Matthew 28

Do Not Be Afraid

1Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.2And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. 5The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6”He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7”Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

8And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. 9And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.10Then Jesus *said to them, ”Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

11Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14”And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.” 15And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.

16But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ”All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.19”Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

MATTHEW 28:1-7

The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men

The guards had a lot of reasons to shake with fear. They fell down on their job, someone opened the tomb without them knowing and that was punishable by death. They had just been through an earthquake. But Matthew is clear, after seeing the angel the “Guards shook for fear of him.”

We should not confuse Angels with Rafael’s Cherubs, almost always an Angel’s first words are, “Do not be afraid.” Would a cherub have to say that? Would a cherub cause hardened Roman soldiers to freeze with fear? Look at Matthew’s description, “his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.”

To be like lightning also implies a swift and sudden, blinding appearance. It is clear the Gospel writers don’t have the words to describe the experience. Some of them use the term Phospho, a blinding light that emanates from the being, not reflecting the sun, but being like the sun or lightning in generating its own light.

Would that leave me dumbfounded? I’m quite sure it would. It is good at times to contemplate the wonder of God and remember that Jesus could have had an army of these Angels to defend him had he cried out to his Father on the cross.

When was the last time I was struck motionless with wonder? When was the last time I was dumbfounded—found dumb—with an amazing spiritual awakening?

“He has risen, just as He said”

The angel (Messenger of God) seems almost nonchalant about this statement and yet, here is the culmination of all of spiritual history. “He has risen, just as he said.”

Compare this statement to other things our culture might call “historic.” Two football teams meet up for a game and we call it historic. A year later no one can remember the name of the losing team. Two politicians go head-to-head in a heated political match, shortly after the vote is in; we have to do an Internet search for the name of the one who didn’t win. Yet, it is entitled an historic landslide.

When the angel announces Jesus is risen—just as He said—that is truly of historic significance. Creation existed for the completion of that sacrifice and all of history now hinges on it. Everything that has happened and will happen will be evaluated in light of that moment. That is “historic.”

“Said [G3004 Legō]” also means to claim or even to “bring charges.” We could almost say the angel brings charges against these women for not taking Jesus at his word. It is as if the angel is saying, “Of course he would do it—he said he would— so why are you here searching for his body?”

In other studies, and especially Luke, I wrote of the amazing love of these women. They didn’t come out of faith—their faith had been dashed—they didn’t come out of hope—their hope had died on Golgotha—they came out of pure love. They wanted to care for Jesus in his death, just as he had cared for them in his life.

It is the fruition of the love testament written by Paul to the wayward church of Corinth.

1 Corinthians 13:13-14

12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

The women saw through the mirror dimly, and yet they still came. Jesus had been tortured, crucified and buried and yet they still came. This is the perfection of love; beyond hope and beyond faith, they still had love. But the angel saw with all clarity, a clarity that comes from interacting with God on a continual basis. He came to “bring charges” to those who—despite their deep love—still missed the obvious. Jesus had risen, just as he said.

We too can be “messengers of God,” (angelic) if we speak from the surety of love and the consistency of a deep, habitual prayer life. Does my face “shine” with the beauty of God? Do I bring a message of sure and non-refuted love to a world out of hope and faith?

Conversely, do I have the love to show up in the lives of people even when my faith and hope in them have run short or even run out?

MATTHEW 28:8-10

8And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. 9And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.10Then Jesus *said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

Ran to report it to His disciples

Here is the attitude of prayer. The women ran with fear and great joy.

Fear [G501 Phobos] is a word that combines both terror and deep respect. Our fear of the Lord should lead us to great respect.

The Psalms are filled with examples of whom to fear and who doesn’t merit such expression. We are to Fear the Lord but not man.

Psalm 118:6-9

6The LORD is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?

7The LORD is for me among those who help me; therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.

8It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.

9It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.

Joy [G5479 Chara] this word means joy, desire (will) and delight. It is the Lord’s desire (will) that we delight in him. If we do so, he will shape our will (desire).

Imagine the joy our lives shall experience when our will is finally united with his desires. Such joy starts from an initial fear and reverence of God.

The news these women had received was so great they had to run to tell others. Walking wouldn’t do.

When was the last time we had such incredible news, so great we couldn’t contain it, we just had to tell it to someone and we had to do it immediately?

Perhaps a daughter telling a beloved mother about an engagement or pregnancy, news too great to wait and too incredible (even to text). She wants to tell her mom face to face. Consider the disciples running ahead of Jesus to tell their family and friends about the Lord. We have such news. We have such excitement. Do we run to share it?

“Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee”

Frequently Jesus responds to people with the statement, “Do not be afraid.” Then he backs up that assertion with a commission. “Go and...”

Jesus doesn’t want us to be immobilized by fear and he knows the cure is to “go and do...”

What fear immobilizes me and what would Jesus tell me to go and do to heal my fears? Usually my greatest fears are intimately attached to the actions I must take to heal them.

MATTHEW 28:11-15

And they took the money and did as they had been instructed

Rather than concede to the reality, these leaders concocted an ideology and became victims of their own falsehood. They would do anything they could to keep the truth from being revealed. Ideologues need followers in order to perpetuate their myths and deepen their own sense of righteousness. They recruit and evangelize; they buy out disbelief and manipulate potential minions. They don’t seek more truth; they seek more devotees. They are perfectly willing to exchange truth for more zealots, whatever the cost.

The resources it takes to perpetuate a lie are far greater than recognizing and adapting to truth. An ideologue can be recognized by her/his visceral hatred of other possibilities. Better to quash new thinking than risk being wrong. The viability and worthiness of their ideology is a distant second to the control the ideology gives the ideologue.

Ideologies do not have to be huge; they can be very personal and very local. They can be individual, familial, communal, national or global. The key tenet is that the ideologue has to evangelize, has to recruit and must protect the myth at all costs.

What myths must I protect in my life in order to maintain control? Is the majority of my energy spent protecting my own perception of the truth or being fervent in seeking the wholeness of truth—even if it contradicts my ideology? How patient am I in listening to the truths of others and helping them explore those thoughts, even if it leads to a different perception than mine?

The Psalmist prays ardently that he will walk in God’s truth, rather than his own.

Psalm 86:11

I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.

In whose truth do I walk?

MATTHEW 28:16-20

16But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ”All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth”

It is interesting that Jesus should appear to the disciples and they still doubted him. Jesus doesn’t admonish them, instead he commissions them and shares with them his authority.

Authority [G1849 Exousia] is another rich word. It means not just the power but also the right. God had granted Jesus the power and right to go forward in his name. Our Lord knew these remaining eleven disciples intimately, all their strengths and weaknesses. Even in the midst of their doubt he commissions them.

How do I respond to the doubts of others? Jesus knows that nothing dispels doubt more than efficacy in a cause. Jesus could dwell on their doubts or his authority. Do I help others deal with their doubts by giving them the ability to take risks—even if it means failure?

Nothing deepens one’s faith more than sharing it with others and having it challenged. The LDS Church understands this about its missionaries. It is not that they go out with perfect knowledge; it is that they go out in the confidence of the sending ward. Missionaries labor in an atmosphere of measured failure and a place of support to return to at the end of the day and a welcoming church community on the Sabbath.

Jesus knew and we should follow his example. In order for people to grow their faith, they need to go out and express it—however imperfectly—to others. Let God oversee the seed being planted, we don’t have to control it.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations”

Here is another “Go and do…” from Jesus. This was such a radical concept for the Jewish people of Jesus’ time. They were a religion based upon converts coming to them. The Jewish people of the time believed they were THE NATION to the point where they considered everyone else just the nations; non-descript, not worth acknowledging or knowing, let alone capitalizing.

Rather than become a community waiting on the flocks to come in, Jesus sent his disciples out as workers in the harvest.

Luke 10:2

And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

Let’s examine the exact words Jesus used so we might be well prepared to fulfill his commission in our lives as well. First, Jesus sends them to all [G3956 Pas] this includes all things, all people, all places, all backgrounds and all the time. There is no exclusivity to this Gospel; we are to go to everyone, everywhere, all the time, all the people. We have no ability to exclude anyone from this Good News. We can’t climb up and whisper in Christ’s ear at Golgotha, saying, “Lord, die for me if you will, but don’t die for those people over there, they are not worthy.”

None of us are worthy!

Romans 3:9-12

9What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10as it is written,

“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; 11THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; 12ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

Second, Jesus sends us out of our comfort zones, in fact he sends us not just to our own (in which case he would have said, “Go to THE NATION,” and the disciples would have known they were just called to their own people. Instead Jesus sends them to everyone else. The word for nations [G1484 Ethnos] means the gentiles, pagans, people and all other ethnic groups. “Go where you are uncomfortable and take my Good News there!”

All too often we are little more than candles in a chandelier factory instead of lanterns in the darkness.

Matthew 5:14-16

14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

We are called to be rivers in the desert not drops in an ocean.

Isaiah 43:19-21

19“Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it?

I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.

20“The beasts of the field will glorify Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I have given waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people.

21“The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My praise.

Where is the place that is dark and dry to me? That’s where the Holy Spirit prompts me to go. Church is for respite but Christians are for the commission. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”

THE INSTRUCTORS ENDING

Matthew the tax collector turned instructor ends the Gospel as all great instructors end a lesson with a challenging commission and action step. Not only does he recount how Jesus told his disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” but also Matthew is vicariously telling us—his students—to do the same.

Matthew, who begins with the genealogy and Mary’s birth story, ends with the Good News that humbly came into this world boldly sending us out.

Just as Jesus comes into our lives humbly, we too are sent out boldly to make a difference in the world.