The Gospels Matthew

Go and Tell of the Risen Lord!

Discover Jesus as: King Matthew 28 Read on Bible Gateway (HCSB)

Day 138 of 730
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INTRO

This is the last lesson in Matthew. Yesterday, we looked at the arduous ordeal Jesus endured on the cross, but today, we’ll see how His story ended well because of His resurrection. The Apostle Paul wrote a lot about Jesus’ resurrection, stating that without the resurrection, Jesus would have been just another man (Romans 6:4). The resurrection was necessary for Him to take His place as our King, our Messiah, our Savior. We can trust that Christ is no longer in the grave (Romans 8:34).

TEACHING

Matthew 28:1-4: “After the Sabbath” refers to sundown on Saturday, or what some have referred to as the dawn of Sunday morning. This means we’re looking at the period from sundown on Friday until the dawn of Easter Sunday. Constable states that the two Mary’s “apparently did not know that the Sanhedrin had posted a guard at the tomb.”1They were focused on their task of anointing Jesus’ body. There was a violent earthquake as an angel appeared suddenly and rolled the stone from the tomb entrance and sat on it (v. 2). Luke 24:4 shows that there were actually two angels. In Matthew 27:51, the earthquake marked the death of Christ. At the point of the resurrection there was, again, an earthquake. In verse 3, the angel had the appearance of holiness; his robe was white as snow (Matthew 17:2; Acts 1:10). One commentary suggests that the guards were so shaken that they passed out (v. 4).

Matthew 28:5-10: The angel told the women that he knew they were looking for Jesus who had been crucified, but not to be afraid (v. 5)! The angel pronounced, “He is not here! For He has been resurrected, just as He said” (v. 6). When did Jesus say this? Matthew 12:40; 16:21; 17:9, 23; 26:32, all point to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection after three days. The disciples had to think beyond the bad news of the crucifixion and death to be able to embrace the good news of Christ’s resurrection (v. 7). Christianity is dependent upon the resurrection, not just the death. But we have to experience death to find true life (Matthew 10:39; 16:25; 28:6).

The angel invited the women to come see the empty tomb and to personally experience Jesus’ resurrection (v. 6b), before they were told to go tell His disciples (v. 8). All of us have to experience Jesus’ resurrection personally before we too can go and tell others about it. Sadly, we tend to live like Jesus is still in the tomb and He’s not coming out. However, when we come and see that “He is not here!” we can go and tell others about Him.

Then, the angel told the women to go and tell the disciples the news (v. 7). The women left with “fear and great joy” (v. 8). Jesus met them along their way with the customary greeting, “Good morning!” (v. 9). The women held Jesus’ feet and worshipped Him. They came looking for His body and left immediately to tell the disciples Jesus had risen. Jesus’ appearance to them was not necessary because they were already on their way as an act of faith. But Jesus chose to bless them with His presence, and they worshipped Him. Jesus told the women to tell the disciples to go to Galilee and they would see Him there. That was not an easy trip and a distance of 100 miles. It was the location Jesus had told them in Matthew 26:32.

This began Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances. He showed up to the women. He showed up in Jerusalem and Judea. He showed up in Galilee. He showed up in Jerusalem again.

When the disciples heard the story, Peter and John ran back to the tomb to see what the women had seen (John 20:4-7). Finding Jesus’ burial garments was like finding “a cocoon.”2His clothes were perfectly wrapped, but He was not there.

Matthew 28:11-15: As the disciples were on their way to Galilee, the guards reported what had happened to the chief priests (earthquake, angels, passing out). Nelson’s Commentarypoints out that this was an actual assignment for the guards.3The religious authorities came up with a plan to say that Jesus’ disciples had stolen His body while the soldiers slept, and they paid the soldiers hush money to keep them silent about the truth (v. 12). The plan makes no sense because a guard sleeping at his post was sentenced to death (Acts 12:19; 16:27). Further, if they were sleeping, how did they know the story of what had happened? And, when did the disciples get so strong that they were able to move the stone? In verse 14, the religious leaders even promised to cover for the soldiers if the governor found out about the missing body. The soldiers took the money and spread the story that Jesus’ body was stolen. According to verse 15, the story was still being spread among the Jews.

Matthew 28:16-17: Hughes asked several interesting questions in his commentary on these verses. First, why did only 11 go to Galilee? He pointed out that the number 11 is imperfect, according to Scripture, and so wondered why the remaining disciples had not added another. He suggested that “perhaps it was because they thought the Jesus-as-Messiah train ride had stopped for good at the cross.”4Hughes also questioned why the disciples were sent to Galilee and suggested that this 100-mile journey was a “faith walk,” which would take trust.5Another possibility is that Jesus didn’t want to return to Jerusalem yet because they had rejected Him. A third question Hughes asked was why Jesus met His disciples on a mountain. Hughes emphasized that Jesus began His ministry at the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 4:12).6

When the disciples saw the resurrected Jesus, they worshipped Him (v. 17a). But it was not just the 11 who saw Him. Paul recorded 500 people seeing Him at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6). Possibly this is where those who doubted came from (v. 17b).

Matthew 28:18-20: Remember that the disciples had been sent out to the lost sheep of Israel (the Jews), but they had rejected Him. He now gave them a new mission. First, He emphasized that “all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (v. 18). God was declaring both His humanity and His divinity. Then Jesus told them, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.”

How were the disciples to make disciples? First, by going. We cannot make disciples without going out to them. Second, by baptizing them. Baptism can happen at any time and any place with water, when someone believes in the death and resurrection of Christ. Ordination is not required to baptize a new believer. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we should be baptizing new believers all the time. Third, by teaching them everything that Christ has commanded us to teach. And we can remember, Jesus is always with us, even to the end of the age.

CLOSING

King Jesus is now ruling and reigning over our lives. We have a commission to talk about Jesus wherever we go.

  1. Thomas Constable, Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable: Matthew, p. 704; available on-line at https://planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/matthew.pdf.

  2. Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: Matthew–Galatians (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 1989), p. 105.

  3. Earl Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, and H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), p. 1202.

  4. Douglas Sean O’Donnell and R. Kent Hughes, Matthew: All Authority in Heaven and on Earth (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), p. 906.

  5. O’Donnell and Hughes, p. 907.

  6. O’Donnell and Hughes, p. 907.

Questions

  1. Describe the angel who came from heaven and rolled away the stone from the tomb (Matthew 28:3). Compare this to the description of Jesus in Matthew 17:2. Explain why they are similar.
  2. The guards were so afraid of the angel that they became like dead men, but the women who came to the tomb were told not to be afraid (Matthew 28:4-5). How did the women respond? (Matthew 28:8)
  3. The angel told the women that Jesus had risen, just as He said. When did Jesus say this? (Matthew 12:38-41; 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 26:32)
  4. When Jesus appeared to the women in Matthew 28:9-10, He told them to not be afraid. Do you think, even though the angel told them that Jesus had risen, the sight of Him scared them? Would you have been afraid?
  5. Do you think that when the disciples headed to Galilee, like Jesus instructed through the women (Matthew 28:10), it demonstrated their faith that He was indeed raised to life? If so, how does that explain verse 17, that upon seeing Him, some were doubtful?
  6. When Jesus told the disciples to make disciples of all the nations, why was this significant? (Matthew 10:5-6)
  7. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in Matthew 28 through the reading or the teaching?

Next: the Daily Word →

Daily Word

Laura Martin Matthew 28:17, 19-20

“When they saw Him, they worshiped, but some doubted . . .‘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 everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

“Come and see…Jesus has been resurrected, just as He said He would be!” the angels proclaimed. They instructed Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to go and tell what they have seen and heard. As the women went on their way, they met Jesus along the path. After worshipping Jesus at His feet, He too told them to go and tell. Then the disciples saw Jesus resurrected just as He foretold to them. And although they worshipped Him, some still doubted what they saw. Had Jesus truly been resurrected.

Just like the disciples, Jesus is alive in you! He has told you to go and tell others about His great love. Will you worship Him and go, or will you continue to doubt the Jesus you have seen alive in your life? Today move from doubt to faith, and live for Christ just as He commanded His disciples! Jesus promises He will be with you always, even to the end of the age.

“When they saw Him, they worshiped, but some doubted . . .‘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 everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

— Matthew 28:17, 19-20

FURTHER SCRIPTURE

  • Psalm 96:3 — “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful works among all peoples.”
  • Galatians 2:20-21 — “And I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.”
  • Revelation 14:6-7 — “Then I saw another angel flying high overhead, having the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. He spoke with a loud voice: ‘Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’”