Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

The following thoughts occur to me:

1) Even in death, Jesus observed the Sabbath rest before rising.

2) Direct involvement of God the Father (through angelic activity) in the process neutralized potential impediments, despite the best efforts of Jesus' opponents to prevent the event that Jesus Himself had indicated on multiple occasions would occur (Matthew 16:21, Matthew 17:23, Matthew 20:18-19).

3) God the Father (as well as Jesus Himself through His appearance) wanted Jesus' followers to be certain of what had happened.

4) God provided the first evidence of the resurrection to women, highlighting their courage (in contrast to the apostles) in coming to the tomb, as well as their importance in the process of proclaiming it, and in instructing the apostles as to what they were to do.

March 21 2021 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

What do these verses, Matthew 28:1-8, teach us about the Resurrection story?

Matthew 28:1-8 details the resurrection of Jesus as a historical, supernatural event, marked by an empty tomb, an angelic announcement, and the transformation of fear into joyful mission. It teaches that Jesus kept His promise to rise, validating His divinity, overcoming death, and empowering believers to share the news. 

Key lessons from Matthew 28:1-8:

1: The Reality of the Resurrection: The angel declares, "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said" (v. 6), confirming a physical resurrection rather than a myth.

2: Divine Intervention: A massive earthquake and a descending angel rolled back the stone, showing God's direct power overcoming human attempts to secure the tomb.

3: The Empty Tomb as Evidence: The angel invites the women to "Come, see the place where the Lord lay" (v. 6), presenting the empty tomb as physical evidence to be checked.

4: Fear and Great Joy: The women left with a mixture of "fear and great joy" (v. 8), indicating the overwhelming, awe-inspiring nature of the divine, yet joyous, news.

5: Urgent Mission: The angel commands, "Go quickly and tell his disciples" (v. 7), establishing that the resurrection is good news that must be immediately shared.

6: Fulfilment of Prophecy: The resurrection is not an accident but the fulfilment of Scripture and Jesus' own predictions.

7: Validation of Jesus' Authority: The resurrection confirms that Jesus is the Son of God, the ruler of an eternal kingdom, and that death is defeated. 

8: The passage also emphasises that the first witnesses were women, highlighting their courage and devotion in following Jesus, even in death. 

9: Matthew 28:1–8 offers several key teachings about the Resurrection of Jesus, emphasising its historical reality, the divine authority behind it, and its transformative impact on believers. 

The apostle affirms that the resurrection is a sure hope.

1 Cor 15: 12-21 ESV: "Now if Christ is preached that he hath been raised from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither hath Christ been raised: 14 and if Christ hath not been raised, then is our preaching vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Yea, we are found false witnesses of God; because we witnessed of God that he raised Christ, whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, neither hath Christ been raised: 17 and if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ have perished."

The resurrection is part of the "primary doctrine" of Christianity. (Hebrews 6:1, 2) Nevertheless, the doctrine was under attack in Corinth. Some in the congregation, evidently influenced by Greek philosophy, were saying: "There is no resurrection of the dead." (1 Corinthians 15:12) When reports of this reached the apostle Paul, he came to the defence of the resurrection hope, and said what is recorded, the resurrection of Jesus was therefore a well-attested fact.

This denial of the resurrection had profound implications. Paul reasoned: "If, indeed, there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised. But if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is certainly in vain, and our faith is in vain.... If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied." 

Paul, therefore, aimed to strengthen their faith in the resurrection. Using powerful logic, Scripture quotations, and illustrations, he proved beyond any doubt that the resurrection hope was not fiction but a reality certain of fulfilment.

Paul supported the true hope by citing Jesus' resurrection and also showed that Christians must die to be raised to heavenly life. In other ways, too, his words help us to avoid apostasy and "stand firm in the faith."

8 days ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College graduate and Dallas Seminary graduate

Two Mary's, One Angel, and an Empty Tomb
Matthew 28:1-2

1. The arrival at the tomb (Mt. 28:1): Mary Magdalene and the other Mary come to the tomb. Matthew 28:1 says, "After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb".--
Since Jesus died shortly before Sabbath began at sundown on Friday, the first opportunity anyone had to prepare his body well enough for burial was on Sunday morning. That's when some women walked to his tomb in a garden cemetery outside of Jerusalem.

Jesus was waiting for them. And He is waiting for you, too, when you seek Him. 

The Savior is waiting to enter your heart,
Why don't you let Him come in?
There's nothing in this world to keep you apart,
What is your answer to Him?


Compare Matthew 28:1 with what God says in Jeremiah 29:13: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) In short, desperately seeking Jesus means seeking him with all your heart. And when you seek Christ with all your heart, you will never be disappointed, because God promises that you will find him.

The women were desperately seeking Jesus. They were seeking him with all their hearts. And they were not disappointed. For in finding Jesus they found all that they hoped for and more.-- Ray Fowler


The Person and Power of the Angelic Messenger
Matthew 28:3-4

In verses 2-4 the angel's face shines like lightning, and his clothing is a brilliant white, causing the guards to become as dead men in their fear.

A Resurrection Announcement
Matthew 28:5-6

Mt. 28:5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

Isaiah 41:10,14
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness…

Mt. 28:5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, "Fear not ye..."--

(The resurrection reality brings joy, not fear. When you're afraid, remember the resurrection.) LASB

6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 

Let me expound for you the phrase "as He said" in Matthew 28:6.
Jesus predicted His resurrection at least twice in the Gospel of John.
In John 2:19 Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

And in John 10:17 He said, "Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again."

So, if Jesus was true to His word about the best, the hardest to do, and notably the most important fact in history, His resurrection, can we not trust Him when He promised us heaven? (In John 14:1-3 NLT he says, 

1“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

Go and Tell the Others

Matthew 28:7-8 

7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. 
8 And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy and did run to bring his disciples word. 

"Go quickly and tell" in Matthew 28:7, a command they did obey, is also a good example for us as Christians to follow. They were to spread the joy of the resurrection. We too are to spread the great news of Jesus' resurrection.

March 28 2021 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report