Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Matthew Chapter 28




1  Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

1. When did the Sabbath end and who were these women?
Sabbath officially ended with sundown on Saturday. At that time the women could purchase and prepare spices.
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. Luke 24:1-3 (ESV)
There were several women who witnessed the crucifixion.

http://apologiaway.blogspot.com/2016/06/do-resurrection-accounts-conflict.html

There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. Matt 27:55-56 (ESV)
Mary Magdalene. She had been delivered from 7 demons ; the other “Mary” (“wife of Clopas,” Jn 19:25—a variant of Alphaeus) was the mother of the apostle known as “James the Less”. The mother of the sons of Zebedee. Salome (Mk 15:40), mother of James and John. From Jn 19:26, we learn that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was also present at the cross—possibly standing apart from these 3, who were “looking on from a distance”, as if they could not bear to watch His sufferings, but neither could they bear to leave Him.

 Matthew omits Mary Salome, mentioned by Mark; and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, mentioned by Luke. The other Mary was the wife of Cleopas, and mother of James and Joses, mentioned before, Matthew 27:56. Were not Mary and Salome two distinct persons? ACC


All the Gospels mention the fact that women were the first people to see Jesus alive. This is a proof that the resurrection was real. In that culture the witness of women was not regarded very highly. Thus, if the evangelists fabricated the resurrection, they certainly would not have written that women witnessed it first. CN

2. Did the angel have to roll the stone back to let Jesus out?

This was not the moment of resurrection, but was rather intended to reveal the empty tomb to the witnesses. The resurrected Christ was not confined by natural barriers.
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”John 20:19 (ESV)
Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” John 20:26 (ESV)
Jesus must have arisen about sundown on Saturday night. WBC
3. Why do angels all seem to radiate bright light and how can we account for the reaction of the guards?
His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. Dan 10:6 (ESV)
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. Rev 10:1 (ESV)
The appearance of angels often produced fear. The guards are probably battle-hardened soldiers, but they have never witnessed anything like this.
And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground.  Judges 13:20 (ESV)
And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength. 9 Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground. Dan 10:7-9 (ESV)
4. What’s all this about Galilee?
“Why, then, Matthew’s record of a resurrection appearance in Galilee? The answer surely lies in the combination of two themes that have permeated the entire Gospel. First, the Messiah emerges from a despised area . . . and first sheds his light on a despised people . . .; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. For this reason, too, the risen Jesus first appears to women whose value as witnesses among Jews is worthless . . . Second, ‘Galilee of the Gentiles’ is compatible with the growing theme of Gentile mission in this Gospel . . . and prepares for the Great Commission.
11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.
5. What are some of the difficulties with the stolen body story?
Some of the guards left the others at the tomb and reported the earthquake, the angel, and the empty tomb to the chief priests. That they reported to the priests strongly suggests that they were Jewish temple guards rather than Roman guards. If they had been Roman guards and had reported to their Roman superiors, they probably would have lost their lives for falling asleep on duty.
The action of these Sanhedrin members proves that their promise to believe in Jesus if He would come down from the cross was hypocritical. They continued to show more concern for their own reputations and what was expedient than for the truth.
Their devised story was a weak one that a critic might easily discredit. If the guards had been asleep, they could not have known of the theft. If one of them was awake, why did he not sound an alarm? It was also incredible that the disciples who had abandoned Jesus out of fear would have summoned enough courage to risk opening the guarded tomb. Moreover, if the Sanhedrin had any evidence against the disciples, they surely would have prosecuted them, but they did not.
Molesting graves was sometimes punishable with death in the ancient Near East. Consequently Jesus’ enemies resorted to bribery to shut the mouths of the soldiers, and later Pilate, if necessary. CN
6. How has history viewed the resurrection story?
"The resurrection of Christ is the best supported event in all ancient history." Simon Greenleaf
Dr. William Lane Craig Evidence for the Resurrection.
Testimony of the Evangelists by Simon Greenleaf (1783-1853) Greenleaf, one of the principle founders of the Harvard Law School, originally set out to disprove the biblical testimony concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was certain that a careful examination of the internal witness of the Gospels would dispel all the myths at the heart of Christianity. But this legal scholar came to the conclusion that the witnesses were reliable, and that the resurrection did in fact happen. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/jesus/greenleaf.html
6. What excuses have been used to discount the resurrection?

The swoon theory: Jesus did not die on the cross. He was badly hurt but recovered and then later showed up. Of course this is ridiculous. The Romans made sure every crucifixion ended in death. If someone would have mistakenly lived the Roman executioners would have found themselves on crosses.
The Hallucination theory: The disciples imagined the appearances of Jesus after the cross in a form of mass hypnotic trance.
The disciples stole the body: and then lied about seeing Jesus. This was already earlier addressed as not logical.
The identical twin story: This is a recent fabrication which Dr. Craig was confronted with in one of his debates on the subject. A professor at a major university has advanced the theory that Jesus had a twin brother that he had previously not known about and who just coincidentally arrived in Jerusalem at the time of the crucifixion. The disciples enlisted this twin to impersonate the dead Jesus and thus perpetuate this false story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive!
Maybe the truth is easier to believe.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 1 Cor 15:3-8 (ESV)
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
7. All authority?
Notice the repetition of “all”in verses 18-20: all authority, all nations, all things, and all the days. Matthew stressed the authority of Jesus throughout his Gospel.
“Not merely power or might (dunamis), such as a great conqueror might claim, but ‘authority’ (exousia), as something which is His by right, conferred upon Him by One who has the right to bestow it”
God restricted Jesus’ authority before His resurrection because of His role as the Suffering Servant. Following His resurrection God broadened the sphere in which Jesus exercised authority. He became the One through whom God now mediates all authority. This was Jesus’ great claim.
“By raising Jesus from the dead and investing him with all authority, God vindicates Jesus and thus decides the conflict in his favor.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.Phil 2:9-11 (ESV)
8. How do we make disciples?
“teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Tim 2:15 (KJV)
16  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.  2 Tim 3:15-17 (ESV)
Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Jude 1:3 (ESV)
ESVN………….ESV Study Bible Notes  
JFB…………..Jamieson  Fausset Brown Commentary
VWS……………..Vincent Word Studies                                                
MSBN…….MacArthur NASB Study Notes      
CMM………….Commentary on Matthew and Mark                         
NIVSN…..NIV Study Notes
BDB………….. Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)                              
JVM ….J Vernon McGee,
Darby………..John Darby’s Synopsis of the OT and NT                  
ACC …. Adam Clarke’s Commentary
Johnson………Johnson’s Notes on the New Testament.                
BN …..Barnes Notes
NTCMM…………..The New Testament Commentary:  Matthew and Mark.   
CN …… Constables Notes
IC……….Ironside Commentary 
NET………Net Bible Study Notes.
JFB…………..Jamieson  Fausset Brown Commentary

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