Matthew 28:18-20

Click here for the Matthew 28:18-20 PODCAST

18 And Jesus came 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 of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. ~ Matthew 28:18-20

Today, we conclude our study of the gospel according to Matthew. When it appeared to the disciples that all hope was lost the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ happened. Following His resurrection from the dead, He appeared to His followers no less than ten times. According to Acts 1:3, "He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." Jesus Christ is the only person in history of whom we were told thousand of years in advance that He would be born of a virgin, that He would live a perfect life, die a perfect death and be raised from the dead. It was King David who wrote a thousand years before about His crucifixion and at a time crucifixion was unknown as a means of execution.

In v.18 of today's passage we read, "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.'"

You will remember that Matthew began his gospel by introducing the Lord Jesus as the King. He gave His royal lineage and had a group of kings seek Him as the King. And now, as Matthew concludes this account he quotes the Lord Jesus as having said, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth." The authority given to the Lord Jesus by His Father made Him King over all kings. This means the Lord Jesus is in absolute charge of everything. It was Satan who had arrested authority over this world from Adam in the Garden of Eden. When the Lord Jesus came and lived a perfect life and died a perfect death, He was granted by His Father complete authority over everything, even over this fallen world. His authority is based upon who He is and subsequently what He has done on the cross on our behalf. His Father affirmed His authority when He raised Him from the dead. 

In v.19-20 of today's passage we read, "19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

All believers have been granted the responsibility of making disciples. The calling of every believer is that we point people to our Savior praying they see Him for who He is and that they become His followers. The verb "make disciples" is an imperative meaning we are held responsible by God to be engaged in the lives of others around us to the point that we influence them to become followers of the Lord Jesus. But, we mustn't forget that He is the One who does the convincing and the discipling. We factor into the process as we share our personal relationship with the Lord Jesus with the lost and how God has led us to Himself and through this life. Integral to all of this is the involvement of His Spirit and His Word.

Even though it is the Lord Jesus who makes disciples, He involves us in bringing to Himself men and women, boys and girls. Our motive to participate in this work must be to bring glory to the Lord. We must not make disciples with selfish motives. The true sign that we are engaged in a way that brings glory to the Lord is that we are quick to give Him ALL the glory. As a result, our mission is to win the lost to the Lord Jesus. Interestingly, the Great Commission is repeated in all the four gospels but not in the epistles.

The Lord Jesus said, "Make disciples of all the nations" revealing yet again that God has always had a heart for all people groups. The word "nation" literally means "ethnic people groups." His desire has always been to bring lost people into a relationship with Himself. Interestingly when the Lord met with Abraham in Genesis 12 He had all the nations or all ethnic people groups in mind. 

In order to accomplish this task of "making disciples" the Lord has given us three directives: to go, to baptize, and to teach. Literally, He said, "as you are going." Our commission is as we live our daily lives we are to expect Him to bring people into our lives who have yet to believe on the Lord Jesus as their Savior. He does not want us to wait until the world comes to us but that we are on mission, going to them. Once they come, we are to teach them the truths God has taught us. And, it isn’t just that they are taught. No, it is that we give them an example of what it means to enter into a personal relationship with the Lord God and to walk with Him and to abide in Him.

To baptize means to immerse those who believe in the Lord Jesus in water. God gave baptism to be an outward sign of an inward condition. Baptism is synonymous with salvation, though it in no way saves anyone. Water baptism is an object lesson of what happened to us when we first believed in the Lord Jesus and were baptized into the Spirit of God or were born again. Baptism is the outward visible symbol of what had been done by God in our hearts. 

When we were saved, we entered into a personal relationship with the Lord where He is increasingly becoming to us more and more real. This is where teaching comes into the process. A person who comes to Christ will be a learner. His learning is always moved forward by his hunger. This hunger was created by God and satisfied by Him, as well. When we were born again by the Holy Spirit, He delivered into our souls a desire to know Him. Thus, we seek Him in order to find Him. And, when we find Him, He teaches us His culture. We cannot teach others that which we have never been taught.

Today's passage ends with: "and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

When sin entered this world, we were separated from God's presence. The separation exists because God is perfect and we are not. A part of God’s perfection is His justice which demands that sin be judged. This is why the Lord Jesus came to die and to deal a death blow to death. This is what makes it possible for a perfect God to dwell in the hearts of sinful people. It also explains why God is always telling His people to build a place like the tabernacle or the temple. He issued those commands so that He could dwell among His people. The death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus made it possible for God to dwell within the believer, so the buildings are no longer needed. And, the secret to any success that we experience is His abiding presence within us.

Matthew 28:16-17

Click here for the Matthew 28:16-17 PODCAST

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. ~ Matthew 28:16-17

Today, we return to our study of Matthew 28 which is the ultimate climax of the whole gospel. This is where the ministry of the Lord Jesus has always been pointing us. The ultimate and primary purpose of every born again believer in Jesus Christ is discovered in today's passage. It is the same primary purpose of the Lord Jesus and He desires it to be our primary purpose as well. If we get this right everything else will fall into its proper place.

In v.16 of today's passage we read, "Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go."

In order to frame up our ultimate purpose on this earth, we must first know how we arrived here. Just like each of the twelve disciples, we were called into a personal relationship with God through the message delivered to us through His Son. That message we know to be the "gospel" which literally means "good news." However, we will never truly appreciate the fact that it is good news until we are fully aware of the bad news. The bad news is that we were all conceived sinful, wretched and at odds with God. 

The disciples went to Galilee because the Lord Jesus had told them to meet Him there. The obedience of the disciples lead them further into an intimate relationship with the Lord, as it always does. The greater their intimacy with the Lord yielded a greater capacity for them to worship Him. That which we worship the most defines us best. Since God is the greatest reality in our lives then worship of Him is the most important thing we will ever do. Sadly, most think worship is about themselves feeling something but it is about our preoccupation with God whether it gives us good feelings or not. True worship happens when we treasure God above all.

In Romans 5:12 we read, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."

We are all sinners not because we sin but because we were born sinners. This world was contaminated by sin when the serpent deceived Adam into eating from the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Sin is anything that is contrary to what God has defined it. Adam had no reason to not be defined by God but he listened to the cunning deceitfulness of the one who was cast out of heaven because he wanted to be his own god.

Every little brand new birthed baby is an undeveloped ball of iniquity. According to Ephesians 2:1-3 every person ever birthed  was born dead in sin. In fact, according to Romans 5:10 we were the enemies of God because no one could escape the wide influence of sin. According to Romans 3:9-11 we all were contaminated some much by sin that God said there is no human who is righteous. This is the bad news that so beautifully frames up the good news.

Like the early disciples, once we learned of our rebellious sinfulness and then we heard to gospel, we turn to God for help by trusting in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans 5:10-11 we read, "10 Even when we were God's enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by the life of his Son. 11 And, in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us." God did something that we could not do for ourselves, He substantiated the truth by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ who laid down His life as a sacrifice for our sin. It was the Lord Jesus who earned a rich standing for us before God.

Having come to the Lord Jesus as their Savior the disciples followed Him. After He died, they hid out of fear that they would be treated like the Lord. The didn't understand that He was the Lamb of God who came to this earth to remedy our sin. And after the resurrection the Lord Jesus told His disciples to go to Galilee and wait for Him to show up there.

In v.17 of today's passage we read, "When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted."

When the disciples next saw the Lord Jesus in Galilee, they worshiped Him. This gets at our ultimate purpose which is to be defined by Him. Now, the fact is fellowship is an absolute essential for all of us but it is not our primary purpose. And yes, teaching is essential, and so is praise. But none of them, and not all of them in combination, are the primary purpose of our lives. None of these very worthy things are underscored as our primary purpose and why we are here on this earth. 

Our primary purpose is the ultimate message in Matthew, because it is the climactic one. When man fell in sin in the garden, because of man’s fall, all of the human race was condemned to death and to hell. The whole human race died to God in the sin of Adam. But immediately, God set out to redeem man back to Himself, out of His gracious love.

According to the last verse of today's passage, "When the disciples saw the Lord Jesus they worshiped Him." They worshiped the Lord! They worshiped Him because He deserved their obedience and respect. He earned our obedience and respect through what He did on that cross. When we obey Him, we demonstrate our respect of Him. When we respect Him to the point of obedience we reveal He is worthy. Someone once defined worship as "worth-ship." True worship is a matter of the heart expressed through a lifestyle of obedience. We must be careful here because we will never be perfect in our obedience to God. The real issue is really an issue of the heart. Due to God's unimaginable generosity toward us through the death of His Son, we choose to respond to Him through our worship or our attempts to show Him worth through being defined by Him.

As the last verse of today's passage suggests, key to our ability to worship God is how we respond to our doubts and questions. Doubt is a key ingredient in the development of our faith in the Lord Jesus. If we understood everything, we would have no need for faith. But, since we don’t understand everything, we must give place for faith. Implicit to faith is doubt. Doubt does not have to be the enemy of faith, it can actually be something that strengthens our faith. Our doubts are normal because they are based on faith and belief in something. It is only as we wrestle with our questions that we can possibly become stronger in our faith. Like these disciples, may we be those who doubt our doubts, and as a result we will learn to help others to do the same!

Matthew 28:11-15

Click here for the Matthew 28:11-15 PODCAST

11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. 12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.' 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure." 15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. ~ Matthew 28:11-15

Today, we return to our study of Matthew 28 where the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is front and center. If He had not been raised from the dead, we could not have a personal relationship with God because our sin would have won the battle over Him. The fact that He rose from the dead proves that our sin has been dealt a death blow. In Romans 10:9 we read, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." This verse accentuates the fact that our faith in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ sealed our acceptance with God. 

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened."

Not only did the followers of the Lord Jesus witness His resurrection, the guards who had been placed there by the first century religious establishment saw it as well. As this verse indicates, once the women were going to Jerusalem to tell the disciples that the Lord Jesus had been raised, the guards who had the responsibility to make sure His body was not taken during the night went to the chief priests with the bad news. 

In v.12-14 of today's passage we read, "12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 saying, 'Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.' 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure."

There was no attempt on the behalf of the religious leaders of Israel to verify what the soldiers said. They knew it was true and they immediately went into damage control. Had they not believed the story of the guards, they would have responded differently. They would have formed a massive search party for the body of the Lord Jesus. They would have garnered Pilate's involvement. They would have put out a reward for anyone who would lead them to the dead body. 

Rather than believe in the resurrection, these supposed religious leaders paid the soldiers to be quiet about what had actually happened. Then they told the soldiers to say His disciples stole His body during the night while they slept. But, the disciples were hiding in the upper room because they were fearful that they would be killed. But for arguments sake, let's assume the disciples stole the body. Now, for them to steal the body, the guards had to be asleep all at the same time. But, the Roman guards knew that if they fell asleep and the disciples came and stole His body, they would die. Undoubtedly, the guards slept in shifts.

In v.15 of today's passage we read, "So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day." 

Since Matthew’s Gospel was written some thirty years after the resurrection, the story that actually happened would have easily been debunked but that didn't happen. In fact, it was the resurrection that bolstered these once afraid disciples into turning the world at that time upside down. In fact, according to the book of Acts, the disciples went out into the street in Jerusalem and preached the gospel and thousands believed their message. And if the body had been stolen, all they had to do was to produce the body.

The greatest argument for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the changed lives of the disciples. If they had stolen His body, they would not have put themselves on the line like they did. In fact, all of them except John were martyred for the faith. Bartholomew was flayed alive, John was boiled in oil. He survived the ordeal and then he was vanished to Patmos. Matthew with beaten with a club and if you go through the list of all of the apostles, all of them died a violent death except John who was vanquished to Patmos and then survived and died in Ephesus. If they knew the resurrection was a lie, they would not have had the consistent testimonies that they exhibited.

The single most important event in history is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. History shows that there was an explosion of Christianity across the Roman empire in the first century. This suggests that the Lord Jesus actually rose from the dead. The fact that no one debunked the resurrection during the first century underscores its veracity. But, its veracity is most proven by the changed lives of the disciples. They were so convinced that the Lord Jesus resurrected that they were dramatically transformed from fearful cowards to courageous martyrs. The lives they lived from that point onward underscores 2 Corinthians 5:17 which reads, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." 

Amazingly, the resurrection power of God is not a power that makes a great demonstration. Most often His power is quiet. We are so used to power that makes a big splash, but His power is most often subtle and unassuming. We do not expect it until it happens. And then, we wonder if it was Him. His power is recognized best when we react to it. The Apostle Paul reminds us that God's power is made perfect in our weakness. We don't like weakness, but weakness makes us more attuned to God. God's power shows up when we embrace our weakness and inadequacy. God reduced Gideon's army from 32,000 soldiers to 300 in order to defeat Israel's true enemy ... themselves. With God less is more and it leaves no room for boasting on our behalf. He deliberately thinned out the army so that it was so tiny that there would be no way that Israel could say that its strength gave it the victory. 

Matthew 28:9-10

Click here for the Matthew 28:9-10 PODCAST

9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” ~ Matthew 28:9-10

Today, we return to our study of Matthew 28 where the resurrection of the Lord Jesus has taken place. Mary Magdalene, according to John's gospel, arrived at the tomb ahead of the other women. After seeing two angels at the tomb, Mary stood weeping in the garden. It was then that she saw what she thought was the gardener whom she asked where they had laid the body of the Lord Jesus. This supposed gardener spoke Mary's name and at that point she knew it was the Lord. This was the first appearance of the Lord Jesus to anyone after His resurrection. Imagine being the very first to see Him after His resurrection.  

In v.9 of today's passage we read, "And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, 'Rejoice!' So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him."

After Mary saw the Lord she and the other woman ran to tell the disciples, especially Peter and John. While on their way, the Lord Jesus appeared to them again and they fell at His feet and worshipped Him. Earlier when Mary Magdalene reached out to touch the Lord, He said to her, "Do not touch me for I have not yet ascended to my Father." But, at this point when the women were en route to the disciples He allowed them to grasp His feet. He had obviously ascended to His Father and was glorified at that point. The joy they experienced once they realized He had risen drove these ladies to the lowest point before Him. It was out of that posture that they worshipped Him. Worship granted them an adjusted. Their life of sin had so bent them out of shape, once they recognized Him as the Risen Lord they were granted an adjustment. This is what worship does for us, it raises our chins and it lifts our eyes and sets them on the Victorious Savior. 

With a new hop in their step, the ladies ran to tell the disciples their good news. After Mary told the disciples that the Lord Jesus was alive, some of them chose rather not to believe that He was risen. They could not fathom such a story, even though He had told them it would happen. It was Andrew Murray who once said, “A dead Christ I must do everything for; a living Christ does everything for me.” This was the dilemma for the disciples: a dead Christ who did them no good or an alive Christ who wins all battles. This is why Peter and John ran to the tomb for they wanted to believe it was so. When they arrived at His tomb, Peter went inside and saw the grave clothes lying there still wrapped. This convinced Peter and John that the Lord Jesus had risen. But they still had not seen Him for themselves.

After this, He appeared to others. In fact, He met two of His followers as they walked on the road out of Jerusalem toward Emmaus. These two who didn't believe He had risen were met up by a stranger. As the stranger walked along with them He began with Moses and the prophets and showed them all the things that referred to Messiah in the Old Testament. According to Luke, later, as they sat at their dining room table with Him and they saw His hands as He broke the bread. It was then that they recognized Him. Then, all of a sudden, He disappeared. So, when these two disciples came running back to Jerusalem, they immediately told the eleven what they had seen.

Life is full of great perplexities and undeniable doubts. But, like those first century believers, our questions are useful to the restoration of our hope. It is our questions that created seeking within our souls. For those who seek the Lord promises we will find. The two Emmaus bound disciples recognized the Lord Jesus by the nail prints in His hands. When we get to heaven, we will recognize that there will only be one man-made thing there: His nail prints. Although the gospels writers do not explain His nails, the Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:14 informs us that His nails canceled the debt that every one of our sins created between us and God. It was at the cross that God took all of our sins and nailed them in His Son. It was then that God judged our sin in the body of the Lord Jesus.

In v.10 of today's passage we read, "Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.'"

When the disciples heard of Mary's experience with the Lord Jesus, they, initially, did not believe. They did not even believe the testimony of the two Emmaus disciples. For the moment, their theology failed them, leading them to believe it was just too good to be true. Of course, in time the disciples believed, even doubting Thomas. But, before they believed they had to wrestle with the questions created by their doubts. And then, having been convinced, they believed in the purpose of the conquering nature of the nails that were driving into the Lord Jesus. 

Doubt is a normal part of a life of faith because the development of our faith or our heart's ability to see God must involve our emotions and our minds. Faith that allows no room for doubt is ultimately too frail and limited. Biblical faith honestly wrestles with the parts that cannot be reduced to simplicity. Biblical faith, in the end, endures and leads us to an assured hope that does not crumble under pressure. Wrestling with the questions created by our doubts is essential to the birth and the strengthening of our faith. In addition, it is through this process that we become intimate with the Lord whom we find it easy to tell others about. Intimacy with God causes us to only value His opinion which is what frees us to tell others without reservation the Good News of the Gospel.

Matthew 28:5-8

Click here for the Matthew 28:5-8 PODCAST

5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” 8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. ~ Matthew 28:5-8

Today, we continue our study of Matthew 28 where on the morning of the first day of the week the Lord Jesus had been raised from the dead. The first to see this miracle were three women, Mary Magdalene, Salome and Mary the mother of Jesus. These women went to the grave of the Lord Jesus in order to apply spices to His dead body. They did not expect what He had told the disciples would happen, that He would be raised from the dead. These followers of the Lord Jesus were discouraged and drained, and their hopes were completely dashed. They had not fully comprehended the idea that our troubles are always a needful part to the development of our faith in the Lord Jesus.

In v.5-6 of today's passage we read, "5 But the angel answered and said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.'"

In his gospel account, Luke informs us that there were two angels at the tomb that early morning. One of the two angels was quick to tell the ladies that the Lord Jesus had been risen from the dead. After the announcement of His resurrection, the one angel who spoke to the ladies invited them to "come see the place where the Lord lay." The word "see" means to perceive or to encounter. The angel directed the women to the empty tomb knowing that they would see nothing. He knew that even though the body of the Lord Jesus was no longer there that they could still have an encounter with Him. As they didn't see the Lord's body there they were perplexed until the angel gave them more revelation. It is one thing to see with our eyes and it is quite another to see with our hearts. 

The disciples were quite uncertain about all that was happening.  As M. Craig Barnes once wrote, "Few things are more dangerous to our spirituality than certainty because our spirituality thrives in the context of choices. Choices we have to make when we are not certain. That’s why God isn’t interested in convincing us he exists or that he loves us. God wants us to choose to have faith in him."

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you."

It was Napoleon who once said, "Leaders are dealers in hope." Having hope doesn’t mean that every negative thing that happens in our lives all of a sudden disappears. Hope is developed in us as we are given opportunities for God to show Himself true to His promises to us. According to the other gospel writers the angel was quick to tell the women to go tell the disciples, especially Peter, that the Lord had been risen. The last time we saw Peter, he was standing in the courtyard of the high priest during the trial of the Lord Jesus denying he knew the Lord three times. 

Once the rooster crowed, Peter wept uncontrollably. This was the worst moment ever in his life, and yet, it was his best moment. Like Peter, we gain the ability to see what is real through the darkest moments of our lives. It is during these unwanted times that we are more likely to be more and more convinced that we need the Lord Jesus to be our savior in every aspect of our lives. Even though we are "born again" we still need a Savior. We never get to the place where we no longer need Him. And failure, such as that of Peter's, is a reminder that we desperately need the Lord Jesus every moment of every day.

We are at our best when we are most dependent upon the Lord. Dependence is the key. In his book, Confessions of a Struggling Christian, Robert Tombs wrote, "God loves dangling Christians." This is the beauty of Christianity. Once we trusted the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we were postured to get to know Him intimately, not just as a figure of history, but in an intimate, personal, real way. Our troubles aid us in our pursuit of Him. Like Peter, we find ourselves most prepared to go deeper with the Lord on the heels of our biggest failures and our deepest hurts.

In v.8 of today's passage we read, "So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word."

The Greek word translated "fear" describes the adrenaline rush that coursed through the bloodstream of these female believers. They literally were visibly shaken by adrenaline. The resurrection of the Lord Christ is the key to what is unique to Christianity. It is His resurrection that guarantees ours. There is no such promise like that in all of this world's religions. No wonder they were so joyful that they were giddy.

According to Mark's gospel the angel told these three ladies to go and tell the disciples, especially Peter that the Lord Jesus had been raised from the dead. The Lord knew Peter needed an extra word about His commitment to Peter especially due to his unfaithfulness. Peter's failure had tremendous purpose in the development of his faith that day. It was through his failure and the faithfulness of the Lord that Peter grew to be the leader of hope that he became. In fact, in 1 Peter 1:8, Peter wrote, "Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy." And, that kind of joy cannot be kept to ourselves.

Matthew 28:1-4

Click here for the Matthew 28:1-4 PODCAST

1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. ~ Matthew 28:1-4

Today, we begin our study of Matthew 28 where the Lord Jesus has been crucified, pronounced dead and buried by two members of the Jewish ruling council. Friday and Saturday had come and gone and now it is early Sunday morning. The disciples had come through the darkest two days of their lives. All of redemptive history had come to its apex and the disciples of the Lord Jesus were no where to be found. Undoubtedly, they were hiding out for fear of their lives. 

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb."

It was a Jewish custom to visit the grave for three days after the loved one had died. But by the fourth day, since the body would have been well into the decaying stage, they believed the spirit of the person would have departed. It was six o'clock on Sunday morning and the Sabbath was over. The women mentioned in today's passage were the last at the cross after His death and the first to the tomb after His resurrection. As they approached the tomb, they wondered how they would be able to get into the tomb to apply the spices to address the decomposition of the body of the Lord Jesus. 

None of the followers of the Lord expected to discover a risen Savior when they arrived at the tomb. These women came with spices because they did not expect the resurrection. They came looking for a dead man. And, they would not have brought spices had they made the story up. All of these details underscore the fact that during that weekend, despair triumphed over hope. Like those very first followers of the Lord Jesus, we struggle as well. We struggle not only remembering His promises, we also struggle to believe in His promises. While waiting to see the promises of God fulfilled in our lives, we understandably struggle. The struggle is a part of the process of being convinced that we need the Lord so desperately. We struggle to believe God is working when we can’t see progress and we struggle to remain faithful when God’s timeline doesn't match ours. Like the caterpillar in the cocoon, our struggle serves a purpose. As the struggle aids the development of the wings of the caterpillar which soon is a butterfly, our struggle aids the development of our faith which is our heart's ability to see God. The key is continuing to be faithful. 

Closely connected to faithfulness is loyalty. The disciples had just been given the most intense example of faithfulness and loyalty through the death of their Savior. But, He was dead. Martin Luther once said, "Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved." Loyalty is a profound virtue that not only strengthens our bonds with others but also nurtures our own sense purpose. On the heels of the death of the Lord Jesus, the disciples had absolutely no reason to be purposeful. Their whole world had been turned upside down. 

In v.2-3 of today's passage we read, "2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow."

With the earthquake everything changed. This was the second earthquake in as many days. The first was when our sin was overcome and the second is when death was overcome. When the women arrived, they were shocked to discover that the stone had been rolled away. At the moment the second earthquake took place an angel had come and rolled back the stone. The stone was not rolled away so that the Lord Jesus could exit the tomb, it had been rolled away so that His followers could see inside. 

Unbelievers would not have stolen the body of the Lord Jesus, if they had, they would have played right into the resurrection story. And, if they had, they would have gladly produced it in order to disprove the resurrection. The believers would not have taken the body of the Lord Jesus, for there were guards stationed at the tomb, and the stone was sealed. And, they would not have knowingly died for a lie.

In v.4 of today's passage we read, "And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men."

The guards shook for fear. The word translated "shook" is the Greek word also translated "earthquake." They shook not only due to the earthquake. They shook because in the human body are two glands attached to the kidneys called the adrenal glands and they secrete the chemical adrenalin. The reason adrenalin is secreted during such times of fear is for the purpose of enabling us to manage the moment. Adrenalin is pumped into the human bloodstream causing the heart to beat faster. This in turn causes more oxygen to be available to our muscles. It also causes the pupils to dilate in the eyes so that if we're in darkness we'd be able to see better. In addition, glucose is released into the muscles giving necessary energy in case we have to run. All of this was the experience of the guards the moment the earthquake happened and they saw the angel. 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single greatest event in human history. It is the cornerstone and foundation of our faith. The message of all of the Scriptures that death is not the end is merely the doorway into eternity. And everyone goes through that doorway and everyone lives forever. Those who reject the free gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus will spend their eternity in hell and those who believe in the Lord Jesus will spend eternity in heaven. It is not easy to believe in a resurrection, but there is very clear evidence that it happened. 

In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ is the only person in history who was pre-announced starting a thousand years before He was born. There were over 100 prophetic accounts from 18 different prophets from the Old Testament predicting the specifics of His coming birth, life, death and resurrection. Hundreds of years later, the details of His birth, life, betrayal, and death validated those prophecies in surprisingly accurate and minute detail. There is far more reliable historical evidence for His life, teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection than for any other who has ever lived.

Matthew 27:62-66

Click here for the Matthew 27:62-66 PODCAST

62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63 saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard. ~ Matthew 27:62-66

Today, we conclude our study of Matthew 27. In our most recent studies of this gospel, the Lord Jesus had been crucified, taken down from the cross and buried in a borrowed tomb. While the disciples were locked away by their fear, three women stood stunned as they witnessed Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus bury the Lord Jesus. While the Lord had made it abundantly clear to them that He was going to Jerusalem to die His followers should not have been so shocked when it happened. 

The Jewish religious leaders, on the other hand, were rather gleeful once they thought they had finally stopped this threat from Galilee. That is until they remembered His words that He would rise from the dead. It was then that they scrambled to make their way back to Pilate to make another request of him. It is at this point that we pick up the narrative today. The Jewish religious leaders referenced two deceptions that the Lord Jesus was supposedly guilty of: the first was His declaration that He was the Messiah and the second that He would raise from the dead. Both of these turned out to be true and it was the reason He came to this earth in the first place.

For the followers of the Lord Jesus Friday was filled with much confusion and many questions. The intense suffering of the Lord Jesus brought for them the most excruciating of pain. They were stunned due to the fact that this One whom they had followed for three years was dead. As a result they were all scattered and afraid. The man they left everything to follow was now dead and sealed behind a two ton stone. All of their hopes had been dashed and buried with Him. Our most critical moments in life is when we are most hopeless because it is then that we are convinced that we need the Lord the most. 

In v.62-64 of today's passage we read, "62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63 saying, 'Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.'"

It was now the Sabbath. This was not just any Sabbath, it was the Passover Sabbath, the holiest day of all of the Jewish calendar. Over night the religious leaders of first century Israel had remembered that the Lord Jesus had said that He would rise from the dead. This made them hurry over to Pilate's residence very early in the morning requesting that he make the tomb secure by placing Romans soldiers at the entrance of the tomb. I find it very interesting that the enemies of the Lord Jesus remembered that He predicted His own resurrection, yet His followers had forgotten that He made such a prediction.

These religious leaders were so afraid of the Lord Jesus they referenced Him as "that deceiver." By using the pronoun "that" these so-called leaders communicated their contempt for the Lord Jesus. Their hostility, hatred, fear, and brutality led to His death because He was a threat to their will. This was the proposition of the enemy in the Garden of Eden and Adam concluded: "Not your will but my will be done." Satan doesn't try to get unto follow him directly because he deceives us to follow him indirectly by following ourselves.

The religious leaders of Israel made this request of Pilate because they feared that the followers of the Lord Jesus would steal His body and fake His resurrection. But, there was a problem because the stone that had been rolled in front of the tomb was about two tons. This stone was round and it had been rolled into a channel in front of the tomb. The channel was on an inclined so that the stone was rolled down into the channel and the only way to move a two-ton stone in this case is to move it up hill. Needless to say the tomb was pretty secure. It could have been moved with the help of many people and the leverage of wooden implements. But, it was not.

In v.65-66 of today's passage we read, "65 Pilate said to them, 'You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.' 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard."

The religious leaders of Israel made this request of Pilate because they feared that the followers of the Lord Jesus would steal His body and fake His resurrection. According to the other gospel writers, there were between 10 to 16 well-armed Roman soldiers there guarding the tomb. Also, there was a Roman seal at the entrance of the tomb. The seal had a clay pack on one side of the stone and a clay pack on the other side of the stone. A rope was placed between the two seals and if anybody broke the seal they were to expect death. 

In taking all of these precautions the religious leaders made sure that there was no other explanation for the absent body of the Lord Jesus except the resurrection. If there were no seal and no guards, the resurrection could have been explained as a grave robbery. But, in the end the deception of the religious leaders of Israel failed them and was overcome by the All Powerful One. Our hope becomes unbreakable once we see that God's promises are unbreakable. Even our broken existence finds great comfort in this fact that our God is so big He can overcome death with life.

Matthew 27:57-61

Click here for the Matthew 27:57-61 PODCAST

57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. 59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb. ~ Matthew 27:57-61

Today, we resume our study of Matthew 27 where the Lord Jesus has just been crucified on the cross. He gave His life as a ransom so that you and I could be made right with Him. After the Lord Jesus breathed His last breath all of His followers fled the scene with the exception of three women: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the Lord Jesus, and Salome the mother of James and John.

In v.57 of today's passage we read, "Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus."

Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem. The Sanhedrin was the supreme court of ancient Israel, made up of 70 men and the high priest. Joseph of Arimathea is strategically mentioned by all four gospel writers. Matthew calls him a "rich man" while Luke identifies him as a "righteous and just" man. According to today's passage, Joseph of Arimathea was looking for the kingdom of God to arrive on earth. At some point along the way, Joseph believed in the Lord Jesus as his personal Savior. This explains why he was compelled to take the dead body of the Lord Jesus down from the cross. 

The Sabbath began on Friday at 6:00 pm and lasted until Saturday at 6:00 pm. The Bible tells us the Lord Jesus died at 3:00 in the afternoon. This left only three short hours for the Lord Jesus to be buried within the restrictions of the religious laws of Israel. 

In v.58 of today's passage we read, "This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him."

After the death of the Lord Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and requested the body of the Lord Jesus. Normally, the dead bodies of the crucified were buried in mass graves along with the others who were crucified. It is believed that Pilate willingly gave the body of the Lord Jesus to Joseph as a further indication that he believed the Lord Jesus to be innocent. And, Joseph buried the Lord Jesus in his family tomb. Joseph loaned it to the Lord, as was prophesied in Isaiah 53 some 700 years before the Lord Jesus was put to death.

Nicodemus brought one hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes, both of which were used in the embalming of the dead for burial. Along with Joseph of Arimathea, by handling the dead body of the Lord Jesus, Nicodemus lost everything that day. By touching a dead body, both men knowingly made themselves "unclean" according to Numbers 19:11. This, along with helping the cause of the Lord Jesus, resulted in their banishment from the Sanhedrin or the ruling Jewish religious council.

This is the type of thing that happens when we are being defined by God. When the Lord defines us we lose certain things in this world. But, we gain so much more by losing. We do not earn our rightness with God, but once we have come into His way of thinking and choosing, we increasingly view life differently. As we increasingly think His way and obey Him, we will grow in His wisdom. And, as a result of growing in His wisdom, we will value what He values. 

In v.59-60 of today's passage we read, "59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed."

Pilate marveled that the Lord Jesus was already dead because Roman crucifixion was a method of execution designed to prolong suffering. It was not unusual for those who were crucified to hang on for days or even weeks before they died. From John's Gospel, we learn the Lord Jesus "gave up His spirit." The significance of this wording is that it shows that the Lord Jesus was in control of the timing of His death. He did not die because His body could take no more punishment or because of blood loss. He died because He decided it was time for Him to die.

In v.61 of today's passage we read, "And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb."

Although for the disciples of the Lord Jesus His death was earth shattering, His burial was of major importance. There was no doubt that He died and then He was laid in Joseph' borrowed tomb. Underscored for these women who witnessed it all was that the Lord Jesus was really dead. Real death necessitated a grave in which the Lord Jesus was laid. He could never be our Savior had He not died. For these women who looked on, they could later validate not only His death but also His resurrection. For the part of three days His death dealt to them a heavy dose of hopelessness. 

But hope came during that Sunday morning. Unbeknown to all of His followers, the Lord Jesus would be raised by His Father from the dead. Before the light had its greatest entrance onto the stage, the darkness had to be extinguished. This what happened at His cross. He conquered sin and death. It is in John 1:5 that the Lord Jesus reminded us, "The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it." The Greek word for "overpowered" used here by the Apostle John is actually a combination of kata and lambano. Kata means defeat while lambano means a forceful grasping. Together these two words reveal the light defeated the darkness in a most extraordinary way. The Lord Jesus not only defeated darkness, He ensured the dark forces of sin and evil have been made powerless to ever overpower Him or those who belong to Him.

Matthew 27:55-56

Click here for the Matthew 27:55-56 PODCAST

55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons. ~ Matthew 27:55-56

Today, we return to our study of Matthew 27 where the Lord Jesus has just died on the cross. It is an established fact that God has a heart for the broken who are viewed by most as the least. A careful study of the Bible reveals that in God's eyes those who are considered to be the least are the most blessed. Our brokenness positions us for great encounters with God only if our hearts are bent toward Him. Broken soil has been known to yield a crop while broken clouds grant rain. Broken grain has been known to be made into bread, and broken bread has been known to yield to us strength. 

What a contrast! I find it greatly instructive that in John 3 and John 4 we find such a contrast between Nicodemus and the woman at the well. Whereas Nicodemus was a man, the woman at the well was a woman. In that day men were favored much more than women. Nicodemus was named but the woman at the well was not. Nicodemus was a Jew while the woman at the well was a hated Samaritan. While Nicodemus was a part of the "right" group, the woman at the well was a part of a despised group. Nicodemus was considered righteous while the woman at the well was considered a rejected sinner. Nicodemus was honored while the woman at the well was an outcast. While Nicodemus was educated, the woman at the well was uneducated. And, while Nicodemus met with the Lord Jesus at night, the woman at the well met with Him in the middle of the day. 

As we redirect back to today's passage God accentuates the women who were at the cross just after the Lord Jesus breathed his last breath. I find it quite instructive that as the hours rolled on there were fewer and fewer of the followers of the Lord Jesus within eyeshot of His cross. These women who had been with the Lord Jesus from the beginning of His ministry were among the very few who lingered. They uttered no words because in that moment after His death they were stunned. They were trapped in arrested silence. These ladies were the faithful ones, even though they struggled immensely to understand what was happening that day. 

The first of these women mentioned in today's passage was Mary Magdalene. She was from the town of Magdala located on the northwestern shores of the Sea of Galilee. The Jewish Talmud informs us Magdala was infamous for its prostitution. We can't be sure, but many scholars believe that Mary from Magdala, before she came to Christ, was a prostitute. This has never been truly proven. Mary's attraction to the Lord Jesus was born out of the forgiveness that He extended to her on that day  when He cast out of her seven demons. Mary was most faithful at following the Lord Jesus, more faithful than any of the disciples. She was one of those who were at His cross last and she was the very first to at be His tomb to witness His resurrection.

The second Mary mentioned in today's passage was the Mother of James the Less and of Joses. A careful study of this Mary renders the discovery that she was Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus. In Mark 6 Mary is mentioned along with her sons and daughters, siblings of the Lord Jesus. When we compare the names mentioned in Mark 6 and today's passage we find that they are the exact same. The fact that "Joses" is another form of "Joseph" allows us to conclude this was a son of Joseph the husband of Mary, the carpenter of Galilee.

The next woman who was there that day but not named by Matthew was Salome. She was the wife of Zebedee, the mother of the disciples James and John, the sons of thunder. This was the same Salome who came to the Lord requesting that her sons sit in places of honor in His kingdom. In all four gospel accounts, there is a record of the presence of these women at the cross. Additionally, in each of the synoptic gospels, the detail of the women watching "from a distance" is noted. These same three women were together on the third day when they brought spices to the tomb of the Lord to anoint Him. When they encountered the angel who told them that the Lord Jesus was risen, they ran to tell the disciples the good news. Mark’s gospel is the only one that mentions Salome by name.

All of these women started out at the foot of the cross, hoping for some miracle that would make sense out of it all the events of that day. Then the Lord Jesus died, and they ended up on the fringe, discouraged and devastated. These women were last at the cross and the first at the tomb. The cross always unveils what is going on in our hearts. These women who were gathered at the cross of the Lord Jesus had been with Him during much of His earthly ministry. But, at this point of the narrative, theirs was a picture of hopelessness. As a result of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, they no longer had hope that God really was in control. In that moment of confusion, confusion reigned. Their faith was strong as long as everything went well, but when the bottom dropped out, their faith in Him appeared to disappear.

In the end of it all, we discover that those who are right with God are not right with this world. And, it is in those moments of hopelessness that we discover that at the cross God whispered to us to come closer to the window of our souls, closer to Him. As we respond to Him, we discover a deeper place with Him. The God of the Bible always desires something far more for us, He desires for us intimacy with Himself. Such is the nature of our fellowship with the God of the Bible. It is during these times that we truly get to know Him most intimately. These times when our hearts seem to be too broken that we wonder if we can be filled. It is in these most desperate moments that we struggle with reality only to discover that He is the only real one. All of this is good even though we once thought it to be the worst. It is out of such that we discover the greatest things like the fact that the light shines its brightest through the cracks created by our brokenness.

Matthew 27:51-54

Click here for the Matthew 27:51-54 PODCAST

51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!" ~ Matthew 27:51-54

Today, we return to our study of Matthew 27 where we find ourselves observing the events that took place while the Lord Jesus hung on His cross. It was 9:00am on the Friday of Passover week. For the first three hours, the scene was dominated by the lesser characters in the story. At noon the focus changed. The most significant event in the history of this world took place when God entered into time and space and paid the penalty for our sin. It was during those three hours of darkness that the Son of God, the light of the world was made sin for all who believe that His death paid the debt that our sin created. The darkness surrounding His cross was reminiscent of that dark night in Egypt when the angel of death killed the firstborn of those who had not applied the blood of the sacrificial lamb to the doorposts of their homes. 

In v.51-53 of today's passage we read, "51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many."

Once the Lord Jesus breathed His last breath, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. In that moment sinful man was given an option to change the trajectory of his eternity. The tearing of the veil was God's vertical declaration that we could enjoy a personal relationship with Him through the forgiveness earned for us by His Son. And now, there is no longer any need for earthly temples, altars, sacrifices, or priests, because God has fulfilled all righteousness through the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. 

When the Lord Jesus died, not only did the veil experience ripping, there was also a massive earthquake and graves were opened. Since it was 3:00 in the afternoon there were undoubtedly many people in the temple that day engaged in their worship of God. With the earthquake God interrupted worship at the temple with the message found in Jeremiah 31 which reads, "31 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." 

When the Lord Jesus died believers in the God of the Bible who had died before were raised from the dead on that Sunday. There is a reason why Matthew is the only one of the gospel writers who accentuated this resurrection. He wrote his gospel account to a Jewish audience who on the basis of Daniel 12:2 expected their Messiah to be resurrected soon after His arrival to this earth. Matthew wrote to underscore the fact that with Christ's sacrifice came the end of the Jewish Law.  

In v.54 of today's passage we read, "So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, 'Truly this was the Son of God!'"

A Roman centurion was the commander of a hundred men which was called a century. When the earth quaked this centurion saw it and everything associated with it and he concluded along with his men the Lord Jesus to be the Son of God. This particular officer was in charge of the soldiers who were guarding the crucified body of the Lord Jesus. It was these soldiers who mocked the Lord Jesus and gambled for His clothing. Most importantly, they were the ones who witnessed His entire crucifixion from beginning to end. They had seen crucifixions before, yet they had never seen someone respond as the Lord did that day. These were hardened men, yet, they heard the Lord Jesus pray for His murderers. They heard His cries to His Father. They heard Him promise paradise to the repentant thief who had been cursing Him just moments before. 

And then, they experienced the impossible: darkness in the middle of the day. The skies for three hours were dark. It was then that an earthquake violently shook the earth. They could no longer ignore what was happening. The darkness, the earthquake, and then the final breath of the Lord Jesus spoke a different story from all of the other crucifixions they had witnessed. And, it had an impact on this centurion. It was at that moment he said, "Truly this was the Son of God!" 

Matthew 27:45-50

Click here Matthew 27:45-50 PODCAST

45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" 47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!" 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. 49 The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him." 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. ~ Matthew 27:45-50

Today, we continue our study of Matthew 27 where we witnessed the miraculous conversion of one of the two thieves who hung on the cross next to the Lord Jesus. What a contrast between those two. The first was hardened by sin while the other had been broken by sin. As the hours passed on the cross, one of the two openly acknowledged his sin. Then, out of his brokenness, he confessed the sinlessness of the Lord Jesus, affirming His claim as the Son of Man. This is one of the greatest scenes ever, demonstrating how a person moves from the dark into the light. It was his brokenness that enabled him to see the Lord Jesus anew and this moment he began to see the light of eternity.

Like the prodigal, this man once ruled by sin came to the end of himself. This is where true repentance begins, when we come to the end of ourselves. The thief on the cross was made aware of his sinfulness, then he confessed it to the only One who could forgive Him. This is the picture of true repentance. He did not blame the evil influences in his life for his sinfulness. He came to the realization that he was standing on the edge of eternity and he needed the mercy and grace of God. Then, he begged for forgiveness from the only One who could give it. Earlier he had heard the Lord Jesus pray, "Father, forgive them." It was then that he saw that as soon as the blood of the Lord Jesus began to flow, he heard Him interceding which is what moved Him to ask for forgiveness. 

In v.45-46 of today's passage we read, "45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'" 

Darkness covered the earth for three hours that afternoon. It was an object lesson as God judged our sin in the body of the Lord Jesus. In the Old Testament the high priest on Yom Kippur, also known as Passover, went into the holiest place through the veil in darkness to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat. In doing so, forgiveness for sin was granted by God for those willing enough to believe. The transaction was made alone, in secrecy and under the cover of darkness. It was a holy transaction between earth and heaven that took place in the dark.

The people lived in the darkness when the Lord Jesus came to this earth. He came to give us light, the light of His salvation. The physical reality of darkness pictured the spiritual reality of the reign of sin and death to that point. Darkness speaks of evil in the Bible and light speaks of all that is right. The cross of the Lord Jesus was the worst crime ever committed by humanity. They tried to extinguish the Light of the World but they failed to do it. "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it." 

Many today don't like the cross because it is a reminder of their sinfulness. But, a gospel that doesn't have at its core the cross is powerless. Its power comes from its message: There is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends. This is, of course, what the Lord Jesus did for us on that day so many years ago.

Before the Passover lamb was sacrificed in Egypt, the ninth plague was darkness over all of Egypt for three days. It was a darkness they acutely felt. It was the object lesson spelling out God's judgment on sin. And then, the tenth plague was the death of the firstborn picturing the death of God's firstborn Son. The Lord by this time had already spoken three times while hanging on the cross. This saying from the Lord Jesus, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' was the only saying of the Lord Jesus from the cross that Matthew recorded. It revealed the separation from fellowship with His Father that the Lord experienced. He was not separated from the nature of the Father, He was separated from fellowship with the Father. The Lord Jesus spoke these words as the Father was judging our sin in His body as He hung on that tree. God treated the Lord Jesus like we deserved to be treated, so that He could treat us like the Lord Jesus deserved to be treated. 

In v.47 of today's passage we read, "Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, 'This Man is calling for Elijah!'"

When the Lord Jesus said, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?,' the people thought He was calling for Elijah because it was their practice that if they were in a time of great distress, they could pray to Elijah and he would deliver them. They also knew that the Old Testament promised Elijah would also come before the Messiah, according to Malachi 4. So, when they said "This man is calling for Elijah," they were mocking Him on the notion of the joke that the Lord Jesus thought He was the Messiah. But, God the Father poured out His wrath on His Son that day, so that He would not have to pour it out upon us. The Lord Jesus was damned, so that you and I would not be damned. He was excluded so that we could be included.

In v.48-49 of today's passage we read, "48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. 49 The rest said, 'Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.'"

This scene was the fulfillment of Psalm 69:21 when they offered the Lord Jesus this sour wine. The promise of the Old Testament was that this would occur at the death of the Messiah. Earlier He had been offered gall, the Lord Jesus didn’t drink it, because gall was a pain killer to try to lessen the pain. The Lord Jesus refused the gall because he wanted the full impact of the suffering. The sour wine was a cheap wine that was there for the soldiers to quench their thirst. The soldiers offered it to the Lord Jesus because they wanted to prolong the life of the Lord Jesus. 

In Exodus 12, during the Passover night in Egypt when the death angel came, if he saw the blood of the sacrificed lamb applied on the door posts, he would not kill the firstborn therein. In obedience to God, the believing Jews applied to the doorpost the blood of the lamb using hyssop. Reminiscent of those Passover Lambs who shed their blood and secured the firstborn therein, the Lord Jesus is our Passover Lamb. 

In v.50 of today's passage we read, "And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit." 

Just before the Lord Jesus died, John tells us He cried out "Tetelestai" which means "It is finished." Tetelestai is a financial term used when a debt is paid in full. The death of the Lord Jesus on the cross was more than enough to pay the debt that our sin had created. And, in the end, God won the battle between good and evil, the war between life and death.  

The Lord Jesus bore the wrath of God for every sin ever committed. It means that the work for our salvation is fully complete. There is nothing left to do other than to receive the benefits of His work, to put our faith in the One who offered his life as a sacrifice for sin. It means His work on the cross plus nothing equals His perfection applied to us who believe in Him. The Lord Jesus came to secure for us what we could never secure for ourselves. He finished the work that God sent Him to do. The irony of it all is that a dead man overcame sin and death. While being killed as a blasphemer, the Lord Jesus made it possible for the very people who blasphemed Him to be pronounced the children of God.

Matthew 27:35-44

Click here for the Matthew 27:35-44 PODCAST

35 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: "They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." 36 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. 39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross." 41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 42 "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. 43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'" 44 Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. ~ Matthew 27:35-44

Today, we return to our study of Matthew 27 where we have just witnessed the Roman soldiers volunteer Simon of Cyrene to help the Lord Jesus get to Golgotha with His crossbeam. As we learned last time, what started out as something very unwanted by Simon ended up being the greatest blessing ever. Such is the case with the ways of God. If we give Him enough time, He will work miracles in and through our lives.

In v.35 of today's passage we read, "Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: 'They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.'"

At nine in the morning the Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross. He was there for six hours, from 9am until 3pm. All four gospel writers found it most difficult to go into the details of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. None of them described the driving of the nails into His hands and feet. They all four just wrote four words to describe it: "Then they crucified him."

In this first verse of today's passage Matthew quotes Psalm 22:18, "They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." All of the four Gospels offer complementary perspectives on the crucifixion rather than providing a purely chronological report. They all confirm the central event while highlighted unique details. Matthew’s focus is on the prophecy while Mark is on the suffering of the Lord Jesus. Luke focuses on the compassion shown by the Lord Jesus towards others, while John focuses us on God's sovereignty over the whole event.

The prediction written here was made hundreds of years before this event was fulfilled by the Romans. According to Roman law, the property of the victim became the property of the executioners. The Roman soldiers "cast lots" to see which of them would get the clothing of the Lord Jesus. Their hardened hearts prevented them from seeing the real narrative which was unfolding before their eyes. They had long been trained by this world's values so much so they could not see from an eternal point of view. Because of this they had no interest in the greatest story ever told.

In v.36-37 of today's passage we read, "36 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."

In those days the Romans included a sign above the criminal who was being crucified to explain why He was there on His cross. The sign above the Lord Jesus was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek due to where He died. Since the Lord Jesus was not guilty of any crime, Pilate simply had written above Him, "THIS IS JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS." Matthew's gospel records it this way. Mark, Luke, and John record part of the saying. Pilate knew that the Lord Jesus was innocent. He knew that out of envy the religious leaders had conjured up lies about Him. This explains the sign above Him that day. I find it interesting that only non-Jews ever used the title "King of the Jews" to describe the Lord Jesus. This seemingly insignificant observation magnifies the truth found in John 1:11, which reads, "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." The Apostle John used the word "own" twice. The first time it is used, it is written in the neuter. The second, it is written in the masculine. The first "own" refers to created things, whereas the second refers to the people. His creation received Him, whereas His people didn't.  

This underscores the fact that faith is not a result of being provided more miracles or more truth. No, faith is about the informed bowing of our will to the One who created us. When we place our faith in the Lord Jesus, He will go from being our Creator to being our Re-Creator. He recreates us through His choice to bow His will to the plan of the Father. At the place of the skull, He paid the penalty that separated us from God. And, it is our faith that activates His work to begin in our souls.

In v.38-40 of today's passage we read, "38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. 39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, 'You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.'"

The word translated "robbers" can also be translated "rebels." These guys who were crucified next to the Lord Jesus were friends of Barabbas, who was himself a rebel. The Lord Jesus Christ died the death of a rebel on behalf of rebels. These criminals were equally close to the Lord Jesus. One was saved and the other was lost; one went to heaven while the other went to hell. Both just as close, same opportunity, forever separated; one in glory and the other in eternal punishment. 

The Lord Jesus is the dividing line between death and life. What makes the difference is the choice we make regarding Him. One choice results in a hard heart and the other results in a soft heart. The Lord Jesus did everything for both of these men but only one received the free gift of eternal life. That's the whole idea of Christianity; we do not get into heaven by being reformed. We get into heaven through the death of the Lord Jesus who paid the price required by God in order to make it possible for us to enter into heaven.

The prophecy found in Isaiah 53:12, "And He was numbered with the transgressors" was fulfilled as the Lord Jesus hung on His cross. Think of the possibilities of arranging this. It is simply humanly impossible. The Lord Jesus fulfilled over one hundred Old Testament prophecies when He was crucified. Had He not died the way He did, we would have no hope for eternity. The Romans and the Jews hurled their abuses at Him, but He never once defended Himself. 

Everything that day screamed for the Lord Jesus to come down from the cross. His friends had abandoned Him, the Romans were killing Him, and his countrymen were mocking Him. And, in the middle of all of this, we learn a valuable lesson from the Lord Jesus who was led by His Father to that God-forsaken place. The other voices told Him to "come down." Those voices threatened His identity. We must resist those voices for ourselves because those voices demand that we must prove our value. This is what the Lord Jesus was dealing with while on the cross. His identity was firmly rooted in His Father's love for Him so that we could know His love for us. 

In v.41-44 of today's passage we read, "41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 42 'He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. 43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.' 44 Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing."

The religious leaders wanted the Lord Jesus to come down from the cross so that they, allegedly, might believe in Him. What they didn't understand, if He had come down, their faith in Him would have been meaningless. Of course, it is very questionable that their statement about believing in Him was authentic. After all He had given them so much truth and so many miracles, had He performed one more miracle would not have made a difference. The Lord Jesus resisted the temptation to come down from that cross, so that you and I would not be resisted by God. He hung there suspended between heaven and earth, so that you and I could transcend to heaven. He was abandoned so that we would not be abandoned.

Matthew 27:32-34

Click here for the Matthew 27:32-34 PODCAST

32 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. 33 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, 34 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. ~ Matthew 27:32-34

Today, we continue our study of Matthew 27 where the Lord Jesus Christ has just endured a horrible beating at the hands of Pontius Pilate's soldiers. The earthly journey of the Lord to the cross did not begin 33 years earlier, it began in eternity past. This was no surprise to God, it was a part of His plan to redeem rebellious mankind. C.S. Lewis once said, "It costs God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert rebellious wills cost Him crucifixion." As we enter back into the narrative, we discover the Lord Jesus so weak from loss of blood that He was physically unable to carry His cross. This set the stage for today's sub-story which is where God is most acutely found.

In v.32 of today's passage we read, "Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross."

From Pilate’s residence to Golgotha, the place where the Lord Jesus was crucified, was only a few hundred yards. These would be the final steps of the Lord Jesus on this earth until He returns at His Second Coming. His walk to the place of His crucifixion was a display of humiliation highlighted by Him carrying His crossbeam which was tied to Him. The cross weighed between 75 and 100 pounds. Since the Lord Jesus struggled so to carry His cross, the Roman soldiers forced a man named Simon from Cyrene to carry it for Him. 

Simon was an African from Cyrene or as we know it today, Libya. He was an African Jew who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and he just so happened to be walking by as the Lord Jesus was struggling to carry His cross. The moment Simon was ordered to carry the Lord's cross, I am sure he thought, "I am in the wrong place at the wrong time." However, things were not as they first appeared. As is always the case, in God’s providence Simon was at "the right place at the right time." There are no coincidences with God. In Mark's gospel we are given the names of Simon's two sons, Alexander and Rufus. When Mark wrote his gospel these two were still alive. As a result of today's story, Simon and his two sons came to faith in the Lord Jesus as their Savior. In addition, today's story has long been corroborated.

In Romans 16:13 we read, "Greet Rufus chosen in the Lord and his mother." This Rufus was the son of Simon from Cyrene. Also, in Acts 13:1, we read, "In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul." Simeon is a variant name for Simon who became a leader of the church in Antioch with other Christians from Cyrene.

On that day that the Roman soldier seized Simon to carry the cross for the Lord, he was ordered to do something he did want to do. In that moment, Simon could not possibly see what the Lord had in mind for him. God used the crucifixion of His Son to get to the heart of Simon the father of Alexander and Rufus. Simon thought he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but, in time the whole scenario changed. I find that to be the case in my life. If I just give God enough time, He has always been known to make sense even out of my most unwanted of moments.

In addition, it just so happened that a certain man was being crucified next to the Lord Jesus that day in Jerusalem. Perhaps for the first time in his life, this unnamed criminal had the time to talk to and to listen to God. At one point he asked the Lord Jesus to remember him when He entered into His kingdom. To that random man that awful day, the Lord Jesus gave assurance of salvation and eternal life. Again, there are no coincidences with God. That day the sovereignty of God slayed the idea of coincidences for the thief on the cross as it did for Simon.

Citing coincidence is how we humans explain unexpected events and surprise meetings. But, just because we are taken by surprise does not mean that God is shocked. Scripture is clear that God allows sinful humans to make mistakes and reap the consequences of those mistakes, but only a sovereign God could also promise that He will make "All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose." In ways known only to God, He takes even our mistakes and weaves them together to fulfill His purposes which always render the best results for us. Just like Simon of Cyrene, the criminal that hung next to the Lord Jesus was not at all in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was exactly where he should have been. In response faith in the God of the Bible was born in that man that day. With our sovereign God, there are no coincidences. 

In v.33-34 of today's passage we read, "33 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, 34 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink."

Golgotha means "the place of the skull" and it is located just outside the Damascus gate in the northern wall of Jerusalem. It is called the place of the skull because it looks like a human skull. This is where the Roman soldiers led the Lord Jesus to be crucified. I find it most striking that God allowed little ole man to order Him around. In doing so, the Lord Jesus illustrated the greatest display of strength for He gave up the right and the ability to exact His power on the lesser. 

The Lord Jesus was offered wine at two separate times while He hung on the cross. The first wine was mixed with myrrh. It was designed to dull His pain, to keep him from having to endure the cross with full consciousness. He refused the first wine because He knew He had to endure the full wrath of God for you and me. For our sake, the Lord Jesus died the most painful of deaths, out of love for us. He drank the second wine which was given to keep Him conscious for as long as possible, and thus it prolonged His pain. Though it was a sinister attempt by the Romans to be entertained by His suffering for longer, He yielded His will yet again. When we look at the Cross we see God’s incredible faithfulness to the promises He has given. There is nothing, not even the instinct to spare His own Son, that would have turned God from keeping His word.