JESUS is RISEN and WITH US – Matthew 28

“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. 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. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.” Matthew 28:1-3

They were on their way to the tomb of Jesus when a great earthquake happened. Not a little tremor! I have experienced tremors twice. The ground felt like Jello for a moment. A great earthquake would have really shook things up. In a sense, this earthquake validates what God was doing! God was shaking things up.

This was the second earthquake in three days’ time. Matthew 27:50-55 tell us that there was an earthquake when Jesus yielded up His Spirit. “Rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.” The Good Friday quake caused hard rocks to break into pieces.

Do we have any hard rocks in our lives that need broken up?

Graves were opened! This opening of graves was a good thing. Saints arose from the dead and appeared to many after Jesus’ resurrection. This created a dilemma for the ones trying to keep Jesus buried. Not only did Jesus resurrect from the dead, so did many others. People who died in the Lord, now appeared to many. Empirical evidence that Jesus was and is God’s Son.

An angel of the Lord descended from heaven. I see a connection between this angel and the earthquake. Jesus reveals three earthquakes in Revelation 6:12, 8:5, 16:18 that are connected to angels releasing judgments on earth. In a sense, the resurrection of Jesus is a judgment. The present delusional world condemned Jesus, but God raised Him from the dead. His resurrection affirmed that He is God’s Son and the Savior of the world. His resurrection means Jesus is true.

That great stone that so proudly stood against Jesus, became a perch for a glorious angel. The angel’s countenance was like lightning. Extremely bright! His clothing as white as snow. When the guards saw him, they shook and became like dead men.

“But the angel answered and said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 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.’ So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to bring His disciples Word.” Matthew 28:4-8

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid.” He didn’t say that to the guards. They needed to be afraid. The angel said to the women, “I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

Perhaps, they wondered what Jesus looked like. He had been beaten, bruised, bloodied and buried. In Isaiah 52:14, the Bible says, “His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.”

The angel showed the women the inside of the tomb... EMPTY! WOW! No other founder of a religion left behind an empty tomb.

The angel said to the women, “Go quickly... How should they go? ...Quickly! This reminds me when David faced the giant Goliath. Scripture says that David ran at him. May the Lord help us to run with the Gospel. So many people need to hear it.

The angel told the women to tell the disciples of Jesus that He is risen from the dead. They became the first people to preach the Gospel after the resurrection. The angel told them, “Jesus is going before you into Galilee.” Galilee is a fishing area 80 miles from Jerusalem.

“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. 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

How amazing to meet an angel! Then, while experiencing a mix of fear and immense joy, they met Jesus. They worshipped Him! Jesus greeted them with the word... “Rejoice!” He gave them permission to be happy! Leave behind sadness! It is a new day. It is a new beginning!

How did the women respond? They held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. They were happy to see Him! Jesus told them, “Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” This is the same message the angel told them. It is the same message Jesus told His disciples during the Passover meal in Matthew 26:32, He told them, “After I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

“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. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, ‘Tell them, His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept. And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.’ 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

How many people are being paid by corrupt officials today to spread lies about Jesus?

“Then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.” Matthew 28:16-17

What is the significance of returning to Galilee? Galilee is the place where everything began for them. In Galilee, they left everything to follow Jesus. Returning to Galilee would trigger memories of those earlier days. Now, they could view His past miracles and teachings from a post-resurrection perspective. When the disciples saw Jesus, they worshiped Him.

“Some doubted!” Faith is a gift! It comes from God! Once, I heard a Jewish man say, “I hear everything you are saying about Jesus. It is like it is right here.” He put his hand about four inches in front of his eyes. His words reminded me of what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:14-16, “Their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” Those who doubted heard the right message, but they needed to turn toward Jesus for help to believe it. Conversion and salvation is of the Lord!

“And Jesus came 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 of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 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

Jesus spoke of the Trinity when He called His disciples to baptize people in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Priests in the Old Testament washed in a basin before proceeding to do their priestly services for God and others. According to Revelation 1:8 and 2 Peter 2:9, Christ “has made us kings and priests to His God and Father.” We are “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, proclaiming the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Therefore, we do gladly accept and act on the Lord’s command to be baptized in the Name of the Triune God. As we do what He commands, He fills us with His Holy Spirit. Acts 5:32 says that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him.

Jesus commanded His disciples to make more disciples. The goal is to teach what Jesus taught.

Discipling requires reliance on the Lord. Sometimes, disciples take two steps forward and one back. They promise but don’t do. They say they understand but don’t. They hold onto bad habits and bad relationships. How often is God exasperated with people in the Bible? We should daily pray to God for our disciples and for ourselves.

With God all things are possible! Interestingly, it has been noted that the first two letters of the word GOD from left to right are G-O and the last two letters of GOD from right to left are D-O.

Nick Vujicic is a man who was born without limbs. He has spoken over 3,500 times in more than 84 countries. His work has reached millions of people globally. He has addressed 10 national governments and met 31 Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Prime Ministers. He has a saying that he often repeats, “When you put a GO in front of DISABLED, it spells GOD IS ABLED.”

The last prayer in the Bible is recorded in Revelation 22:20-21. The prayer is a response to Jesus saying, “Surely I am coming quickly.” The prayer is, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” Then, the last line of the Bible is a blessing: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

The good news is that Jesus is alive and He is with us! G.K. Chesterton was once asked, “What would you do differently if you knew that Jesus, the Son of God, was standing right behind you.” Chesterton retorted, “He is!”

Before our Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, He told His disciples, and by extension all of us who believe in Him, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Knowing that Jesus is with us helps us to go forward each day despite facing great challenges. The Lord calls us to place our concerns in His hands, and His promise to us in Psalm 138:8 is, “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me. Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever!”