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BIBLE STUDY MATTHEW 28:1-20 REVIEW: Chapter 27 dealt with the final part of Jesus’ passion – his suffering, death, and burial. The first section dealt with the death of Judas after he repented of his betrayal of Jesus. As I mentioned, it seems likely that he never really intended that Jesus should die, but rather wanted to “force his hand” so that that Jesus would become the kind of Messiah he wanted him to be. Matthew’s chief concern in relating the events of Judas’ death was (as is true throughout his gospel) to show that they involve the fulfillment of scripture. The next section dealt with Jesus’ trial before Pilate. Matthew “slants” his account to make Pilate into a more sympathetic character than he probably actually was. (Secular descriptions of Pilate such as by the Jewish historian Philo portray Pilate as being a cruel despot.) Matthew and the other gospel writers make it appear that Pilate wanted to release Jesus but reluctantly yielded to pressure from the crowd. Perhaps Matthew’s “slant” was to place the blame on the descendants of the Jewish authorities – because those descendants who were the ones who were persecuting Matthew’s Jewish-Christian community and trying to exclude them from the synagogue. After a brief description of the soldiers’ mockery of Jesus and then of Simon of Cyrene being forced to carry Jesus’ cross, Matthew then writes about Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Again, Matthew’s main concern is not so much to write about the physical details as it is to show that Jesus was truly the King of the Jews in a way that his enemies could not perceive and to show that these events and actions fulfilled passages of scripture. At the end, Matthew writes about the earthquake, the tearing of the temple curtain, the resurrection of saints, and the collective chorus of praise by the soldiers – each in their own way showing that Jesus’ death had cosmic significance. Matthew gives prominence to the women followers of Jesus as being witnesses to his death and the place that he was buried by Joseph of Arimathea. This is because the women’s witness will also important in verifying Jesus’ resurrection – because they knew where his tomb was. Finally, Matthew tells about how a watch of soldiers was placed at Jesus’ tomb to forestall the possibility of his body being stolen by the disciples and then having them proclaim that he was risen from the dead. The fact that his tomb was thus guarded and yet STILL Jesus’ body could not be produced later by his enemies was yet one more “proof” of his resurrection on the third day. CHAPTER 28:1-10 “The Resurrection of Jesus” “After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of the Christian faith – but each account of it in the four gospels and in 1 Corinthians 15:4-7 has major differences in the details. Matthew’s account basically follows that of Mark 16:1-8 – with the following differences: 1. Matthew has only two women present at the tomb – Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary”. Salome (Mk. 16:1) is not mentioned. 2. Only Matthew mentions the earthquake – as a “counter-point” to the earthquake that happened at Jesus’ death (Mt. 27:51) – again to show that this has cosmic significance. 3. Matthew does not mention the women bringing spices to anoint Jesus’ body – perhaps because the tomb was sealed and guarded, and perhaps because his body had already been anointed for burial earlier by the woman at the house of Simon the leper (Mt. 26:6-13). 4. Matthew specifically identifies the “young man dressed in a white robe” (Mk. 16:5) as being an angel. 5. Interestingly, Peter is not mentioned in Matthew’s account. Why this is so is not clear, especially since Peter is prominently featured throughout most of Matthew’s gospel. 6. Both Mark and Matthew stress that the risen Jesus will meet his disciples in Galilee – that is, later than that same day. 7. Mark does not mention Jesus personally appearing to the women, but Matthew does. Note that Matthew stresses that they worshiped Jesus – thus suggesting that this is the proper attitude toward their risen Lord and that WE should do likewise. This was also the (proper) attitude of the disciples earlier when Jesus had calmed the storm in Mt. 14:33. Both Matthew and Mark have the (angel) telling the women to not be afraid. The world has done its worst – has even killed Jesus – and yet now the good news is that he is victorious over death. Because of this we do not need to be afraid of anything (no matter how bad) anymore, because his resurrection will also mean OUR resurrection from death and from whatever may oppress us. So may it be - AMEN!! CHAPTER 28:11-15 “The False Witness of the Guards” “While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You must say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble. So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.” This is the second time that Matthew mentions the chief priests as paying money to bribe people (the first was their paying thirty pieces of silver to Judas to betray Jesus.) Besides possibly being a real event (but only Matthew records this story), it is also a “polemical device” that Matthew uses to show how far Jesus’ enemies (and by extension, the enemies of his original Jewish-Christian readers) were willing to go to spread false rumors about his followers – and were STILL doing this even in Matthew’s day. Indeed, this seems to be an instance of what Jesus was referring to in the Beatitudes when he said: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” (Mt. 5:10-11). The chief priests’ promise that they would satisfy Pilate is based on the assumption that he (like they) would have a vested interest in not having people believe that Jesus had risen – because then people might flock to his cause in a rebellion against Rome. CHAPTER 28:16-20 “The Great Commission” “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Mountains in Jewish scriptural tradition are places of revelation. It was on a mountain that Jesus had given his “Sermon on the Mount” – his “New Torah” that corresponded that which Moses had received on Mount Sinai. It was also on a mountain that Jesus had been transfigured. And now, Jesus gives his final teaching and command on a mountain – perhaps even on one of those same mountains! Again, Matthew stresses worship as the proper response to the risen Jesus. It is not clear if the “doubters” were among the eleven or possibly were others who were with them. It is also possible that they both worshiped and doubted at the same time – that is, they saw and believed and yet still found it hard to believe this “news that was too good to be true”! This is probably often still the case with many Christians today, including possibly US as well! Jesus’ claim of divine authority echoes the messianic statement of Daniel 7:14 – “And to him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.” The “Great Commission” of “make disciples of all nations” literally refers to the ethnos – that is, the GENTILES. Now Jesus’ ministry through his disciples is to extend beyond the borders of Israel to all people everywhere. Perhaps this command also reflects the sense of mission that Matthew’s Jewish-Christian community had, since being rejected and excluded by the Jewish authorities of their day. The Trinitarian formula given for baptism occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. In the book of Acts, people are baptized in the name of Jesus. Many Bible scholars believe that this formula reflects a practice that was already being done in Matthew’s community. Perhaps even more important than the baptizing, however, was Jesus’ command to “teach them to obey all that I have commanded you.” This command brings us back to his Sermon on the Mount (chapter 5-7) – that his followers should live in accordance with the “New Torah” that he had given. Finally, Jesus reminds his disciples, Matthew’s readers, and US that he is with us ALWAYS. With his risen and living presence, we can indeed face anything and everything without fear – knowing that with him we will be victorious over all that may oppose and oppress us, even the power of death itself – AND that at the end he will bring us into the NEW AGE to come when the Kingdom of Heaven shall be fully established. So may it be! Amen!! -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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