Matthew 28 Verses 1 to 20 Because He Lives April 9, 2023

Matthew 28 Verses 1 to 20 Because He Lives April 9, 2023

Class Presentation Notes AAAAA

Notes to readers: Yes, the document is long…but how can we reduce the countless pages of research and work on this one chapter to justify it in just a few pages. The first 22 pages are the meat of the lesson with the following 10 pages bonus information for use when there is more time or to give you inclusion choices if you are a teacher and want to emphasize different points.

Thought to soak on as we study:

· The foundation of all our hope is expressed in Jesus’ own words: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies” (John 11:25), and, “Because I live, you shall live also” (14:19).[1]

· There were so many witnesses that even though Jesus' enemies started a rumor that Christ's body had been stolen, they could not stop the news of the Resurrection from sweeping the nation, and then the world.

· Today we have nearly 2,000 years of church history to demonstrate the validity of our faith. The resurrected Jesus has proved His presence to His people in every age. But do the members of your group grasp just what the reality of Jesus' resurrection means to them, and to other Christians? That is the focus of this study of Matthew 28: the meaning of Resurrection.

Create Interest:

· The cross is not the end; death does not have the last word in Matthew’s Gospel. That honor belongs to resurrection and to the story of the empty tomb. At the beginning, Jesus emerged out of the darkness of the world’s sin; at the end, he emerges out of the darkness of the grave.

· The resurrection marks the triumph of the King. None of the Gospel narratives concludes with the burial of Jesus; they all testify to the reality of his resurrection. At one end of his life, his virginal conception attests supernatural beginnings; at the other, the resurrection attests a supernatural ending to his life in this world.[2]

· The message of Scripture has always been a message of resurrection hope, a message that death is not the end for those who belong to God. For the believer, death has never been an end but rather a doorway that leads to eternity with God. Abraham willingly obeyed God’s command to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, because, in faith, “he considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead” (Heb. 11:19). The psalmists declared, “God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; for He will receive me” (Ps. 49:15) and that “with Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me, and afterward receive me to glory” (Ps. 73:24). Isaiah proclaimed, “Your dead will live; their corpses will rise” (Isa. 26:19). Through Daniel the Lord assures His people that, although they die, one day they “will awake … to everlasting life” (Dan. 12:2). Hosea assures believers that the Lord will raise up all believers to live before Him (Hos. 6:2). Job asked rhetorically, “If a man dies, will he live again?” and then declared, “All the days of my struggle I will wait, until my change comes” (Job 14:14). That ancient man of God even foresaw the reality of resurrection, proclaiming to his three friends, Bildad in particular: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:25–26).

· Such has been the promised hope of God’s people throughout history, a hope predicated on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is His resurrection that guarantees ours. “Now Christ has been raised from the dead,” Paul declares, “the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:20–22).

· It is also tragically true, however, that throughout history many have denied, despised, and mocked the truth of resurrection, especially Christ’s. But only a fool tries to explain away resurrection, because the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are man’s only hope of salvation and eternal life.

· The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single greatest event in the history of the world. It is so foundational to Christianity that no one who denies it can be a true Christian. Without resurrection there is no Christian faith, no salvation, and no hope. “If there is no resurrection of the dead,” Paul explains, “not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain” (1 Cor. 15:13–14). A person who believes in a Christ who was not raised believes in a powerless Christ, a dead Christ. If Christ did not rise from the dead, then no redemption was accomplished at the cross and “your faith is worthless,” Paul goes on to say; “you are still in your sins” (v. 17).[3]

· We live in a day when religion is looked at as a matter of preference or opinion. Many people believe that all religions are fundamentally the same; the differences are only superficial. Simply go about your life and choose what works best for you, and along the way, the question of truth can be completely avoided. Living that way is a huge and costly mistake.

· Belief is irresponsible and empty if it’s not based in truth. People say, “What is true for you may not be true for me,” but no one really believes that. After all, what would you think if you went to withdraw money at the bank, and the teller said, “I don’t feel like you have money in your account”? How the teller feltwouldn’t matter to you if you needed money. Whatever is true for you had better be true for the teller as well: either you have money in your account or you don’t. The last thing we want banks to do is to give out money based on how they feel!

· In most areas of everyday life we know instinctively to operate on the basis of truth instead of feelings and preferences. Yet, when it comes to the most important questions in life, questions that deal with grand, eternal realities, why would we want to disregard the question of truth? Do we really think God governs the world based on what we prefer? Matthew 28:1–15 reports to us the event in all of history, and our response to it should be based on truth, not feelings. Our eternity hangs on whether the resurrection of Jesus Christ actually happened.[4]

The Importance of Christ's Resurrection

It proves He is the Son of God (John 10:17-18).

It attests to the truth of Scripture ( Acts 2:31-33 with Ps. 16:10).

It assures us of our own future resurrection when we die (1 Thes. 4:13-18).

It is a proof of future judgment (Acts 17:30-31).

It is one of the central truths in the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-8).

It is the assurance of our future inheritance (1 Peter 1:3).

It is the foundation for Christ's heavenly priesthood (Heb. 7:23-28).

It gives the power to the Christian life (Gal. 2:20; Eph. 1:18–20; Rom. 6:4).[5]

Lesson in Historical Context:

· Matthew began his gospel by proclaiming that the baby Jesus was the Son of David, the promised King of Israel (Matthew 1:1-2).He now closes his gospel by proclaiming that the Lord Jesus possesses all power and authority in heaven and earth.

o The Lord Jesus had risen from the dead, and in the power of His resurrection His followers are to go forth proclaiming His glorious kingdom.

· In this great passage Matthew covers the great commission of the resurrected Lord, the King to whom all power and authority belong.

· The time in history is that of the resurrection. Jesus arose after the Sabbath was over, that is, on Sunday, the first day of the week.

There are four facts to note about this time listed and discussed as follows.

· Matthew said, "In the end of the Sabbath" which means late on the Sabbath. Matthew was not speaking of strict Jewish time.

o This would mean the Sabbath had ended at 6 p.m. the preceding evening of Saturday. Matthew was using the common day to day idea of time from that time in history. He was simply adding the night time to the preceding day (Mark 16:1).

· Jesus arose before dawn, before the sun arose on Sunday morning.

o This was significant to the early Christian believers, so significant that they broke away from the practice of worshipping on the Sabbath or Saturday. They began to worship on Sunday, the day of the resurrection of their Lord.

o Let’s look at what Scripture says about this: (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 16:2)

· Jesus arose on the first day of the week, on Sunday morning.

o This means that He arose on the third day just as He had said (Matthew 12:40; Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:23; Matthew 20:19; Mark 9:31; Mark 10:34; Luke 9:22; Luke 18:33; Luke 24:7, 46).

o His arising from the dead is a triumph, a conquest over death.

§ Death reigns no more. Its rule has been broken. (Rom. 8:2-4,

2 Cor. 1:9-10, 2 Tim. 1:10, Hebrews 2:9, 14-15)

· Jesus was in the grave on the Sabbath, unable to observe the laws governing the great season of the Passover and the Sabbath.

o He was dead; therefore, the law and its observances had no authority over Him.

o This is symbolic of the identification believers gain in Christ. When a man believes in Jesus Christ, God identifies the man with the death of Christ and the future hope of his resurrection.

§ God counts the man as having died with Christ. Therefore, in Christ's death believers become dead to the law and alive with Christ. ( Romans 7:4; Romans 8:3; Matthew 5:17-18, Romans 6:6, Galatians 2:20, Col. 2:20)

Bible Study:

The Empty Tomb

Matthew 28:1-4 (NASB) 1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.

· The first witnesses were women, not men, not even his own disciples. The women took the lead in love and care for the Lord Jesus for two reasons I can find.

o Matthew says the women "came to look at the grave." The Greek word "to see" (theōrēsai ) means to contemplate, to gaze, to observe in order to grasp. They came to be close to their Lord, the One who meant so much to them, to mourn over Him, to think through all that had happened.

§ This is an important point, for it perhaps explains why the women were more prepared to believe the miracle of the resurrection.

§ Thinking and meditating upon the Lord will help us to understand the Lord and prepare us to receive the great truth of His resurrection.

o Mark says the women came to "anoint Him" (Mark 16:1). They cared, so they wanted to take care of His body as loved ones did in that time.

· All four Gospels record the actions of devoted women who returned to Jesus' tomb to honor him after his death. We say “returned” because they had been there when Jesus' body was interred (Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55). Their intent was to finish the hurried job started by two others (John 19:38-41) in anointing his body with various preparations (Mark 16:1; Luke 23:55, 56; compare 2 Chronicles 16:14).

o From Mary Magdalene Christ had cast out seven devils. Grateful for his great mercy, she was one of his firmest and most faithful followers, and was first at the sepulchre, and was first permitted to see her risen Lord.

o The other Mary was not the mother of Jesus, but the mother of James and Joses (Mark).

o Mark says that Salome attended them. Salome was the wife of Zebedee, and the mother of James and John.

o From Luke (24:10) it appears that Joanna, wife of Chusa, Herod’s steward (see Lu. 8:3), was with them.

o These four women, Mark says (ch. 16:1), having bought sweet spices, came to anoint him. They had prepared a part of them on the evening before the Sabbath, Lu. 23:56. They now, according to Mark, completed the preparation and bought more; or the meaning in Mark may be merely that, having boughtsweet spices, without specifying the time when, they came now to embalm him. John mentions only Mary Magdalene.[6]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.

· An earthquake occurred at the moment of Jesus' death (Matthew 27:50, 51); now one takes place as part of the unfolding drama here. Matthew is the only Gospel writer to record them.

o The ground shook with palsy when its Creator died; it shook with pleasure when He rose again. The ground convulsed when Jesus descended into the underworld; with His pierced feet, Jesus marched resolutely into Hades and then out again, causing the bedrock granite of the earth to tremble like a bowl of jelly beneath His tread.[7]

· The earthquake dislodges the rock but was not needed to enable Christ to be raised. Jesus’ resurrection had already occurred, notwithstanding the massive stone barrier (v. 6). The resurrection itself is never described anywhere in Scripture, presumably because no one ever saw Jesus leave the tomb. The appearance of the angel in v. 3 matches similar angelic appearances which surrounded Jesus’ birth, as do the words “don’t be afraid” in v. 5(cf. esp. 1:20) and combines with chaps. 1–2 to frame the whole Gospel[8]

o Angels have already appeared at crucial occasions during the life and ministry of Jesus: His birth (Luke 2:8-14), His temptation (Matthew 4:11), and at Gethsemane (Luke 22:43). The heavy stone that an angel of the Lord moves indicates that the tomb has been carved out of a rocky hillside (Matthew 27:57, 60). Such stones seal the entrances to tombs.

· The angel’s appearance was like lightning, and His clothes were white as snow.

o Such a description as this is fitting for a being whom the previous verse says has come “down from heaven”! The brightness of both the angel's appearance and clothes is reminiscent of how Jesus appeared at His transfiguration (Matthew 17:1, 2).

· The guards were so afraid of Him that they shook and became like dead men.

o The guards stationed at the tomb experienced both the sight of an angel of the Lord and the sudden terror of the earthquake. They shake as much as the earth does! The overall shock of what they witness leaves them paralyzed with fear or unconscious. The phrase became like dead men does not mean they actually died, because some of them report the stunning series of events to the religious leaders in Jerusalem (Matthew 28:11).

Thoughts to Soak on:

· We must admire these women for their devotion to Christ. God rewarded their love by allowing them to see the empty tomb and hear the message of the Resurrection from the angel.

o The stone was not rolled away to allow Christ to come out; it was rolled away to allow men to look in and see that He was gone!

o The true Easter message is "Come and see.... Go and tell!"

o Every Sunday is resurrection day for the believer!

· The empty graveclothes lying in the tomb.

o This proves His body was not stolen, but that He arose through the graveclothes and left them behind as testimonies of a miracle.

· If His body were stolen, it was stolen by either friends or enemies. (for a short pause, go to the last part of these notes and read the article, The Propagation (pgs. 28-31). I think you will find it very enlightening and worth soaking on😊.

v If by enemies, they would have produced it and silenced the disciples.

v If by friends, they would not have willingly given their lives for a lie, and His friends did not even believe that He would rise from the dead!

Thoughts on the Guards.

· The power of God is awesome and terrifying. The guards had been told they were to guard a dead body against thieving men. They were totally unprepared and unable to stand against the power of God and His messenger (angel). There is a strong lesson here for every unbeliever.

· (Luke 1:37, Matthew 28:18, Eph. 1:20, Job 26:12)

o For the reaction of the guards, compare again Daniel 10:7–9, and the response in Revelation 1:17 to a vision which was also described in terms partly drawn from Daniel 7:9–10.[9]

Matthew 28:5-7 (NASB) Assuring Words 5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 "Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you."

Thoughts on the appeals of the Resurrection-a message within themselves.

· Do not be afraid: There are three reasons why the person who seeks after Christ should not fear.

o God knows the person who is seeking after the Messiah. He knows the movement of every heart. The person who seeks diligently shall find (Matthew 7:7-8, Deut. 4:29, Jeremiah 29:11).

o Christ has been crucified to save every person. (John 10:32-33, Rom. 5:6, 2 Cor. 5:15, 1 Peter 2:24, Rev. 5:9)

o Christ has now risen from the dead and conquered death. (Rom. 4:24-25, Ephes. 1:18-20)

· Come see and believe.

o Note that the angel reminded the women of the Lord's words: "He is risen, as He said" (Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:23; Matthew 20:19; Matthew 26:32).

o Note also that the women were told to "come, see the place." They were eyewitnesses of His resurrection.

o Believers can become witnesses of the Lord's death and resurrection—clear witnesses. They can see as though they were eyewitnesses—all by God's Spirit. (Gal. 3:1, John 14:26, Rom. 8:16)

· Go quickly and tell the glorious news.

o Sharing the glorious news is essential. It is the greatest news of all history: Christ is risen. He shall meet you and you shall see Him.

o Note several things.

§ The women obeyed. They became the very first witnesses for the risen Lord.

§ The discouraged believers (disciples) were the first ones the women were to tell. The discouraged were to be encouraged and stirred to join the great force of witnesses.

§ The witnessing was to be done quickly.

· The glorious encounter with Jesus Himself.

o Note what happened when Christ was personally encountered.

§ He said, "All hail"; that is, rejoice. (John 16:20, Phil. 4:4)

o There was the worship of Him: wonder, amazement, adoration, and awe.

o He said: "Be not afraid." (2 Tim. 1:7)

o Go and tell my brothers: the commission was repeated because of the extreme importance of bearing the glorious news. (Matt. 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, 2 Tim. 2:2, Col. 1:27-29)

· This is not the only place in the Bible where those to whom an angel appears are encouraged to not be afraid(compare: Genesis 21:17; Luke 1:13, 30; 2:10). Since angelic appearances are sudden and unexpected, this greeting is certainly appropriate.

o We can note, however, that there was no message of “do not be afraid” to the guards of Matthew 27:65, 66);the angel's intention for them is the opposite.

o By contrast, the angel carries out a ministry of comforting assurance to the bewildered women by affirming awareness of their mission to Jesus, who was crucified, dead, and buried.

· Luke 24:4 records the appearance of “two men in clothes that gleamed,” later described as “angels” (24:23). Matthew chooses to include only the angel who speaks to the women.

· Vs. 7: “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you."

o This is the grand announcement refers to Matthew 16:21; 17:22, 23; 20:17-19. The fact of Jesus' resurrection fulfills the promise of a sign to the skeptics who demanded one (see 12:38-40).

· These phrases repeat and reinforce Jesus' promise in Matthew 26:32 and Mark 14:28 that He is to go before the disciples into Galilee.

· The women had seen a dead body lain in this rock-hewn grave (Matthew 27:60, 61). Now they are invited to witness the absence of that body. Can we really understand how dumbfounded the women must be as they hear the angel speak? Jesus was dead, but now He is not. The women's quest for a dead Jesus has become pointless.

· The “come and see” of the previous verse gives way to the go . . . and tell we see here. The women had arrived as seekers (Matthew 28:1-5, above).

· They then transitioned from seekers to finders (28:6, above)—but finding something better than expected.

o Now they must make the transition from finders to tellers. When it comes to knowledge of Jesus, there is no such thing as God's being content with those who never progress out of the seeker stage.

Thoughts to Soak On:

· Time will tell whether the disciples will believe the women's testimony. According to the Jewish historian Josephus (AD 37–100), women of that time are not allowed to testify in court (Antiquities,4.8.15). The affirmation by angels of the women's role thus flies in the face of a first-century practice. The first witnesses to the evidence of Jesus' resurrection are indeed women.

· While the women seek the tomb as soon as enough daylight allows, the 11 disciples are still cowering in fear behind locked doors. They fear retribution at the hands of the same men who crucified Jesus (John 20:19).

· “‘and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.' Now I have told you.”

What Do You Think?

How can you better prepare yourself to offer evidence for the fact that Christ rose from the dead? Why is it important to do so?[10]

Matthew 28:8-10 (NASB) Astonishing Appearance 8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus *said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me."

· Vs. 8: Both the fear and the joy of the women are easy to imagine. It is no wonder that they run to tell the disciples (also John 20:2). Mark 16:8 puts this in even stronger terms: “The women hurried away from the tomb.” Such a mixture of emotions is only fitting for the astounding news the women now bear.

· Vs. 9: Suddenly Jesus met them. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.

o The women's surprises are not finished. Before they can complete the task of telling Jesus' disciples, they meet Jesus himself. We are told nothing about Jesus' appearance, but we can see that the women recognize him. Their worshipful response is understandable.

o To clasp Jesus' feet means that the women are on their knees. As speculation, perhaps they are trying to convince themselves that they are not hallucinating.

§ Can this be the same Jesus whom they had known and worshipped prior to his death? Yes, he is the same Jesus: once crucified, now alive.

· Vs. 10: Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

o Jesus' words of comfort and instruction mirror those of the angel.

o A distinction is noted in Jesus' referring to the disciples as my brothers. This indicates the special closeness that still exists despite their recent desertion (compare Matthew 26:56; John 20:17).

· Naturally, these men plan to return home to Galilee anyway. But now there is incentive for speed: the promise of seeing Jesus back there. Even so, the trip back to Galilee does not begin for several days (John 20:26).

Spiritual Transformations

· The women found Jesus’ tomb empty. Jesus appeared to the women and to many others. The empty tomb by itself suggests but does not clearly bear witness to Jesus’ resurrection. The Lord’s appearances convinced the surprised disciples He was alive. Considering Jesus’ appearances, the empty tomb testifies to the bodily resurrection. Personal faith in Christ confirms the reality of Jesus’ resurrection.

· A visitor attended a Sunday School class on Easter. He said nothing during most of the class discussion. Near the end of the time, he said something like this: “You are nice people, but I’ve heard nothing that convinces me that you really believe Jesus was raised from the dead.”

o How would you respond to such a challenge?

o What is the historical evidence Jesus rose from the dead?

o What is the personal evidence of Jesus’ resurrection?[11]

Matthew 28:11-15 (NASB) The Proof of Christ's Resurrection 11 Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, "You are to say, 'His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.' 14 "And if this should come to the governor's ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble." 15 And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.

· Vs. 11: The guards reported the resurrection.

o While they were on their way, certain of the guard came to the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. When they had met with the elders, they formed a plan. They gave a considerable amount of money to the soldiers. “Say,” they said, “‘His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will use our influence, and we will see to it that you have nothing to worry about.” They took the money and followed their instructions. And this is the story which is repeated amongst the Jews to this day.[12]

· Vs. 12: The authorities were baffled, and they took counsel to decide what to do.

· Vs. 13-15: The authorities bribed and assured the soldiers of protection from Pilate.

· Note the plots against Jesus.

o The authorities had used treachery to arrest Him; an illegal court to try Him (Matthew 26:59); false charges to accuse Him before Pilate (Matthew 27:1, 2, 11); and now they were using bribery to discredit His resurrection. (Matthew 28:13-15).

o The very next day after His death, that is, on the Sabbath, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate and informed him of Jesus’ words. While they did not believe in Jesus (whom they blasphemously called that deceiver), they feared His disciples might come … steal the body, and attempt to fabricate a resurrection lie. If this were to happen, the deception would be worse than anything Jesus had accomplished in His life. The Resurrection was the one thing these leaders feared, so they suggested the tomb … be made secure until the third day.

o Pilate agreed with their suggestion and ordered that a guardbe sent to the tomb to make it as secure as possible. The Roman soldiers not only sealed the tomb (presumably with the official Roman sealand with a cord and wax, which if tampered with, could be detected) but also continued to keep a guard at the scene. Their presence made stealing the body impossible.[13]

Thoughts to Soak on:

· If the guards were asleep, how would they know what happened?

o Deception and lying are always contradicted by the truth.

· Truth will always prevail (v.15). It may take some time, but its triumph is assured.[14] (John 8:32, Eph. 6:14, Proverbs 12:19)

· The resurrection of Christ is an accepted historical fact, and the person who questions or denies it must offer the proof that He did not arise from the dead.

o The same Satan who tried to destroy Christ on the cross now wants men to believe that He is still dead!

§ These notes offer proof that Christ did come back to life and is alive and well today and forever.

o It was Satan, the liar, who was the author of the conspiracy between the Jews and the soldiers in Matt. 28:11-15.

· Christ's Person demands that He be raised from the dead.

o As the Son of God/God in human form, He could not be held by death (Acts 2:24).

· Christ promised He would be raised from the dead.

o His virtuous life proved that He always told the truth, and even His enemies could find no fault in Him.

o Either He came out of the tomb, or He was a liar.

· Eyewitnesses testified that they had seen Christ (Luke 24:33-36; John 20:19, 26; Acts 1:3, 21-22).

o At one time, over 500 people saw Christ alive (1 Cor. 15:6).

§ Some unbelievers say that these early witnesses were "hypnotized" or that they suffered from "self-imposed hallucinations."

§ But it would be impossible for 500 people at one time to be hypnotized or to suffer hallucinations.

· The change in the early believers proves He arose from the dead.

o When you stop to think that Peter and the other apostles didn't expect the Resurrection, the remarkable change in their lives proves that they must have met Christ.

§ Peter was a frightened coward one day and a mighty preacher a few weeks later!

· Paul's conversion (Acts 9) proves that Christ was alive.

o No "delusion" or "myth" could change this dedicated Jewish rabbi into a fiery Christian preacher.

· The existence of the New Testament surviving for 2000 years, the continuation of the church, and the significance of the Lord's Day are all proofs that Christ is alive.

· Of course, the best proof is the conversion of a sinner.

o “You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart!”[15]

Matthew 28:16-17 (NASB) Not all believed at first sight 16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.

· Obedient to Christ’s command, the eleven disciples went northward to Galilee, to a mountain where Jesus had agreed to meet them (Vs.16). Nowhere are we told what mountain this was. When they saw Jesus, they worshipped him: but some doubted (Vs. 17). This seems to imply a larger group than the eleven and may be the same meeting where the risen Christ was seen by “above five hundred brethren at once” (1 Cor. 15:6).[16]

· Matthew says the eleven disciples met Christ in Galilee. The eleven were the prominent ones, but after that there were over five hundred people all seeing Him at once (1 Cor. 15:6).

o The reference to "they" and "some doubted" (Matthew 28:17) seems to indicate that this was the great appearance to the mass of believers mentioned by Paul.

o Christ had already appeared to the eleven on several occasions…two are noted behind closed and locked doors when He appeared in person. They already knew the reality of His resurrection. It is unlikely that they were the ones who were questioning at this time (Mark 16:12-14; Luke 24:13-48; John 20:19-25; John 20:26-31; John 21:1-25).

· The disciples met the Lord in Galilee.

o (Matthew 26:32; Matthew 28:7, 10).

o The Lord had apparently instructed the apostles to pass the word along and to round up all His disciples to meet Him in a mass meeting in Galilee. A particular mountain was designated as the meeting place.

§ Note that Galilee was where the Lord had conducted most of His ministry and where most of His disciples lived.

§ It was also some distance from Jerusalem, a place somewhat safe from the immediate enemies of Christ.

· They worshipped Him, but some doubted. They just were not sure. Note what Jesus did: He "came and spoke to them" (Matthew 28:18). Apparently, His coming and speaking to them erased their doubt and questioning.

Thought to Soak on:

· The resurrection of Jesus is the proof of His Sonship. It is significant that both the resurrection appearances that Matthew records lead to worship.

o Mary Magdalene and the other Mary fell at his feet and worshipped him (Vs. 9).

o The disciples, when they saw him, worshipped (Vs. 17). No doubt that has importance for Matthew’s church. The proper response to Jesus is worship, but only because Jesus shares the nature of God, who alone is to be worshipped.

o The claims to sonship throughout the Gospel are validated by the resurrection. As an old Jewish Christian creed put it, the gospel concerns God’s ‘Son, who as to His human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God, by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord’.[17]

· There are appointed places where we are to meet the Lord: in prayer, devotions, worship, and Bible study.

o When we meet the Lord as He says, He meets us.

§ We must meet the Lord as He instructs if we are to know the reality of His resurrection.

§ When He meets us, all fear and doubt vanish.

§ The person who truly seeks after Christ, who truly seeks to meet Him, will have his/her doubts erased. Christ will come and speak to himthrough the indwelling Holy Spirit.

· With Judas no longer among their number, the eleven disciples make the multi-day trip back to Galilee. The text does not tell us which specific mountain this is.

· 17a. When they saw him, they worshiped him;

· Exactly how long after Jesus’ resurrection this appearance takes place is also not clear. The first-day appearances are recorded in Matthew 28:9, 10; Mark 16:9–14; Luke 24:13–32; and John 20:19–25. The next recorded appearance was “a week later” (John 20:26–29). Following that was an appearance to 7 of the 11 by the Sea of Galilee, or Tiberias (John 21:1–23). The appearance to over 500 believers recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:6 may occur between that of John 21 and the one in the text before us—much uncertainty exists.

· 17b. but some doubted.

o Despite the previous appearances of Jesus, doubts persist. It would seem by this point that the 11 disciples are fully convinced that Jesus has risen from the dead. Therefore the group gathered here in Galilee may include other followers of Jesus, some of whom have not yet seen him since his resurrection. One theory is that this occasion is also that of 1 Corinthians 15:6, just noted.

What Do You Think?

· What’s the best way to react the next time doubts interfere with your worship? Why?

Digging Deeper

· Which of the following passages helps you most in this regard: Matthew 14:28–33; 21:21; Mark 9:24; John 20:24–29, James 1:6–8; Jude 20–25? Why?[18]

Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB) The Great Commission 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Note the "universals" in this passage: Focus on the words “All” and “Always”.

"All power" (v. 18, authority). (Power(pasa exousia ): Jesus assured His followers of His power.

· This was no more the humble peasant of Galilee, but the mighty Son of God!

o In His death and resurrection, He had conquered Satan, sin, and death. God had given all authority into His hands.

o In Matt. 4:8-10, Satan had taken Christ to a mountain and offered Him all the kingdoms of the world.

📷 Here on this Galilee mount, Christ proclaimed that He now had all authority and that Satan had been defeated!

· Jesus' power or authority is a given power.It is given by God, and it is given for one reason: to exalt Christ above and overall.

o Philippians 2:8-9 (NASB) 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

· Jesus' power is above and over all that is in heaven and in earth. His authority is over all the universe. His authority includes at least three areas.

o The Lord's authority includes the power to rule and reign...

§ To receive the worship and subjection of all men who willingly surrender to His dominion. (Romans 12:1-2, 1 Cor. 6:20, Romans 10:9-10, Rev. 5:12)

§ To bow the knee of all men and to receive their acknowledgement of His Lordship. (Phil. 2:9-11)

o The Lord's authority includes the power to govern and direct...

§ The affairs of men without violating man's freedom. (Mark 16:19, Luke 22:69, Rom. 13:1, 1 Peter 3:22)

§ The affairs of nature and the world without violating the laws of nature. (Matthew 8:27, Eph. 1:22)

o Jesus’ authority includes the power to forgive sins, to judge, receive and reject men, and to save and deliver men through life and death. (Romans 8:28-39, Matthew 9:6, Luke 5:20-21, John 5:22).

· Jesus' power assures the believer of deliverance.

o Note when Jesus "came and spoke" of His power: immediately upon the heels of some doubting and immediately before charging His disciples to go into a hostile world, He proclaimed His power in order to erase doubt and to strengthen His disciples in going forth. His power was the disciples' assurance of victory.

o In dealing with the supreme power and authority of Jesus Christ, there are two points that must always be remembered.

§ The Lord's supreme reign is not yet fully seen. God has not yet revealed His Son's supremacy in an absolute sense. However, there is a striking reason for God delaying the visible enthronement of His Son.

v God wants His Son to still be seen as the Savior of the world. He wants more and more persons to be saved before He ends the world and begins the sovereign reign of His Son upon earth. (2 Peter 3:3-4, 8-9)

§ The Lord's supreme reign over all the universe is assured.

(2 Peter 3:10-13, Hebrews 2:8-10, (1 Cor. 15:24-28)

· Vs. 19: "Go therefore

o In this verse, the word “go” is a participle and literally means “as you are going.” In other words, “As you are going to the grocery store, as you are going to school, as you are going to Mexico—wherever you’re going—share the gospel.” In this light, the Great Commission takes on a much broader perspective. We’re to be sharing and teaching wherever we’re going, whatever we’re doing.[19]

· "make disciples."

o This is a commission to take the Gospel to all nations and is a definite change from Matthew 10:5-6, where the commission was limited to the Jews only.

o Evangelism alone is not the commission;

📷 after people invite Christ to be their Lord and Savior…….,

v they should be baptized, which suggests a local church fellowship.

v They should also be taught, which suggests the teaching and preaching of the Word of God.

v Please keep in mind that our commission is not simply "to win souls."

📷 It is to "make disciples"—which includes winning them, bringing them into a Christian fellowship, and building them up in the faith. We thank God for every Christian ministry that is true to the Lord and His Word, whatever is done should be tied to the local church.

"All I have commanded you" (v. 20).

· A disciple is a learner, and he is to be taught "all things whatsoever I have commanded you."

· This includes the whole Word of God. Man is to live by every word of God (Matthew 4:4).

o All Scripture is profitable (2 Tim. 3:16).The church that fails to teach people the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) is not obeying the Great Commission.

📷 Vs. 20: What a tremendous assurance. “I am with you always!” In Matt. 1:23, He was called “Immanuel”—God with us, and here He reaffirms that name. He is with us through His Spirit, in His Word, by His providential care, and with His divine presence.

o This is the promise that carried Livingstone into the heart of darkest Africa and that encouraged and enabled messengers of Christ down through the years.

· Matthew ends his Gospel with a responsibility on the part of the Christian: to take the Gospel to all people. Not all will be saved, but all deserve a chance to hear the Gospel.[20]

📷 He is with us through His Spirit, in His Word, by His providential care, and with His divine presence. This is the promise that carried Livingstone into the heart of darkest Africa and that encouraged and enabled messengers of Christ down through the years.

Thoughts to Soak on as we wrap up this teaching.

· The Old Testament prophets often called Israel’s leaders to task for their sins. One of the most memorable of these rebukes is Nathan’s confrontation with David for the king’s involvement with Bathsheba and subsequent attempt at a cover-up via murder of her husband (2 Samuel 12:1–14).

· The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day failed to learn from history. Their conspiratorial cover-up was rooted in their vested interests as noted in John 11:48: “If we let [Jesus] go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

· In the end, the efforts at killing Jesus and covering up his resurrection did not negate the threat of John 11:48. In AD 70, the Romans did indeed come. The ensuing siege and destruction of Jerusalem marked the end of “temple and … nation” of the Jewish leadership. The ruling council’s attempt to solve its problem by using falsehood in various ways (see Matthew 26:59; compare Acts 6:13) ultimately failed. Today, the truth is available for all to see.

· The church’s explosive early growth suggests the liars ultimately end up fooling mainly themselves. Learn from the ruling council’s sinful errors! Truth still has a way of getting out. Stay alert for your chance to reveal the grace and truth of Jesus (see John 1:14, 17) to those who are under the spell of the world’s lies.

Conclusion: No “Fake News”

· The phrase “fake news” became a part of the vocabulary during the 2016 American presidential campaign. Certain news outlets were accused of creating stories that had no basis in fact to further an agenda. Those accusations were later proven true. Christians may similarly be accused of propagating “fake news” regarding the resurrection of Jesus.

o But the resurrection can be proven true, as this lesson has demonstrated. Yet getting people to see the truth can be a slow process. This calls for prayer and patience. Even Jesus’ own disciples were not convinced at first. When the women reported to the disciples what they had found and not found at Jesus’ tomb, “They did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense” (Luke 24:11). The apostle Thomas declared, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).

· Why would men who were slow to believe news of a resurrection end up trying to make it appear as though one had happened if it had not? No one, neither the women nor the disciples, was anticipating that Jesus would arise. They were not spending the days following his death planning how they could perpetrate a hoax on the public.

· Paul’s declaration in 1 Corinthians 15:20 is the one that followers of Jesus gladly embrace and proclaim: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Fake news—no; actual news—absolutely!

Closing Prayer: Father, how thankful we are that on this Easter Sunday and every day we can celebrate the triumph of Jesus over death. Use us to change hearts and minds with this good news of a risen Savior. We pray this in his name. Amen.[21]

More thoughts to take home with you and chew on

· Matthew ends his Gospel with a responsibility on the part of the Christian: to take the Gospel to all people. Not all will be saved, but all deserve a chance to hear the Gospel. Discuss.

· Note the great promise: “I am with you.” He gave emphatic assurance: not “I will be with you,” but “I am with you.” Christ is with the believer as the believer goes forth to make disciples of all nations. Christ is with us …

• every step

• every decision

• every trial

• every joy

• every day

• every hour

• every sorrow

• when without

• when poor

• when having nothing

• when having plenty

• when abused

• when sick

• when facing death

· Note the boundless promise: “always, even unto the end of the world.” There is not a moment when Christ is not with the believer to help him/her in his witness, even if his witness means abuse, persecution, and martyrdom.[22]

· It is a relief to return to Galilee. Here the Christian mission has its proper starting-point, in a meeting with the risen Jesus, now enthroned as king of all. The wording of v 18 echoes Dn. 7:14 yet again, but whereas earlier references looked forward to a future fulfilment of Daniel’s prophecy of the universal authority of the Son of Man, now that fulfilment had already been achieved.

· On the basis of that authority, Jesus now sent his disciples out to spread his rule over all nations by makingmore disciples.

o The nature of that discipleship is spelled out in two further participles, baptizing and teaching. The disciples were to call not for a superficial response but for total commitment to the new community (symbolized in baptism), and to a life governed by everything I have commanded you. In this mission, they may be assured of the continued presence of the one who had earlier spoken of being ‘where two or three come together in my name’ (18:20). The words with you powerfully echo the name Emmanuel. ‘God with us’ (1:23); that is who Jesus really is.[23]

Thoughts to Consider:

· Have you noticed the mountain scenes in Matthew?

o the Sermon on the Mount (chaps. 5-7),

o the Transfiguration (chap. 17),

o the Olivet prophecy (chaps. 24-25),

o the crucifixion on Mt. Calvary, (chap. 28)

o the final meeting with the disciples on a mountain in Galilee. (chap. 28)

· Do you notice that growth in our relationship with Christ happens in the low times (valleys) of our life?

Overview to share with others who are skeptical:

· Special points.—The account of the angel of the Lord descending and rolling back the stone is taken by some to mean that the stone was rolled away to let Jesus out of the tomb. This misses the whole point. Jesus had already risen!

· The stone (or closed doors and walls) presented no barrier to him.

· The stone was rolled away to let his followers in—to let men see “the place where the Lord lay.” This is another element in the remarkable testimony to the resurrection of Jesus.

· The tomb was empty. His body had undergone a marvelous transformation.

o He could both limit himself to the conditions of this physical existence (by walking with them, or preparing a meal and eating with them) and transcend the limits of this natural order (by appearing and disappearing, passing through closed doors, ascending beyond the clouds).

o This is the best clue we have to the nature of the resurrection body in the life to come: if we are to be like him, as he says, we will have a transformed body which can both experience the kind of reality we know now and go beyond it.

The resurrection of Jesus is one of the best attested events of history. What happened that Resurrection morning, and who saw our risen Lord?

Three women at tomb

(Luke 23:55-24:9)

Peter, John see empty tomb

(John 20:3-10)

The women see Jesus

(Matthew 28:9-10)

Peter sees Jesus same day

(Luke 24:34)

Two on Emmaus road

(Luke 24:13-31)

The Apostles, Thomas absent

(Luke 24:36-45)

The Apostles, Thomas present

(John 20:24-29)

Seven at Lake Tiberius

(John 21:1-23)

Five hundred in Galilee

(1 Cor. 15:6)

James in Jerusalem

(1 Cor. 15:7)

Many at Ascension

(Acts 1:3-12)

Paul near Damascus

(Acts 9:3-6)

Stephen at stoning

(Acts 7:55)

Paul in the temple

(Acts 22:17-19)

John on Patmos

(Rev. 1:10-19)

· In the original Greek, the word for “go”is a participle, meaning “as you go.”

o The first imperative, or command, is “Make disciples!” This states the priority in the mission of the church.

o The next command, to baptize, is the visible sign and public declaration of that discipleship.

o The final command, to teach them the commandments of Jesus, is the content and the continuing task of the church in the world.[24]

FORTY DAYS—from Resurrection to Ascension

SUNDAY MORNING

1. An angel rolled away the stone from Jesus’ tomb before sunrise (Matt. 28:2–4).

2. Women who followed Jesus visited Jesus’ tomb and discovered Him missing (Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:1–4; Luke 24:1–3; John 20:1).

3. Mary Magdalene left to tell Peter and John (John 20:1–2).

4. The other women, remaining at the tomb, saw two angels who told them about the Resurrection (Matt. 28:5–7; Mark 16:5–7; Luke 24:4–8).

5. Peter and John visited Jesus’ tomb (Luke 24:12; John 20:3–10).

6. Mary Magdalene returned to the tomb and Jesus appeared to her alone in the garden (Mark 16:9–11; John 20:11–18): His first appearance.

7. Jesus appeared to the other women (Mary, mother of James, Salome, and Joanna) (Matt. 28:8–10): His second appearance.

8. Those who guarded Jesus’ tomb reported to the religious rulers how the angel rolled away the stone. They were then bribed (Matt. 28:11–15).

9. Jesus appeared to Peter (1 Cor. 15:5): His third appearance.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

10. Jesus appeared to two men on the road to Emmaus (Mark 16:12–13; Luke 24:13–32): His fourth appearance.

SUNDAY EVENING

11. The two disciples from Emmaus told others they saw Jesus (Luke 24:33–35).

12. Jesus appeared to 10 apostles, with Thomas absent, in the Upper Room (Luke 24:36–43; John 20:19–25): His fifth appearance.

THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY

13. Jesus appeared to the 11 Apostles, including Thomas, and Thomas believed (John 20:26–28): His sixth appearance.

THE FOLLOWING 32 DAYS

14. Jesus appeared to seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee and performed a miracle of fish (John 21:1–14): His seventh appearance.

15. Jesus appeared to 500 (including the Eleven) at a mountain in Galilee (Matt. 28:16–20; Mark 16:15–18; 1 Cor. 15:6): His eighth appearance.

16. Jesus appeared to His half-brother James (1 Cor. 15:7): His ninth appearance.

17. At Jerusalem Jesus appeared again to His disciples (Luke 24:44–49; Acts 1:3–8): His tenth appearance.

18. On the Mount of Olives Jesus ascended into heaven while the disciples watched (Mark 16:19–20; Luke 24:50–53; Acts 1:9–12)[25]

The Propagation (of false news about Jesus)

· And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews and is to this day. (Matthew 28:15)

· The soldiers gladly took the money, overjoyed that they not only would not be punished but would even be rewarded. They were therefore more than willing to do the Sanhedrin’s bidding and did as they had been instructed.

· Matthew then comments that this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day. Matthew wrote his gospel some thirty years later, about a.d. 63, the time to which this dayrefers. The tomb guards were the first to spreadthe falsehood, but the Sanhedrin doubtlessly began spreading it among the Jews by many other means as well.

· The Sanhedrin’s lie was still common among the Jews of the second century. The church Father Justin Martyr wrote in chapter 108 of his Dialogue with Trypho, “You [Jewish leaders] have sent chosen and ordained men throughout all the world to proclaim that a godless and lawless heresy had sprung from one Jesus, a Galilean deceiver, whom we crucified, but his disciples stole him by night from the tomb … and now deceived men by asserting that he has risen from the dead and ascended into heaven” (The Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973], p. 253). That same falsehood can be heard even today.

· But as wicked and self-serving as the Sanhedrin’s plan was, it fit perfectly into God’s much greater and sovereign plan. God did not want unbelievers to proclaim the true gospel, even had they wanted to. The Lord would not send out messengers to preach the resurrection who did not believe in the One who was raised. In His eternal wisdom, God permitted those guardians of the grave, who could have spread the factual, historic truth of the resurrection, to become victimized by the corrupt Jewish leaders. The resurrection of the Son of God would be proclaimed only by those whose hearts were committed to the risen Savior and Lord.

· Evidence for the resurrection is supplied by the very story that denies it. And because it came from Jesus’ enemies rather than His friends, it should be all the more convincing to skeptics. Intending to conceal the truth, the Sanhedrin and the soldiers actually reinforced it.

· Although the explanation that the disciples stole Jesus’ body accounts for the missing corpse, in some ways it is even more absurd than the other negative theories mentioned at the beginning of this chapter.

· In the first place, if their story had been true, the Jewish leaders could surely have found the stolen body with little difficulty. They had the resources of hundreds of men, including military men, and even the power of Rome behind them in this instance. It would have been utterly impossible for eleven unlearned and unsophisticated men to have succeeded in eluding a search for any length of time. The simplest way to have disproved the resurrection was to locate the body and put it on display for all the world to see. Yet there is no evidence that the Sanhedrin even attempted to find the body they claimed the disciples had stolen. The failure of the Sanhedrin to make such a search is strong evidence that they themselves actually believed Jesus was raised.

· Another obvious flaw in the Sanhedrin’s lie was the basic idea itself. To suggest that the disciples stole the body was to show complete ignorance of those men’s state of mind at the time. They had not believed Jesus’ many predictions of His resurrection, and now that He had been crucified, they were hopelessly dejected and afraid. If anything, they had even less belief in His resurrection after His death than they had had before.

· When the women reported Jesus’ resurrection to the eleven apostles and the other believers with them in Jerusalem, “these words appeared to [the apostles] as nonsense, and they would not believe them” (Luke 24:11). Their personal prejudices and human understanding, common to most Jews of that day, prevented them from accepting the idea of the Messiah’s death, thereby making belief in His resurrection impossible. Those men did not have the least motive for stealing Jesus’ body. Because He had been given an uncommonly fine burial by Joseph and Nicodemus—a much better burial than the disciples could have afforded-what better place for His body to remain than in the garden tomb? The apostles had no reason to counterfeit a resurrection they did not even believe in themselves. How could it be that the men who fled for their lives while Jesus was still alive would, after His death, suddenly muster the courage and ingenuity to steal the body and then boldly start preaching and teaching in the name of a Jesus they knew was dead?

· When the apostles finally came to believe in the reality of Jesus’ resurrection, there was no stopping their proclamation of that grand and beautiful truth. Those who had shortly before been skeptical cowards became unflinching zealots in their proclamation of the risen Christ. But they had no such zeal immediately after the resurrection, because they did not even believe it, much less have a desire to proclaim it.

· It was highly implausible that all of the soldiers would have gone to sleep long enough for the disciples to have moved the stone and stolen the body, and even more implausible that the noise from moving the stone would not have awakened a single soldier.

· The Roman military divided the night into four watches of between two and three hours each. A certain number of the men would keep watch while the rest slept, keeping up the rotation until dawn. Three hours was not a long period of time to stay awake, especially if one were under threat of imprisonment or death for sleeping on watch.

· Perhaps the most patently absurd problem with the proposed lie was that, had the soldiers all been asleep, how could they have known who stole the body? And if some onlooker had told the soldiers what happened, why did they not immediately search for the thieves and try to retrieve the body rather than run to the chief priests to report their failure?

· The testimony of Jesus’ enemies was in some ways even more astounding than that of His friends would be. It was because the soldiers and the Sanhedrin could not deny that the tomb had been supernaturally opened and Jesus supernaturally released that the lie was concocted. Had the resurrection been a hoax, it would have been an easy one to expose.

· Some commentators have suggested that the disciples were the first to bribe the soldiers, asking them to report the empty tomb story to the Sanhedrin. But as just mentioned, the disciples had no motive for doing such a thing. Besides that, where would they have come up with enough money to make a bribe attractive to the soldiers?

· Other people have suggested that the disciples cleverly distracted the soldiers and sneaked the body out while the guards were not looking. But had they found such courage, how did they manage to draw all the soldiers far enough away to prevent their hearing the giant stone’s being moved? And how did they manage to keep the grave cloths just as they had been when covering Jesus’ body. Had the disciples tried such a maneuver, they would have been in the utmost hurry to get Jesus’ body out as quickly as possible. They had no reason to take off the wrappings, because the body would already have started to decompose. In addition to that, the body would have been much easier to carry while wrapped.

· Matthew’s account simply but forcefully shows that any explanation but the actual bodily resurrection of Jesus contradicts the facts and offends reason. The truth of the resurrection is so absolute that even a lie against it helps prove it. Whether the testimony is from Jesus’ friends or His enemies, the same conclusion is inevitable.

o No other historical event is so thoroughly attested by sound evidence as is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

· Paul declared, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation” (Rom. 10:9–10).

· Salvation is equal to eternal life, to deliverance from sin, and to godly hope

o Salvation determines a person’s destiny in the presence of God in the glories of heaven forever.

o Salvation belongs only to those who believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and who confess Him as Lord and Savior and thereby identify themselves with Him.

The hymnist Robert Lowry wrote the following beautiful lines that are sung in the popular Easter hymn “Christ Arose”:

Death cannot keep his prey,

Jesus, My Savior!

He tore the bars away,

Jesus, my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose,

With a mighty triumph o’er His foes;

He arose a victor from the dark domain,

And He lives forever with His saints to reign.

He arose! He arose!

Hallelujah! Christ arose![26]

Truth for today to Soak on.

· The overwhelming significance of the resurrection today lies in this one fact: Jesus Christ is alive and reigning in the midst of his disciples. The resurrection is not just an ancient record in history. True, it is an actual historical event; and the evidence for it is of absolute importance. But a person could believe that Jesus arose from the dead and still be utterly lost and without hope in the world.

· One must meet the risen Christ himself: The evidence of the Christian writings, all of the New Testament, and the witness of Christians through the centuries make their contribution to belief in the resurrection of Christ. But the final and decisive step comes when the individual man truly meets the risen Christ in his own inner experience and cries out like the disciple of old, “My Lord, and my God!”

· All of the wonderful Gospel of Matthew is intended to bring the reader to this point. The Son of David who moved down the dusty roads of Galilee must be met and accepted in our own hearts as the Son of God who gave his life for us all.[27]

[1]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew (Vol. 4, pp. 305–306). Chicago: Moody Press. [2] Iain D. Campbell, Opening up Matthew, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2008), 172. [3]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew (Vol. 4, p. 305). Chicago: Moody Press. [4] David Platt, Exalting Jesus in Matthew, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2013), 355–356. [5]Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992), 99. [6]Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Matthew & Mark, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 317–318. [7] John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch, 2014), Mt 28:2a. [8]Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 427. [9] R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 1, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 412. [10]Douglas Redford et al., “Called to Believe the Resurrection,” in The NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2018–2019, ed. Ronald L. Nickelson, vol. 25 (Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2018), 292. [11]Robert J. Dean, Family Bible Study, Spring 2004, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2004), 64. [12]William Barclay, ed., The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 2, The Daily Study Bible (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1976), 377. [13]Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 92). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. [14]Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (1996). Matthew: Chapters 16:13–28:20 (Vol. II, p. 297). Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide. [15]Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992), 100–101. [16]Ralph Earle, “The Gospel according to Matthew,” in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Beacon Bible Commentary (Beacon Hill Press, 1964), Mt 28:16–20. [17]Michael Green, The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 319. [18]Douglas Redford et al., “Called to Make Disciples,” in The NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2018–2019, ed. Ronald L. Nickelson, vol. 25 (Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2018), 299. [19] Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary(Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 215–216. [20]Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992), 101–103. [21]Redford, D., Boatman, C. R., Eichenberger, J., & Thatcher, T. (2018). Called to Believe the Resurrection. In R. L. Nickelson (Ed.), The NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2018–2019 (Vol. 25, pp. 294–295). Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing. [22]Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (1996). Matthew: Chapters 16:13–28:20 (Vol. II, p. 302). Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide. [23]France, R. T. (1994). Matthew. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition(4th ed., p. 944). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press. [24]Ward, W. E. (1972). Matthew. In H. F. Paschall & H. H. Hobbs (Eds.), The teacher’s Bible commentary (p. 615). Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers. [25]Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 91). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. [26]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew (Vol. 4, pp. 323–327). Chicago: Moody Press. [27]Ward, W. E. (1972). Matthew. In H. F. Paschall & H. H. Hobbs (Eds.), The teacher’s Bible commentary (pp. 615–616). Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers.