And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
Church For All Nations
The final commission of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ before He ascended into heaven
Reaching every Nation with the Love of Christ Jesus
Image of
Jesus Christ
The Resurrection of Jesus!
Matthew 28.1-10
V1 Jesus had been laid in the unused tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea, as it was the eve of Passover, the body of Jesus was just wrapped in a linen cloth, it would be after the Passover had finished that they would be able to look after the body of Jesus properly with prepared spices as was the Jewish burial Custom.
When reading the gospels, don’t just read one gospel as you will only get part of the truth. The gospel of Matthew only mentions that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb.
We see in Marks gospel that the names of the women were given more clearly:
And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. Mark 16:1
One of the major concerns was, who would roll the stone away? The stone itself would have been a round circular stone measuring between four to six feet and weighing several thousands of pounds. I would imagine that it would take three or four very strong men to move the stone away from in front of the entrance to the tomb but God had already sent to them the help that was needed.
V2 A severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord had descended from heaven and had rolled away the stone, and sat upon the rolled away stone.
The proof of Christ resurrection, we have here the testimony of the angel, as the angel gave testimony of the birth of Jesus, we now see the testimony of the angel announcing the resurrection of Jesus and the fulfilment of prophecy.
Jesus was in the bowels of the earth for three days according to His word:
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Matthew 12:40
After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Hosea 6:2
V3-7. The appearance was so bright that the guards who were guarding the tomb shook with fear and became as dead men.
The stone had the seal of Israel so that no man could touch it but an angel from heaven has the power to break the seal of Israel and is able to roll away the stone, it doesn’t matter of the size and weight of the stone it would have been easily moved by the angel. Let us now see read what Matthew Henry’s commentary has to say:
Thus the captives of the mighty are taken away. The angel’s sitting upon the stone, when he had rolled it away, is very observable, and bespeaks a secure triumph over all the obstructions of Christ’s resurrection. There he sat, defying all the powers of hell to roll the stone to the grave again. Christ erects his seat of rest and seat of judgment upon the opposition of his enemies; the Lord sitteth upon the floods. The angel sat as a guard to the grave, having frightened away the enemies’ black guard; he sat, expecting the women, and ready to give them an account of his resurrection.
The most wonderful message from the angel since angel visited the shepherds in the fields announcing the birth of Jesus.
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Matthew 28:5-6
He is not Dead, He is Alive!
The women were instructed to quickly go and tell the disciples that Christ had risen and will go before them into Galilee.
Next Sunday
A walk with Jesus following His Resurrection.