April 26, 2010
is it still miraculous to you?
Matthew 28:1-15
Jessica Hewitt
Central Truth
As the greatest event in human history and the cornerstone of our faith, the resurrection should impact every area of our lives and be a message we just can't keep to ourselves.
Key Verse | Matthew 28:6
"He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said." (Matthew 28:6a)
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
Imagine yourself there that day of the Lord’s resurrection. Picture yourself standing at Christ’s tomb, grieving His death, when an angel appears and announces that “He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead.” What beautiful words! What an incredible message! Can you imagine what it would be like to have the resurrected Christ in all of His glory walk up and speak to you? Doesn’t it just give you goose bumps? I can imagine that at this point Mary Magdalene and the other Mary would have told the disciples anything that Jesus instructed them to—no matter how spectacular the message.
Normally, when I have good news, I just can’t seem to keep it inside. I don’t tend to follow the accepted social guidelines. Each time I found out I was pregnant, I was quick to tell everyone who would listen. I never followed the whole “wait-until-after-the-first-trimester” thing. Within two days of confirmation, I had delivered the news to everyone I knew and to some that I didn’t!
Unfortunately, I can’t say that I share the good news of the resurrection with the same excitement and urgency. The gospel is more amazing than any other message in the world, and yet we act like the Jewish leaders who covered it up because they were more worried about their reputations than they were about the truth. In a way, we are guilty of this as well. Maybe we do not actively lead people away from the truth, but certainly we do not lead them to the truth every time we have the opportunity to do so. We serve a Lord who selflessly died for the world’s transgressions and then conquered death through His resurrection. And to top it off, He desires a personal relationship with each of us! What better message is there to share? He is alive! He has risen from the grave!
Discussion Questions
1. Do you view the message of Christ’s resurrection as the most exciting and urgent message you could ever share with someone, or has it simply become a mundane Bible story to you?
2. Do you share the gospel of Jesus Christ with those around you? Consider making a list of people who you think the Lord would like you to share this truth with and begin to pray for opportunities.
3. Can you defend the resurrection by explaining the historical evidence? If not, check out www.probe.org and do a search for "resurrection." You will find numerous articles there to prepare you to give a defense for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15).
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Did the sealed tomb keep God from raising Jesus from the dead?
2. What did Jesus tell the women to do (verse 10)?
3. Have you ever been afraid to do what God’s Word tells you to do? Talk about when that was.
4. How can you trust Him and obey His Word?