Dr. Ben Stubblefield
Visiting Assistant Professor of Christian Studies, University of Mobile
RISEN
Matthew 28:1–10, 16–20
Seersucker. Pastels. White buckle shoes. Chocolate bunnies. That one day a year the guy who never wears a tie manages to find the one he owns and put it on. I can still remember folks kind of laughing in their pews trying to sing higher and higher to the modulating melody of “Up from the grave He arose … He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!” Truly, there’s nothing quite like Easter.
Of course, that’s all just nostalgia. What’s glorious about Easter is that it’s the day we consecrate on our calendar the resurrection of the Son of God — the foretaste of glory divine, life abundant and the death of death.
Resurrected (1–4)
The birds began their singing, just like every other morning. The dew on the grass began drying. Folks all over Israel started their day, going to their jobs and being with their children just like every other morning. But there was a strange sound in the garden at sunrise — the sound of a stone rolling away.
While Matthew’s account of the resurrection includes some details the other Gospels do not (for example, an earthquake), all of the Gospels are in unison on this fact: That rock moved.
In his book on the final week of Jesus, William F. Cook III comments on the theological significance of the boulder being moved, saying, “The stone was not moved to let Jesus out of the tomb but rather to let the women in.” And I think that’s right. This fact would become the sign and turning point in the confidence of the disciples that Jesus undid death. This was not a secret resurrection. Jesus could have passed through the walls. No, this was a public example of a now public fact. Jesus borrowed the tomb, and He was happy to give it back to someone who could get some real use out of it.
Announced (5–7)
Though the guards shook with fear at first sight of the angel, only the women were told, “Do not be afraid.” It’s a refrain we see through the Bible when heavenly beings reveal themselves to people who are in God’s favor. The angel tells Mary (Luke 1:30), the angels tell the shepherds (Luke 2:10), Jesus tells his disciples (Matt. 28:10) and Jesus tells John: “Do not be afraid” (Rev. 1:17). But the Lord offers no such consolation to those who resist his lordship. In the presence of the Judge of the living and the dead, those cut off from Christ receive no such consolation, and they live in trembling and fear (Rev. 6:16–17).
Encountered (8–10)
Jesus meets the women on their way to tell the disciples about the empty tomb in order to confirm for them what they had been told by the angel and to give them instructions for the other disciples.
Notice, upon seeing Jesus, they “took hold of His feet and worshipped Him.” Could there be a better or more appropriate response? Nobody strides into the presence of God; nobody parades themselves into the company of Jesus. When people encounter the King, they drop and they bow. They get low to make sure the One who is worthy of all honor and praise receives it all.
Commissioned (16–20)
Jesus designates the mountain spot to give what will be, in the Book of Matthew, His final instructions. But even still, some are doubtful. We can understand the doubts that must have been running through their minds. Is this really Jesus? Did He really die? Even if this is Jesus, He’s getting ready to leave again. What are we supposed to do now?
I appreciate the honesty of Matthew’s reporting because that doubt is an emotion I, and others like me, can relate to. Sometimes it is difficult to believe.
What I also appreciate about Jesus’ words here is that He’s not chastising the doubtful or exasperated with their caution. Instead, He tells them exactly what they need to hear — I’m in charge, I’ve got a job that you need to do and I’ll be with you to the end of all things. The consequence of those words is that you and I are now sharing an article on the resurrection of Jesus Christ 2,000 years later. Clearly, His counsel motivated those who heard it to trust and obey, and we, as well as future generations of Christians yet to come, are the evidence of the fact.
Share with others: