The Life & Killing of Jesus (Matthew 28:9-20)

The Resurrection of Jesus

Questions to be answered in this study

1. Why did the disciples not believe the resurrection of Jesus took place?
2. What was the gift that Jesus gave to the disciples when He met with them after His resurrection?
3.  What was the primary purpose of the resurrection of Christ?
4. Did you ever doubt your salvation? What is the greatest assurance that you are saved?
5. How long did it take the disciples to decide to meet Jesus in Galilee after His resurrection?
6. How many people saw Jesus after His resurrection at one time?
7. The Bible says in Matthew 28:16-17, that when the disciples saw Jesus after his resurrection some doubted; what was it they doubted?
8. What were the last words Jesus spoke to the disciples before He ascended into heaven, and why are they so important?
9. Why should we not be stressed about sharing the gospel?
10. What are the three things Jesus commanded us all to be involved in doing, not individually but collectively?

Introduction

            Today we come to the end of our study of Matthew after nearly two a half years. That seems like a long time to study just one book of the Bible, but it is an example of how much there is to learn in the Bible. It is a lifelong study and still there is not enough time to learn all there is. According to John, there is not enough books in all the world to include all that Jesus said and did. In our study of Matthew, we have gained a little knowledge, but there is much more left to learn. It is my plan to continue a rigorous plan of Bible study for the rest of my life. I hope each of you reading this will also. We cannot help but have changed with the knowledge we have gained. That is why the Bible teaches us to study the Word: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth,” 2 Timothy 2:15. Studying the Word is how we change our lives for the best. If we fail to study the Bible we miss out on God’s best for our life.

            It is through the inspired words of Scripture that the Holy Spirit speaks to us. It is how we hear God’s voice speaking directly to us with His instructions on how to live to get the most out of life. John stresses the importance of the Word of God: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” John 1:1. The more we understand the Word the more we understand God, and that is how we change everything in our life to align with the God’s will for our lives. When everything else fails, the Word of God will continue: “But the Word of God endures forever,” 1 Peter 1:25. We should long for the Word of God because it is like a lifeline to us: “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,” 1Peter 2:2. 

                Let’s finish our study of Matthew beginning with verse 9 where Jesus appears to some of His disciples as they are on their way to tell the eleven about what they had seen.

Matthew 28:9-10, “And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.10Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.”

By the time of the event in verse nine, multiple times the eleven have received the witness of both women and from men that Jesus had risen and is alive. That included Mary, mother of Jesus, who told them of the angel’s message, Mary Magdalene who reported having seen Jesus, and two men report seeing Jesus as they were traveling home. Even two of the eleven, Peter and John who visited the tomb had reported that it was empty; yet the disciples did not believe enough to go to Galilee to meet with Jesus preferring instead to remain hidden in Jerusalem. Why did the disciple not believe the resurrection of Jesus took place? Their problem was the same as ours sometimes. It was the problem of unbelief. Unbelief holds us back more than anything else.

Since they won’t go to Galilee to meet with Jesus, Jesus came to them in their hiding place. So, late on Sunday night on the same day he arose from the grave, Jesus suddenly appears in the locked room where the eleven were. John gives us some additional information about this event that Matthew leaves out, John 20:19-23: “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”

The disciples could no longer disbelieve that Jesus was alive. He now stands in their midst. He brings them good news that they will now receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This will empower them to carry the gospel message offering others the forgiveness of sins. The primary purpose of the resurrection of Jesus was to complete God’s plan of redemption and to extend the invitation to the world to come to Jesus for forgiveness and to inherit eternal life. However, the disciples were paralyzed with fear and were afraid to move out of their safe zone or as we say today their comfort zone. There was work to be done to promote the Kingdom of God and they needed the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to get them started. Many Christians are in that some mode today. They have been forgiven and are the children of God, but they can’t seem to move forward into the kingdom work. Like the disciples at this point, they do nothing.

We need to ask ourselves, are we serving Jesus in the kingdom work as much as we could, or we still struggling with other issues such as the question of whether we are really a Christian. It is past time to believe the testimony of Scripture, which says when you believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and you confess Him with your mouth then you are saved through faith by God’s grace. You are now a child of God adopted into His family and a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Rejoice, you are heir with Christ in the good things that are to come. No power on earth or otherwise can separate you from your eternal inheritance that is reserved for you in heaven. Satan temps us to doubt our salvation but Peter gives us the full assurance of our unchangeable position in Christ: 1 Peter 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Fear had taken over the disciples until they were afraid to leave their hiding place and go to Galilee.  For three years Jesus had been preparing His disciples to be His ambassadors to carry the gospel to the world, and now they are too fearful to move out and get started. Many Christians today are in the same position, afraid to go to Galilee to meet Jesus and get started so to speak. Jesus, before He ascended into heaven, gave us the church the responsibility of taking the gospel to the world and teaching new disciples the things Jesus taught when on earth. Jesus did not require that we go alone, He said, “Lo I am with you until the end.” We are the light of the world bringing good news to those living in darkness. It is time to stop letting fear stop us or keep us waiting; time is running out; it is time to get up and meet Jesus at Galilee.

Matthew pauses to Give us some additional information concerning the opposition Jesus still faces:

Matthew 28:11-15, “Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. 12And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, 13Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. 14And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. 15So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.”

During the eight days the disciples were trying to make up their minds to meet Jesus in Galilee, many of the followers of Jesus began to hear the news of the resurrection of Jesus. The Roman guards who were watching the tomb of Jesus saw the miricles that took place, the earthquake, the angels rolling the stone, and the resurrection of Jesus that resulted in them falling over unconscious. Later, they came to the high priest and told them what they saw. The priests did not believe what they heard any more than the disciples, but they did take action to pervert what they heard by bribing the guards with a large amount of money to change their story. Their story was to be that the disciples came and stole the body, which was impossible with the armed guards standing watch. However, the story was widely told and hindered the mission of the disciple for years to come but could not stop it. The resurrection of Jesus could not be denied because hundreds saw Jesus after His resurrection. Paul confirms this: 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.”

Jesus is seen after His resurrection by 500 witnesses at one time. That is a large amount when only three witnesses are required by law to affirm something is true. Many of those witnesses would still be alive during the time of Paul 20 years later to affirm the truth of the resurrection. Therefore, the false story could not stop the gospel then, nor can it now. God’s word is always more powerful than that of Satan. Today we share the gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit who goes before us and prepares the hearts of those who will believe.

Our message is backed by the power of God to demonstrate its authenticity and trustworthiness. Wherever we go, Jesus goes ahead working to prepare hearts to receive the message of the gospel. With that in mind, what is to stop us for carrying on the mission that Jesus assigned the church to carry the gospel to the world. Our responsibility is not to win souls; it is to share the good news of salvation to others and leave the saving up to God.

John fills us in on another bit of information that Matthew left out. He says the one of the eleven was missing from the initial meeting and when he returned, he was told that Jesus had been there. He would not believe and would not go with the others to Galilee. So, the disciples had to take time to convince him. Eight days later the disciples still had not followed Jesus’ instructions to go to Galilee, so Jesus once again visited the eleven. This time Thomas was there. It was only after Jesus showed Thomas the scars in his hands and feet and the scar in His side that Thomas finally believed.

            Matthew ends his account of the life and killing of Jesus with encouragement to the disciples to continue the mission of evangelism:

Matthew 28:16-17, “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.”

As the disciples wait, Jesus suddenly appears before them, but according to Matthew some still doubt. What was it they were doubting? It could not be the resurrection because Jesus was there right before their eyes. Their doubts were concerning the instructions Jesus gave them concerning their part in carrying on the kingdom program. They did not doubt Jesus. They had seen His Miricles and His power revealed first hand. They doubted their ability to carry on without Him because Jesus had been with them now for three years to teach and enable them. They no doubt were wondering how they could convince others without the visible presence of Jesus when many did not believe when He was visible. We may feel the same way; how are we to convince others of the truth of the gospel? The answer is, we cannot and are not expected to do so. The Holy Spirit does that. We are only messengers who share the truth.

We are only expected to do three things collectively, which Matthew points out in the remaining verses of his gospel account:

Matthew 28:18-20, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

These last words of Jesus before He ascended into heaven included the Great Commission to the church. Jesus reassured the disciples that God had given Him all authority in heaven and earth, which was the power to accomplish the kingdom work in the power of Jesus alone. The success of God’s program includes us but does not depend on us. It is our privilege to part of what God is doing. Jesus is responsible to convince lost sinners of the truth of the gospel, which takes away the stress of thinking it is our responsibility to convince anyone. Jesus does that through the Holy Spirit who goes before us the to prepare the hearts of the unsaved. We are only the messengers who deliver the good news, God takes over from there and saves the elect. Jesus also prepares us to be ambassadors of the gospel. Nothing can stop us when we are trusting the Lord; He will find a way to overcome the difficulties because He is the one with the authority. He is the one who saves anyone, anytime according to His plan.

The success of the kingdom work does not depend on us; God is the author and finisher. He does not depend on our ability; He depends on our availability to serve Him so He can bless us appropriately with eternal rewards. He presently rewards us with a life of purpose with the outcome of love, Joy, and peace reinforced with spiritual maturity. God is preparing for each of us His purpose of a life filled with meaning for the present and the promise of a glorious hope for the future.

Participating in God’s kingdom program is a win, win opportunity for us; we have everything to gain and nothing to lose. It includes just three simple steps revealed in verse 19 and 20: They are to go, baptize, and teach with the purpose of making disciples. It is not an individual effort; it is accomplished collectively through the church. It is our purpose to have a part through our offerings to the church and our service. We may not all baptize or teach, but we are a supportive part of the body of Christ whose mission is to baptize those who believe and to teach them the ways of our Lord. This process is undergirded by going, baptizing, and teaching. Our responsibility is to be available to go to a friend, neighbor, workmate, family members, or sometimes a stranger that we meet with the good news of the gospel. There are many ways to accomplish that mission through person to person witnessing, social media, internet, and some will enter fulltime ministry serving the church or as a missionary here at home or overseas. We are to be sensitive to whatever God is calling us to do. He prepares us in different ways with different spiritual gifts.

Finally, it is extremely important that the church puts its top priority on caring out those three things in the Great Commission, going, baptizing, and teaching, rather than making programs their main emphasis. Then, collectively we will accomplish the Great Commission that Jesus assigned the church.