Matthew 27:57

In Matthew 27:57-61 the Bible says, “When the even was come there came a rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple. He went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.”

We are probably given these details about the death of Jesus in order to emphasize to us that when Jesus died for our sins, He really did die. The Romans were excellent executioners, and they knew that Jesus was dead. The body of Jesus was embalmed in a detailed process that involved the wrapping of His body with a linen cloth. And then his body was carefully placed in a tomb that had been carved out of solid rock. There can be no doubt that Jesus died, just as there can be no doubt that He rose from the dead.

In recent years we have heard a lot about the linen cloth that was used to wrap the body of Jesus. Some people think that the shroud of Turin is what remains of that cloth. It does not matter if the linen cloth has survived all these years or not. Be careful about making the mistake of giving too much attention to any supposed artifacts that have to do with the person of Jesus Christ. We worship Jesus Christ Himself: not His robe, nor pieces of wood from His cross, nor His burial shroud.

Matthew 27:62-66 says, “Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, sir, we remember that the deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, You have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as you can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.”

The priests and Pharisees had made their decision about Jesus Christ. They had all the evidence first hand of who Jesus was, but for selfish reasons, they made the choice to not believe. The same thing still happens today. Everyone must decide and will decide what they will do with the person of Jesus Christ. There are only two choices: 1. To believe on Him and follow His teachings as the disciples did, or 2. To reject Him and refuse Him as the priests and Pharisees did. Joshua said in the Old Testament, “Choose you this day whom you will serve; as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

As it turns out the chief priests did all humanity a favor by demanding to set a guard at the grave of Jesus. They contributed to the evidence that Jesus really did rise from the dead. Because the priests were so afraid that the disciples would steal the body of Jesus in order to claim that Jesus rose from the dead, they wanted the guard placed there. This is another of the many examples that no one can oppose the work of God and succeed. And it’s also an example that God uses everything to accomplish His will and to fulfill His purposes. It is a wonderful thing to be a servant of God, because we enter into a life wherein everything that happens is overseen by God and used by God, both good and bad, to lead us and guide us and to fulfill His purposes. No wonder the Bible says to believers, “In all things give thanks,” and no wonder that Paul said, “I have learned that in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”

Matthew 28:1-6 says, “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightening, and his clothing white as snow: and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Do not fear: for I know that you seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord had been laying.”

There was an earthquake when Jesus was crucified, and now three days later there was another earthquake when He rose from the dead. There was also an appearance of an angel. But the most significant event about this gravesite was the empty tomb. Of all the other millions and millions and millions of graves that have been dug in the entire history of the human race, if you were to have visited them three days after the burial, you would have found all those bodies just further along in the process of decomposition and decay. But not so concerning the body of Jesus. Jesus rose from the dead as the final and ultimate proof that He is the Son of God.

The raising of Jesus from the dead has several significant meanings for us. Here are two of them. 1. It reminds us that death is not to be feared because Jesus conquered death, and He will give the same victory over death to those who are His believers. Jesus said in the Gospel of John, “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die.” 2. The resurrection of Christ also tells us that Jesus is alive, and because He is alive, He is right here with us wherever we go and whatever we do. That is also why anyone can call upon His name to be saved from their sins. Romans 10:13 says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Notice the contrast between the unbelievers and the believers at the gravesite of Jesus. The guards were so afraid that they fell down and played dead. But the angel said to the women, “Fear not.” The same thing happens today. Believers and unbelievers experience many of the same things throughout the course of their lives; many of the same kinds of difficulties, and many of the same kinds of troubles, and many of the same kinds of sorrows. But where the unbeliever sometimes becomes overcome by fear because of the uncertainties of life, the believer should never fear and should be able to face any difficulty or any sorrow full of confidence because Jesus rose from the dead. The fact that Jesus rose from the dead means that everything is under control and everything is going to turn out just fine. Don’t fear. Jesus is here because He rose from the dead. Don’t fear. Because Jesus conquered death, He can conquer anything else that life may bring your way.

Notice that when the angel told the women to not fear, He also told them why they should have no fear. The angel said in verse 5, “Do not fear, because I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.” These women sought Jesus, they looked for Jesus, and they desired to find Jesus. It is only when we have the same kind of motivation as these women that we will have the faith that conquers all fear. The way to overcome the world is through faith. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. You must believe that in spite of everything, God is at work. He can do it, and He will do it, because Jesus rose from the dead. And you will have this kind of faith if you seek it until you find it.

Matthew 28:7-10 continues with the angel still talking to the women. It says, “And go quickly, and tell His disciples that he is risen from the dead; and behold, he goes before you into Galilee; there shall you see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brothers that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.”

When Jesus met the women, He greeted them and the King James translates what He said as, “All hail.” The greeting that Jesus gave means literally, “Be joyful.” We certainly now have every reason to be joyful. The angel told the women to not be afraid, and then Jesus told them to be joyful. Don’t let fear steal your joy. God can replace the fear and anxiety with joy and happiness.

The second thing that Jesus told the women was to not be afraid. The angel told the women to not be afraid, and then Jesus told them to not be afraid. Evidently it was an important message that God was trying to get across to them and to us. You will probably either have fear, or you will have faith, one or the other. And if you understand the significance of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, you will definitely have what it takes to replace your fears with faith and joy.

When the women met Jesus, the Bible says that they worshipped Him. It is important to recognize that Jesus accepted their worship. After all, Jesus is the Son of God, which means that He is God the Son, and Jesus is deity and worthy of worship. Anyone who has been touched by the spirit of God will readily understand and accept this great truth. Beware of anyone who claims to be a teacher of the things of God, but who does not clearly proclaim the fact of the deity of Christ.

Jesus had something for the women to do. They were to go quickly and tell the disciples about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Remember the condition that the disciples are in at this very moment. They are failures. It wasn’t just Peter who denied Christ. All of them ran away like cowards when Jesus was arrested and crucified. They were now ashamed of themselves, they were very aware of their own shortcomings, and they also thought that all was lost in the things that they had hoped for concerning Jesus as King and Messiah. But the Lord wanted the women to go quickly to the disciples, so that they would realize that all was not lost because Jesus was alive and was still going to fulfill all of the promises foretold about the Messiah, but in His own time and in ways not understood by the disciples. Even though the humans had failed, all was not lost because Jesus had won the victory. He had died for their sins and He had risen from the dead. Don’t ever look at your own failures and sins and think that there is no hope. No matter how well you succeed nor how great your successes appear to be, your relationship with God will always be based upon God’s mercy toward you through Christ, and never upon your own goodness.

Matthew 28:11-15 says, “Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave a large sum of money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say that his disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.”

These priests were definitely hard-hearted men. Even more evidence came to them first-hand about who Jesus was, but they would not believe because they did not choose to believe. No one can ever be presented enough truth to convince them to believe if they have already made up their mind to not believe. The priests learned the same thing that other criminals have learned: to try and bribe the police in order to cover up the truth. Don’t fear. The power of God and the work of God can never be held back by the unbelievers of this world, no matter how much political influence they have and no matter how much money they have.

Matthew 28:16-20 says, “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

When Jesus lived as a man on the earth, He temporarily set aside some of the privileges and prerogatives of deity in order to experience life as a human who trusted solely in the will and the assistance of the Father. But once He rose from the dead, He resumed His place at the right hand of the Father, and that place includes the total power and authority of deity. And so He said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” When we are believers in Jesus, we can live without fear, full of confidence that whatever happens, God is in control. We can also be confident about being able to fulfill whatever God would have us to do. You can do it, not because of you, but because of Jesus who is with you and because Jesus has all power. No wonder Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

If you are a believer, one of the things that God wants you to do is to be involved in the spread of the Gospel. Jesus said to “Go” and to “teach all nations.“ The disciples had spent 3 years being taught by Jesus. Once they had learned, it became time to teach. There is a time to learn, and then there is a time to teach that which you have learned. If God has taught you something, then you are responsible to teach it to others also. The book of Matthew has this wonderful promise, made by Jesus to His believers. Wherever you go, and wherever you are, and whatever happens to you, Jesus will be with you as your friend and your companion and your helper. How good life is, because Jesus rose from the dead.

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