Sermon notes

INTRODUCTION

Jesus death was not the end of His ministry, and neither is His resurrection.  He rises to commission His disciples to carry on His work to the Gentiles.  “Go” said the angel; “go,” Jesus repeated to the women; now, again, “Go” (28:7, 10, 19).

THE TEXT

“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 . . . .” (Matthew 28:11-20).

FALSE REPORT

Jesus’ resurrection is undeniable.  There was an angel, an earthquake, and the stone was rolled away, and the guards witnessed it all.  Only those determined to ignore the obvious could deny the resurrection, but the Jews are determined.  Money has been a potent force for evil in the Passion story.  Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, and now the Jews pay off the soldiers to spread a false report about the disappearance of Jesus’ body (28:11-15).  Jesus gave only one sign to “this generation,” the sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:38-41).  But the men of Nineveh were more responsive than the Jews, for they repented when Jonah rose from the death waters and preachers to them.  The Jews don’t.  They conspire to make sure that no other Jews know about the sign.

THEY WORSHIPED HIM

As instructed, the disciples go to Galilee, where Jesus comes to them.  The Magi were the first to worship the king of the Jews (2:2, 11).  Now that Jesus has been raised, the eleven remaining disciples join in (28:16).  This is no ordinary bow; they prostrate themselves in total submission to Jesus, acknowledging that he is God.  He was identified as “Immanuel” at the beginning of the gospel (1:23), and now He promises that His divine presence will remain with the disciples forever (28:20; cf. Deuteronomy 31:23)).

ALL AUTHORITY

In Daniel 7, the prophet sees a vision of one like the Son of Man inheriting all authority of all the nations.  The Risen Jesus is that Son of Man.  His death and resurrection have changed everything.  Matthew hammers on the point with the repetition of the word “all”: Jesus has all authority, sends His disciples to make disciples of all nations, tells them to teach all His commandments, and promises His presence through all ages (vv. 18-20).  These “alls” are linked: Because Jesus has all authority, He sends His disciples to all nations, and all His commandments are weighty.

GO!

Matthew’s gospel recapitulates the history of Israel.  Here in these last verses, Jesus is the great World Emperor, the new Cyrus, who commissions His disciples to “go” (cf. 2 Chronicles 36:22-23).  Instead of returning to their homeland, however, Jesus sends them out , to places they’ve never been before.  They can go with confidence: Wherever they go, He’ll be waiting for them; wherever they go, they’ll be in a place under His dominion.  Throughout the gospel, Jesus has had disciples, He has been making disciples.  Now that He’s risen, His spreads out this task.  Disciples will henceforth make disciples of all nations, by baptizing and teaching all them all that Jesus taught.  All that to say: Go!