Matthew 28

Notes for BSF

JESUS IS RISEN (Matthew 28:1-15)!

The resurrected Jesus was seen by the Mary’s first
Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after he was buried, on a Sunday. When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary arrived at the tomb, they witnessed an angel rolling the stone away from Jesus’ tomb, and they experienced great fear.

All throughout the Bible, whenever man comes into the presence of God or the angels, man’s reactions are always fear, that compelled us to fall on our faces out of worship, or reverent fear. This gives us a glimpse of what it is like to be in the presence of God and angels in our fallen form – God’s holiness is so great, we cannot help but feel extremely inadequate in His presence and thus experience fear. The “fear” recorded here is not the same kind of fear we feel when we are simply afraid of the unknown. This “fear” is fear out of reverence. Being in the presence of God and angels, we become clearly aware of the holiness of the situation, filling our hearts with reverent fear.

The angel then commanded the women to spread the GREAT NEWS of Jesus’ resurrection. And when they saw the resurrected Jesus, they were commanded to do the same as they worshiped Jesus by His feet.

Matthew 28:10
Jesus told them, “Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

One of the methods doubters and non-believers try to dismiss this miracle (and other miracles of the Bible) is to claim that the Bible was just a collection of made-up stories or to discredit eyewitness accounts as hyperboles. I’m not going to try and dispute all such arguments in a small paragraph, but I do want to point out one caveat to claims that eyewitness accounts were doctored to fit the story. Back in those days, women were not held in high regard – or any regard, in that matter. In fact, the status of women was valued below that of slaves. Slaves, on certain levels, were at least treated like human beings. Women, however, were simply property to be traded. Also back in those days, eyewitness accounts are the main sources of proof of events – as it is today in most judicial systems. If the Bible was written as a made-up story or composed of falsified eyewitness accounts to convince people of events that never took place, why would the writer(s) choose female eyewitnesses? Women had no value, no authority in society back then; nothing they said were ever considered valid in court; and certainly, no man would ever take the account of a woman seriously. Logic would dictate that if anyone were to make up an amazing miracle such as the resurrection of Christ, he would at least have all the eyewitnesses as men! The fact that the first eyewitnesses of the resurrected Jesus were women suggest that the intention of this documentation was not to convince anyone of anything – but rather, just a straightforward report of what took place. Further, it shows the tenderness of Jesus’ heart toward women.

How does each one of us respond to the resurrection of Christ? (Cf. Luke 24:19-27)

Jesus’ disciples couldn’t believe until they saw
Before seeing Jesus alive with their own eyes (and Thomas even had to physically touch the nail marks on Jesus wrists before he believed – John 20:27), even the disciples couldn’t really believe that Jesus would rise from the dead. They knew that His body was not to be found in the tomb. However, they couldn’t really wrap their heads around anyone beating death! It wasn’t until Jesus broke bread with them later that night that they finally grasped that our Lord had risen (Luke 24:28-34)! What opened their eyes? The Bible doesn’t say, but I suspect it was them seeing the nail marks through Jesus wrists as He broke bread!

The reason why they finally believed was not due to blind faith. They were eyewitnesses to the resurrected Jesus – and this Truth gave them all the courage they needed to spread the Gospel. Death no longer feared them because our Lord has conquered death! We may be amazed at how so many men readily die standing up for Christ, but when we realize the reality our eternal life with Christ in our resurrected bodies, death has no hold on our eternity! Only a fool would give up eternal life to avoid physical death, to swap eternal life for temporary life!

The guards died from extreme fear
They guards were non-believers, who were directly in charge of guarding the tomb. They were put there in the first place, because all were aware of the prophecy of Jesus’ resurrection, and the religious leaders and the Roman government wanted to make sure that this event never took place. If anyone were to know what really happened, none would know more than the guards. They knew what had happened, and it wasn’t something that could be covered up by hand-waving explanations. Because they had witnessed what happened, they couldn’t tell themselves lies to make them feel better. They knew the truth, and the truth literally shocked the life out of them.

The Jewish leaders refused to see the truth and chose to believe a lie that was more comfortable to their lifestyle
The Jewish leaders, on the other hand, never witnessed what actually took place at the tomb on the dawn of Jesus’ resurrection. They heard that Jesus’ body was not to be found, and 1) immediately assumed Jesus’ disciples had stolen the body; and 2) bribed the soldiers to lie about what had happened to Jesus’ body.

It never fails to strike me just how ironic the Jewish leaders were. They were held in the highest regard as the authoritative figures in anything that pertained to God. And yet, they were the most blinded people to the truth of God. They knew prophecies of the coming Messiah, yet every time Jesus fulfilled a prophecy, they came up with a reason for how Jesus cannot be the Messiah.

Why is that?

1) Jesus was not the Messiah they wanted
The religious leaders were expecting their Messiah to come as KING, someone who was strong and powerful – not a no-name carpenter from a no-name town from a no-name family (although if they had bothered to take the time to trace His blood lineage, perhaps they would have realized His royalty). And because Jesus was not the King they wanted, they found every possible way to disregard all evidence that pointed them to Jesus as the Messiah.

2) They loved their power too much to relinquish it
Throughout the short ministry of Jesus, the religious leaders were rebuked time and time again by Jesus for their hypocrisy. As true children of God, we all ought to have the humility to be rebuked and reflect – and repent when we are convicted. We saw none of that kind of heart in the religious leaders. They prided themselves in being the authority on anything pertaining to God. They allowed that pride to elevate themselves above the rest, to a level that they could do no wrong. They bathed in the power of the authority that they had given themselves through a system that they had established – and when Jesus came, on the authority of God the Father, they knew their system was jeopardized. And instead of recognizing how far their prideful sin had taken them off the path, they sought ways to shut up Jesus for good.

We may look at the religious leaders and wonder how they could make such a serious mistake, but when we allow the sins of our lives to drive our carnal desires, we can easily tell ourselves lies that would make us feel more comfortable about our continual sin. But learn from the religious leaders – All lies eventually run out of room to run, and we all are smacked with the truth at the end of each run. It is just so much more liberating to live in the light of truth rather than having to constantly run and hide in the shadows.

The Jewish people blindly followed falsified media hype
The lies about Jesus’ resurection spread by the religious leaders were gobbled up by the Jewish people, and to this day, they still doubt Jesus as their Messiah.

We need to realize that although the news media is supposed to be unbiased and report events as they are, that simply is not reality. I am not saying we should doubt everything we read or hear, but I am advocating that we at least think about it. Don’t just accept conclusions as they are reported. Instead, follow up with some research. If multiple resources from various perspectives all match up, the chance of that being the truth is high. If, however, there are some contradictory voices, it is worth our time to determine the reason behind these voices. Often times, when we are willing to dig a bit for those reasons, the picture becomes far clearer. If we readily accept whatever conclusions people throw at us, we become extremely easy for manipulation and can be led to think any way people want us to.

Hear His voice! (John 10:3-5, 14, 27-28)

John 10:14-16
I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

We are given the command to go out and spread the Gospel (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8). The Gospel, the Good News, is that Jesus has eternally cleansed us of our sins. He was sacrificed for us, but God brought Him back to life, for all who are sinless have eternal life with God. As Jesus’ disciples, we have the confidence that through the cleansing of Jesus’ blood, we, too, share in His eternal glory. This is the great news that we should be out sharing with everyone!

Jesus’ bodily resurrection is a critical criterion for our salvation (1 Corinthians 15)
Cf. John 10:17-18; Acts 2:31; Psalm 16:10; Acts 17:30-31; 1 Corinthians 15:45-58; Ephesians 1:18-20; Romans 6:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14; Hebrews 7:16, 23-28; 1 Peter 1:3-5

1 Corinthians 15:5-8
He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

Matthew 29:9
Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.

Luke 24:5-7
The angels said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’”

1 Corinthians 15:14-19
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise… And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

Understand what Paul is saying here. If Jesus was not bodily resurrected, our faith is EMPTY, FUTILE. We would still be in our sins, and death would still have a hold over us due to our sins (Romans 6:23). If Christ was not resurrected, then those who had died in Christ, those who continue to live through Christ, we would be pitiable, pathetic, because such hope is an empty hope!

Paul was certainly a highly educated man, with incredible intelligence. He fully understood what it meant to place his faith in Christ. He fully understood what it meant if Jesus was not who He claimed He was. Yet, Paul remained firm in his faith. Why? Because he was an eyewitness and
beneficiary of the promises and blessing of Jesus. Strong faith comes from knowledge and personal experience and is always based on evidence. It thus stands up to the toughest scrutiny, and we can confidently defend it.


SPREAD THE GOSPEL (Matthew 28:16-20)

Matthew 28:19-20
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.

We are to make disciples of ALL nations, teaching them the things that have been taught to us by Jesus – baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We don’t make up stories; we don’t add anything to the story. We study the Bible and teach ONLY what the Bible teaches.

Share with the heart of Jesus
It is difficult to share the Gospel without annoying or offend other people. However, we can’t let this stop us. Instead, we each need to find our own way to share the story of Jesus to try and save more souls.

Live out the Gospel

Romans 5:10
If Jesus loved us so much to redeem us even when we were sinners and enemies against Him, imagine how much more we would receive from Him when we are now following Him as disciples!

2 Corinthians 4:10-18
The renewal of our mind, body, and soul occurs through the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit. As we live, we live with the life of Christ inside of us. In this fallen world, we may continuously run into problems and be tempted to sin. This may lead us to great discouragement, but don’t forget that we have the power of Christ within us. Be encouraged by the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to renew our spirit so that we can face each day with the strength of Christ!

Galatians 2:20
When we choose to walk with Christ, in a way, we are crucified with Christ. Our decision signifies our commitment to live APART from sin. We nail our sins to the cross. And from then on, we walk forward with Christ, not with ourselves controlling our lives, but allowing Christ to take over, allowing Him to guide our decisions. Why? Because we couldn’t live a sinless life without Christ. When we were the ones controlling our own lives, we continued to sin. We couldn’t break the cycle. Only when Jesus came and died for us could we successfully escape sin.

So, having learned that alone, we cannot conquer sin, it’s time to try something better, try the best. Let Jesus take control of our live and learn to truly live apart from sin!

Philippians 3:10
Because we know how much God has had to sacrifice to redeem us, we ought to be grateful for all that He has given us.

Colossians 3:1-4
Since we have made the commitment to follow Christ, let our minds be occupied with things that are of Christ. We should embrace the heart of God, seeking ways to bring the Good News to more unsaved souls. We should be focused on following Jesus commandment to spread the Good News. Because in this lifetime, there is nothing else more important than to receive eternal salvation. Because once this lifetime is over, none of us would have the opportunity to make that decision! So, be focused on the missions of God and not be tempted by the missions of man!