What do you think of when you read the word “discipline?” Do you think of punishment received from parents, caregivers or teachers? Do you think of training designed to help you follow rules or a code of conduct? Do you think of a time when you started a new exercise regimen? Do you think of a branch of knowledge to be studied? The words “discipline” and “disciple” come from the same root word, and their share a common theme dealing with study, instruction and governing one’s behavior.
In our final devotion on the Gospel of Matthew, we are
going to talk about discipleship. As we look at Matthew 28, we are going to see
Jesus rose; priests devised a plan;
disciples went to Galilee. My hope
is that you will walk away knowing Jesus
is the risen Savior Who calls His followers to make disciples (in spite of
opposition). Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, I
ask in Jesus’ name, that You would alert us today to where we are being
discipled and where we could be discipling others. Open our minds to opportunities that You
desire for us to do each and plant those thoughts deep in our hearts and minds
and remind us of the actions we are to take until we are obedient to Your
will. Amen.
We have a lot of ground to cover in these 20 verses, so
let’s get started. We have three Divisions:
1.An angel frightened the tomb guards and he and Jesus
told Mary and Mary to tell the disciples to go to Galilee (Matt 28:1-10)
2.Some of the guards reported what happened, and the
chief priests and elders paid the soldiers to say the disciples stole the body
(Matt 28:11-15)
3.The disciples went to Galilee and saw Jesus, Who told
them to make disciples (Matt 28:16-20)
Read Matthew 28:1.
The scene at the tomb was not what might have been
expected. Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary came to look at the grave once the Sabbath was over. Mark 16 adds Salome into the mix and says the
women brought spices to anoint Jesus’ body.
Remember, the burial was rather hasty because the Sabbath was upon them
when Joseph of Arimathea claimed Jesus’ body.
In Mark’s account, the women wondered who would roll the stone away so
they could get in to care for Jesus.
Well, the answer to that question was rather unexpected. Back to Matthew 28.
Read Matthew 28:2-7.
An earthquake occurred when an angel of the Lord
descended from heaven and rolled the stone away from the entrance of the
tomb. Then the angel sat on the
stone. The angel’s appearance was
stunning, like lightning, and his clothes were bright white. This terrified the guards. Interestingly enough, the angel spoke to the
women, not the guards. His message was
for them and the disciples. He told them
not to be afraid. He explained that
Jesus wasn’t there and invited the women to look inside the tomb to see that
Jesus was, in fact, gone. He then tells
them to go to the disciples quickly and tell them Jesus has risen from the dead
and that He is going ahead to Galilee and they will see Him there.
Very curious. Jesus
had voluntarily laid down His life AND HE TOOK IT UP AGAIN (John
10:17-18). He was gone from the
tomb. The angel rolled the stone away to
show that Jesus was gone, NOT to let Jesus out!
But the guards had been watching the tomb for three days. Right?
Apparently, Jesus’ glorified body has some interesting properties. The act of the resurrection fulfilled
prophecy. It calls all people to repentance
(Acts 17:30-31). It cannot be ignored.
These
circumstances actually provided proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The guards stationed outside the tomb
corroborate it. We’ll talk about that a
bit more in a minute. The stone being
rolled away by an earthquake set off by an angel’s descent to reveal the empty
tomb verifies it. And the Bible isn’t
the only document that speaks of the resurrection. Here is a quote from the historian Flavius
Josephus:
[63] Now there was about
this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a
doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with
pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles.
He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men
amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first
did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the
divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things
concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct
at this day.
- Flavius Josephus. The Works of Flavius Josephus.
Translated by. William Whiston, A.M. Auburn and Buffalo. John E. Beardsley.
1895. (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0146%3Abook%3D18%3Asection%3D63)
Did you know
there are sources outside of Scripture that say such things about Jesus? Take some time to investigate those things
for yourself. For now, let’s keep going.
Read Matthew 28:8.
The women leave
the tomb quickly with fear and full of joy.
They have encountered a supernatural being and they are truly shaken by
the encounter. But wait, it gets even
better!
Read Matthew 28:9-10.
Now the women bump into Jesus, Himself. At His greeting, they grabbed His feet and
worshiped Him. They had to be on their
knees or faces to do that. Jesus also
tells them not to be afraid. And he
reiterates the angel’s instructions to tell the disciples (Jesus calls them His
brothers) to go to Galilee and they will see Him there. What a morning! The women must have been afraid. Both Jesus and the angel told them not to
fear. When have you felt fear?
When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, I can remember
the initial fear. Terror might be a
better word. I also remember the peace
that came over me when God clearly spoke to my spirit that this was not how He
was going to take me out of this world.
I got to know Jesus so deeply and intimately during that season of
surgeries and chemotherapy. As a
disciple of Christ, all I could do each day was take the step right in front of
me. I spent a lot of time praying and a
lot of time reading the Bible. And a lot
of time studying the Bible. And I
watched God put my cancer treatment plan in place.
Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-19. Paul declares the death, burial and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. He lists
those Jesus appeared to and explains the promise of our resurrection to come as
followers of Jesus. So, however God does
take me out of this world, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a promise to me
as a born again believer that I will rise after my death to be with Jesus for
eternity, and it gives me confidence to walk boldly with Christ through life
right now (Ephesians 1:18-23).
Just like the disciples, every person will one day see
Jesus! Will you be a born again believer
that He welcomes into heaven for eternity with Him? Or will you stand before Him awaiting
judgment?
Principle 1: Christ rose – He did not stay in the tomb! And His people will rise from the dead.
Application 1.Where
do you need to experience the power of the risen Savior? What paralyzes you with fear, and how will
you turn that fear over to the power of Jesus?
Who do you need to tell about the risen Lord?
Read Matthew
28:11-15.
Now, let’s look at the various reactions to Jesus’
resurrection. Some of the guards
reported to the chief priests what happened.
The religious leaders devised a plan and bribed the soldiers with a
large sum of money to say the disciples stole Jesus’ body while the guards were
asleep. The soldiers apparently went
along with this, and I wonder why. This
would have meant that the guards were derelict in their duty to guard the
tomb. For a Roman soldier, falling
asleep on their watch had fatal repercussions.
According to the Greek historian Polybius, the punishment for this was
called fustuarium, and it involved flogging and being clubbed to death.
The soldiers were promised protection from this
punishment by the chief priests in verse 14 to get them to agree to the
lie. And the lie spread. This could only be accomplished if the Jewish
people circulated the lie. Matthew says
that this version of events was still being circulated at the time of the
writing of his Gospel.
In an ironic side not, fustuarium was also the punishment
for falsifying evidence and lying under oath.
Principle 2: People opposed to Jesus devise plans
against Him and His people.
Application 2.What
opposition are you facing and how are you planning to face it? When are you tempted to lie to spare yourself
unpleasant circumstances? How are you
preparing yourself to stand strong in the face of opposition that hasn’t come
yet?
Read Matthew
28:16-20.
The eleven remaining disciples go to Galilee as
instructed. When they saw Him, they
worshiped Him. But, Scripture says, some
were doubtful. Is this because they all
fled and didn’t watch His execution? Did
they doubt this was Jesus because His appearance had changed? Remember, in Luke 24:13-35, Jesus travels
with two of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and neither recognized Him
until they sat to eat and He broke the bread.
Was there a specific way He did this?
Did they see the nail scars? And
in John 20:15-16, Mary Magdelene mistakes Jesus for a gardener until He speaks
her name!
Now Jesus speaks to the disciples, telling them: “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Ooh.
This is ominous if you think about it.
Jesus is the King of kings. He is
Lord of lords. He is the just
Judge. All people will answer to
Him! As the supreme Authority, He has
the power to delegate. And He does just
that. He empowers His disciples and
gives them an assignment.
Jesus commands the disciples, “Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
you.” And Jesus bestows the greatest
power to accomplish this command on the disciples in a precious promise.
Jesus says, “And surely I am with you always, to the very
end of the age.” What a promise! He is with all of His people. His Holy Spirit lives in His people. His Holy Spirit empowers us today to
accomplish the good works that he appointed to us before our birth! His Holy Spirit comforts us. His Holy Spirit teaches us. His Holy Spirit gives us words to speak and
creates divine appointments. His Holy
Spirit, in God’s perfect timing, brings people into our day so we can share the
faith, hope and love Jesus has given to us.
As a disciple of Christ, knowing this truth, I will NEVER look at an
interruption the same way again.
Principle 3: Jesus’ disciples are to make disciples.
Application 3.What
part of the Great Commission do you struggle to obey? How can you prepare to face that struggle
with the help of God and others? Which
aspects of the Great Commission excite you, and how will you spread your
excitement to involve others? Do you
treat interruptions as divine appointments from God to make Jesus known?
Discipleship is the relationship every born again
believer is in with Jesus Christ. Are you
His disciple? Is He your Rabbi? A rabbi is a teacher. How is Jesus teaching you? Are you spending uninterrupted time in prayer
each day? Do you have time carved out
every day for Bible study? Do you
meditate on the Scripture you read? Do
you memorize it?
Precious Lord,
thank You for Your word preserved in Scripture.
Thank you for this incredible study of Matthew. Thank you for each pair of eyes reading these
words right now. In Jesus’ name, use all
of these things to transform Your people and impact this world for Your kingdom
and Your glory. Amen.
Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ? Yes? Wonderful!
No? Would you like to? Yes?
Pray with me:
Jesus, I come to
You today because I acknowledge I am a sinner in need of a Savior. You are that Savior. I thank You for dying for my sins on the
cross. And I know You rose from the dead
on the third day. And I invite You to
come live in my heart. Open my eyes to
the truth of the Bible. Help me develop
a prayer life. And plug me into a Bible-preaching
local church community. Make me Your
disciple. In Your name I ask this. Amen.
Now go find a Christian friend to help you celebrate and
ask them to take you to church. May God
bless you my new brother/sister.
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