Resurrection Persuasions
Today, the world is being reminded yet again, that there was a Man – a Man
Who was born like no other – a Man Who lived like no other – a Man Who
died like no other... And this Man, Christ Jesus, is The Man Who conquered
death like no other!...
All four Gospels record details that surround the death, burial, and
resurrection of Jesus – in fact the whole Bible is filled with either the promise
of His coming, the recorded history of His first coming, or the promise of His
second coming... As we were just reminded last week by the Apostle John,
this Jesus is –
Revelation 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the
Almighty.”!!!
Today we will give our attention specifically to the significance of His
resurrection... But first, we need to consider the reality of His death. Only in
ultraliberalism, and Islam is Jesus’ death even questioned... The Scriptures
are clear that note only did Jesus die upon a cross, just outside of Jerusalem,
but His death was ... purposeful!... It came about because of –
Acts 2:23
this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and
put Him to death.
His death was not only, not a surprise to God – it was God’s predetermined
means for providing justice against the sin of those who trust in Him...
The message of the cross of Jesus, is that God has provided a ... great
exchange!... Jesus gave His life, in order that you may live!
2 Corinthians 5:21
He [God the Father] made Him [God the Son] who knew no sin [that is God
the Son knew not sin] to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become
the righteousness of God in Him [we are made righteousness before God –
only in Christ!].
What we celebrate today is that Jesus did not stay dead!... Back to Acts –
- 2 -
Acts 2:24, :32, :36
24
But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was
impossible for Him to be held in its power... 32 This Jesus God raised up again, to
which we are all witnesses... 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that
God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Today we will focus on one report of Jesus’ resurrection, and it is found in
Matthew’s gospel account... Chapter 28 gives us detail how the first
witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus are the women who were the last to
leave Jesus when He was on the cross... We will read all 20 verses, but for
time’s sake, let’s read it as we think through the passage...
Matthew 28
1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 T he guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”
8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met the m and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped H im. 1 0 Then Jesus *said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
11 Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 A nd when they had assembled w ith the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.” 15 A nd they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.
16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain w hich Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 2 0 teaching the m to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
If anything proves that Jesus is in fact the Christ – the King of kings, and Lord
of lords – it is the fact of His resurrection from the dead!
We will encounter the unfolding of this truth in this chapter!...
Let’s begin with –
1. The Resurrection of Jesus was Unexpected
Matthew 28:1
Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the
week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.
These are the very women who had lingered at the cross, just a few days
earlier... Here, on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, they came
to the tomb in order to bring spices for the purpose of anointing Jesus’ body...
They thought He was ... still dead.
In fact, Mark tells us –
Mark 16:3
They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
– that they were wondering how they would move the large stone that
covered the entrance... You might think that there would have been an ...
expectation on there part that Jesus would have been raised – after all, He
spoke about it several times –
- 3 -
(Matt. 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 26:32).
Let’s not be quick to judge them... How many times have you heard a truth
form God’s Word – and you still don’t expect it to be ... true?...
Listen, when it comes to the resurrection, there is no greater truth so
significant!... The world knows that Jesus existed – they know He died ... but
they do not believe He rose again!
There is no greater message in all of Christendom, than the truth that Jesus
rose from the dead – just as He said He would!
Why is the issue of Jesus rising from the dead so important?
Warren Wiersbe gives six answers to this question, that I believe are
important for you to know:
➢ It proves that Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus stated that He had authority to
lay down His life and to take it up again (John 10:17–18).
➢ It verifies the truth of Scripture. Both in the Old Testament and in the
teaching of Jesus, His resurrection is clearly taught (see Ps. 16:10;
110:1). If Jesus had not come out of the tomb, then these Scriptures
would not be true.
➢ It assures our own future resurrection. Because Jesus died and rose
again, we shall one day be raised to be like Him (1 Thess. 4:13–18). In
fact, the entire structure of the Christian faith rests on the foundation of
the resurrection. If we do away with His resurrection, we have no hope.
➢ It is the proof of a future judgment. “Because he hath appointed a day,
in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man who
he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that
he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).
➢ It is the basis for Christ’s heavenly priesthood. Because He lives by
the power of an endless life, He is able to save us “to the uttermost”
(Heb. 7:23–28). He lives to intercede for us. It gives power for Christian
- 4 -
living. We cannot live for God by our own strength. It is only as His
resurrection power works in and through us that we can do His will and
glorify His name (see Rom. 6:4).
➢ It assures our future inheritance. Because we have a living hope, we
can experience hopeful living. A dead hope grows weaker and weaker
before it eventually dies. But because Jesus Christ is alive, we have a
glorious future (see 1 Peter 1:3–5).i
When followers of Jesus first came to the tomb on that first Sunday, there was
discouragement and a sense of defeat! But every Sunday since – the followers
of Jesus have been gathering as a witness to the fact that Jesus is alive!
The next thing that happens in our text is –
2. The Resurrection of Jesus is Announced
Matthew 28:2-4
2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord
descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon
it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as
snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.
Luke tells us –
Luke 24:4
While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing;
– that there were two angles to appear, but one of them had already rolled the
stone away by the time these women arrived!
As many have said over the years – the stone was not rolled away in order to
let Jesus out – it was rolled away in order to let others in!
This is in order that people can see for themselves that the tomb was empty!
One of the angels –
Matthew 28:5-6a
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking
for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 He is not here...
- 5 -
Keep in mind, that neither these women, nor the disciples had any expectation
that Jesus had raised to life again!... There was a ... natural sense of fear in
the hearts of these women...
John 20:2b
... “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
John tells us that they were afraid that Jesus’ body had been taken!
Matthew goes on to say that the angel told them to –
Matthew 28:6
He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where
He was lying.
Just what do you suppose they saw, when they looked into the tomb?... They
saw the same thing Peter and John saw when they would get to the tomb!
John 20:5-7
``5 and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. 6 And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings
lying there,
7
and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself.
They saw the linen – the graveclothes ... empty! They saw the face covering
– sometimes called a “napkin” – folded and laying to the side...
Now, we don’t ever want to be guilty of reading into the Scripture something
it does not say – but at the same time, I would like to know the significance of
some things it does say that is ... lost on us today!
There is the story going around the last several years that claims the folding of
the napkin was a Jewish custom at a dinner table signifying that the guest has
left, but is coming back!... (So, the server was to not take his plate away)...
That has gain traction because we know that Jesus is coming back!... It’s a
nice story – but it has not anchor in history. There was no such Jewish custom
in Jesus’ day.ii
The truth is – we are not told of the significance of the folded
face clothe. It may simply be evidence that Jesus had no struggle in His
resurrection – He was calm, fully in control, and ... ready to rise and leave the
tomb!
The truth is – Jesus rose! It was impossible for Him to remain dead!
Peter tells us –
- 6 -
Acts 2:24
But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was
impossible for Him to be held in its power.
Matthew goes on to tell us that the angel told the women to –
Matthew 28:7-8
7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and
behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him;
behold, I have told you.”
8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to
His disciples.
Wiesbe made a great observation –
Warren Wiersbe – “‘Come and see!’ was followed by ‘Go and tell!’ We
must not keep the resurrection news to ourselves. The angel sent the women
to tell (of all people) Christ’s own disciples. They should have been
expecting the news, but instead, they questioned it even when they heard it.”
iii
Next, Matthew tells us that –
3. The Resurrected Jesus is Encountered
Let’s pick up with verse –
Matthew 28:9-10
9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took
hold of His feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not
be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there
they will see Me.”
What an encounter!... They are doing what the angel told them to do –
heading out to tell the disciples – and what happens?... They encounter the
risen Lord!
They do what you will do – fall down at His feet to worship Him!... The Lord
knows what is in the heart of people. He spoke words of comfort to the
women, and then He too sends them to the disciples ... with additional
instruction...
- 7 -
Notice the familial language Jesus uses – “My brethren”... Followers of Jesus
are no mere students – they are ... family!
When we go outside of this text, we learn that before Jesus ascends, He make
... several appearances. Here are a few: He appeared –
➢ to the two Emmaus disciples that day (Luke 24:13–32)
➢ to the ten disciples in the Upper Room in Jerusalem (John 20:19–25)
➢ A week later, He appeared to the eleven disciples and dealt with
Thomas’s unbelief (John 20:19–25)
➢ On that first Easter Sunday, Jesus also made a special appearance to
Peter (Luke 24:33–35; 1 Cor. 15:5)
➢ Paul tells us that Jesus appeared to more than 500 people, many of
whom were still alive when Paul wrote about it! (1 Cor. 15:6)
I love what Spurgeon said –
Charles Haddon Spurgeon – “We have often asserted, and we affirm it yet
again, that no fact in history is better attested than the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead. The common mass of facts accepted by all men as
historical are not one-tenth as certainly assured to us as this fact is. It must
not be denied by any who are willing to pay the slightest respect to the
testimony of their fellow-men, that Jesus, who died upon the cross, and
was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathæa, did literally rise again from
the dead.”iv
Back to our text...
It is interesting that the believers are worshipping... What are the unbelievers
doing?... They are ... denying!
Let’s pick up with verse :11 and see –
4. The Resurrection of Jesus is Defied
- 8 -
It’s one thing to deny something, unless proven. It’s another thing to defy
something in the face of the evidence! Defiance is a conscious attempt to
denounce, assuage, or flat-out resist the truth in ... willful rebellion!... It is
the old adage – Don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up! That is
what we see happening here –
Matthew 28:11-15
11 Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city
and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they
had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum
of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came
by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this should
come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of
trouble.” 15 And they took the money and did as they had been instructed;
and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.
This was a calculated attempt to trash the witness of the resurrection of
Jesus... At this point, some of the soldiers, who were charged with guarding
the tomb in order to prevent anyone stealing Jesus’ body – now realize that
they are in real trouble!
(Acts 12:19; 16:27–28)
For a soldier to allow the Roman seal to be broken, the stone to be rolled
away, and somehow not maintaining the body – was a potential ... death
penalty for them!
But the soldiers were sharp!... When the stone was rolled away, and they see
that Jesus is not there – they don’t go to their superiors – they go to the Jewish
chief priests! There was no one more motivated to cover up the miracle than
the chief priests and the soldiers!
So, the chief priests, the elders, and the soldiers, came up with a story ... a
false narrative ... to explain away the empty tomb!... The claim: stolen body!
What wrong with believing their story?... Several things:
- 9 -
First – its false... but that won’t be enough to talk some people out of
believing a lie... (Many people don’t want it to be true!)
But, secondly – in order for their story to be true – Jesus’ body would have to
have been taken either by ... His friends, or His enemies... The closest
friends to Jesus had ... left the scene. They were convinced Jesus was dead...
The enemies of Jesus wouldn’t steal the body, because they didn’t want
anyone believing that Jesus rose! Besides – if they had stolen the body, all
they had to do was ... produce it – and Christianity would be over!
It has been famously said that - a lie can go around the world while truth is
still lacing up her boots... There is something in the sinful human heart that
makes it so easy to believe lies...
Once the Holy Spirit came upon the church upon that first Pentecost following
Jesus’ resurrection – the apostles and the church have been bolding
proclaiming the truth of Jesus – His life, death, and resurrection!
That truth is what ... redeems! Jesus is alive! Any sincere, intellectually
honest person who studies the evidence with an open heart will come to the
truth that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historic fact that cannot be
refuted.
That Sunday began with the women and the disciples thinking Jesus was
dead... They were then told that He was alive... Following that
announcement, they met Him personally...
The is one more, vitally important truth in this chapter –
5. The Resurrected Jesus Commands
This too, is too important to leave off today... Pick up with verse :16 –
Matthew 28:16-17
16But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus
had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were
doubtful.
Let’s briefly touch on a few things mentioned here:
- 10 -
There is a mass encounter with Jesus... Many believe that the meeting on the
mountain was not limited to the eleven, but certainly included them... This is
possibly the place and time when Jesus appeared to more than 500 at one
time... No doubt, there would be doubt present in that crowd... But when
they see Jesus, they worship Him!
Jesus says several things at this point, let’s think through His words:
First, He speaks of His –
➢ Delegated authority
Matthew 28:18
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given
to Me in heaven and on earth.
The comes His –
➢ Authorized commission
Matthew 28:19-20a
19 Go [aorist participle “having gone” – it assumed you’re going] therefore
and make disciples [disciples are first born, then “made”] of all the
nations, baptizing them [mark them] in the name of the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit, [and now, mature them] 20 teaching them to observe all
that I commanded you;
There is another truth in this passage we need to take to heart... It is Jesus’
word of –
➢ Personal assurance
Matthew 28:20b
... and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
i The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, NT, p. 84-85
ii https://www.gotquestions.org/folded-napkin.html
iii The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, NT, p. 85
iv Charles Haddon Spurgeon, April 10, 1887, Luke 24:36-44, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol. 33
