The New Testament – Verse by Verse Bible Study – Part 28

In this Bible Study series on Internet Pastor we will be studying through the New Testament verse by verse. You can watch or listen to the study by going to the Online Church page.

Before we get into Matthew 28 today, I just wanted to share with you something I have been thinking about since last week.

Matthew 27:52 (NIV)
52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.

That is fascinating stuff. In light of that I thought you might find these verses interesting. Abraham had purchased a burial ground near Mamre in Canaan and there were quite a few well known people who were put in there when they died. This is what Jacob says about the family plot:

Genesis 49:29-32 (NIV)
29 Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.”

Joseph takes Jacob’s body and places it in the cave as well.

Genesis 50:4-5 (NIV)
4 When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, 5 ‘My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’”

When Joeseph is dying, he makes the sons of Israel promise to take his bones to the same cave.

Genesis 50:25 (NIV)
25 And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”

Moses makes sure that Joseph’s body is taken to the cave as well.

Exodus 13:19 (NIV)
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”

There are a lot of the patriarchs buried in that cave. What is interesting to me is that if you look on a map and find Mamre near Canaan, it is in the same vicinity that Jesus was crucified and buried. Maybe, the patriarchs knew what was going to happen and wanted to be there to be a part of that early first fruit fulfillment!

Matthew 28:1-20 (NIV)
1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook 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 was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” 11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

There were so many witnesses to the resurrection that even when the Jewish leaders tried to start a false rumor that the disciples had stolen the body, the rumor wouldn’t stick. The Apostle Paul recounts for us some the people who witnessed the resurrected Christ:

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (NIV)
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

His post resurrection appearances to the disciples changes them from a group in hiding to a group boldly proclaiming the Good News in the streets.

His resurrection body was free from the limitation that we have in our bodies. He appeared to them in a locked room (John 20:19), He vanished at will (Luke 24:31), He ascended into heaven (Acts 1).
His resurrection body was not less real than our bodies it was more real. He was not like a ghost that went through walls, His resurrected body more real than the wall.

News of the resurrection has spread throughout the world over the last 2000 years. The resurrected Jesus has proved His presence to people in every generation.

Jesus, fully God and fully man, has entered the world and paid the price for our sin, providing for us a way of restoring our eternal relationship with a perfect and holy God. Through the events of His ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection He has inaugurated the Kingdom of God, and when He comes back He will put everything on order and fully establish the Kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 15:12-28 (NIV)
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

So what do we do?

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

All authority – The Kingdom (God’s rule and reign) is here already, existing alongside our cultures and societies. People are given the opportunity to choose His kingdom during this time.

Make disciples – As we have read in the book of Matthew, we are His servants who have been left in charge of His possessions while He is away. When Jesus returns He will impose righteousness on the whole world. Until then, the kingdom is here as a hidden thing revealed through the eyes of faith. We are to be His hands, feet, eyes, ears and mouth telling and showing that the Kingdom is here now.

All nations – the message of the kingdom of God cuts across all languages, boundaries, and societies. We have to be aware of the fact that America’s idea of the church is not necessarily how it looks in other parts of the world.

Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you – We are to live this life in a such way that it impacts the people around us for the Gospel.

I am with you always – He has not left us alone. He is always with us.

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