CHAPTER 28
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. Matthew 28:1
“The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the central fact of Christian history…Only Christianity has a God who became human, literally died for his people, and was raised again in power and glory to rule his church forever.” 1
Yet, his people had gone through a terrible weekend. Jesus had been arrested and found guilty by a Jewish “kangaroo court.” He was quickly tried, convicted and crucified. His disciples had deserted him. Even Peter had denied ever knowing him and finished his denial with a curse. All of Jesus’ followers were divided, afraid and terribly depressed at “losing” their Master. They had all thought that he would usher in a wonderful kingdom on earth. Now, their hopes were dashed to pieces and the women followers were planning to do the honorable and expected thing, of at least preparing the body of their dead Lord.
They had arisen very early on the first day of the week (Sunday), in fact, they probably had slept very little due to their great sorrow, loss and shattered hopes. While it was still dark (Jn. 20:1), they set out for the tomb with the spices they had prepared. In the group was Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee (Mk. 16:1) and Joanna. Apparently, there were some other women in this group as well (Lk. 24:10). As they walked to the tomb they were wondering how they could move the heavy rolling stone that covered the tomb’s mouth (Mk. 16:3). No doubt they were also wondering how they could get permission from the soldiers guarding the tomb and how the official seal over the tomb could be broken.
The sun was just beginning to rise when they got to the tomb (Mk. 16:2). At that moment and slightly before, things began to happen that were unbelievable and astounding.
“There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men” (28:2-4). Angels were awesome creatures throughout the Bible. People were always terrified at their presence. Apparently, there was a company of angels that appeared that morning. In addition to the mighty Angel of the Lord, Luke mentions that two men in dazzling apparel stood by the women (Lk. 24:4). Mark 16:5 mentions a young man who was of angelic appearance.
The women were astounded and bewildered by the heavenly beings. We can imagine how their minds were racing trying to understand their glorious visitation. They discovered that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb and that the body of Jesus was missing. They also discovered that they did not have to worry about the soldiers. They had all passed out with fear at seeing the heavenly creatures. Clarke mentions how “God can, by one and the same means, comfort his servants, and terrify his enemies.” 2 At this point it seems that Mary Magdalene turned and ran to tell the disciples that Jesus’ body was no longer in the tomb (Jn. 20:2).
We notice a wide variation in the accounts of the four gospels. Jesus’ followers were experiencing an unbelievable otherworldly visitation and their minds were having trouble coping with such a visitation. We might very loosely compare these events to some modern folks experiencing a supposed extraterrestrial visit. The visitors may afterward be described as nine feet tall; little men; shining people; dark people; beautiful people; ugly people….etc. Simply, our human minds cannot cope with visitations that are outside the experiences of this world.
In all the varied accounts there are three elements that are common in all four gospels. These are the empty tomb, the announcement of the Resurrection, and the meeting of the Lord’s disciples with the Risen One.3 It was just like the Lord to allow women to be the first witnesses of the Resurrection. In Jewish society (and in much of the ancient world) women were not accepted as witnesses.4 Yet, here they were witnessing the most astounding event in all human history. This in itself was wonderful evidence that the Resurrection story was not fabricated. If it had been, only male witnesses would have been involved.5
France comments: “…the emphasis throughout (except in the story of the guard) is not on factual proof for the non-Christian world, but on the impact of the incredible truth on Jesus’ bewildered and exhilarated followers…” 6 There was a lot of running to and fro and breathless accounts of what had been experienced. However, some of the women were so traumatized by the experience that they fled from the tomb in fear and spoke to no one (Mk. 16:8).
“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay’” (28:5-6). In most biblical angelic appearances, the first words from the mouths of angels are “Do not be afraid!” We have many stories of angelic appearances today where angels and people seem to be quite chummy. We can discount all of these.
In the gospels, the basic message is in essence “He is not here, he has risen.” Jesus had spoken to his disciples of his Resurrection several times but none of them understood or believed it (e.g.16:21; 17:23; 20:19). They were all totally unprepared for what would greet them that Easter morn.
The women were then invited to come into the tomb and see the place where Jesus had lain. There was something about this setting which verified that Jesus was truly resurrected. When Peter and John later ran to the tomb, John observed the grave clothes and believed (Jn. 20:8). Wiersbe says that the grave clothes were lying on the stone shelf and were still in the contours of Jesus body. They were lying there in the shape of an empty cocoon.7 Jesus’ body had arisen right through the grave clothes and he had gone out of the sealed tomb even before the door was opened. Kretzmann says, “That admonition indicated something profoundly important and observable was to be seen in the tomb, and such is a necessary inference from an angel of God in calling attention
to it.” 8
In this account we learn of the wonders of the Resurrection body. That body will not be bound to earth and its requirements. It will no longer be restricted by space and time. Its fellowship with the Lord will be unhindered. We can all look forward to the day when such an incorruptible, glorious body is given to each true believer in the Lord (1 Cor. 15:52).
“Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you” (28:7). France says this is the culmination of Matthew’s emphasis upon the Galilee.9 After all, the Galilee was the place where the ministry of Jesus was most successful, the place where he had many more disciples and where he was better received.10 It is a probability that the Lord’s appearance to more than five hundred disciples at one time happened in the Galilee (1 Cor. 15:6). Jesus had prophesied this meeting place before his death (26:32). Jesus would go ahead of them after the feast was over but this did not rule out some Jerusalem appearances in the meantime.11 Jesus would meet them on a mountain there (26:32, 28:7, 10) and he would have some teaching time with a final message for them (cf. 28:18-20; Lk. 24:46-47; Acts 1:8).12 As Wiersbe says, the “Come and see!” was followed by a “Go and tell!” 13
“So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples” (28:8). As we have mentioned, a few of these ladies were so overcome with fear that they did not go and tell anyone (Mk. 16:8). Utley says, “Fear and great joy characterize the first resurrection encounters.” 14 It was just an unbelievable scene of great joy, great fear and great bewilderment all mixed together.
“Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him” (28:9). From John’s Gospel we know that Jesus made a private appearance to Mary Magdalene at a different time (Jn. 20:10ff.), either before or after that, he appeared to these women. He saluted them with the common Greek greeting of “Chairete!” This word has the meaning of “Rejoice!” 15 The women instantly fell at his feet in true worship. Falling at the feet was a Near Eastern custom which indicated that a subject was showing obeisance to a lord or king.16
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me’” (28:10). We just cannot imagine what great fear, trembling and excitement these women were experiencing. Once again, they are told to not be afraid.
Jesus gives them the instruction to go to his brothers and inform them, telling them that they are to travel to the Galilee and see him there. The expression “my brothers” is extremely important. Jesus had never used this expression before in the gospels. Now he is using it as a loving description of those who had abandoned him in his crisis.17
This is Matthew’s very brief description of the Resurrection. We note in all the gospel accounts that the actual Resurrection is never described. All we hear of is its effect upon the followers of Jesus. The Crucifixion alone would not have sufficed for the complete gospel message. Other people had died under similar extreme conditions. However, the Resurrection was the final triumphant touch of the gospel account. Guzik says, “Simply, Jesus’ Resurrection proved that his death was an actual propitiation for sin and that the Father had accepted it as such.” 18
THE REPORT OF THE GUARDS
While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. Matthew 28:11
We do not know how many soldiers were involved in guarding the tomb. Some of them gained consciousness and fled to tell the chief priests what had happened. Whether they were temple guards or Roman guards, they probably knew that they would get a sympathetic ear from the priests, who would be interested that such a story not get published.19 The guards were actually in a very difficult spot. About the only excuse they would have for letting Jesus escape the tomb was that they had gone go sleep and allowed the disciples to steal the body. Going to sleep on duty for a Roman guard was the death sentence.20 The same was probably true for Jewish guards since Jewish King Agrippa would later execute all sixteen guards that allowed the disciples to escape from jail (Acts 12:19).
“When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, ‘You are to say, “His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep”’” (28:12-13). Barclay says of this: “They used treachery to lay hold on him. They used illegality to try him. They used slander to charge him to Pilate. And now they were using bribery to silence the truth about him. And they failed.” 21
Today we would call this “damage control.” Osborne exclaims: “What irony that the chief priests were forced to bribe the guards to spread the very lie that the chief priests had tried to prevent!…Why should Jesus’ disciples, who already had run off on him at his arrest, risk a return at night to a guarded and sealed tomb in an effort to steal a body – an offense that would incur the death penalty?” 22 The whole affair was bordering on absurdity.
So the priests gave the guards a large sum of money to say that the disciples stole the body while they were asleep. Such an account was self-contradictory. If they were asleep how could they know that the disciples stole the body? 23 Guzik says, “…This cover-up attempt shows the darkness of these priests. They knew the truth of the resurrection, yet they rejected that truth.” 24 As the old saying goes, “None are so blind as those who will not see” (c.f. Jer. 5:21). Utley wonders, “What these soldiers must have thought, knowing the truth and telling a lie!” 25
“If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble” (28:14). The plot thickens. The priests have just paid a substantial bribe so that the guards would lie about the Resurrection. Now they were confronted with the fact that Pilate might exact a terrible toll on the guards. Perhaps an even more substantial bribe would be required to calm him down. France says, “…the priests knew their man well enough to expect to be able to satisfy him with a bribe.” 26 We can only note that falsehood gets more and more expensive the longer it is promoted.
“So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day” (28:15). The story of the disciples stealing the body was being circulated in the days when Matthew wrote his gospel, sometime in the AD 60s. We know from church history that the same story was being circulated even as late as the time of Justin Martyr (AD 130-160).27 How rapidly a lie spreads and how long it takes to correct it! It was Mark Twain who said, “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” 28 Kretzmann says, “There at the grave of Jesus, the BIG lie was born; and it is the ancestor of every big lie since then.” 29
THE GREAT COMMISSION
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. Matthew 28:16
No doubt the disciples took their journey sometime after the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread had ended. Galilee was home for Jesus’ ministry. Probably all of the eleven disciples were from there and it included the physical homes of Jesus, at Nazareth and Capernaum. It was a place where he could do some final instruction without his people being hassled by the Jerusalem authorities.30
“When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted” (28:17). To see the Risen Christ was to worship him and fall at his feet. This could have been a much larger group than the eleven disciples. It could have been part or all of the five hundred disciples who saw him at one time (1 Cor. 15:6).31 The Greek word for doubt is the verb distazo and it does not indicate a settled unbelief but instead a state of uncertainty and hesitation.32 We cannot help but note in the Resurrection appearances that there was something about the Risen Christ that made it hard for people to recognize him at first. Blomberg says there was, “…an understandable confusion about how to behave in the presence of a supernaturally manifested, exalted, and holy being…” 33 France in describing this says, “…Fear and trembling, anxiety, uncertainty and doubt struggle with joy and worship.” 34
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (28:18). The Lord had great authority in his ministry but now he has “all” authority in heaven and earth. Satan once offered Jesus such authority, supposedly allowing him to escape the road of suffering, but Satan could not really offer this.35 Satan had only a temporary authority that would be taken away. Besides that, Jesus knew that Satan was a liar. There was no way he could give what he had promised because it was not his to give.
We need to pause and think about the expression “All authority.” If Jesus truly has “all” the authority there is in heaven and earth, that leaves “no” authority for Satan and his crew. Such information might come in handy when we have our next temptation from the devil.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (28:19). Coffman says, “Here is the world-wide missionary program of the church.” 36 Here, Jesus put the “go” in the gospel. The disciples obeyed this commission and took the gospel to many of the nations in existence at that time. It cost most of them their lives. However, it is generally conceded that this commission is for the whole church and for us even today. We cannot really take the gospel to the nations without many Christians physically going to these nations. Others may be called only to stay home and send international workers. Each one will have to decide what his or her part is in this commission. This is not an isolated commission since we see it reflected in other places (cf. Lk. 24:46-47; Acts 1:8).
We should not just go and proclaim this gospel but we must make disciples (Gk. mathēteusate). A disciple is a learner.37 Obviously, we need to put a lot more emphasis on this fact in the church today.
Also, we are instructed to baptize the disciples that we make. Baptism is very important in the gospel but it is sometimes neglected in churches today. On the Day of Pentecost when thousands of souls asked Peter what they must do, he replied immediately and without consultation, “Repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:37-38).38 Barker and Kohlenberger state, “Baptism is a sign both of entrance into Messiah’s covenant community and of pledged submission to his lordship…” 39
We cannot miss the Trinitarian emphasis in this verse. Blomberg says, “Here is the clearest Trinitarian ‘formula’ anywhere in the gospels…” 40 Of course, this idea is found in several other places (cf. Isa. 9:6; Lk. 3:21-22; Jn. 1:14; 10:30-36; 14:9-11; 1 Cor. 8:6; 2 Cor. 3:17; 13:14). France adds, “At the same time the singular noun name (not ‘names’) underlines the unity of the three Persons.” 41 Barclay adds these lines:
Though few and small and weak your bands,
Strong in your Captain’s strength,
Go to the conquest of all lands;
All must be his at length.42
Matthew continues: “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (28:20). Here we have something that is at the very heart of disciple making. We must teach upcoming disciples to “obey everything” that the Lord has commanded. It is often at this point that our mission programs fall flat. The church has gone out to the ends of the earth and made disciples, but it has not taught people to obey “everything” the Lord has commanded. This is not even taught in the home church much less on the mission field. Guthrie says, “As a new Moses, Jesus stresses the importance of obedience to his commandments.” 43
Notice that the Lord does not promise “I will be with you” but he says “I am with you,” and in the Greek language the “I” is emphatic.44 The Lord Jesus will be with his servants until the end of this present evil age. Then he will usher them into the glorious, blessed age and the kingdom to come.