Responding to the Resurrection
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Grasping at the opportunity to worship
Grasping at the opportunity to worship
9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
These ladies are obeying the directions they were given by the Angels as they literally “hurry away.”
8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
So, in this state of mind, with hearts racing and minds full of so many thoughts they are amazed to see Jesus Himself as they head for the city.
A side note, the false belief that women are to be silent is proven false in that Angels and next Jesus will give them a specific message and role! Women are the first to obey and the first to worship after the resurrection.
The word used in Christ’s greeting is χαίρω chaírō; fut. charḗsomai . It means “happy greetings”, rejoice, grace, and is the word we get Charismatic from. This is a wonderful greeting for these ladies on their first sighting of the resurrected Lord Jesus.
They then grasp his feet. While this is an old custom for the Middle East area that showed a willingness to serve the person who’s feet were grasp, I’m sure they wanted to hold on to what they thought they had lost. We would all hope to be this way!
This is both a factual incident that shows the bodily resurrection (they grasp His feet); AND the wonderful example of ladies who overcome everything to instantly worship!
Yet the next words of Jesus are very telling.
“Do not be afraid!”
I’m so glad that I have a God, a Saviour, who encourages His worshipers to not be afraid! I need to be reminded of that some days.
He also gave them instructions. Because Jesus has risen, we must worship and we must obey the command to go. Pastor Wayne Robilliard talked about that last week.
Lies to avoid worship
Lies to avoid worship
12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
13 saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’
14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.”
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Twenty-Six: The King’s Victory (Matthew 28)
While the believers were worshiping the living Christ, the unbelievers were plotting to destroy the witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ
For the “powerful” Jewish religious leadership, No consideration is given to the claim of a self resurrection! They could not have the truth get out because it would destroy the plan they had for their own lives. They had already told lies at His trial, before Pilate, and now they are willing to tell another one.
There has always been, and there will always be people who will lie about the resurrection and the redemption that is available from that day forward.
Think the story through. If they were asleep, how would they know it was the disciples who stole the body? Lies often have big flaws!
Mark Twain once wrote that a lie can go around the world while truth is still lacing up her boots. There is something in the nature of people everywhere that makes it easy for people to believe lies.
The unwillingness to deal with the fact of the resurrection warps these so called leaders to turn to money to prop up their lies. Jesus had condemned these men for lying before and we see them back at it again.
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
The Devil lied first when he told himself that he could rise above God. Then we know he lied when he lead a rebellion among the angles. We know he lied to Eve in the garden, and know we see him spreading a lie once again. All these lies are direct assaults on God’s divine plan.
Don’t have anything to do with lies!
Someone said, The bumps you may feel over the truth are nothing like the boulders you’ll have to climb by lying to protect yourself.
Lies will keep you from worship. They will keep you from seeing God’s plan.
Money in the hands of lying leadership has often been a great enemy of God’s plans for us.
Greed that destroys worship
Greed that destroys worship
11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.
These men were shrewd! They could have told their superiors. They could have reported first to Pilate, since he gave the orders to guard the tomb. However, they went to the Jewish religious leaders first. Some speculate they wondered if it was a sign, however most think they were just looking for some cover up, some way to save their own lives.
Since the assignment was only for the designated time, they hoped to put this thing in the past.
12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
Money does strange things to people.
21 An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning Will not be blessed at the end.
When people come into money quickly, it most often changes them. Since their lives were on the line, I am sure that this was “a large some of money” v 12, Not like the amount Jewish religious leaders who had paid Judas Iscariot the cost of a slave. Lies can be costly!
Lotto winners most often regret winning within 10 years. The ones that don’t have a strong faith in place that leads them to be generous and use the money rather than hoard or spend it.
15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
Don’t let money change you, or control you. Don’t let money change or control our church!
Worship in spite of doubt
Worship in spite of doubt
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.
17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
These verses take place a few days later. Many believe that this took place in what 1 Cor. 15.6 describes as an appearance of our Lord before “more that 500 … at one time.” The fact that some believed/worshiped and some doubted means it must have been more than a group of just the 11 disciples. Sure, Thomas doubted at first, but he is one not some. So this is a group.
However, the important thing here is that Jesus is again worshiped by His people. He had forgiven them for deserting Him in the Garden; for denying Him before a servant girl, not being at the tomb on the morning of His resurrection, and for not following the directions He had given them back in Chapter 26. Let’s not forget, they even failed to follow His instructions to go to Galilee after His death (26.32). The ladies had to remind them to obey that way. Yes, Jesus had met them in Jerusalem before they got out of town according to Luke 24.36.
We are impacted by that still today in 2022! We gather, not to see Him, but to worship Him and help those who doubt.
Conclusion: Choose today what you will do with the opportunity to worship.
Conclusion: Choose today what you will do with the opportunity to worship.
There were a many reasons in this passage that would lead people away from worship. Our reasons may be the same, or they may be different. However, it is still our choice to worship! We each choose ourselves if we will worship and when we will worship. Others may choose not to and they may even offer us money to try to keep us from worshiping, but it is always a personal choice.
1.How strong is your desire to worship?
2.Have you let things, geed or even lies get in the way of your worship?
3.Doubt is common. Who do you seek to be with when you doubt? Disciples or liars and sceptics?