The risen
Jesus
The Roman
Soldiers:
Roman
soldiers: They enlisted for 25 years! If you served the 25 years
you had it made; land was granted to you and all sorts of other
benefits. You had to be a Roman citizen to join. Day and night
the soldiers would train, unquestionably the best for that day
and age. They had incredible ability to be disciplined. If they
were sent to conquer a city, they would build a wall around it
and be prepared to camp there for 10, 15 or even 20 years, as
long as it took to starve the people out! They took what they
did seriously, and they were so effective at it that they
conquered the known world!
In the Roman
army, if you were caught sleeping on watch, the penalty was
death. In Matthew we see some of these men on a watch. The Roman
soldiers were committed to make sure that nothing happened to
that grave.
Mary Magdalene
and Mary of Bethany find an empty tomb
1) After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first
day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look
at the tomb.
2) 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. 3) His appearance was like lightning, and his
clothes were white as snow. 4) The guards were so afraid of him
that they shook and became like dead men.
5) The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know
that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6) He is not
here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place
where he lay. 7) Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has
risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.
There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
8) So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled
with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
They did not
come expecting to find what they did; the angel commands them to
be the first messengers of the good news of Jesus' resurrection
- an honor befitting their faithfulness.
The Sabbath:
�Sabbath�
should be �Sabbaths� plural. Denotatively this means that there
was more than one Sabbath. Sabbath does not just mean Saturday,
it can also mean �Holy Day.� Connotatively, it might be
construed that �at the end of the Sabbaths� could mean at this
point the Sabbaths are over. The Sabbaths were ordained for man,
for rest.
From this
point on we are to rest in Jesus Christ.
If you choose
to honor Sabbath to the Lord, praise God. If you feel that that
is putting yourself under the Mosaic Law and you choose to
recognize that you are free from that law, praise God. The
Christian Church has taken the position that the observance of
Sabbath was Mosaic and superseded by Jesus Christ. If you choose
to honor the Sabbath, be careful that you don�t take the
position that you want to observe the law, because that burden
is too much to bear. Also, Jesus Christ came to free us from the
law.
The Feast of
Firstfruits:
Feast of the
Firstfruits: Leviticus 23:9-14; 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23. There
are seven feasts: Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of
Firstfruits These first three occur in Nisan (Passover being on
the 14th and The Feast of Unleavened Bread starting on the 14th
for 7 days and then Feast of Firstfruits) and the last three in
Tishri:Rosh HaShannah (and The Feast of Trumpets) on the 1st, 10
days later is Yom Kippur, and 5 days later is the Feast of
Tabernacles. One Feast is in between these two packed months,
that of the Feast of Pentecost, which starts 50 days after
Passover.
While all of
these Feasts are commemorative, they also have a prophetic role.
The first three feasts speak of Christ�s First Coming;
The last three
speak of His Second Coming, or the completion of His
Messianic
mission especially as it regards Israel. The one in between, The
Feast of Pentecost, is peculiar in many ways, especially in its
ordination of leavened bread. Prophetically: Passover (His
Offering); Feast of Unleavened Bread (His Suffering); Feast of
Firstfruits (His Resurrection); and the last three which are yet
future: Feast of Trumpets (sounds like Revelation or Joshua);
Yom Kippur (Atonement); Feast of Tabernacles (where He
tabernacles among us). The Feast of Pentecost is in between
these two groups, and in its prophetic role, it speaks of the
church. Each of these Feasts is not only prophetic, but they are
fulfilled on the day that they are celebrated.
The Feast of
Firstfruits was celebrated on the morning after the Sabbath
after Passover. If Passover occurred on a Monday, then the
Sabbath after
that Monday, and then the next day (which we would call Sunday)
would mark the beginning. So while Mary Magdalene and Mary came
to the sepulcher, at that same time the priests in the Temple
were offering firstfruits. Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23.
The stone was
removed for the sake of the disciples and the world, not for
Jesus - no mere stone could imprison Him.
The angel
�answered� them; the woman must have done something to prompt an
answer, perhaps a scream or even a gasp.
We are to find
later that they meet in a reappointed place. Here the angels
denote �Galilee,� which is a fairly large area, what we would
call a �county.
His
Resurrection:
Jesus�
resurrection is the most important fact of our lives. The fact
that He died for our sins is important because it provides the
basis by which God can forgive us, but it has no validity unless
He rose from the dead. The fact that the tomb was empty is proof
that His redemption is sufficient (innocent and adequate).
If His enemies
could have produced the body, or a body, they would have done
so.
Josephus,
Antiquities, book 18, chapter 3, and section 3: Josephus
describes the fact that Jesus appeared to his disciples on the
third day. This is documented by a historian who is an
unbeliever!
Who raised
Jesus from the dead? According to Hebrews 13:20, it was the
Father. According to the gospel of John 2:19, 20, 21, and
John10:17, 18 it was the Son. On the other hand, Rom 8:11
describes it as the work of the Holy Spirit. This really leads
to the fact that all the great acts, each event can be found
ascribed to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity
is established in the linguistics of the text.
Mary Magdalene
and Mary of Bethany meet a risen Jesus
9) Suddenly
Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped
his feet and worshiped him. 10) Then Jesus said to them, "Do not
be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they
will see me."
The first word
of Jesus is fitting; what else could or should these women do
other than rejoice?
First time
that Jesus calls His disciples, �brethren (brothers).� And that
is predicted in Psalms 22:22.
Notice that
the women meet Jesus as they are obedient to the word given to
them by God; it was as they went to tell His disciples.
They meet and
worship Jesus; Jesus never refuses worship.
The meaning of
the resurrection: Jesus' resurrection proved that His death was
an actual propitiation for sin and that the Father had accepted
it as such; the cross was the payment, the resurrection the
receipt.
The cover-up
of the resurrection begins with the bribery of the guards
11) While the
women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city
and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.
12) When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a
plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13) telling
them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and
stole him away while we were asleep.' 14) If this report gets to
the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble."
15) So the soldiers took the money and did as they were
instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the
Jews to this very day.
This cover-up
attempt shows the depravity of the priests; they know the truth
of the resurrection, yet they reject it.
The cover-up
also shows their stupidity; if the guards were asleep, how would
they know that it was the disciples that stole the body of Jesus
away?
Romans do not
sleep on watch! The whole story is preposterous; it is possible
for a guard to fall asleep, but not the whole watch. The
disciples would have had to move the huge stone quietly without
waking the guards.
Why did these
Roman soldiers go to the Chief Priests first? Perhaps, they knew
that the Chief Priests would have the biggest equity in the
result. They also recognized that it might be worth money. They
were in deep trouble, but they were able to get bribes and
leverage on the boss so they would not be accountable for their
failure.
If the story
was true, why would they not track down the disciples, and
search for the body.
�Much money�:
Probably more than 30 pieces of silver!
Other attempts
to discredit the truth of the resurrection also fall short;
speculations such as the swoon theory, the wrong tomb theory, or
the hallucination theory simply do not match the Biblical
evidence.
The great
commission
The disciples
meet Jesus at Galilee
16) Then the
eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus
had told them to go. 17) When they saw him, they worshiped him;
but some doubted.
This was not
their first meeting with the risen Jesus; but it was an
important one - they would receive their commission at this
meeting.
Again, notice
that they meet the risen Jesus in the context of obedience -
when the meet Jesus where He told them to.
The natural
reaction to encountering the risen Jesus is worship, even if
some do doubt.
Matthew is
sometimes called �the Gospel of the Mountains� because he gives
prominent position to the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5, 6,
7), the Transfiguration (chapter 17), the Triumphal Entry and
Mount of Olives private briefing, and finally this mountain.
Jesus
instructs His disciples regarding their duty after His departure
18) Then Jesus
came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. 19) Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, 20) and teaching them to obey everything
I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age."
The commission
is given in light of the authority that is given unto Jesus;
this is an authoritative command, not a suggestion (as if an
officer reminds a private of his rank before he gives the
order).
The command is
to make disciples, not merely converts or supporters of a cause;
the idea behind the word disciple is that of a scholar, a
learner, a student. The totality of the commitment expected from
a disciple is expressed in the command to baptize them; a total
commitment is expected from a disciple.
�World� or
�age�: The end of a particular time segment. That the doesn�t
imply that the world ends then, the world as we know it does,
the end of the age.
Disciples are
made through teaching, though not with words only, but with the
power of the always-present Jesus, who will e present with His
people until the job of making disciples is done - the end of
the age.
The Great
Commission:
Matthew is a
Levi presenting the King of Israel, Mark presents the suffering
servant, Luke presents Jesus as the Son of man, John is
interested in the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, His deity.
Matthew is interested in Jesus� Messiahship!
Note that
Matthew has left out the ascension! Remember that it is not a
milestone in respect to Jesus� Messianic Mission (however His
return will be).
If we compare
the commissions given in the four Gospels, you will find that
they are not the same. Many will state that this (verses 19-20)
is the Great Commission. No problem if you see this as a great
missionary commandment. The other gospels make it very clear
that we are to do this. There are some scholars that believe,
technically, that this has never been fulfilled and it will be
fulfilled by Jewish evangelists (144,000). This view is
consistent with the Messianic presentation because it will be a
presentation consistent with Revelation 7 and 14. Some scholars
may be splitting hairs, this may be wrong. Whatever may be
lacking here is certainly present in the other gospels.
The content of
the teaching is to be all things that I have commanded you; the
responsibility of the followers of Jesus is to present the whole
counsel of God to those who are being made disciples.
