Sept 15 – Matt 28 – “Wait a minute…that WASN’T the end!” – Just a little chapter – only 20 verses after the previous lengthy ones. But oh, what a difference the end is today! We know for certain that God is dead at the beginning – we know and celebrate the risen Savior by the end. The two Marys: Faithful at His crucifixion (Matt 27:55-56), faithful at His burial (Matt 27:60-61) and still faithful afterwards – these two are honored as the first witnesses to His resurrection (v1). The tomb has been sealed with a huge round stone that rolls down a channel cut in the tomb’s rock. Across the front is a cord, sealed on both sides. No one will be able to break the seal, roll back that stone, sneak the body out and roll the ponderous rock back as if nothing had happened – and certainly not with Roman guards present. The guards knew that their lives were forfeit if they failed to stay awake on duty – that was Roman law. Another earthquake rumbles through, and the Marys and the guards posted at the tomb all see the angel. Somehow he bridges the gap between heaven and earth – a recognizable body, but one that seems to shimmer and sparkle. He descends; he rolls back the stone (which we are told was the cause of the earthquake) to open the tomb, and then apparently sits on top of the great stone looking down at them all. The guards faint, but the women are not so overwhelmed – they have seen many miracles over the past few years. “He is not here – He is risen, as He said.” What an emotional roller-coaster! From absolute misery and total despair to absolute joy and total confidence in 0.5 seconds flat. “See where He was, then go tell the others.” A man would have looked in, seen the empty tomb and gone off (John 20:5-10), but not these two. You know they had to stop in – to press a hand to the stone He lay on; to touch the grave clothes and the place where the stain of blood from the spear was. It is what love does. Then, hand-in-hand I’m sure, they run into Jerusalem to tell the others. And as they ran back, Jesus met them. Did He say something profound, something wise, something about the suffering of the last few days? No. He just said, “Hi!” Very down-home. First to see the empty tomb, now they are the first to see the risen Lord. They knelt to worship in the Eastern way. Meanwhile back at the Temple, the guards reported in. They must have seen that the tomb was empty before they collapsed – the text in Matthew can certainly be read that way. Otherwise the women would have been accused of stealing the body, since the guards had every reason to believe that a sealed tomb was still occupied. So a lie is concocted – a very dangerous lie for the soldiers, since they should be executed for dereliction of duty, and it’s never a wise idea to trust your life to someone who is concocting and involving you in a lie. It may have worked, though – or possibly they were executed. We’re not told. The disciples follow through with the instructions and travel back to Galilee, and meet Jesus alive again. God’s Great Design has finished another milestone, and not until now is the next step taken. Nothing is rushed within the Design, and everything is hidden until the time for revelation is come. Now is the time for the disciples to become something more significant – the apostolic commission. They’re a bit raggedy yet – Peter is the leader, but he’s still cutting off ears and running away. These fellows need some guidance. Fortunately, that’s coming soon too (Acts 1:8). And now Matthew’s story comes to an end, with instructions which are as much for us today as for the disciples – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” Lift Him up today… - S
Posted on: Sun, 15 Sep 2013 20:50:30 +0000