Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How History Changed Forever | New Testament | Matthew 28

Episode Date: February 8, 2023

You've made it to the end of Matthew! The resurrection might not be news to you, but it changed the course of history forever. In today's episode, Jensen discusses Matthew 28 and the impact it has on your life.  Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Join the TMBT community in reading the entire New Testament in one year. Get your FREE reading plan here. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Matthew 28

Welcome to 10-minute Bible talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. I'm Jensen Holt McNair. We've made it to the final chapter of the book of Matthew. And in this chapter, Matthew tells us of Jesus's resurrection and a few of the following events. Now, if you've been around the church for a while, like I have, the idea of a resurrected Jesus might not shock you anymore. I've been to church every Easter of my life. I had a set of resurrection eggs, which are little Easter eggs that tell the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. I've read children's books about the resurrection, and I'm pretty sure I've read this passage of scripture hundreds of

times in my life. Verse 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. 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. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him, the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who is crucified, but 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. So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said greetings. And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him. 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 resurrection is not a new concept, and unfortunately because of this, I can read the scripture and move on to the next thing without much of a second thought. Jesus died and rose from

the dead. That phrase has become commonplace to me and my life, maybe in yours as well. But Matthew uses the phrase, behold, four times in the short passage. He writes deliberately to push his audience to stop and to behold the incredible nature of what he is saying here. Jesus Christ, who we just saw crucified and buried, is now alive, not in spirit, but as a physical man walking and talking. He lets us know that the women who met him touched his feet and worship him as God. And Jesus does not stop them confirming to these women that he is Yahweh, who has overcome death once and for all. See, in Jesus's death, all hope was lost.

His disciples, the religious leaders, the Romans, they all knew that this man who had claimed to be the Messiah was not. He had died like every other man. He'd been a fake. But on Sunday, on Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead, when his physical body was made new again, when breath filled his lungs, death had finally been defeated not just for the life of Jesus,

but for the life of all creation. See, this day marked the culmination of God's cosmic plan to rescue all of creation from the chains of sin. These women do not worship Jesus because they were merely happy to see their friend alive again. They worship him because they realize who he is through his resurrection. The Messiah had finally truly come. He had fulfilled the covenant that God had made with the Israelites. he had paid the penalty for the crimes of his people, and he had triumphed over the deceitful one, crushing his hold on humanity by conquering death.

These two women were witnesses to the astonishing and beautiful and glorious truth that Yahweh had reached into history, done what his people could not do, and broken death's hold on all of creation. But these women are not alone in understanding the weight of what Jesus' resurrection meant. Matthew continues. Verse 11. While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, tell people, his disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep. And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble. So they took the money and did as they were directed. and the story has been spread among the Jews to this day. These priests, knowing that the resurrection of Jesus would mean the loss of their own power, knowing it would mean that this man might be who he said he was, they did everything they could to stop this story from making its way into the world.

There will always be those who, when faced with the truth of the resurrection, are blinded by their own aspirations, their own little kingdoms, so that they are blind to recognize what Jesus's life and resurrection means for them and all of creation. But as we know, even the attempts of the priests could not overcome the powerful life giving truth that the resurrection brings to creation. These women do go to the disciples, but Matthew only details Jesus' meeting with the disciples as he continues in verse 16. Now the 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted.

And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. Gathering his disciples to himself, Jesus now proclaims exactly what his resurrection means for them and for all of creation. He begins by telling them that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. His death and resurrection mark his enthronement as king of all

of creation. Jesus is king. He has conquered the final evil of death. Nothing has authority over him. He now lives in an everlasting body and will reign eternally with complete dominion over all of creation. And because of this, he calls his disciples to action. He tells them to go and make disciples of all nations. The beauty of this may be lost on us with our modern minds and current view of missions, but Jesus is telling his Jewish disciples to go out and to tell all people, Jewish or not, that the king of all creation has died and been raised to life so that they too can have a bodily resurrection in the age to come. Matthew's Jewish audience and the disciples would have grown up believing that Yahweh had

chosen the Jewish people specifically to be his people, and that this Messiah would have come to save those very same people. But here, we see Jesus widening the scope of salvation. Jesus, the Messiah, the king is not just king of the Jews, but king of all creation. His resurrection doesn't just mean something to those of Jewish heritage, but to all people, and in fact to all of creation. And because of this, Jesus calls his disciples to go out and to spread that good news, to go and make more disciples, move more people to partner with Jesus.

and building his kingdom. More people to give their whole lives, their allegiance to the one true king. Jesus. Now, it can be tempting to read these passages, to sit through an Easter service to say things like Jesus died and rose from the dead, and not let the truth of what that means affect our lives and our hearts at all. But in Matthew 28, we see everyone who comes into contact with the truth of the resurrection, moved greatly by what it meant for their lives. Jesus' true disciples worship and obey their king. And it is by their example that we too are called to worship and give our obedience, our allegiance to King Jesus. And Jesus' promises that he will be with them,

always to the end of the age. See, death cannot take Jesus away from Jesus. us. He is alive in body, sitting on the throne of creation ruling today. We know the end of the story. And it is because of this that we too can follow the call of Jesus, to go and make disciples of all nations. For some, this does mean giving their life to full-time missions or ministry. But for others of us, it means doing the same for the people that God is placed in our circles of influence. look around you, at your coworkers, your neighbors, your children, your family. Where has God placed you that you can begin making disciples? Who in your life needs to know the incredible truth that Jesus Christ rose from the dead

thousands of years ago and it changed everything for all of creation? Who in your life can you share the good news that death has been conquered once and for all? that while their current body may be slowly dying through Jesus's resurrection, they can have hope for a fully renewed and restored body in a new creation. Faith in Jesus isn't just about having something to get you through the day, or a place to go on Sundays, or a group of friends who are nice. It's not about being a good person. Jesus rose from the dead, and it changed the course of history forever.

It changed your life and my life, and it gives us hope for a future that is not ruled by death, but by a loving king who is building a kingdom of life. Will you let the truth of the resurrection change your life and give you purpose? Jesus, the king of all creation, is calling his faithful disciples to action. Will you follow him? Before you forget, sign up for the 10-minute Bible Talks newsletter. Hit the link in the show notes and you'll get an email every Wednesday that will help encourage you in the middle of the work week and bring you deeper in your walk with Jesus. Thanks for listening.