Matthew 28

Matthew 28:1

XV. THE KING’S TRIUMPH (Chap. 28) A. The Empty Tomb and the Risen Lord (28:1-10) 28:1-4 Before dawn on Sunday morning the two Marys came to see the tomb. As they arrived there was a great earthquake. An angel … descended from heaven, rolled back the stone from the mouth of the tomb, and sat on it. The Roman guards, terrified by this radiant being clothed in glistening white, fainted. 28:5, 6 The angel reassured the women that there was nothing for them to fear. The One they sought had risen, as He had promised. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. The stone had been rolled away, not to let the Lord out, but to let the women see that He had risen. 28:7-10 The angel then deputized the women to go quickly to announce the glorious news to His disciples. The Lord was alive again and would meet them in Galilee. After delivering the message, they returned to the empty tomb. It was then that Jesus Himself appeared to them, greeting them with a single word, Rejoice! They responded by falling at His feet and worshiping Him. He then personally commissioned them to notify the disciples that they would see Him in Galilee.

Matthew 28:11

B. The Soldiers Bribed to Lie (28:11-15) 28:11 As soon as they regained consciousness, some of the soldiers sheepishly went to the chief priests to break the news. They had failed in their mission! The tomb was empty! 28:12, 13 It is easy to imagine the consternation of the religious leaders. The priests held a conclave with the elders to map out their strategy. In desperation, they bribed the soldiers to tell the fantastic yarn that while the soldiers slept, the disciples stole the body of Jesus. This explanation raises more questions than it answers. Why were the soldiers sleeping when they should have been on guard? How could the disciples have rolled the stone away without waking them? How could all the soldiers have fallen asleep at the same time? If they were asleep, how did they know that the disciples stole the body? If the story was true, why did the soldiers have to be bribed to tell it? If the disciples had stolen the body, why had they taken time to remove the graveclothes and fold the napkin? (Luk_24:12; Joh_20:6-7). 28:14 Actually the soldiers were paid to tell a story incriminating themselves; sleeping on duty was punishable by death under Roman law. So the Jewish leaders had to promise to intervene for them if the story ever got back to the governor’s ears. The Sanhedrin was learning that while truth is self-verifying, a lie has to be supported by countless other lies. 28:15 Yet the myth persists among many Jews until this day, and among Gentiles as well. And there are other myths. Wilbur Smith summarizes two of them:

1. First of all it has been suggested that the women went to the wrong tomb. Think about this for a moment. Would you miss the tomb of your dearest loved one between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning? Furthermore, this was not a cemetery of Joseph of Arimathea. This was his private garden. No other tombs were there. Now, let’s say there were other tombs, which there weren’t, and suppose the women with their tear-filled eyes stumbled around and got to the wrong tomb. Well, let’s grant that for the women. But hardfisted Simon Peter and John, two fishermen who were not crying, also went to the tomb and found it empty. Do you think they went to the wrong tomb? But more than that, when they got to the tomb and found that it was empty, there was an angel who said, He is not here. He is risen. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Do you think the angel went to the wrong tomb too? Yet, don’t forget, brainy men have advanced these theories. This is a nonsensical one!
2. Others have suggested that Jesus did not die, but swooned away, and that he was resuscitated somehow in this damp tomb and then came forth. They had a great big stone rolled against this tomb and this was sealed with seals of the Roman government. No man on the inside of that tomb could ever roll back the stone which came down an incline and fitted into a groove. He did not come out of that tomb as an anemic invalid. The simple truth is that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is a well-attested fact of history. He presented Himself alive to His disciples after His passion by many infallible proofs. Think of these specific instances when He appeared to His own:
3. To Mary Magdalene (Mar_16:9-11).
4. To the women (Mat_28:8-10).
5. To Peter (Luk_24:34).
6. To the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luk_24:13-32).
7. To the disciples, except Thomas (Joh_20:19-25).
8. To the disciples, including Thomas (Joh_20:26-31).
9. To the seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21).
10. To over 500 believers (1Co_15:7).
11. To James (1Co_15:7).
12. To the disciples on the Mount of Olives (Act_1:3-12). One of the great foundation stones, unshakable and unmovable, of our Christian faith, is the historic evidence for the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here you and I can stand and do battle for the faith because we have a situation which cannot be contradicted. It can be denied, but it cannot be disproved.

Matthew 28:16

C. The Great Commission (28:16-20) 28:16, 17 In Galilee the risen Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples at an unnamed mountain. This is the same appearance recorded in Mar_16:15-18 and 1Co_15:6. What a wonderful reunion! His sufferings were passed forever. Because He lived, they too would live. He stood before them in His glorified body. They worshiped the living, loving Lordthough doubts still lurked in the minds of some. 28:18 Then the Lord explained that all authority had been given to Him in heaven and on earth. In one sense, of course, He always had all authority. But here He was speaking of authority as Head of the new creation. Since His death and resurrection, He had authority to give eternal life to all whom God had given to Him (Joh_17:2). He had always had power as the firstborn of all creation. But now that He had completed the work of redemption, He had authority as the first-born from the deadthat in all things He may have the preeminence (Col_1:15, Col_1:18). 28:19, 20 As Head of the new creation, He then issued the Great Commission, containing standing orders for all believers during the present phase of the kingdomthe time between the rejection of the King and His Second Advent. The Commission contains three commands, not suggestions:

1. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. This does not presuppose world conversion. By preaching the gospel, the disciples were to see others become learners or followers of the Saviorfrom every nation, tribe, people, and tongue.
2. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The responsibility rests on Christ’s messengers to teach baptism and to press it as a command to be obeyed. In believer’s baptism, Christians publicly identify themselves with the Triune Godhead. They acknowledge that God is their Father, that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior, and that the Holy Spirit is the One who indwells, empowers, and teaches them. Name in verse 19 is singular. One name or essence, yet three PersonsFather, Son, and Holy Spirit.
3. Teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you. The Commission goes beyond evangelism; it is not enough to simply make converts and let them fend for themselves. They must be taught to obey the commandments of Christ as found in the NT. The essence of discipleship is becoming like the Master, and this is brought about by systematic teaching of, and submission to, the Word. Then the Savior added a promise of His presence with His disciples until the consummation of the age. They would not go forth alone or unaided. In all their service and travel, they would know the companionship of the Son of God. Notice the four alls connected with the Great Commission: all authority; all nations; all things; always. Thus the Gospel closes with commission and comfort from our glorious Lord. Nearly twenty centuries later His words have the same cogency, the same relevance, the same application. The task is still uncompleted. What are we doing to carry out His last command?