I would like to draw your attention to Matthew 27. As you are turning, I want to make an important point as we begin this morning. This lesson is not delivered because of the time found on our calendars. Every Sunday we come together to celebrate and remember the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are doing nothing different this Sunday than we do the other 51 Sundays in the year. We have been going through the Gospel of Matthew and now we come to the final scene in Matthew’s gospel. It is the most important event and, therefore, the Gospel of Matthew ends with this historical moment. Jesus has given his life on the cross and the centurion has proclaimed that Jesus truly was the Son of God (Matthew 27:50, 54).
The Burial (Matthew 27:55-61)
There is an important piece is told to us in verses 55-56. Many women were watching all of these events from a distance. These women are disciples of Jesus who had followed him and cared for his needs. Please notice that there are not just the three women who are listed in verse 56. Verse 55 tells us that there were many women who were there at the cross who had followed Jesus. Many women were disciples. Many women played a crucial role in Jesus’ ministry (cf. Luke 8:1-3). But there importance will be noted even further in a moment.
But we are told in verse 57 that evening had come and the bodies needed to be taken down from the cross because of the Passover (cf. Mark 15:42). There is a man from Arimathea named Joseph who was a disciple of Jesus. He takes courage and goes to Pilate, asking to have his body. This is an important action because typically the bodies of the crucified were dumped in a mass grave without honor or dignity. This makes sense since crucifixion was typically reserved for the worst of the worst. No honor would be given to such criminals. But Joseph goes and asks for Jesus’ body. He takes the body, wraps it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new, unused tomb. Yet again every detail regarding the death of Jesus continues to be fulfilled.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, but he was with a rich man at his death, because he had done no violence and had not spoken deceitfully. (Isaiah 53:9 CSB)
Notice the prophecy was that he was assigned to have a grave with the wicked but would end up with a rich man in his death because he was not worthy to be buried like the crucified criminals. So we are told that Joseph is a rich man who has his own unused tomb and he places Jesus’ body in the tomb. Verse 60 tells us that he rolled a large stone in front of the entrance and left. I mentioned the importance of the women at the beginning and here is another key piece of information. The women disciples were sitting across from the tomb, watching where Jesus’ body was laid to rest.
The Security (Matthew 27:62-66)
The next day the religious leaders go to Pilate with an important request. Notice that they know what Jesus was proclaiming about himself. They tell Pilate that they know he said he will rise from the dead after three days. So they want to secure the tomb to make sure that the his disciples will not go steal the body and tell everyone that he is risen. Pilate gives them the instructions to make the tomb as secure as they can. Do you suppose that the enemies of Jesus did exactly that? They were going to make sure that there was no way that any deception could be hoisted on the people. So they secure the tomb by putting a seal on the stone. Not only this, they set a guard to keep watch over the tomb. No one is going to be able to get into the tomb and steal the body. It is a complete impossibility.
The Miracle (Matthew 28:1-10)
With the tomb sealed and the guard in place, we now come to Sunday, the day after the Sabbath. It is the first day of the week. Two of the Marys now go to the tomb. We were told that they saw exactly where Jesus’ body was laid to rest. As they go, a great earthquake occurs. Notice the reason why in Matthew 28:2. There was a great earthquake because an angel of the Lord came down and rolled back the stone and then sat on that stone. The guards watching the tomb were so terrified that they shook and became like dead men.
But the angel has a message for these women. He tells them to not be afraid. You are looking for Jesus. He is not here because he has risen just as he said. The stone was rolled back, not to let Jesus out, but to show that Jesus was not there. Go tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead and is going before you to Galilee. Now I want us to see an important detail in verse 9. Jesus suddenly met the women on the way as they were going to tell the other disciples. Notice the women came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Why is this important? This is important because Jesus did not raise as a spirit. He is not a ghost. The women saw him, touched him, and worshiped him. Jesus tells them to not be afraid but to go tell his brothers to leave for Galilee. Did you notice what Jesus called his disciples? He did not call them failures. He did not call them lousy servants who all deserted him when he was arrested. He calls them family. He calls them his brothers. “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee.”
The Rejection (Matthew 28:11-15)
Now I really want you to be struck by what happens next. In verse 11 we learn that some of the guard go to the religious leaders who instructed them to secure the tomb and tell them what happened. Verses 12-13 should tell us that these religious leaders all became believers because Jesus did exactly what he said he would do. Jesus rose from the dead. The tomb is empty. The stone was rolled back. An angel was sitting on the stone. Rather than belief, notice what the religious leaders do. They consult together and pay off the soldiers. They feed the soldiers a story to tell everyone that the disciples came and stole the body while they were asleep. Now we know this would be a completely implausible story. The guards would not have been asleep while on the job. They certainly would not remained asleep while 11 men came and rolled back a large stone and carried out a body.
Here is what I want us to think about. You have a historical account proclaiming that Jesus rose from the dead. The tomb was sealed and secure. Then the resurrected Jesus appeared to people who saw him, touched him, and worshiped him. But if you do not want to believe that Jesus rose from the dead, then you are going to grasp for any other option. The chief priests and elders reach for another option rather than the truth that has been presented to them. They would rather believe that the disciples stole the body, even though the soldiers tell them that this is not what happened. You have a decision to make today. Did Jesus raise from the dead or not? Do you believe the historical testimony of the eyewitnesses who saw him risen from the dead? Or will you grasp for another option? Will you tell yourself another story to explain the empty tomb?
The Commission (Matthew 28:16-20)
Now if you are here, then I believe that you believe in the resurrection of Jesus. We are here each week celebrating Jesus because we believe he rose from the dead. But his resurrection from the dead has critical implications for our lives. Look at Matthew 28:16-20. The eleven disciples went to Galilee and Jesus appeared to them. They saw Jesus and worshiped him, but some doubted. I am going to talk about being a disciple and doubting in the next couple weeks. I hope you will return for our deconstructing faith series that begins in April where we will talk about some of the reasons for unbelief. But for the moment I would like you to see that the disciples were not willing to just believe everything they were told. They were reasoning skeptics. But there are two points regarding what the resurrection means for us.
First, Jesus has all authority. You see Jesus say this in verse 18. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Daniel 7:13-14 records that the Son of Man would ascend to the Father. Listen to the result:
He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:14 CSB)
Jesus’ resurrection and ascension means that he possesses all authority. He has rule over all things in heaven and all things on earth. No one is excluded from his authority. No one can say, “He is not my ruler” or “He is not my king.” He is your ruler whether you acknowledge him or not. Verse 18 is not a question. Verse 18 is a statement. Verse 18 is truth. Jesus has all authority over all realms and over all creation. Let me put this point another way. If you predict that you can raise yourself from the dead in three days and then do it, you have proven that you are God and are therefore greater than the creation and rule over it. Friends, why do you think the religious leaders were so intent on disbelieving that Jesus rose from the dead? Why was this such a big deal that they would pay off the soldiers to lie about it? The reason is that they refused to admit that Jesus had authority over their lives. We have seen this in our study of the Gospel of Matthew. They refuse to submit to the authority of Jesus. They will not do it and it does not matter what happened. It did not matter that Jesus performed miracles. It did not matter that Jesus healed people. It did not matter that Jesus rose others from the dead. It did not matter that he himself rose from the dead. The problem was very simple. The problem was not the truth. The problem was not with the evidence. The problem was submission. They did not want to admit that Jesus possessed all authority. If Jesus rose from the dead, then he has all authority over every person, every group of people, and every nation. He rose from the dead and you must listen to him.
Second, Jesus tells us to go and make disciples. The second implication for the resurrection of Jesus is that we have been given a mission. We make disciples by doing two things in verses 19-20. We will teach them to observe everything Jesus commanded and we will baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Please notice how we are making disciples. Please notice that there needs to be teaching the word of God. Since Jesus has all authority, then we have to listen to what he has said to us. We cannot be disciples if we are not taught by Jesus.
I would also like you to notice how else disciples are made. You must be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Now for some reason this is a big point of contention and conflict in the religious world. I would like to present it this way for all to think about. Is there a command of Jesus that we can willfully not obey and still be his disciple? I really want this question to rest on our hearts. Can we choose to not do something that we are directly told to do and still be considered a disciple? To say this another way: What commands of Jesus can we willfully ignore? Since Jesus has all authority then we must try to do all that he has commanded us. We cannot willfully choose to disobey and still think that we are followers of Jesus.
My plea to you today is to consider what Jesus has commanded that you are refusing to obey. Since Jesus rose from the dead, which we believe, then he has authority over all creation. We must do what he says to be his disciple. We must be taught by him and follow what he has told us to do.
Let me end the message with a word of hope. Look at the very last words of Jesus in this gospel. “I am with you always.” If you will give your life to Jesus, he will always be with you. If you will submit your life to his authority, he will always be with you. What do you need to do today so that Jesus will be with you always? We want to help you respond to Jesus today.