Come & See, Go & Tell!
Matthew 28:1-20
Introduction:
"You don't go look at where it happened," said Scott Goodyear, speaking of race-car drivers who have been killed in crashes at the Indianapolis 500. "You don't watch the films of it on television. You don't deal with it. You pretend it never happened."
The Speedway operation itself encourages this approach. As soon as the track closes the day of a fatal accident, a crew heads out to paint over the spot where the car hit the wall.
Drivers and fans don’t like to think about the possibility of more drivers dying on the track. When the implications of the truth are hard to deal with, our tendency is to try to deny it or block it out. The painted walls doesn’t change the fact that 40 drivers have died there.
Some people don’t want to think about the consequences they will face if Jesus is in fact resurrected from the dead. The implications of Jesus’ resurrection are hard to deal with. People therefore try to deny the resurrection of Christ ever happened.
We ask ourselves, “Why would people want to deny the resurrection?” After all, think of all of the wonderful implications of this truth: Jesus’ resurrection proves He is God’s Son; it validates the promises and claims Jesus made during His ministry; it proves His victory over sin and death; it assures us of our own future resurrection and inheritance.
While there are wonderful implications of the resurrection for those of us who trust in Christ, there are frightening implications for those who reject Him. The fact of Jesus’ resurrection is also proof of future judgment. Luke wrote in Acts 17:31– “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
Jesus’ resurrection proves Jesus will one day judge the world. People who are committed to sinful, selfish living deny His resurrection because they recognize and don’t want to deal with its implications.
We recently observed an example of an attempt to dismiss the resurrection of Jesus as a made up story. The Discovery Channel recently aired a documentary produced by James Cameron entitled, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus.” The claim of this program is that Jesus and His family member’s ossuaries (bone boxes) were found in a tomb in a suburb of Jerusalem. What “proof” is presented as the basis for the claim that this is Jesus’ tomb?
In the bone boxes, inscriptions were supposedly found of the following names, “Jesus, son of Joseph; Mary; Mary the teacher or master (supposedly Mary Magdelene); Judah, son of Jesus, Jose (Joseph), and Matthew. A statistical study was done that concluded the probability factor is in the order of 600 to 1 that an equally “surprising” cluster of names, all Biblical names connected with and including Jesus’, would arise purely by chance under given assumptions. This therefore must be Jesus’ tomb. This “proof” is riddled with problems.
Given how common all these names were at the time of Jesus, it is not as unlikely as James Cameron would like us to believe that these names would all appear together in a common tomb. According to the catalogue of names archaeologists have produced, listing the ossuary names they have discovered , the names mentioned in the documentary are among the 10 most common male names and the four most common female names at the time of Jesus.
This lost tomb was discovered in 1980, 27 years ago. If there is in fact any convincing evidence supporting the claims made in the documentary, certainly the archaeologists who made the initial discovery would have brought it to light long ago.
If this is a family burial place, how did Jesus’ family who were residents of Galilee, not Jerusalem, manage in the aftermath of His death to buy tomb space, while also finding a way to steal His body from a closely guarded tomb? Ossuaries like this one were associated with wealthy families. How did a carpenter’s family afford this plot? If this is a family burial, where is there any evidence that Matthew and Mary Magdelene were related to Jesus? If this is a family burial, then why do we only find the name of one half brother (Joseph) and not the names of Jesus’s other half-brothers?
The biggest problem with the claims of this documentary is that they deny what the inerrant, infallible Word of God tells us about Jesus–“He is risen, just as He said.”
Stories and claims set forth to deny the resurrection of Christ are nothing new. The list of “proofs” put forth to deny Christ’s resurrection is large and continually growing, but all of them are just like the paint used to cover the marks cars make when they crash into the walls of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. You can do all you want to try to cover up and deny what happened, but it does nothing to change the truth. The truth is Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, just as He said.
Jesus’ resurrection is undeniable fact (Matthew 28:1-10):
The angel’s announcement (28:1-7)
He comes down from heaven with a message from God
The angel of the Lord’s grand and glorious entrance on the scene demonstrates that God sent him. There is a violent earthquake. The angel rolls away the huge stone that sealed Christ’s tomb and sits on it. His appearance is like lightning and his clothes are as white as snow. The guard’s shake in fear and become like dead men in his presence.
All of this points to something going on that is of a supernatural nature–God has sent His angel with an important message.
He reminds the women visiting the tomb of Jesus’ prediction
The angel tries to calm the women’s fears-“Do not be afraid.” He acknowledges their purpose for coming–“You are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.” They had come to the tomb with spices to anoint Jesus’ body, thinking He was still dead (Mark 16:1), but they don’t find Him there. The angel proclaims what happened– “He is not here; He has risen, just as he said.” The resurrection of Jesus shouldn’t have taken these women by surprise. Jesus taught the truth of His resurrection repeatedly:
Matthew 16:21-“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (See also Matthew 17:22; 20:18-19).
He invites them to come and see the empty tomb
The women are allowed to see the evidence for themselves. We know from John’s gospel account that in the tomb all they saw lying there were strips of linen and the burial cloth that had been placed around Jesus’ head (John 20:6-7), but Jesus wasn’t there.
He instructs them to go and tell Jesus’ disciples the good news
The women are told to tell Jesus’ disciples that He is risen and that He is going ahead of them to Galilee.
The fact that women serve as the witnesses to the disciples of the fact of the resurrection is a clear demonstration of the credibility and truth of God’s Word. If the gospel’s were only propaganda promoting something that really wasn’t true, then women would not have been selected to serve as witnesses.
Lee Strobel points out, “Women in first-century Jewish culture were not given credibility in a court of law; their testimony was not considered reliable. So why do the Gospel writers say that women discovered the empty tomb, even though it hurts their case in view of their audience? I believe it’s because they were trying to accurately record what actually took place.”
Jesus’ sudden appearance (Matthew 28:7-10)
The women don’t have to depend only on the angel’s testimony. Jesus’ suddenly appears to greet them as they hurry away from the tomb.
The women clasp Jesus’ feet-this is not a hallucination
Some claim that Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances were nothing more than hallucinations. This theory begs the question, “How did the women visiting Jesus’ tomb embrace Jesus’ feet if He was not physically in their presence, but was only a hallucination?” Also, to say Jesus’ appearances were hallucinations still doesn’t answer where Jesus’ body went and why it’s never been produced. The fact is, Jesus is risen and He possesses a glorified, resurrected body.
The women worship Jesus–this is their Lord
Jesus repeats the instruction the angel gave
Just as the angel had already done, Jesus instructs the women, “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Before Jesus’ death, He said to His disciples-“But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee” (Matthew 26:32). Amazing! Jesus not only predicted the fact of His resurrection, but also the place at which He would be reunited with His disciples after His resurrection. This fulfilled prophecy confirms about Jesus that He is who He said He is and that we can trust Jesus to do all He said He will do. The resurrection of Christ is undeniable fact, but just the same, people try to deny it.
The leaders of Israel confirm their rejection of Christ by promoting a deliberate lie
(28:11-15)
They bribe the guards to report that Jesus’ disciples stole his body
The guards of Jesus’ tomb are in a tough spot. The Roman seal on the tomb, representing the power and authority of the Roman government, is broken, the stone is rolled away, and Jesus’ body is gone. A failure in duty like this was punishable by death (Acts 12:19; 16:27-28). The soldiers, however, are shrewd. Instead of reporting to their superiors what happened, they report to the chief priests. They know these men will be anxious to cover up and deny what happened.
The chief priests, elders, and soldiers get together to make up a story that would explain Jesus’ disappearance–His body was stolen! They give the soldiers a large sum of money to spread this lie. The chief priests assure the guards that if the governor gets word of their derelict of duty, they would satisfy him and keep them out of trouble–probably meaning they would pay a handsome sum in bribe money. The soldiers take the money they were offered and spread their lie far and wide.
The guard’s fabricated story is not at all credible, but people believe it anyway. Why is the guards’ story not even a good lie? Consider all of these problems: How do the guards know what happened to Jesus’ body if they were sleeping when His body disappeared? How would the disciples have managed to roll away the stone and steal Jesus’ body without waking up the guards? Shouldn’t the guards’ admission to sleeping on the job have raised suspicion?
Where would the disciples have mustered the resources and courage to overcome the armed, Roman guards? Even if the disciples could have pulled this off, would they have later risked their lives and accepted beatings for someone they knew was a fraud?
Why do so many believe and continue to spread this lie?
A lie is easier to believe than the truth when we don’t like the implications of the truth
Mark Twain wrote, “A lie can go around the world while truth is still lacing up her boots.” Why is this? People, by nature, don’t want to face the truth. We don’t like it’s implications. Try as we may to cover over the truth and deny it exists–it is still there. The truth is, whether we accept it or not–Jesus is risen from the dead.
How do you respond to the truth of the resurrection?
The women at the tomb respond with joy and worship. They demonstrate by their actions that they believe in Jesus. The guards and the leaders of Israel reject Jesus and make the willful decision to spread a deliberate lie about Him. What about you? Do you believe in Jesus or are you rejecting Him?
There are probably some in this room this morning who would be surprised to learn that though they think they have accepted Jesus, they are in fact rejecting Him. How does a person accept Jesus? We receive Jesus and become His child by believing in Him.
John 1:12- “Yet to all who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
What does it mean to believe in Jesus?
Let’s first discuss what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean mere intellectual assent to a group of facts. A lot of people believe that the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ really happened, but they still remain outside of the family of God, under the penalty of sin, and without the gift of eternal life. Why? While they have given intellectual assent to the facts about Jesus, they have yet to place their trust in Jesus.
Believing in Jesus is also more than belief in Jesus for the meeting of temporal needs. Many believe in Jesus for their finances. Others believe in Jesus to take care of their family. Still others believe in Jesus to protect them while they travel. There is one thing that all of these have in common. They are believing in Jesus for something that is of a temporal nature. While it is good to trust Jesus to meet our temporal needs, this kind of faith is not saving faith–this kind of faith doesn’t deliver us from the penalty of our sins, it doesn’t allow us to receive the gift of eternal life, it doesn’t make us a member of God’s family.
To believe in Jesus means trusting in Him alone for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. It means coming to the end of ourselves and thinking there is any good work we can do or add to what Christ has done to get us to heaven.
Allow me to use these two chairs to illustrate what the Bible means by believing in or trusting in Jesus.
(Point to the chair opposite the one you are sitting in) You believe this chair exists don’t you? Do you believe this chair would support me if I were to sit on it?
For the sake of illustration, let the chair I am sitting in represent us and this empty chair next to me represent Christ.
Many believe Jesus exists, they believe that He died and rose again, they even believe that He could help them, but they still don’t have eternal life. Why? They are still in whole or in part trusting in themselves and their own good works to get them into heaven.
Consider the following question?
Suppose you were to die accidently today and stand before God and He were to ask you, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” What would you say? What does your answer reveal about what you are really trusting in? If your answer is all of the good things you have done which you believe make you deserving of heaven, you aren’t presently on the path toward heaven. You have not yet believed in Jesus. You are still trusting in yourself to get you to heaven.
In order receive eternal life, you must transfer your trust from yourself to Jesus Christ alone.
Why do we need to trust in Jesus?
We are sinners who fall short of God’s standard.
Romans 3:23– “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
What we deserve or earn for the sins we commit is death, or separation from God.
4e problems we all have to face, but God has given us a wonderful provision to deliver us from these in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus, demonstrating God’s love, died on the cross for us.
Romans 5:8- “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Christ died in our place, taking the penalty of our sin upon Himself, in order that we might have eternal life through faith in Him.
Jesus did not stay dead. On the third day, He rose from the grave demonstrating that He has conquered sin and death for us.
God’s provision for us to be forgiven of our sins and given the gift of eternal life has been made. In order for us to receive this gift, we must trust in Jesus.
Consider what Jesus said about the resurrection hope that can be ours if we trust in Him.
John 11:25-26–“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
For those of us who have already trusted Christ before today, how do we respond to the truth of the resurrection? Are we committed to going out and telling others the good news or are we keeping it to ourselves?
The faithful followers of Christ confirm their acceptance of Him by making disciples in obedience to His command (Matthew 28:16-20)
The command of Jesus in verse 19 is to “make disciples.” He doesn’t say, “Add converts one at a time.” He says, “Make disciples.” Certainly telling people the gospel and leading them to trust in Christ to receive eternal life is an important part of the process, but it is only the beginning of the process. We are to be faithful, fruitful followers of Jesus ourselves who are involved in the process of telling others about Jesus and helping them to become faithful, fruitful followers of Jesus Christ who in turn make disciples of still others. God’s plan to reach the world isn’t one of addition, but of multiplication.
How are we doing? Warren Wiersbe makes the following observation:
“In many respects, we have departed from this pattern. In most churches, the congregation pays the pastor to preach, win the lost, and build up the saved–while the church members function as cheerleaders (if they are enthusiastic) or spectators....How much faster our churches would grow, and how much stronger and happier our church members would be, if each one were discipling another believer. The only way a local church can “be fruitful and multiply” (instead of growing by “additions”) is with a systematic discipleship program. This is the responsibility of every believer, and not just a small group who have been “called to go.”
As a church, we are on the right track. A systematic discipleship program is in place, but there is and always will be more to do and there are always more people to be involved in the process. How are you responding personally to Jesus’ command to “make disciples?”
This is a daunting task:
there are a lot of people to reach (“of all nations)
Jesus said we are responsible to make disciples of all nations–of all of the people groups of the world. There are currently 193 countries in the world. Wycliff Bible Translators estimate there are 6,912 languages spoken in the world. The world’s population is estimated to be over 6.5 billion people.
the world is hostile towards Christ’s faithful followers
As we are reminded of in this account, the world is not always friendly towards Jesus and His followers. The leaders of Israel had Jesus crucified, continued to reject Him even after His resurrection from the dead, and spread deliberate lies about Him. Even today, we can be assured as Paul told Timothy– “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).
This is a demanding task:
we are to make disciples everywhere we go
Disciplemaking is not a part time job. It is not just for the missionaries who go to another country to serve the Lord. It is a task for which every believer is responsible and it is supposed to be done wherever we go. “Go” is the participle in the sentence and should be translated “as you are going.” As you are going and wherever God puts you, make disciples there. God put you in the neighborhood where you live. Make disciples there. God put you in your work environment. Make disciples there. God put you in your group of friends and family. Make disciples there.
Disciple making is not just for pastors and missionaries. It is for you to do in the place where God put you to make disciples. I love the attitude the woman who when asked what she did for a living replied, “I am a disciple maker, cleverly disguised as an accountant.”
we are to baptize them
A part of the process of making disciples involves baptizing believers in Christ who want to make the commitment to publicly identify themselves as His followers. Through baptism, people make a statement to friends and family that they belong to Christ and want people to know what He has done for them. When someone is involved in baptizing others and when a person is baptized, others watching know these people are really serious about their commitment to Christ.
It is these committed followers of Christ who are targeted first by opposition. In a number of areas in the world, unbelieving friends and family are fine when someone professes faith in Christ. However, when that person decides to get baptized, it is then that hostility often breaks out.
we are to teach them to observe all that Christ commanded
Notice that Jesus doesn’t just say that we are to teach people all that He commanded. He says we are to teach people to observe all that He commanded. We could teach people all that Jesus commanded in a series of weekly lessons. Teaching Jesus’ commands isn’t all that hard.
Teaching people to observe all He commanded–that’s a different story. The apostle Paul understood well what this process looks like. He communicated to the Thessalonian believers whom he was involved in discipling- “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well.” The more we grow in our understanding of what disciple making is all about, the more we understand how life consuming the process is.
This is a doable task, but only as we depend on Christ’s resources:
When we consider how daunting and difficult the task of making disciples of all nation our response might be, “We can’t do it! It is beyond our ability” If we give this response, we demonstrate we have the wrong focus. We are focusing on what we think we are able to do. In this case, the task is impossible. Instead, we need to focus on Christ’s ability. He has infinite resources. He is able and this task is doable as we depend on Him. He will provide us with the resources we need to accomplish the task.
He sends us under His authority and power
He assures us of His presence
Recently, I heard the story of Dr. Wayne Border and his wife Nancy. Dr. Border was the chief Nephrologist at the University of Utah for years. Dr. Border and his wife currently work at their own lab which is sponsored by the National Institute of Health.
Over a decade ago, this couple discovered in their research the enzyme that is responsible for kidney disease that leads to kidney failure. At the time of their discovery, the news got out. ABC news covered the story nationally and Dr. Border shared his findings in speeches he gave all over the world.
Currently, this couple is trying to find a drug company that will fund and do further research to develop a drug that will serve to cure the problem. Dr. Border hasn’t been able to find anyone to sponsor this research and since he is approaching retirement and growing all the more frustrated with the system, he is about to give up. How do you respond when you hear Dr. Border is about to throw in the towel?
My response when I heard this story was–Don’t give up! You have good news! When you have good news that will help to save people’s lives, you have to do all you can to get the message out. If you die trying, then die trying–just get the good news out there!
If we respond like this to a doctor who believes he can help develop a drug to cure kidney disease, how do we react towards ourselves with regards to what we do with the good news we have. We have good news about a cure for a much more significant problem than kidney disease–DEATH. We have good news–Jesus is risen and He gives eternal life to all those who trust in Him.
Unlike Dr. Border, we don’t have to wait for further resources before we can take further steps in getting our message out. Jesus promised us the provision of His authority, power, and presence as we obey His command and make disciples of others.
We have come and seen this morning the truth of the resurrection. Will we now go and tell others? Will we tell the person we brought with us this morning? Will we tell the person we invited to come, but couldn’t? Will we tell the person we should have invited this morning, but didn’t? We have come and seen. Now, let’s go and tell others the good news–Jesus is risen!