11 apostles, including Thomas. (John 20:26-28).
3. That is an overview of what transpired, let’s dig back into our text in Matthew and see what transpired on this glorious day according to Matthew.
VERSES 2-3
1. Now some teach that the angel rolled the stone away to let Jesus out. I disagree. I believe the angel rolled the stone away to let the women in, Peter and John in, to see that the tomb was empty! He is risen!
2. Back in 1885 General Gordon discovered this garden tomb, the burial place of Jesus, and upon entering he took some soil samples from the floor and had some chemists analyze it to see if there was any trace of decomposition in this soil. The conclusion they came to was that there was no evidence of any decay or decomposition in the soil, in this tomb! It is as Psalm 16:10 says, "For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption." In the Jewish mind, corruption or decay of the body did not take place until the fourth day, and Jesus rose on the third day!
3. Also, the Christian faith is not built upon the death of Jesus, but upon His resurrection from the dead! Paul, in I Corinthians 15:3-4 said, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." May we not forget that He is the RISEN LORD!
VERSE 4
1. Please understand that these were the Roman soldiers, not much brought fear upon them. And yet, here they see the angel in purity and they began to shake, rattle and role on the ground, they fainted like dead men! Why? Because of the purity of just this angel and can you imagine what it would be like to stand before a holy and righteous God in your own filthy righteousness? These guys couldn’t stand before this angel!
VERSES 5-6
1. Now the angel appears to the women at the tomb, and he is dispelling their fear, their heartache over these events by telling them to come and see! They needed to see the empty tomb, the risen Lord, just as we do today. You see, before you can go and tell others of Jesus, you have to come and see, taste that the Lord is good. Once that is done you can go and tell others, as we see in the next two verses.
VERSES 7-8
1. The angel tells these women to go and tell the others that He is risen and will see you in Galilee. There were forty days from the resurrection of Jesus till His ascension in heaven. We have covered 8 of those days so far, ending with the appearance of Jesus before His 11 apostles, including Thomas. Let’s look at what transpired during the next 32 days.
THE FOLLOWING 32 DAYS:
A. Jesus appears to seven of His disciples by the Sea of Galilee and performed a miracle of fish, also restoring Peter. (John 21:1-19).
B. Jesus appears to over 500 at a mountain in Galilee. (Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:15-18, I Corinthians 15:6).
C. Jesus appeared to his half brother James. (I Corinthians 15:7).
D. In Jerusalem Jesus appeared again to His disciples. (Luke 24:44-49, Acts 1:3-8).
E. Jesus ascends into heaven from the Mount of Olives while His disciples watch. (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:9-12).
2. Notice the women went out with great joy, but they also had some fear, not fully understanding all that was shown them. And how often do we feel the same as we face difficult situations, trying times, uncertain situations in our life. Yes, we know what God has said in His Word, but it is hard at times to apply it to our lives, to believe it by faith, as these women also struggled with. What can we do when we find ourselves in situations like this? Let’s read on.
VERSES 9-10
1. As they walked in obedience, they encountered the Lord and worshiped Him. These are two things we can do when we struggle with things, unsure of what the Lord is doing, allowing fear to grow. First, encounter God, and we can do that through reading His Word and prayer. Secondly, worship Him, and that is done through prayer, and actually, in all we do, not just signing or praying, just going about our daily lives worshiping Him. And through that, God will dispel the fear and encourage you to go forward. It is as Isaiah 26:3-4 says, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength." When you do, you will be able to rejoice in the Lord as these women did! Paul in Philippians 4:4 said while in prison for his faith, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" Can you do that as you are going through difficult times? If not, give it to the Lord, encounter Him, worship Him, and you will be able to rejoice in Him! And if you want to know God’s will, Paul tells us in I Thessalonians 5:18, "in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Notice, "in everything" not "for everything!" God is working in us, thank Him for what He is doing, it is His will that we do!
VERSE 11
1. The guards are in trouble at this point, they not only left their post, but they let the person they were guarding escape, and He was dead! That does not look good on your work record. Now the punishment for their failure was death! So they come into the city, which tells me the garden tomb was outside the city, which it is, and they tell the news to the religious leaders. They let them know what happened, but instead of rejoicing in this miracle, they tried to cover it up, they were not interested in the truth. They knew if word got out that He is risen, they would be in trouble, so the cover up must take place, at least that is what they thought.
VERSES 12-13
1. The religious leaders were bribing these soldiers to tell a lie, that the disciples of Jesus stole the body while all these soldiers were sleeping. Now think about that for a minute for it makes no sense. If these guards were all sleeping, how would they know what happened, let alone that the disciples of Jesus stole the body of Jesus from under their noses! And if one of the guards woke-up and saw this taking place, don’t you think he would have woke up the others, considering the punishment would be death if the Roman seal was broken and the body stolen? Of course they would!
2. Also, think about how tough these disciples were before they were empowered by the Holy Spirit. In the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus was arrested, listen to what His disciples did. In Mark 14:50-52 we are told, "Then they all forsook Him and fled. Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked." They all ran for their lives, and this young man was in such a hurry, he ran away naked, and this was probably Mark. He was the first streaker in the New Testament, Joseph was in the Old Testament! Big strong Peter, the rock, couldn’t even admit He was a follower of Jesus. At the cross, John was the only disciple of Jesus, the only man, who was there, all the others were hiding in fear. And yet we are to believe this story that they stole the body from these Roman soldiers? Give me a break!
VERSES 14-15
1. Of course, if Pilate got word of this, these soldiers would have been put to death for their failure on duty. So the religious leaders were going to bribe Pilate if need be, to protect these men, and to propagate this lie. Isn’t it amazing what people will go through to hide the truth, suppress the truth! How much easier it is to just believe! But, men love darkness and try to extinguish the light so they can continue doing their evil deeds!
2. It not only was common then, but that lie even continues today, that Jesus did not rise from the dead, but His disciples stole the body. How foolish! Others say they went to the wrong tomb, everybody? That too is foolish! Others say He didn’t really die, but just passed-out, the swoon theory! The scourging, the beatings, the crucifixion, the spear in His side, the 100 pounds of burial spices, the 1 ton stone over the grave door, and Jesus woke up from all of this, and snuck out from the tomb, escaping by the Roman soldiers. Hey, that is a great miracle, but that is not what happened. Give me a break. Listen to what Wilbur Smith said regarding the resurrection:
The simple truth is that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is a well-attested fact of history. He presented Himself alive to His disciples after His passion by many infallible proofs. Think of these specific instances when He appeared to His own:
1. To Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-11).
2. To the women (Matt. 28:8-10).
3. To Peter (Luke 24:34).
4. To the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32).
5. To the disciples, except Thomas (John 20:19-25).
6. To the disciples, including Thomas (John 20:26-31).
7. To the seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21).
8. To over 500 believers (I Cor. 15:6).
9. To James (I Cor. 5:7).
10. To the disciples on the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:3-12).
One of the great foundation stones, unshakable and unmovable, of our Christian faith, is the historic evidence for the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here you and I can stand and do battle for the faith because we have a situation which cannot be contradicted. It can be denied, but it cannot be disproved.
- Believers Bible Commentary, p. 1312
VERSES 16-18
1. Just as the Lord said, came to pass. He appears to them in Galilee, and they worshiped Him, but still some doubted. How can that be? How many do the same today, after all they have seen, and yet doubt the Lord and what He is going to do? We are no different. We need to learn to trust Him at His Word and we will never be disappointed!
2. Jesus tells His men that "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." Matthew 28:18. The Greek word for "authority" is EXOUSIA and it speaks of His "official right or power." Notice what Jesus says in John 17:1-5, "Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." That authority was given to Jesus by the Father, the authority over everything, the authority to give eternal life to all who come to Him.
3. We are told in Colossians 1:16-17, "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist." He is not only the creator of life, but the sustainer of life! He holds everything together and Peter tells us what happens when He lets go, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." II Peter 3:10-13. The big bang is coming!
4. Now, on the basis of that authority, He tells us...
VERSE 19-20
1. The word "go" is a participle and should be translated, "As you are going..." to work, to school, to the store, to the neighbors, wherever you are going you are to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news, with others. We are to be going out, not staying in but it truly speaks of just everyday living, wherever you go share the light of Jesus!
2. Notice the three things we are to do. First of all we are to make disciples, it speaks of salvation, coming to know the Lord. Next, baptism which is an outward showing of an inward reality, you are telling the world that you are a Christian, the old life is buried in the waters of baptism and you have come up new in Christ. Paul put it this way in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Lastly, we are not to just leave these new believers on their own, but to teach them the things of God, the Word of God, helping them to apply it to their lives.
3. Now many times we are fearful of sharing our faith, but notice what Jesus is saying here, that He is with us wherever we go! Don’t forget that fact! Don’t let the enemy discourage you or make you feel you are on your own. Maybe you have heard of the story of the little boy who was asked by his Sunday School teacher who he wanted to be in the Bible, who was his favorite Bible character? And many of the students of the class mentioned people like Moses, Joshua, David, Jesus, Peter, Paul, and of course Mary! But this boy said "I want to be Lo!" And the Sunday School teacher was confused, and said to the boy, "Lo, I don’t understand?" He said, "You know, Jesus said to ‘lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’" I like that and it is true, He is with us, even if our name is not Lo!
4. As we close our study this evening and finish up the Gospel according to Matthew, let me leave you with this thought. What are you doing to carry out His last command to us, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."? Matthew 28:19-20. May we not only hear those words, but apply them to our lives!