April 25, 2016
HE HAS RISEN . . . COME . . . SEE . . . GO . . . TELL . . .
Matthew 28:1–15
Cody Bateman
Central Truth
Knowing Jesus has risen from the dead, we are called to go and tell others.
Key Verse | Matthew 28:6–7
"He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 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." (Matthew 28:6-7)
Matthew 28:1–15
The Resurrection
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 1 28:6 Some manuscripts the Lord 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.”
The Report of the Guard
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.
Dive Deeper | Matthew 28:1–15
"The Bible is not such a book a man would write if he could, or could write if he would." —Lewis Sperry Chafer (emphasis added)
This quote is so true about this short passage of Scripture. First, we see that women were the first to see that Jesus had risen, and in the culture of the day women would not have been considered a credible source. Second, the angel rolled the stone away, but not because Jesus needed help getting out of the tomb. The angel rolled it away so the women could see that Jesus had risen. Third, Jesus rose from the dead, just as He said He would (mic drop)! Fourth, we know the disciples couldn’t have stolen Christ's body in the night because they were fearful and hiding away following His death. Fifth, the chief priests were terrible at coming up with excuses about why the tomb was empty. If their excuses were true, the guards would have been out of a job or more probably . . . executed.
While these points are great, they all point to something greater. The angel and Jesus Himself call the women to action!
These women loved Jesus and had followed Him faithfully. When they arrived at the tomb and saw the angel, they were very afraid, as they should be. However, the angel assured them that Jesus had risen “as he said” He would (verse 6). He also gave the women direction and an objective. He defines their mission, and they depart with both fear and great joy.
Jesus has done the same for us. When we see that He is who He said He is, we can take Him at His word. He defines our objective and gives us direction. In awe of Him, with great joy we get to go tell others that He has risen!
If you’ve seen that the tomb is empty, go and invite others to see it for themselves today.
Discussion Questions
1. Have you made a “Top 10 List” of people who you pray daily will come to know the Lord?
2. If you knew that you would see Jesus tomorrow, who would you invite today to join you?
3. Do you feel equipped to share the gospel? If not, what are you doing about it?
4. If your answer to the question 3 above was "no," then Watermark has many great equipping opportunities. Take advantage of them to learn how to give an account of the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15)!