Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

“So the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated for them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:16-20)

Chapter twenty-seven is the ordeal of the cross and the death of Jesus. Jesus had been condemned by the ruling elite of the religious Jews (NOT the whole populace of Jerusalem OR the nation). They had no power to kill under Roman rule. So they turned Jesus over to the Roman governor, Pilate. Judas heard about the decision and was sorry. He realized Jesus’ innocence. He threw the money back into the Temple (Zechariah 11:13). He went out bitterly weeping, but repented only to himself. He never took it to God. Instead, in his despair, he hung himself. Jesus, meanwhile, was being questioned by Pilate. Jesus didn’t speak in His own defense (Isaiah 53:7), but Pilate found no grounds for death. The chief priests applied political pressure and insisted. Pilate gave in, though he didn’t have to (Acts 18:13-17), and sentenced Jesus to death. Jesus was beaten, mocked, abused, and then crucified. While on the cross Jesus was despised and mocked. Finally, Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1. In His day, when you quoted the beginning of a thing, you were referencing the whole thing. Psalm 22 speaks of His mission as the sacrifice for us, what He endured, and the victory that lay at the end. In the beginning of His ministry Jesus quoted the Word to show what He was there to accomplish (Isaiah 58:6; 61:1-2). Now at the end, Jesus quoted the Word to show He was FINISHED. Jesus cried out with a loud voice – something impossible during crucifixion, and gave up His spirit (on purpose by choice, not through the physical torment and damage – John 10:18). The curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Holy Place tore in two from top to bottom, signifying the removal of the barrier between us and God. Jesus body was collected and placed in a tomb. The chief priests and Pharisees had kept notes on everything Jesus said and went to Pilate for a guard for the tomb. They knew Jesus had predicted His return in three days and they wanted to prevent it or his disciples making it seem like he had returned. Pilate was fed up with the whole thing and told them to do what they wanted. So they sealed the tomb and put guards on it.

Chapter twenty-eight opens early in the morning on the first day past the Sabbaths (the normal and the festival special day ones) when the women were going to the tomb to properly bury Jesus (anointing the body with spices and ointments). But Jesus had already risen. To prove this, an angel was sent to open the tomb so people could see it was empty. The angel did, terrifying the guards, and the angel spoke to the women imploring them not to be afraid and to witness the empty tomb. He gave them a message for the disciples from Jesus: go to Galilee and there they will see me. The guards reported back to the chief priests and Pharisees about what happened. They were paid to report it was the disciples, not an angel. They even promised to protect them from Pilate if he ever heard about their failure to keep the tomb closed. When the disciples got to Galilee, they met with Jesus. Jesus gave them their great commission to continue His Gospel message and turn everyone into disciples of Jesus. He also again promised that He would ALWAYS be with them.

Summary

Key Players: God, Jesus, Disciples, Chief Priests, Pilate, Guards, An Angel, Jews

Key Verse(s): Matthew 27:38-50; 28:2-10