Christ Dies and Rises to New Life
Study: Matthew 27:39-40, 45-54; 28:1-10
Background Scripture Psalm 22 & Psalm 69
Matthew 27:24 – 28:10
Lesson 7 April 19, 2025
Key Verse
And behold, Jesus met the ]and said, “[ak]Rejoice!” And they came up and took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him. Matthew 28:9
INTRODUCTION
We often talk about love and how it is an amazing extraordinary thing.
Our Study brings to the forefront this matter of love for we see in the prophetic Books and in the Book of Matthew answers to why Jesus was crucified.
It is important to note in this discussion that we know some reasons for the death of Jesus and reasons for the Cross but we must always remember out limited human understanding which makes the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ that we cannot understand until we reach heaven and are begin to be taught throughout the ages of eternity.
Let us not overreach ourselves for our God is an infinite God and there are deep things about the significance of the Lord’s death.
We cannot know everything about the atonement but neither can we adopt the position that we know everything or even much about it. We need infinite patience and prayer as we study carefully and understand God’s illumination.
So we ask why was Jesus crucified?
He was crucified for human reasons.
But He was also crucified for divine reasons for as Jesus was being crucified on Golgotha which Matthew translates from Aramaic as the “Place of the Skull”. The name suggests this was a horrible God-forsaken spot to which the Father led His Son.
One writer recounts that it is no wonder then that an early legend states that Jesus was crucified where Adam was buried, so that whether this is true or not it was a powerful picture of God’s answer to the sin of Adam, for the death of His Son overcomes the death that came from Adam’s sin so that the Cross was inserted into the skull of Adam.
One writer therefore warns us to note what we are studying about in the book of Matthew:
“The story is not a documentary, it is also not a fiction. Instead, it is a proclamation of faith.
From it we receive the Face of god in the midst of desolation; it is a face of resignation and deep comprehension.
The failing of the people who create this abomination—and that of all vistimization in human history—is known intimately by God.
Even more vividly, God knows the pain of victims. Those who suffer without rescurers, those who are tormented and never defended, those who are coubted as nothing, those who are mocked and tortured—all these are the ones whose lives Jesus takes on himself in this great story.
When we look at the human actions in the longer Gospel readings for today, we see many depictions of normal llife, including among others: betrayal, meal preparation, distress over the presence of evil even at the table of friends, deception revealed, boasting, failure to help someone in need, using a kiss to signal its opposite meaning, physical hurt, desertion, an arrest, deviousness, abuse of a beloved teacher, denial of friendship,, bitter self-contempt, repentance, suicide, confusion on the part of a political leader, receipt of a prophetic dream, mocking a vulnerable and abused person, murder, and attempting to keep a lid on the zeal of Jesus’ followers. Whew. That’s a lot of treachery”.
Matthew highlights the innocence of Jesus and even Pilate’ wife calls him righteous (27:19).
We see the chief priests and elders seeking Jesus’ death and they conspire with Judas and influence the crow to the point where they accept the guilt for Jesus’ death.
Note the unpleasant fact that the way to Jesus’ death expresses the exclusion of Jesus from their ranks and the elite supervised the pre-death mocking, humiliation, and torture.
Jesus is humiliated in the governor’s headquarters (27:27-31) for this place represents the empire’s power for Rome did not sanction Jesus’s role as Saviour, the Anointed One, or Messiah. Its agents are violent and impose its corrupt judicial system. They mock Jesus when verbally calling Him King of the Jews, spitting on Him, torturing and striking Him with putting no Him royal insignia, a scarlet robe, a crown of thorns, and a scepter (28-30). They kneel while mocking.
So what does crucifixion mean for them? One writer explains:
“They lead the socially-deviant Jesus to crucifixion. Crucifixion is the ultimate statement of the elite’s rejection of Jesus as an unsanctioned king. They consider him a terroristic threat to their self-benefitting societal order. Parading Jesus to the public location of this crucifixion intimidates the population and exercises societal control.
So too does forcing the north African Simon from Cyrene, a city in presen-day Libya, capital of the province of Cyrenaica, to carry Jesus’ cross…
Crucifixion was a form of capital punishment reserved for political rebels, low-status provincials, and slaves…
The narrative continues to highlight Jesus’ humiliation. He is crucified in the shameful company of two terrorists or insurrectionists (27:38). Passersby in this public place deride this kingly wannabe with head-shaking and verbal abuse. Their verbal mocking reprises the false charges from 26:61 that he would destroy the temple.
Ironically, in the gospel’s perspective their rejection of Jesus leads to the temple’s destruction in 70 CE (22:7). They taunt Jesus, as did the devil in the temptations of 4:1-11, to show his power as God’s agent or son and free himself from the cross (27:39-41)”.
Jesus was considered a threat by both the Jewish leaders, the nationalists such as the Pharisees and the Sadducees who were troubled by any attempt to threaten Roman rule.
We know the drama of redemption reached its climax as evidenced by sundry things that happened on earth.
But there is the other side of the coin.
The Gospels had placed Jesus in the royal line of David and highlighted Him as the eschatological king (25:34). Matthew highlights Jesus’ title as the “Son of God” a regal figure, a king who carries out the role of the obedient Son of God though innocent, suffers and dies to save His people and the world from their sins.
God’s power is deeply at work and the crucifixion has to do with god;s saving work, and the forgiveness of sins. This is the divine side which shows the divine reasons as opposed to the human reasons for the crucifixion.
One might wonder why it was necessary for God to take this path and then they develop theories of the atonement, such as satisfying the wrath of God.
But let us remember that this is ultimately the way of the Cross was the way God chose to show His saving grace, and how He chose to enter into the world to show up the desperate and horrible human condition. Jesus is depicted as the holy one who restricts Himself speaking of Himself using the fascinating and enigmatic title as the Son of Man or mostly remaining silent. This is not what we think a really grand and triumphant God would say. What He does is in a human way cry out in His sorrow and suffering to ask His Father not to forget Him.
So the difficult and profound question, Why did Jesus die? remains. One writer helps us to look at this difficult question as we try to understand our God. He states:
But basic to it is the idea that God sent his Son into the world to reveal what god himself is like. He is a God of love, grace, and reconciliation.
He is a God who seeks to have fellowship with us.
He sent his Son among us, first of all to live, teach, preach, and gather disciples.
But he sent him among us also to ggive his life for us.
Jesus took on himself the sentence and punishment due to us for our sinfulness.
This may sound cruel, but it is the way that god has worked. It is a good news/bad news story, just like life itself.
Bad news, because Jesus died in our place. Good news, because Jesus died in our place.
We are now set free”.
No story hits us like the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It has the full range of human tragedy: betrayal, injustice, and courage. It is filled with mystery and irony. It evokes deep sympathy for its characters. It contrasts the power of vested interests with the power of Almighty God. It confronts our greatest enemy, death. Its ending is astonishing. But as we experience it, we realize how necessary the story’s conclusion is.
Jesus’ betrayal by Judas and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane precipitated a series of events that culminated in what was at one and the same time arguably the most dastardly murder in human history and yet the zenith of Jesus’ mission on earth. The forces of darkness unleashed their abuse on the Savior as the Jewish and Roman leadership and their minions mocked, scourged, brutalized then crucified Jesus before He laid down His life as a sacrifice for the sins of both Jews and Gentiles.
His resurrection then becomes a climax to a night / day; death / life; sorrow / joy; contrast, as God the Father showed His approval and acceptance of the sacrifice of His Son, the ‘Paschal Lamb’,
(1 Corinthians 5:7).
The bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus is an event and doctrine peculiar to Christianity. A bodily resurrection is not only peculiar to Christianity but it is an essential fact of Christianity.
17And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins….20.But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. (1Corin.15).
Eye-witness accounts to appearances and interactions with the bodily, risen Jesus Christ is irrefutable and arguably makes the resurrection the best attested event of history from that era and beyond!
Jesus did in fact die on the Cross. Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin
(Luke 33:50) who was also a disciple of Jesus, went to Pilate the Roman governor and begged for the body of Jesus, to give it a proper burial. By Jewish custom the body of a criminal would have been burnt, or buried in a common place set aside for executed criminals. Pilate agreed and handed over the body. Joseph laid the body in his own new, never before used tomb, after wrapping it in linen and one hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes (John 19:39, 40; Isa. 53:9).
The Jewish leaders showed that they believed Jesus had finally died on the Cross. They remembered that Jesus predicted He would be resurrected and though they did not believe that He would rise from the dead, they wanted to guard against the disciples stealing the corpse and then claim that He had arisen from the dead. So they went to Pilate the Roman governor and asked him to post guards at the tomb (Matthew 27:62-64). The governor granted the request and soldiers were posted at the tomb. The entrance to the tomb was closed with a large stone and sealed.
Ironically, the circumstances and the actions by the Pharisees and Chief Priests unwittingly made the resurrection of Jesus a fact very hard to disprove. The sealing of the tomb and the presence of guards would make it impossible for the absence of Jesus’ body to be attributed to anything else but a resurrection. Many saw Christ die, including some women disciples from Galilee; they watched Jesus die hanging from the Cross with nails in His hands and feet and gasping for air. He certainly did die.
Jesus Christ is the Paschal Lamb, a lamb without blemish. He was such from birth; born of the virgin Mary, begotten of the Holy Ghost and without a taint of sin. He took our infirmities and bore our sorrows on the cross. He was in all points tempted as we are, but there was that sweet exception, “yet without sin.” A lamb without blemish.
Exodus 12:6 tells us that the Passover lamb was to be selected four days before its sacrifice and to be kept apart from the flock. Its’ constant bleating would remind the penitent of the solemn feast to be celebrated and during the four days, constant inspection would uncover any scar, wound or blemish which would render the animal unacceptable to the Lord.
At the start of ‘Passion Week’ Jesus Christ rode in triumph into the city of Jerusalem and became the singular focus of attention up to His crucifixion; He was set apart! He was publicly grilled and tested by various groups of enemies and came under close scrutiny. His enemies found none who could even bear false witness against Him, and the utterance of the great Chief magistrate, Pilate declared, “I find no fault in him.” He is the spotless Lamb of God!
We should note that the first account of the resurrection of Jesus is believed to be in
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 and not in the Gospels. Note also that none of the accounts in the Gospels describe the resurrection itself. It does not describe Jesus opening His eyes, standing up and leaving the tomb. What we do know about the resurrection are the statements of witnesses about the empty and open tomb and the appearances of the risen Christ. We do not have any witnesses of the actual resurrection event.
So, it is questionable when people claim that Jesus rose on the first day of the week. Some use this claim to justify Sunday worship even though the Bible clearly designate the Sabbath as the weekly day of worship. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation for our faith. One writer state:
“Without this reversal of the ignominy of the cross, Jesus’s death would have atoned for nothing. The resurrection demonstrates Christ’s vindication by God who establishes him in heaven as Lord of the cosmos”.
Jesus’ followers had hoped He was the one who would redeem Israel (Luke 24:19–21), but He had been brutally executed at the hands of the Jewish leaders and Roman officials (Matthew 26:47–27:50). Ominous events had accompanied His death. A deep darkness covered the land (27:45). The curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom, and an earthquake had split rocks and opened graves in the area (27:51–53). The manner in which Jesus died led a Roman centurion and other guards to acclaim Jesus as the Son of God (27:54).
Matthew 28:1–10 is the first of four resurrection narratives in the Gospels (Mark 16; Luke 24;
John 20). These all paint the same picture in broad strokes: Jesus Christ was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead. The overarching truth of these three events guides each writer, even when they differ on details. And the differences in emphasis and detail among the resurrection narratives should comfort us. They indicate that the accounts are not the product of a conspiracy created by a group focused on getting their stories straight. The resurrection narratives complement one another as they affirm that witnesses saw an empty grave and the risen Savior.
Every Gospel account refutes the disinformation and lies the chief priests and Pharisees concocted to explain Jesus’ resurrection and empty tomb.
Following Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ (the Messiah), Jesus began to warn His disciples of His coming death and resurrection (Matthew 16:13–23; 17:22–23; 20:17–19). His disciples, however, failed to comprehend (John 20:9). In a series of trials featuring biased testimonies, Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion (Matthew 26:57–68; 27:11–26).
Crucifixion was a brutal form of execution. Roman authorities reserved it to make an example of the most notorious criminals, striking fear in the population. Those condemned to it were tied or nailed to a wood frame in a prominent public place. Left to the elements and loss of blood, the crucified person would die slowly of blood loss, respiratory failure, and exposure while being subjected to public ridicule. As today’s lesson opens, that is the state in which we find Jesus.
THE TEXT
(Matthew 27:39 – 40, 45 – 54)
At the point of our Text in Matthew’s account of this very familiar event, Jesus’ arrest, physical abuse, farcical and illegal trials have already happened and as a result of all that Jesus is hanging on the Cross.
Still, Scriptures Old and New Testaments (Acts 2:23; Psalm 22) inform us that this outcome was according to the predetermined will of God.
39. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads.
The parallel account of Mark 15:29–30 reads almost the same as Matthew’s; Luke’s account (23:35) is abbreviated. This verse is also similar to Psalm 22:7 (Psalm 109:25).
The Romans crucified people publicly so that they would be an example to others. Evidently the site of Jesus’ crucifixion was close to a road. Israel’s leaders had charged Jesus with being a blasphemer because of His claim to be the One that they would see seated at God’s right hand (26:64). Matthew pointed out that the people passing by were the ones ‘speaking abusively’ since they charged Jesus unjustly (9:3:12:31; 26:65).
Their derision fulfilled prophecy (Ps. 22:7; 109:25; Lam. 2:15).
40. .. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. …
Their mockery was based on Jesus’ prediction in John 2:19–20. Jesus was indeed on record as promising to raise the temple … in three days were it to be destroyed. But “ But He was speaking about the [a]temple of His body.” (John 2:21). Jesus is not recorded as saying that He would destroy the temple in Jerusalem. Thus, the accusation thou that destroyest the temple came from the lips of false witnesses (Matthew 26:60–62; Mark 14:58). To speak against a temple in the ancient world was to invite a death penalty (Jeremiah 26:1–11).
The taunt if thou be the Son of God, come down mirrors Satan’s words during Jesus’ temptation at the
start of His ministry (Matthew 4:3). This challenge can be seen as the final effort by the tempter to
thwart God’s plan.
Interestingly, the designation the Son of God was used by others to describe Jesus, but never from the lips of Jesus himself. Jesus was called Son of God by both demons and worshippers (Matthew 8:29; 14:33); a voice from Heaven was heard to say, “This is my beloved Son” (3:17). Jesus’ preferred self-designation was “Son of man” (8:20; 9:6; etc.).
Jesus could indeed have come down from the cross, but He chose not to (Matthew 26:53). In choosing to stay there and die, He offered His life as the sacrifice of atonement (or propitiation) as He diverted the punishment for human sin onto himself, the sinless one (2 Corinthians 5:21).
41-44. Documents further ridicule aimed at Jesus. The chief priests, scribes, and elders represented all segments of the Sanhedrin (21:23; 26:59). They all mocked Jesus, probably with words that Jesus heard.
The reference to Jesus having saved others (vs.42) probably goes back to His healing ministry. The religious leaders intended to throw doubt on Jesus’ healing ministry by claiming that He could not even change His own miserable condition.
These verses are the end of a section (vs. 32-44) that presents many different groups and individuals mocking Jesus: the Roman soldiers, the mob, the Jewish leaders, and the insurrectionists. The picture is of the ‘Suffering Servant’ totally forsaken, misunderstood, and rejected by everyone. Yet through all this, Jesus fulfilled the prophecies concerning Messiah.
45. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
Here the narrative shifts to a broader scene. Parallel texts are Mark 15:33–37; Luke 23:44–46; and
John 19:28–30.
The darkness that came over all the land is sometimes glibly dismissed by critics as an eclipse of the sun, as we understand that to mean when the moon moves between the sun and the earth. Keep in mind first, a normal eclipse of the sun lasts no more than fifteen minutes; this darkness lasted three hours. Second, a normal eclipse of the sun requires a new moon. However, Jesus was crucified during Passover at full moon Leviticus 23:5–6; Psalm 81:3).
The land became abnormally dark from noon until 3:00 p.m. This was clearly an unusual, literal darkening of the sky. Darkness in Scripture often represents judgment and/or tragedy (Amos 8:9-10). Compare the three days of darkness in Egypt (Exod. 10:21-23) and the three hours of darkness here and Matthew’s description of this darkness “conveys a strong sense of impending disaster.” This was a judgment on Israel and its people; their true King was dying but it was also a judgment on Jesus. His cry of desolation came out of this darkness (v. 46). This was a time of judgment on Jesus for the sins of His people, though He Himself was sinless (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5).
46. … My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?…
We come to one of the seven utterances by Jesus from the cross, also recorded in Mark 15:34. The cry is in Aramaic, which is a later form of the Hebrew language. The words come from the beginning of Psalm 22, previously noted. Having been surrounded by taunts and darkness for hours, Jesus was enduring a separation from the Father as he bore the punishment for the sins of His people.
(Matthew 1:21; 20:28; 26:28).
- Father forgive them, for they know not what they do
- Today shalt thou be with me in paradise
- Woman, behold thy son
- Behold thy mother, as He turned to John
- I thirst
- It is finished
- Father into Thy hands I commit my spirit.
47. Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, this man calleth for Elias.
One writer informs us: “One of God’s names in the ancient Hebrew language is Elohim. When this word occurs in a “construct” sense (that is, combined with another word), one or more letters on the end of Elohim may be dropped off in the process of attaching another word; two examples of this are Exodus 15:2 and Numbers 22:18. Psalm 22:1, which Jesus was quoting, is of course the most important example.
Here is the root of the misunderstanding on the part of some of them that stood there. They heard the Aramaic word Eli not as a cry to “my God” but as a calling on the name of the long-ago prophet Elias (that is, Elijah). There had been two previous misunderstandings regarding Elijah (Matthew 16:14; 17:10–13), and this is a third one”.
48. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
We do not know the motive behind the action that we read here (Psalm 69:21). If the one performing the action was hostile toward Jesus, then this act of giving him to drink was a continued mockery in some way. If the one performing the action was sympathetic, it may have been intended as an act of kindness. What is called vinegar is a cheap kind of wine vinegar of the day (Mark 15:36–37;
Luke 23:36; John 19:29).
49. … whether Elias will come to save him.
The phrase ‘let us see’ indicates some impatience on the part of the mocking bystanders. They did not want the action of satisfying Jesus’ thirst to interfere with anything else Jesus had to say or to otherwise distract from the appearance of Elias (Elijah).
50. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
The words Jesus cried out with a loud voice are recorded in Luke 23:46: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” John 19:30 further records Jesus as having said, “It is finished” as He died. This verse highlights two key aspects: first, Jesus maintained enough physical strength until His death to shout. Second, He remained in control of His life to the very end.
51. And behold, the [a]veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.
Though Jesus appeared to have been abandoned by God, Matthew offers signs establishing the opposite. The veil of the temple separated the Temple’s Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
Only the High Priest could pass behind that curtain to enter the Most Holy Place and that just once a year, to offer the sacrificial blood on the Day of Atonement (Exodus 26:31–34; 30:10; Leviticus 16:1–34; 23:27–28; Hebrews 9:3).
As the three hours of darkness were supernatural in origin, so was this tearing of the Temple curtain from the top to the bottom (Luke 23:45).
This act by God indicated that the way was now open for all to come to God! It was torn from the top, which symbolized God’s act of removing barriers to His presence and making Himself accessible to all people.
The significance of this event is explained in the Book of Hebrews (Hebrews 9:11–12, 24; 10:19–20).
… And the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.
The earthquake similarly points to divine action. God was clearly at work.
In the Old Testament, earthquakes frequently signified God’s presence and sometimes divine judgment (Judges 5:4–5; Psalm 114:7–8; Joel 3:16). The first-century crowd witnessing the crucifixion would likely have understood this association.
52-53. and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
This event is nowhere explained in the Scriptures but seems to be a fulfillment of the feast of the first fruits of harvest mentioned in Leviticus 23:10-14. On that occasion, as a token of the coming harvest, the people would bring a handful of grain to the priest. The resurrection of these saints, occurring after Jesus Himself was raised, is a token of the coming harvest when all the saints will be raised.
Matthew alone tells us of this additional sign. As his description continues, we understand this sign occurred not immediately as Jesus died but a few days later, after his resurrection. The designation the holy city refers to Jerusalem, (Matthew 4:5).
54. … they feared greatly, saying, truly this was the Son of God.
A centurion was a Roman soldier who commanded a unit known as a “century” in a legion of the Roman army; each “century” consisted of about 80 men. The centurion noted here was likely the one in charge of the crucifixion detail. Processing all he had experienced, the centurion sided against the mockers. His declaration, Truly this was the Son of God, stems from his fear-driven response to the supernatural occurrences around him. Jesus’ disciples had a similar response when Jesus walked on water and calmed the storm (Matthew 14:28–33).
On the other hand, Matthew may have included the testimony of this centurion because he had become a believer in Jesus. We would like to think that he had, but we cannot be sure.
THE TEXT
Matthew 28: 1 – 10
1. … late in the Sabbath”, or “toward the end of the Sabbath”, is normally translated to mean the closing period near the end, but still during the Sabbath. “Late on the Sabbath Day” is the only natural and well supported meaning. The Jewish Sabbath ended at sunset. The other expression “As it began to dawn” refers to the beginning of the new day after sunset, as it does in Luke 23:54, Mk.15:42.
Many insist that the plain natural meaning of the text should be followed. Authorities such as Fritzche,Grimm, Gadet and others hold this, but there are others who try to impose our non-Jewish reckoning of time, to support the idea of a resurrection on the first day of the week. The intent is to say that Jesus arose on a Sunday, an idea used to support the unbiblical theory that somehow the worship day was changed from the seventh day of the week namely Saturday to Sunday.
The group of women came to see the sepulchre (literally to behold a spectacle). This is a quite distinct visit from the visit of the early morning (Mk.16:1-2).
Matthew mentions Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (likely the mother of James and Joses,
Matt. 27:56) as coming. Other gospels mention Salome (Mk 16:1) and Salome is mentioned by Luke (24:10). Others are also mentioned. There seems to have been two different parties
(Melellon & Wescolt on John Ederstein). There is also disagreement over when the groups actually came to the tomb.
These differences are considered important, because some try to prove the time of Jesus resurrection on the basis of the time of the women’s visit. But this is a hopeless attempt for when the women went to the tomb it was empty. There is no indication of the time Jesus was resurrected. It could, in a technical sense, be on or during the Sabbath day, or immediately after the Sabbath Day ended. There is thus no proof of a “Sunday” resurrection. If however it can be shown that one group of women went to the tomb, immediately after the Sabbath ended, and the tomb was empty, one might suspect that Jesus was raised on the Jewish Sabbath.
The thought of this has been greeted with horror by many commentators, who have been brought up on the idea that a “Sunday” resurrection is the basis for Sunday worship or so-called Lord’s Day worship.
It is indicated in Matthew that the women came to see the sepulchre, to visit the tomb. The account in Luke focuses on the women who were bringing spices and ointments. Mark has the visit “very early on the first day of the week… when the sun was risen. Luke says “at early dawn”. John says, “while it was yet dark”.
Note that despite everything the prophets predicted about Messiah’s life, death, and resurrection, and the very many teachings of Jesus about these events, these faithful and loyal women did not understand these teachings, and so when they went to the tomb they were stricken with grief. They did not realize that the resurrection was central to the Gospel and was in fact an essential component of the Good News of Christ. These faithful women did not expect a resurrection but they were there to see what the state of the tomb was and later others came to anoint Jesus, the body of Jesus.
They were concerned according to Mark’s gospel about rolling away the stone that blocked the entrance to the sepulcher and they knew that a stone like this which weighed probably a ton could not be rolled away even by several women, and so they were concerned to find someone to roll the stone back so they could finish the burial preparations of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ.
They must be congratulated for the ‘eleven’, all men, were nowhere to be found. The remarkable thing was that it was the women that were at the Cross of the Lord, as only John remained of the disciples as the others went into hiding. The men were obviously very disappointed like those on the road to Emmaus, discouraged and defeated and had gone into hiding to lick their wounds at the effects of the tragedy that had occurred. But remember that nobody really believed in the resurrection at that time.
It is interesting to note that the writers of the Gospels did not examine in great detail the theological implications of the resurrection but simply gave us the facts about the resurrection. They left it to the Apostle Paul to write extensively on this matter and the greatness of the event. We can see these writings in Romans 4: 24-25; 6: 4; 8: 34; 10: 9; 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10,15;
Philippians 3: 10-11; Colossians 2:12-13; 3:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14.
2-3. Matthew spoke of an especially wondrous event. There was a great earthquake. This seemed to be connected to the appearance of the angel of the Lord from Heaven. Matthew’s words appear to indicate this was a special messenger. He rolled away the stone covering the door to the tomb and sat on it. Sometime during the Sabbath day apparently there was a second earthquake, the first being the one that had torn the veil of the Temple in two. The stone was rolled away for the sake of the women and the disciples, who would see the empty tomb and see that Jesus was indeed resurrected as predicted.
The angel was so glorious; it was as if lighting erupted from him and his clothing shimmered, white as snow. The guards were terrified, and shook with fear, totally helpless (verse 4).
This clearly was no ordinary angel for this was no ordinary moment in history. This was a new era in salvation history and so the angel’s appearance not only reflected God’s glory but clearly marked out that this was a heavenly being. Heaven had to demonstrate its presence at this extraordinary event in history. What happened was absolutely amazing.
4. The resurrection and the appearance of the angel was sheer terror for Jesus’ enemies, but was made a consolation for the women. Clearly, the guards felt the earthquake and observed the angel who appeared as a young man. According to Mark 16:5 it was the presence of the angel that so terrified them that they shook in fright and were so fearful that Matthew describes them as becoming like dead men.
The question must then be asked again as to who these guards were and why they were guarding a dead man named Jesus. These military men, were themselves enemies of Christ and as well they represented the chief enemies of Christ. They were and chose to be the tools of Satan. So, we recall Psalm 2:1-3 –
“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
The Kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed saying,
Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision”.
In this case it appeared that the guards were so terrified and shaken that they fainted. The power and strength of mere men cannot face the power of even an angel much less the power of the risen Christ.
So, we have nothing to fear from Satan and the men of the world that he controls. They have lost.
Note also that the presence of these guards and their reaction to the presence of the glorious angel was an indication of the real resurrection, and a proclamation of what had happened. God had set it up this way to make the wrath of men praise God. These guards would be able to go to the chief Priests and tell them what had happened and about the miraculous and supernatural events to which they were witnesses.
5-6. The two women were obviously amazed, perplexed, and fearful but the angel calmed them. He knew they came to seek Jesus, they needed not to fear. Jesus the crucified was risen, as He told them He would (verse 6) and had already left. The angel offered proof of the resurrection, inviting them to inspect the tomb, to verify that it was indeed empty. This is the only true explanation of the empty tomb.
Note carefully that the tomb was not open to let Jesus out, but it was open to let the woman and anyone else coming to see for themselves that the tomb was empty. Remember now that the women were not the only witnesses at this time to the empty tomb, for the guards themselves could see that the tomb was empty. They were additional witnesses to the resurrection.
The angel invited the women to come inside the tomb and see the place where Jesus laid. He rolled away the stone from the front of the tomb, so that the woman could go inside and look and then go and tell the other disciples that He was no longer in the tomb and that He was risen.
Can you imagine the feeling of these women! We all have been at gravesides, either when people were interred, or when we afterwards visited the location to remember who these persons were to us. Many thousands wish then that these people in the grave would return to life and continue in fellowship with us. But sadly, that is not to be. But in this case, it was to be and there was joy.
Note the angel’s comforting words to the woman telling them that they should not be afraid and that Jesus who had been crucified had been risen and was not there. The women were probably filled with fear for they most likely expected that the Roman guards would harass them. The earthquake and the angels dazzling appearance would also make them fear. They would also be afraid that someone had tampered with Jesus’s body. So there was fear all around in them. But let us remember faith cannot live with fear so the angel had to restore their faith and tell them, do not be afraid.
Men of God seem to suffer from fear. Joseph in 1:20 had to be told by the angel not to be afraid. Jesus had to teach His disciples that they should not fear for they were more value to God than even the little birds. But even on the storms in the Sea of Galilee the disciples were afraid and Jesus had to tell them not to be afraid. Even on the Mount of Transfiguration Jesus had to tell His close disciples not to be afraid. The ‘natural’ does not normally receive the supernatural with calm. Fear t seems to be rather natural thing for people and God has to help us get over it. So do not pretend to be too brave when you’re faced with what seems to be calamity.
7. The angel instructed the two women to go quickly and tell the disciples the Master was alive. These were the first witnesses to the people of God. This was very important for not one single person had believed in the resurrection. But everything would change. Others would see the empty tomb and over five-hundred people would actually see the risen Christ according to the Apostle Paul. So we know that the early church believed in the resurrection.
Jesus had warned about everything that would happen in Luke 18:31-34. They would be able to tell all the disciples, not just the eleven, that they had seen the empty tomb, with the grave clothes neatly arranged. They would testify that His disappearance was not the work of grave robbers, but was indeed the resurrection testified to by a glorious angel that was present.
Jesus promised the disciples He would meet them in Galilee (26:32) and the angel told the women to remind His disciples of the promise. Evidently, Jesus had previously advised the disciples of a great meeting to be held on a mountain in Galilee, where He would give them a great commission. “Lo I have told you,” stresses the formal nature of the angel’s declaration.
8. …; and did run to bring his disciples word. …
With “fear“, produced by their meeting with this powerful angel, trembling and filled with astonishment (Mark 16:8) and “great joy” at the great, unexpected news of the resurrection of Jesus, they hurried quietly to tell the disciples.
It is interesting to note that in the culture of the day no one regarded the testimony of women very highly. If they did not have an eyewitness account that was even worse. The fact however is that if the writers of the gospel were fabricating this resurrection story it would not be logical for them to say that the women witnessed the empty tomb first, but they would say that it was the men who first saw the empty tomb and first saw the risen Christ.
Note carefully that after the meeting with the angel despair had gone, and though the women had not yet physically seen the Risen Christ they believed He was resurrected and they took off in faith to find the disciples.
9. The women who had shown such great concern and affection for Him, having gone to see His tomb at the earliest possible opportunity were rewarded. Jesus met them (verse 9) with a greeting. One writer tells us to force of this word that Jesus said to them.
“Jesus greets them and says, “Rejoice!” He would have spoken Aramaic, but Matthew is writing in Greek. The Greek word, chairete (from the root word chairo), is a common greeting, and means “Rejoice!” Joy and rejoicing are common themes throughout boats Old Testament and New Testament. … People could rejoice at the prospect of Yahweh breaking the rod of their oppressor (Isaiah 9 :3). We first encounter this word chairo in the response of the Magi to seeing the star stop above the house where Mary was taking care of the baby Jesus. They “rejoiced with exceeding great joy” – a literal translation would be “they were overjoyed (chairo) beyond measure” (Matthew 2:10). So from the beginning of Jesus’ life to his resurrection appearances, rejoicing was an important part of this gospel”.
The women responded by worshipping Him, grasping Him by the feet in a scene of great humility and veneration. Fear again showed itself amidst their other emotions. This fear was perfectly understandable in the face of this stupendous event.
There was no doubt that they were in the presence of the Living God. This fact alone would overwhelm them with fear and wonder. Obviously, Jesus was now in His resurrection body just like the one the disciples would see shortly.
They were in shock as one would have expected and so Jesus calmed them, and again gave instructions to remind the disciples of the Galilee meeting. Note that Jesus repeated instructions that the angel had first given.
It is important to note that Jesus greeted the women with words of comfort and they responded quite naturally by falling to their knees in what one writer calls “wonderment and joy” and taking hold of His feet.
The angel was certainly right for He was alive and they were now with Him, touching Him, and He was speaking to them. He was real and solid and was not a ghost, for they could feel Him, and hold Him. One writer points out that: “Grasping someone’s feet was a recognized act of supplication and homage (Mark 5: 22; 7:25; Luke 17:16)”.
Jesus had feet that could be held! a bodily resurrection.
10. Jesus now called the disciples ‘brethren’, a new name. This would reassure them that their flight and infidelity at His arrest was forgiven. One writer describes why Jesus gave instructions for the disciples to meet Him in Galilee:
Jesus’ words reinforced the angel’s commands to be not afraid and to go tell (Matthew 28:5a, 7a, above). The call to fearlessness also parallels earlier commands Jesus gave His disciples when they experienced awesome demonstrations of His identity and power (examples: 14:27; 17:7).
While the angel called the eleven “disciples,” Jesus emphasized His special familial love for them by calling them brethren instead (compare Matthew 12:46–50; 25:40). His command also makes clear that the men’s fleeing during Jesus’ trial and crucifixion did not result in His abandoning them. All that He had said would happen really would happen.
It appears Jesus spent at least seven days in Jerusalem (John 20:19, 26) before He moved on to Galilee for a time of intense teaching with His disciples (John 21; Acts 1:3–11). Isaiah 9:1–2 calls this region “Galilee of the nations,” and Matthew 4:15 calls it “Galilee of the Gentiles.” Since “Gentiles” simply means “nations,” the reference to Galilee here probably alludes to the large numbers of non-Jews who resided in Galilee. It is highly fitting that the resurrected Jesus would launch His program of salvation from Galilee into all nations (Matthew 28:19–20).
CONCLUSION
Let us remember and proclaim that the resurrection is a fact because it is written in the word of God
and in addition, many testified to this bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
It is proof that death has been defeated and it is proof that our sins have been forgiven. It is proof that God the Father accepted the work of the Son and that the work of the Son bought for us the forgiveness of sins. The work of atonement has been accepted by God.
We note that some are indifferent to the claims of Christ and some even shake their fists at Him. But our task is to bring the gospel of salvation to them so that they will stop refusing to bow before Him. We must proclaim the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He is now seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. On the basis of that authority, He is sending us to bring the knowledge of truth to men. The disciples and all believers were to preach the gospel, of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ resurrection assured the disciples of His continued presence; Always, or all the days through weakness, failure, sorrow, old age, death, as well as through the days of strength, joy and success.
This is assurance of His personal presence in the fullest sense. His presence abides every day, and through to the consummation of the age at His Second Coming. Then His invisible, but just as real presence will be exchanged for His visible and eternal presence.