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28:1-8
Jesus comes back to life
Up to this point, the entire mission of Jesus had been a failure. But the
moment he came back to life, the tide began to turn. The basis of the Church was
laid, the redemption of Israel was settled, and the opportunity for the whole
world to be saved was opened to all who would believe. The great promises of the
kingdom could now be realised, the final Judgement of angels and humans could be
carried out, and all of Creation could be released from its bondage to death and
decay.
Before dawn on Sunday morning, the two Marys came to the tomb. It was
still quite dark, and the stars were fading in the sky. As the women approached
the tomb, the ground began to shake.
At the same time as the earth heaved and trembled under the women's feet,
an angel appeared, coming down from the sky. It was one of Jehovah's holy
angels, pure and righteous, sent from God to mark a special event.
The angel was brilliant, shining like the sun, and his clothing was
shimmering white, like the sun on a blazing sunny day!
When the guards saw the angel they gasped, and stumbled about,
overwhelmed by the sight, and terrified by the earthquake. One by one they fell
to the ground, dropping like dead men, until all four were unconscious.
As the angel descended, the heavy stone door rolled up and away from the
door, (defying gravity) then the angel seated himself on the edge of the stone
(to show that he was responsible for moving it) and waited for the women to come
closer. (The door was opened not to let Jesus out, but to let the women see in.)
"Don't be afraid!" said the angel, "I know you have come
to see Jesus, who was crucified (dead), but he is not here. He is not dead any
more - he has come back to life. Come closer. Look into his tomb, and see where
he lay.
"Now get going, and tell the disciples that Jesus is alive again! He
has gone ahead of you, down to Galilee. If you want to see him, that's where you
will find him. And remember who told you these things!"
28:9,10
The women meet Jesus
The women did as the angel told them. They went as quickly as they could,
running down the track and out on to the road, with their hearts pounding and
their minds racing. They were tingling with excitement (the first evangelists
were two women), but they had not gone far before they met, of all people, the
risen Jesus! He was striding towards them with a spring in his step and a joy in
his face! He raised his hand in greeting and smiled at them.
"Rejoice!" he said.
Overcome with relief and happiness mingled with fear, the two women fell
at his feet, holding (seizing) him and worshipping him (prostrating themselves
on the ground).
"Don't be afraid" said Jesus, reassuringly, "Go and find
all my brothers (disciples) and tell them to meet me in Galilee. I will come to
them there." (This meant rounding up every follower of Jesus they could
find - about 500 of them)
(The other gospels record several other events, and appearances, such as
the private revelation to Mary the mother of Jesus, or the appearance to the two
men on the road to Emmaus, but Matthew records only the following.)
The death and resurrection is supported by the following evidence :
1.
The Bible account - the four gospels and some comments in the epistles
2.
The Old Testament prophecies -predicted and described the whole thing
3.
The logical necessity - he had to die, and rise, to save
4.
The predictions by Jesus himself - he was always truthful
5.
The secular testimony to the event - historical testimonies
6.
The testimony of many great and credible Church writers
7.
The testimony of the soldiers, who reported to the Jewish leaders
8.
The sealing of the tomb - the seal was not broken until the third day
9.
The scourging and crucifixion ensured his death
10.
The tomb itself was solid rock - no escape out, or aid in
11.
The burial, embalming and wrapping - sufficient to kill most healthy people
12.
The stone - solid and heavy, requiring strong men to move
13.
The guards at the door - no report of tampering with the tomb
14.
The disciples left the scene - not interested in faking a resurrection
15.
The empty tomb - no body produced to prove a fraud
16.
The grave clothes - still there, but no body inside them
17.
The position of the stone - up the groove
18.
The appearances - Jesus showed himself many times to many people
19.
The enemies of Christ - no reasonable explanation
20.
The transformed lives - Christians showed new lives
21.
The Church - out of defeat came a mighty force of believers
22.
The Sacraments - bread and wine represent body and blood
28:11-15
The soldiers are bribed
Some of the soldiers who had been posted at the door of the tomb,
recovered and went to tell the chief priests what had happened. (According to
the Jewish historian Alfred Edersheim, the Temple guards were treated with tight
discipline. If any were found asleep while on duty, they were beaten, and their
clothes set on fire. (Rev.16:15) In the case of Jesus, it was a rare sight to
see four guards keeping watch over a dead man!)
The chief priests were extremely upset by the news. Their worst fears had
been realised. The body of Jesus was gone, and the possibility that the
disciples might start to claim that he had come back to life was about to
happen. They had a meeting to discuss what to do. One resolution they made was
to cover up the testimony of the soldiers by giving them a bribe, and telling
them to lie.
"If anyone asks you what happened, say that the followers of Jesus
came and took the body during the night, while you were asleep, and if the
governor (Pilate) hears about this, we'll smooth things over for you."
(protect you)
So the soldiers took their money, and from then on, whenever anyone asked
them about the missing body, they would tell the story - which has circulated
throughout most of Jerusalem already. In fact, most Jews think that is what
really happened.
(This 'story' which the soldiers held to raises more questions than it
answers. For example, why were they asleep, when they should have all been
awake? How could the disciples roll the stone away without waking at least one
of the soldiers? How could four men all fall asleep at the same time? If they
were asleep, how did they know the disciples had stolen the body? If the story
was true, why did they have to be bribed to tell it? If the disciples had taken
the body, why did they bother to leave the grave clothes, all wound like an
empty cocoon?)
Recorded appearances by Jesus include :
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 (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 eleven disciples by Galilee (John 21)
8.
To over 500 believers at once (1Cor.15:7)
9.
To James (1Cor.15:7)
10.
To the disciples on Olivet (Acts 1:3-12)
28:16-20
The 'Great Commission'
In Galilee the risen Lord Jesus appeared to his disciples at an unnamed
mountain. Along with the eleven men, it appears that there were many others -
perhaps 500 in all. (This may have been the event recorded in 1Cor.15:6)
Most of the people gathered there worshipped, but some hesitated, (or
doubted, or wondered if it was really him.)
Jesus approached these people, and then, when he was in a good position
to be heard, he gave them some specific instructions. These would constitute the
'standing orders' for all believers, to be put into action through the whole Age
until he returned.
"All power (Greek = exousia = authority) has been given to me in
heaven and in earth, go therefore . . ." (The "therefore" means
"Because" I have all this authority, you may now freely go and do this
work. It is as a direct result of Jesus' authority that the Church may now act
with authority too.
There are three parts to the Commission :
1.
Go and disciple (teach) other people, from every nation, without discrimination,
the truth about me. (This means making no difference because of race, culture,
traditions etc. All people can become Christians.)
2.
Baptise all (sincere) believers in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit. (Notice, "the Name of . . ." his shows us the final
and complete Name of God. Later on there is mention of baptism "in the name
of Jesus" but this is not some new rule - Acts 8:16, 10:48, 19:5, but a
summary. It would be an act of disobedience to omit the Father and Holy Spirit
from the formula.) This is the Name of the One True God, the Triune God, which
all Christians should adhere to. Many cults or heresies try to reduce or distort
this name, but the Church must hold it out as truth.
3.
Teach all disciples how to be good and obedient Christians. Teach them
everything I have taught you. (What we lack if this teaching in the gospels is
filled up and completed in the book of Acts and the epistles. Everything we need
to know to be good and obedient Christians is in the Bible.)
(On important aspect of this third command is the fact that people who
want to follow Jesus must submit to regular and systematic teaching. In some
ways this is what sorts out lazy Christians from the obedient ones, and may even
divide true Christians from fakes.)
Finally, in closing, Jesus said "I am always with you, even to the
end of the Age." (He used the expression "I am" to remind us that
he carries the name of Jehovah, the "I AM" of the Old Testament.)
2000 years later, the Commission is still open to new believers, and with
it comes the opportunity to receive great rewards, which come in proportion to
what we give in service to Jesus.
Jesus has all authority. He wants all nations to hear the gospel. He wants believers to be taught all things. He promises to be with all believers at all times.