Matthew 28: The Good News

Introduction

After over a year, we have reached the end of the Gospel of Matthew! This final chapter is the most important chapter in the entire book. Last week we read how Christ died, and today we will read how Christ is alive again and forevermore! As usual, Matthew gives us his unique description of this incredibly historical event.

But first, we have to start with the end of chapter 27...

27:62-66: The Tomb

After Jesus died, something had to be done with his body. Or did it? The Romans had no problem letting corpses of the crucified rot on crosses. In fact, some secularists argue this is in fact what happened.

While the Romans didn’t care, the Jews did. Especially since it was Passover, and to leave dead bodies anywhere near the city would have made it ritually unclean. But considering the city had just killed Jesus, did that even incline them to care?

For Jesus’ disciples it did, but none of them really had the power, or authority, to ask for his body. Except for one, a man named Joseph of Arimathea.

All four Gospels attest to this man coming and taking down the Lord’s body. Matthew tells us he was a rich man. The other three Gospels tell us he was part of the council and hadn’t agreed to the murder.

Mark tells us he was respected, and went “with courage” to Pilate to ask for the body. Luke tells us he was a “good and righteous man”, and finally John tells us that he was a secret follower of Jesus.

John also adds that Nicodemus went with him - which makes sense, as they were both council members, and both secretly believed Jesus to be the Messiah.

After Pilate gave him the body, he wrapped in a “clean linen shroud”. We know from John that there was also a face covering.

Some of you may have heard of the “Shroud of Turin”. It is a strange wrapping that has the imprint of a human on it. It is claimed to have been the very shroud that Jesus was wrapped in.

It is very old! It’s origins are unknown. And how the image came to be imprinted on it is an even greater mystery, although it seems to have been created by a quick flash of great light...

As with the customs of the day, John tells us they also covered the Lord’s body in 75 pounds of myrrh, alloes, and spices.

Because the Sabbath was quickly approaching, they put him in a nearby freshly cut tomb. Matthew is the only one to tell us that the tomb actually belonged to Joseph.

This is probably an important detail for Matthew because of Isaiah 53:9 “And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.”

The tomb cut out of rock may have also brought to mind Isaiah 22:16 “What have you to do here, and whom have you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock?”

A large stone was rolled in front of the tomb. Not an easy thing to move and probably set in a way that it couldn’t be easily rolled back either.

The last detail here may be the most important: the witnesses! Matthew again uses the testimony of women to verify that people knew the exactly location of the tomb. They sat across from it, and they would later return to it.

The Gospels all establish that Jesus was buried in a certain tomb. But notice they never make a point to tell us exactly where it was. Why? Because in just a little while it would become totally irrelevant!

The early Christians probably also didn’t want people placing too much of an emphasis on this particular place.

There is a “traditional” site of the burial place in Jerusalem today called the Church of the Sepulchre. It was “found” by Emperor Constantine’s mother (he was the first Christian Emperor of Rome), in the 300s when she attempted to find some of the original relics and holy places.

The other Gospels tell us that the followers of Jesus obeyed the Sabbath the next day. Matthew tells us that the Lord’s killers did not, despite their religiosity.

The Pharisees went to Pilate and asked him to help ensure the body wasn’t stolen and that the disciples couldn’t then claim that Jesus rose from the dead. Sounds like breaking the Sabbath to me!

Pilate gives them soldiers and tells them to make it secure. Their attempt to avoid a conspiracy inadvertently gave Christians evidence to demonstrate that the body could not have been stolen!

They sealed the stone, meaning that if it was moved, and the seal broken, they would know. Matthew probably also wants to allude back to when Daniel was in the Lion’s Den in Daniel 6:17 “And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.”

This notion was absurd. The disciples didn’t even stick around to watch Jesus die. They were in hiding. Did people really think they had the fortitude to try and steal his body? Besides, why wouldn’t they just steal it from Joseph before it was buried?

28:1-10: The Resurrection

Despite their best efforts, they just couldn’t keep the dead man down!

The next day, which would be Sunday (or, the first day of the week), it’s again the women who go to the tomb. Specifically, Matthew calls out Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” (Mark tells us she was the mother of Salome) as the witnesses to all 3 events: the crucifixion, the burial, and now the resurrection. Remember, 2-3 witnesses for everything.

The mighty Roman guards who had been set up had quite the wake-up call when an angel came down from heaven and opened the tomb!

This was accompanied by an earthquake, demonstrating the magnitude of the event.

The other Gospels tell us there were two angels, but Matthew only focuses on one. Mark also only tells about one angel, but the angels they both describe are in two different places, indicating two angels.

Unlike the other Gospels, he makes it a point to describe what the angel looked like very vividly. He specifically uses OT language (cf. Daniel 7 and Daniel 10).

Matthew says the guards trembled and became like dead men - this is a normal reaction when encountering heavenly beings and even God himself. Revelation 1:17 “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,”

The angels didn’t “free” Jesus from the tomb. He had already risen and left. They simply opened the tomb for the sake of the witnesses. Hence why the angels tell the women, “He is not here, he is risen, come and see the place where he lay.”

Notice the angel says, “…as [Jesus] said”. A subtle, “He told you so.” moment. Jesus had accurately predicted everything that would take place, and they didn’t believe him.

Matthew really condenses the rest of the story from what we know from the other Gospels.

The women are told to go tell the disciples, and specifically to let them know that Jesus would meet them in Galilee. Jesus predicted this just before his arrest back in Matthew 26:32 “But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.””

As they head out, they are both afraid and joyful (wouldn’t you be??). They are also in a hurry! And to their surprise they run into....Jesus!

John details the story of this interaction between Mary Magdalene and Jesus much more intimately.

Matthew’s focus is on their response: they grabbed onto his feet and worshipped him.

I can only imagine a big smile on the Lord’s face as he said, “Greetings!”

He confirms what the angel said, and tells them to have the disciples meet him in Galilee.

Why Galilee? This was their “home base” for most of the Lord’s ministry. It is as they say, there’s no place like home!

11-15: The Conspiracy

This is another detail that only Matthew tells us about. And it’s probably because of the Jewish audience he is writing to.

The guards who were shell shocked, aren’t sure what to do. So they go and tell the chief priests. The elders and the council promptly pay off the guards.

They tell the guards to spread a rumor - the very rumor that the leaders were trying to avoid! The irony wasn’t missed by Matthew, which is why he wants people to know.

They wanted to make sure the disciples didn’t steal the body, so they set up guards. When the guards failed, they had them say…the body was stolen?

There’s just one teeny tiny little problem. If Roman guards admitted to sleeping on the job, Pilate would probably have their heads. Jesus had caused him enough problems - the last thing he needed was rebellion starting because his guards had gotten sleepy.

This is why the leaders had to let the guards know they would be protected. But if you’re the guards, would you actually believe them? The animosity between them and Pilate was well known. I’m not sure I’m betting my professional career (and potentially life!) on this.

But they did it anyway and Matthew notes, “this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.”

That phrase “to this day” is also OT language. It refers the whenever Matthew is writing his Gospel. But, the language means that this little story is serving as a “background” for something that was commonly known to his audience (like with the Field of Blood earlier).

It’s clear that as Christianity spread and became a predominantly “Gentile” religion, this “stolen body” story was what was fed by the religious leaders to keep more Jews from converting.

16-20: The Mission

Matthew chose not to tell us of the Ascension. Instead he ends his Gospel with the Great Commission. The eleven disciples meet Jesus in Galilee.

This was not the last time they saw Jesus. He appeared to them several times. Luke tells us that He ascended into heaven about 40 days after the Resurrection from Bethany (the Mount of Olives).

Matthew points out that they met Jesus on a mountain - mountains have been a regular theme in this Gospel.

When they saw him, they again worshipped him....but some doubted.

This act of worship again demonstrates what they believed about Jesus. He is the resurrected God-Man, Creator of all things and victor over death. Of course He is worthy of worship!

But Matthew also lets us know that “some doubted”. We may think, “How is that possible?” but the truth is, even with Jesus right in front them, some people refuse to believe. It is also an honest assessment from Matthew.

Remember, for a time, Thomas was one of those who doubted. So this statement might not mean that these doubters never came around to it.

These final words of the Lord have rang throughout history with their significance:

All authority has been given to Jesus - the rest of the NT makes it abundantly clear that everything has been put under the control of the Lord. Humans, angels, demons, powers, authorities, rulers, life, and even death itself. Amen!

This fulfils Daniel 7:13–14 ““I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

I think this is also Matthew’s implicit mention of the ascension.

And then he gives the Great Commission. Three things are commanded here:

Make disciples of all nations. The Gospel isn’t just for one people group any longer. Everyone is welcome in the Kingdom of God and the Church.

Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

Baptism, not circumcision, became the defining marker of entering into the Church and becoming a Christian. Through baptism our sins are washed away and we “die” and are “raised” with Christ.

In this act we also declare our faith in the Holy Trinity of God.

Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you

The Lord Jesus is Life, and his words and commandments bring life. To follow and obey Him is to follow and obey God. Everything that He taught us, we are to teach others. This is discipleship.

Finally He says that he is with always until the end of the age.

Perhaps this is another reason Matthew doesn’t tell us about the ascension. The Lord Jesus may be in heaven, but He is also near to us always. He is not distant. Through His Holy Spirit, it is really like He never left.

Paul describes it this way in Ephesians 1:20–23 “that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

Conclusion

Of all three commands given in the Great Commission, none of them are the imperative command. The imperative is, “Go”. And that is what makes our religion wholly unique. Others are content to let people stumble upon their religions or have no real pressure to share their faith. But not the Church. Our King has commissioned us to spread the Good News, that He has risen from the dead (!), and therefore people need to know so that they, too, may become his disciples. And with that, there’s no other way to end our study than by reminding you all that, “You are sent.”