Jesus Body Is Laid In A Splendid Tomb; The Chief Priests And Pharisees Seal The Tomb And Put A Guard On It So As To Keep Him There; An Angel Opens The Tomb To Reveal That Jesus Has Risen (27.55-28.6).

In this subsection we have centrally a picture of the vain arrangements of men by which they hope to thwart God and prevent Jesus from rising, while on one side of this we have God’s arrangement for His Son to have a splendid new tomb, and on the other God’s arrangement to open that tomb so as to reveal that His Son has risen. This can be portrayed as follows:

• Jesus is laid in clean linen in the splendid new tomb of a rich man (27.55-61).
• The Chief Priest and Pharisees seek to seal Jesus in the tomb (27.62-66).
• The angel opens the tomb and reveals that it is empty. Jesus is risen (28.1-6).

This will then followed by a further threesome which will complete the Gospel:

• Through the women both the angel and Jesus tell His disciples to go to Galilee (28.7-10).
• The Chief Priests try to cover up the fact as to why the tomb which they had sealed is empty (27.11-15).
• The disciples return to Galilee, see the risen Jesus, learn of His coronation, and receive their great commission, with the promise of His continual presence with them (27.16-20).

Note how in both threesomes the failed activities of the Chief Priests are sandwiched within the triumphant activities of God and of the risen Lord, JesusChrist.

The Body Of Jesus Is Rescued From Ignominy And Buried In A Rich Man’ Tomb (27.55-61).

Matthew now brings out that God had made His own funeral arrangements for His Son, as He had revealed beforehand. As Isaiah had said, ‘They made His grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death’ (Isaiah 53.9). And while the faithful women disciples watched from afar (they would not have been seen as under the same threat as the Apostles), waiting for an opportunity to pay their respects to Jesus’ body, ‘a rich man’ from Arimathea came to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus. Normally the bodies of crucified criminals would be tossed onto the burning rubbish dump in the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem (compare Isaiah 66.24), for they were seen as accursed, but Pilate had the last say in what happened to the bodies of men subjected to Rome’s jurisdiction, and he gave permission for the body of Jesus to be put at Joseph’s disposal. We learn in Luke 23.50 that Joseph was a respected councillor, a member of the Sanhedrin, one who had not consented to the verdict against Jesus, although whether he was present at the final morning trial we do not know. And Joseph laid Jesus’ body in his new family tomb that had not yet been used. The fact that it had not been used previously would be seen by many Christian Jews as important, for it demonstrated the unique holiness of the body of Jesus. For it was ‘holy things’ that must not be subjected to what was previously used. Compare the asses unused colt on which Jesus entered Jerusalem (Luke 19.30), and the ‘new cart’ that bore the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH (2 Samuel 6.3). See also 1 Samuel 6.7.

Analysis.

• a And many women were there beholding from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee (55-56).
• b And when even was come, there came a rich man from Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple (57).
• c This man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus (58a).
• d Then Pilate commanded it to be given up (58b).
• c And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock (59-60a).
• b And he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed (60b).
• a And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre (61).

Note that in ‘a’ the women were watching at the cross and in the parallel they are watching at the tomb. In ‘b’ Joseph comes, and in the parallel he departs. In ‘c’ he requests the body of Jesus, and in the parallel he gives it good burial. Centrally in ‘d’ Pilate yields up the body of Jesus (that the Scripture might be fulfilled).

27.55 ‘And many women were there beholding from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him,’

Among those who had been observers of the crucifixion were ‘many women’ from Galilee, who had been followers of Jesus and had ministered to His needs. We are given more details of these women in Luke 8.2-3. They watched proceedings from afar, thus complying with the thought in Psalm 38.11, ‘those who love me, and my friends, stand aloof from my plague, and my kinsmen stand afar off’ (although there it was for a different reason. Here they are probably compelled to do it because of the Roman restrictions. Probably only female relatives would have been allowed to approach closer). The women would not be seen by the disciples as in the same danger as the men, for no one would be interested in them. They were irrelevant in Jewish eyes. (The men also, however, would soon recognise that their fears were unnecessary). The importance of the presence of the women comes out later in that they are the first witnesses of the resurrection. But they are also a confirmation of the importance of women to God in the new Israel.

From among the Apostles we only hear of John as being present at the crucifixion. He seemingly had connections with the High Priest’s family and knew that he was relatively safe, and the fact that he was there as a support for Jesus’ mother would take attention off him (John 18.15). The remainder were keeping out of the way. They knew that round the cross was very much where they would be looked for by anyone who was seeking to arrest them. And in fact we should recognise that had a party of brawny men who were known to be followers of Jesus appeared there it would unquestionably have raised alarm bells, if not more decisive action. They may well have been seen as a threat. No one, however, would be concerned about the presence of the women.

27.56 ‘Among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.’

Among the women were Mary Madgdalene; Mary the mother of James and Joses; and the unnamed mother of the Apostles, James and John. (Compare 27.61; 28.1; Mark 15.40; 16.1; Luke 8.2-3; John 19.25). Mary Magdalene (from Magdala, a town unknown to us) had been delivered from possession by evil spirits (Luke 8.2). There is, however, no genuine reliable evidence that she had ever been a loose woman as tradition would later affirm. She had possibly rather played with the occult, thus becoming devil-possessed. She appears to have been a prominent character, and may well have been younger than some of the others which would explain why she had such an active role in the post-resurrection events. We have no means of identifying James and Joses, unless they are the brothers of Jesus (Mark 6.3), but if the latter were the case we would then possibly also expect the mention of his other brothers which would be a clearer identification. On the other hand the idea may be that the fact that she was the mother of Jesus was dropped now that His coronation in Heaven was approaching. In the end, however, we must leave this Mary as unidentified (to us). The mother ‘of the sons of Zebedee’ (James and John) was mentioned earlier (20.20), and was probably called Salome (Mark 15.40). She may well have been Jesus’ aunt (John 19.25). As Matthew rarely names people or unnecessarily draws attention to individuals the dropping of her name is not surprising.

These three may well have been seen as the female equivalent among the women disciples of the inner three, Peter, James and John. It is possible that the dropping of Salome’s name may suggest either that Matthew was not well acquainted with her, or that she was simply known to the twelve as ‘the mother of the sons of Zebedee’. But the more likely reason for mentioning only the Marys and no others is that along with Joseph of Arimathea their names provide a parallel with Mary and Joseph in chapter 1. Thus in God’s purposes the Gospel opens with Joseph and Mary caring for Jesus, and ends with Joseph and the Marys caring for Jesus. We have already seen that Matthew seems deliberately to connect the closing chapters with the opening chapters, and it is surely significant that of the women he only ever mentions Marys by name in these closing chapters.

27.57 ‘And when even was come, there came a rich man from Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple,’

‘When evening was come.’ This is probably simply indicating that it was becoming dark. In Jewish eyes it was necessary for the bodies of the three to be taken down from their crosses before nightfall and disposed of in order to prevent bringing a curse on the land (Deuteronomy 21.23 was seen as applying to crucifixion). It was also necessary to do it before the Sabbath. This man knew this and sought to preempt the normal course of events.

‘A rich man.’ The most obvious reason for describing Joseph specifically as ‘a rich man’ would be in order to connect him with the prophecy in Isaiah 53.9, ‘with the rich in His death’, although it may also have been as a contrast to the ‘rich young man’ who refused discipleship. Alternatively it may simply have been in order to bring out that some rich men also followed Jesus, but if that be the case why not also bring out that he was a member of the Sanhedrin? In view of Matthew’s continual inferences as regards Scripture we must probably see this as another such reference. His Gospel is full of such inferences.

Matthew also tells us that he came from Arimathea, (another town unknown to us), that his name was Joseph, and that he was a disciple of Jesus, that is, he had listened to, and had positively responded to, Jesus’ teaching, and was a recognised ‘follower’, even though not actually accompanying Jesus around. John 19.38 calls him ‘a secret disciple, for fear of the Jews’ (of whom there are still many). Luke tells us that ‘he was looking for the Kingly Rule of God’ (Luke 23.51).

Matthew’s naming of all these people, in contrast with his usual reticence about names, may well suggest that they were well known to him. But it appears more likely that his main purpose may have been as a comparison with Mary and Joseph in chapter 1.

‘There came.’ This may well suggest that he had gone to the site of the crucifixion in order to determine what was happening about the bodies, with ‘there came’ signifying ‘there came to where the women were’. But it may simply indicate ‘there now came into the picture’.

27.58 ‘This man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded it to be given up.’

The bodies of criminals, apart from those guilty of high treason, were the property of the state, but would usually be made available to any relatives who requested them. Otherwise the bodies would normally be left to hang on the cross as a warning, or would be ‘thrown to the vultures’. In Palestine, however, things would be different because the peculiarities of the Jews were catered for. In Jewish eyes it was necessary for the bodies of the three to be taken down from their crosses before nightfall and disposed of in order to prevent bringing a curse on the land (Deuteronomy 21.23 was seen as applying to crucifixion). We are not told what happened to the bodies of the insurrectionists, but they may have been given to relatives, buried in a public plot or tossed onto the burning rubbish heaps outside Jerusalem. Jewish Law forbade convicted criminals being buried in a family tomb. Here, however, it is rather a prestigious councillor who asks for the body. He would be known to Pilate, and probably respected by him. He would explain his purpose to him, and possibly points out that as a Galilean Jesus was far from home. Pilate was seemingly content with the idea and gave orders that the body be put at Joseph’s disposal. Thus the One Who was born to a Joseph (1.25), was finally handed over to a Joseph after His death. The idea is that God was still watching over Him from the cradle to the grave.

27.59-60 ‘And Joseph took the body, and 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 tomb, and departed.’

Joseph (no doubt along with his servants) treated the body with all reverence. He wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb. Note again the stress on ‘clean’ and ‘new’. His body was being treated as ‘holy’ and as set apart to God. Then once this was done to his satisfaction Joseph had a great stone rolled across the entrance of the tomb, and returned home. He had paid his final respects to the One he had seen as a Prophet. So having died as One Who was ‘numbered with the transgressors’ Jesus’ holiness is now being brought out in his burial. All this would be done fairly rapidly so as not unnecessarily to infringe on the Sabbath. It was a generous gesture on Joseph’s part, for the burial of a criminal in the tomb rendered it unusable by the family.

‘Which he had hewn out in a rock.’ This is an unexpected detail in Matthew who tends rather to abbreviate, and may be intended to look back to ‘the rocks were rent’ (verse 51). The idea might be that this tomb which was hewn out by man would also soon be ‘torn asunder’ by God. It would not be able to hold Him.

The great stone may have been a boulder, but it was more likely a shaped stone in circular form like a wheel, which could be rolled across the entrance, for it would seem that the entrance to the tomb was relatively large (Peter only had to stoop to look in, not go down on his knees - John 20.5). Such stones were common in the case of expensive tombs.

It should possibly be noted that official mourning was not allowed for an executed criminal which helps to explain why there is no indication of it.

27.61 ‘And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.’

Meanwhile two of the women, probably delegated by the others, had followed the burial party, and were now sat down opposite the tomb. ‘The other Mary’ is probably the mother of James and Joses. Thus the care and love of the women is watching over their dead Master from the cross to the tomb (verse 56, 61). Mary had brought Him into the world. Marys would care for His body as well as they could as they saw Him out of the world. It was all that they could do.

A Guard Is Set On Jesus’ Tomb In Order To Ensure That The Body Is Not Stolen (27.62-66).

There is nothing that reveals the truth about people more than their interpretation of the anticipated action of others. That is why you ‘set a thief to catch a thief’. It is because they both think in the same way. And sadly that is why these particular Pharisees who came to the Chief Priests, and then to Pilate, thought as they did. It was because they themselves would have felt able to be free with the truth when they were seeking to maintain their position, so that they assumed that others would do the same. It is the kind of behaviour that you find in well established fanaticisms. The first two or three generations of any new movement which has a firm moral basis, and which is being successful, are strong for the truth as they see it, and are convinced that others will see it too. They do not therefore see the need to resort to the tactics of deception, and would scorn doing so. They are confident in the truth that they uphold. It is the generations that follow, who are seeking to bolster up something that is slowly dying and for whom the moral dimension is dying, or who feel that they have to give their ideas a new impetus at whatever cost because they are not succeeding as they had hoped, who feel that they have to resort to such dishonesty.

The disciples were in fact locked away for fear of the Jews (no one would have invented such an idea), because they thought that those who had taken and crucified their Master would undoubtedly follow up their action by seeking to do the same to them. That is how they thought. It was what they would have done themselves in the circumstances because they were not astute politicians. They thus saw themselves as being seen as a danger by the Jewish leaders. But they had misinterpreted the aims and attitudes of their opponents. They simply judged by what they themselves would have done in the same situation because they had a higher opinion of themselves than they should have had, and did not see things from a position of long experience of such things. They had not realised that in fact to their opponents everything had hinged on the presence of Jesus. The disciples had thought that they too would be seen as a danger. But no one else saw them like that. Their opponents were confident that with Jesus out of the way the bubble would burst. They had seen it all before, and they were not worried about the disciples. Thus the Apostles were in hiding when they need not have been, because no one was looking for them, and that was why everything was being left to the women. We can be sure therefore that they would not have had the remotest thought of stealing Jesus’ body in order to practise a deception. People who do that kind of thing seek to present a brave face to the world. They reveal a confidence that they hope will cover up their deceit. They do not hide away like disillusioned men. But the disciples were disillusioned men (just as their opponents had expected), and their concern was therefore for survival. To them there was no expectancy of a resurrection, and they were totally devastated by what had happened. All their hopes had gone. They were not men with great influence who could extend that influence by deception. They were men who had lost their way, and whose influence had collapsed with the death of Jesus. They would have seen no point in stealing the body.

Furthermore can anyone really suggest that men who had stolen a body as a deception, or had perpetrated a deception, would then have been willing to face persecution, imprisonment and even torture in order to maintain their deception. What would have been the point? At that stage becoming a Christian was not the ladder to wealth and success, it was the road to the cross, it was the way of ignominy and shame. It was the way to being despised and rejected by their fellows. Would men then choose that way on the basis of a lie?

And by the time that Matthew wrote his Gospel Christianity was spreading rapidly and being successful. There was no need to resort to lies, especially as part of their success actually depended on the fact that they had brought a new level of morality into the world. It is quite incredible to think that Matthew and the early church could have brought us the Sermon on the Mount with its huge emphasis on truth and then have bolstered it with what they knew to be a lie.

But how do we know that the story about the guards was not an invention with the aim of demonstrating that the body was not tampered with? The answer lies in the details of the story. For it in fact proved nothing of the kind, because the guards are said to have been asleep (28.13). Now what kind of person practises a great deception in order to prove something and then immediately appends an explanation that could be seen as invalidating the deception? When you practise a deception you keep quiet about anything which might throw doubt on the deception. You do not immediately suggest possible holes in it. The only reason for mentioning this incident in this way is that everyone knew that the tomb had been guarded, and that therefore the Jews had given this as an explanation for their failure to prevent the body disappearing. It is actually further evidence that the body had unexpectedly disappeared.

These particular Pharisees on the other hand were convinced that deceit was precisely what the disciples would practise as a short term expedient. (But even they would have acknowledged that a movement based on such a lie would not have lasted long). They genuinely saw Jesus as a deceiver, for how could He not be when He disagreed with them? And they therefore assumed that His disciples would be deceivers too. Having learned to paper over the truth with regard to their own ideas, they assumed that others would do the same. For they were the later exponents of a position which had initially started out with such enthusiastic promise, but which had become bogged down by ritual and artifice, (even the later Rabbis drew attention to the fact that this was so), and they now feared that it was not gaining in popularity as it should. People were beginning to discover that there were holes in it. That was one reason why they had hated Jesus so much. He had kept on pointing out those holes. Thus they thought in terms of cover up and deception, and then assumed it of others.

Those who suggest that the early church invented this story in order to convince people that the body could not have been stolen are either totally unthinking, or are revealing the fact that they have the same tendency towards deceitfulness of mind as these Pharisees had. It suggests that they have within their own hearts a certain level of dishonesty which they see as acceptable, because they read it into others. They judge others by themselves, and thereby judge themselves. For there is not a single thing about the disciples that suggests that they would have been like this. Such deceit was certainly something that the later church would have practised centuries later when the church had become corrupt, had lost its first vision, and had much to gain materially by distorting the truth, but it was not the kind of action likely in a church where honesty and truth were seen as central (Ephesians 4.15, 25, 29; Colossians 3.9), where the teaching of Jesus was still very much hot in the memory (5.33-37), and where they themselves were undergoing suffering and poverty precisely because they believed in ‘the truth’ and were determined to proclaim it at all costs. Such people do not set out deliberately to deceive, or build their teaching on deliberate deception. It would take away any reason for their efforts. Rather they preach in the face of ridicule because they earnestly believe in what they say and are not interested in deception. Furthermore this was being circulated at a time when there were still people alive who knew the facts because they were in Jerusalem at the time. Had it been untrue the opponents of Christianity would have stood up and said so very firmly, (and so indeed would its friends), for these opponents were not men who were hidden in a corner, but men who had their own positive agenda and were rebuilding what they themselves believed in. And yet no one ever suggested that the tomb was not empty.

Note that it was certain ‘Pharisees’ who came to the Chief Priests with the suggestion of what the disciples would do. This was because they thought of the disciples in their own terms. They assumed that the disciples would try to fake a resurrection (they did not realise that they were in hiding), and that they would do it because they were deceivers like their Master. With their own strongly held belief in the resurrection these Pharisees (not all the Pharisees) were thus demonstrating that they would themselves not have been averse to considering doing the same thing, if they had thought that they could get away with it. They were no longer hot for a truth which had burned its way into their soul, but hot in support of a long held tradition, a second hand faith, which they supported by any means possible. They could not understand men of genuine moral fibre who were enthusiastic for truth. Nor could they believe in any resurrection that did not occur in the way that they anticipated. Thus they considered that any talk about Jesus rising had to be a deception. They were clearly not very reliable people.

The Chief Priests listened to what they had to say, and being sceptical about the possibility of resurrection could see that someone who was trying to prove the idea might well resort to such trickery. It was what they would have done themselves. And they probably also saw in these Pharisees before them fellow-tricksters who might well have used the same tactics. But this again revealed the trickiness and deceptiveness of their own minds. They saw the Pharisees, and everyone else, as being like themselves. Thus together they went to Pilate in order to guard against what was never going to happen. And some today follow the same tactics, because that is the kind of people that they themselves are. They are not above resorting to trickery themselves, and so assume it in others, even though the teaching of those others demonstrates their high moral standing. Such tricksters cannot understand moral standing. So to dismiss the disciples as deceivers is either to be guilty of shallow thinking, or to condemn our own attitude towards life.

The situation has a certain humour to it. The Apostles were in hiding from a danger that was never going to materialise, and with no thought of trickery, and the Chief Priests and Pharisees were setting a guard against a possibility which was never going to happen, and did it because they themselves were essentially tricksters. Such is what happens when men judge others by themselves.

Analysis.

• a Now on the next day, which is the day after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while He was yet alive, After three days I rise again” (62-63).
• b “Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest haply His disciples come and steal him away” (64a).
• c “And say to the people, ‘He is risen from the dead,’ and the last error will be worse than the first” (64b).
• b Pilate said to them, “You have a guard, go, make it as sure as you can” (65).
• a So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, the guard being with them (66).

Note that in ‘a’ they were fearful of a deception about a rising again, and in the parallel they take all precautions against it. In ‘b’ they were fearful that the disciples would steal the body, and in the parallel are told to set a guard in order to prevent it. Centrally in ‘c’ is what they were finally afraid of.

27.62-63 ‘Now on the next day, which is the day after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, ‘After three days I rise again’.” ’

‘On the next day, which is the day after the Preparation.’ An unusual phrase but necessary because during the Feast there would be a number of Sabbaths (the regular Sabbath and the festal sabbaths), and thus ‘on the sabbath’ might have been misleading. Such a phrase can be used later (28.1) because the position has already been made clear here. This may mean the day after the preparation for the Passover, and thus the very night that Jesus was crucified. Or it may rather refer to the day after the Friday (which was always called, and still is in Greece, ‘the preparation’ (paraskeue)) which fell in Passover week. It was thus the Sabbath. This would not, however, be breaching the Sabbath. Pilate was within a Sabbath day’s journey and the issue was religiously important as it was theoretically dealing with a false prophet. They would, however, have avoided entering Pilate’s residence.

‘Were gathered together.’ We have already seen that in Matthew this often has a sinister significance suggesting a gathering together in antagonism against Jesus. So even after His death they are still seen as ‘gathering together’ against Him.

The unusual (for Matthew) conjunction of the Chief Priests and the Pharisees suggests that the prime movers here were certain of the Pharisees. They had possibly gathered in their synagogue full of satisfaction at what they had ‘accomplished’ and had suddenly been faced up with a disturbing possibility, that those wretched disciples of Jesus would steal the body of Jesus and then pretend that He had risen. It revealed something about the state of their own minds that they took it seriously. Had they thought about it they must have known that such an action would not, of course, deceive most people but they were men with a guilty conscience (Jesus had that effect on people), and were clearly worried that something unusual might happen (compare Herod’s fear about the rising of John the Baptist). It is doubtful if they were worried that it might deceive a few fanatics among those unreliable Galilaeans. So they took themselves off to the Chief Priests who had been responsible for all the negotiations with Pilate, and put the matter to them, and managed to convince them of the danger. And then together they went to Pilate. It was such an absurd idea that we can only assume that they believed it because of the state of their consciences and because of their fear of the power of Jesus and of what He had said during His trial. It is quite likely that they had an uneasy feeling that something unusual might happen that they could not explain. And as they knew that Jesus could not possibly rise before the Last Day all that they could think was that it might involve the disciples.

“Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, ‘After three days I rise again’.” Arriving at Pilate’s palace they spoke these memorable words. Pilate must have been amazed. He would hardly have taken the idea seriously. To him people just did not rise again, especially when they had been crucified. He could probably hardly believe what he was hearing. This is, however, testimony to the fact that Jesus had in fact said these words, or something similar (all their actions had been based on distorted words of Jesus). Note their description of Jesus as ‘that deceiver’. This may have been a reaction to precisely what He had accused them of when He had accused them of being deceivers like the Devil (John 8.41-47). But it was also sowing in Pilate’s mind the idea of deceit, and of some grand deception. They wanted him to think that Jesus’ followers (cowering away behind locked doors) had no scruples and could get up to anything.

Some have suggested that as such words had only been spoken privately to His disciples they could not have been known to the Chief Priests and Pharisees. But we must remember that a thorough (negative) investigation had been made into what Jesus had said at various times, and that they would have had as sources a number of lapsed disciples, and indeed even Judas himself. That would explain why the statement was still fresh in their minds. Their fear was probably not that large numbers of people would be deceived, but that enough might be to make things decidedly inconvenient, and especially that it might encourage Jesus’ supporters in their errors of whom they knew that there were a great many (as with John the Baptist).

27.64 “Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest haply his disciples come and steal him away. And say to the people, ‘He is risen from the dead,’ and the last error will be worse than the first.”

So they requested that Pilate, who had overall responsibility for the body, should secure the tomb in which Jesus’ body was lying, guarding it for three days in case His disciples came to steal it away and then tried to pretend that He had risen. Once the three days was over they could then if necessary prove that such a thing had not happened by producing the body. Let him consider what the disciples would be able to do if they were able to steal the body. They would be able to claim, ‘He is risen from the dead’. And that would simply compound the ‘deceptive error’ that Jesus had been declaring, that He was the Messiah Who would arise from the dead.

The Chief Priests would have known that they had no right themselves to set their own guard over what was Roman property (the body of Jesus), at least, not without permission. It would have made Pilate look as though he was being incompetent. And the tomb itself was a privately owned one, belonging to a respectable councillor. They would not themselves therefore have wished to cause offence by putting on an unofficial guard.

27.65 ‘Pilate said to them, “You have a guard (or ‘Have a guard’), go, make it as sure as you can.” ’

It is difficult to believe that Pilate would have taken them too seriously, even if he was still disturbed by his encounter with Jesus. He would certainly have been cynical about the idea of a crucified man rising from the dead. Such a thing had never happened before to his knowledge. And besides, once a man had been crucified even if he survived, he would be a hopeless cripple. He would also indeed certainly be cynical about the idea of anyone rising from the dead. Thus he would probably have seen the idea that someone would steal the body and make such a claim as so fantastic that it could not really be taken seriously. And if he did think about his encounter with Jesus at all, and considered that it might just be possible that He might rise from the dead, he would probably have rather wanted to see what did happen, not have tried to prevent it. So it is difficult to see how he could have taken the whole idea too seriously, or have considered that anyone else would take it seriously. Thus we should almost certainly see Pilate’s words as being in the indicative as indicating that they should set their own guard. He would not want Rome to become a laughingstock. This would also explain why the guard that was set later reported back to the Chief Priests (28.11).

However the verb could be seen as an imperative and as therefore telling them to take a Roman guard for the purpose, and some have argued for this position. This latter position might be seen as being supported by the fact that the guards are later called ‘soldiers’. But it must be seen as quite probable that the Chief Priests loosely considered that some of their own guards could be seen as ‘soldiers’. They would see it as prestigious to have their own ‘soldiers’. And certainly the common people would have seen armed men in these terms. Thus the word cannot necessarily be pressed too specifically. It is not, however, overly important which they were. What is more important is that the guard was set. But even without it no one could seriously suggest that the disciples had stolen the body and then gone out into the wider world and convinced everyone of the resurrection, and even less established a movement that changed the world. Anyone who could believe that could believe anything.

27.66 ‘So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, the guard being with them.’

The consequence was that the guard was set. And in order to make sure that there was no funny business a seal was placed on the stone in such a way that if it was moved it would be apparent to all. Thus the tomb was made as sure as it could possibly be.

Note. Are There Any Grounds For Suggesting That No Guard Was Set?

The main grounds for such an argument is the fact that it is not mentioned by anyone but Matthew. But while that certainly indicates that the evidence is not as strong as it would have been if it had been mentioned in all four Gospels, it is not really a good reason for rejecting the idea. The reason for its non-mention is rather that it was not seen as of much importance by the other evangelists. We can see why it was important to Matthew, writing in a Jewish environment with Jewish Christians and Jews in mind, for there all kinds of rumours had probably been spreading. But in a Gentile environment, where such rumours did not arise, it would not have been seen as being something of first priority. Are there then any positive grounds for seeing it as probable that a guard was set?

• The first positive ground is given in the passage itself, the fact that Jesus had been making such claims and that they would want to guard against them. We can see that making sure that the body of Jesus was kept secure could well have been seen originally as an important priority by Jesus’ opponents in the light of claims that had been made that He would rise from the dead.
• The second lies in the fact that Matthew (or his source) was unlikely to invent such a story, and then immediately render it doubtful by mentioning the possibility of the soldiers being asleep. That would have to be seen as totally inept. The only reason why he would have done this is because this is what actually happened, and was the cause of the rumours that had been spread.
• The third lies in the fact of the complicated way in which the idea is introduced. An inventor would simply have stressed the putting of a guard on the tomb. He would not have considered the importance of Pilate being brought into the matter, and if his intention was to bring in Roman soldiers then he would have made the matter quite clear (as the later apocryphal Gospel of Peter does).
• The fourth lies in the delay in putting on the guard. An inventor would either have put the guard on at once, or would have explained that a check was made to ensure that the body was still there.
• The fifth lies in the fact that Matthew has already demonstrated that he was aware of things not recorded in the other Gospels. Thus there is no reason why we should doubt that he knew of this incident either.
• The sixth lies in the unlikelihood of Matthew making this claim if he did not have good reason for knowing that it was true. For if his Gospel has revealed anything it is his high moral stance.
• The seventh lies in the fact that the matter was never disputed, even though Matthew wrote with Jews in mind. People were still alive when Matthew wrote who had been in Jerusalem at the time. Yet neither honest friend or suspicious foe ever at the time denied the existence of guards on the tomb.

Given these arguments we really need to have very good grounds before we doubt Matthew’s truth and accuracy, and there are in fact none at all.

End of note.

The Women Disciples Come To The Tomb And Find It Empty Apart From An Angel. They Learn That Jesus Has Risen (28.1-6).

Late on the same day as the Chief Priests sealed the tomb, two of the women disciples go to survey the tomb and assess the situation. We learn from the other Gospels that it was in order to see whether there might be any opportunity of anointing the body of Jesus. Their main problem is how they will remove the large stone guarding the entrance. They are unaware of what others have done, the one in anointing the body of Jesus, the other in setting a guard and sealing the tomb.

But when they arrive at the tomb they discover that the great stone has been removed from the mouth of the tomb, and that a glistening figure is sat on it. This glorious figure then reveals to them that Jesus has risen.

Analysis.

• Now late on the sabbath day, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre (1).
• And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat on it (2).
• His appearance was as lightning, and his raiment white as snow, and for fear of him the watchers quaked, and became as dead men (3-4).
• And the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified. He is not here, for He is risen, even as He said.”(5-6a).
• “Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (6b).

Note that in ‘a’ they come to see the tomb, and in the parallel the angel invites them to see the place where the Lord lay. In ‘b’ an angel descended and opened up the tomb for them, and in the parallel the angel tells them not to be afraid because he knows that they are seeking Jesus who had been crucified, but that He is risen. Centrally in ‘c’ we have the glorious description of the angel.

28.1 ‘Now after (or ‘late on’) the sabbath day, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.’

The women disciples had to wait until the Sabbath was over, because by Jewish Law they could not anoint the body of Jesus on the Sabbath. And while the other women were finalising their preparations the two Marys were sent on towards dawn in order to survey the situation and to consider the possibility of the removal of the great stone blocking the entrance to the tomb. The others would follow on more slowly. Matthew as usual abbreviates what happens, and opens with the arrival of the two women at the tomb.

The word translated ‘after’ can signify either that or ‘late on’. Here it must mean ‘after’, as the Sabbath had ended on the previous evening.

28.2 ‘And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat on it.

They were probably somewhat apprehensive. There had been a great earthquake, following closely on the earthquake that had caused such damage on the day of crucifixion (Palestine was a land of earthquakes. Josephus and others refer to a number of earthquakes connected with Jerusalem, compare Amos 1.1; Zechariah 14.4-5), so that they may well have wondered what they were going to find. But nothing had prepared them for what they did find. For they discovered that the earthquake had opened up the tomb, and that an angel of the Lord had descended from Heaven and was seated on the stone. There had been ‘an angel of the Lord’ connected with His birth in 1.20. Now we find one connected with His ‘rebirth’. His resurrection. In both cases this angel explains what God is doing. He has sent Jesus to save us from our sins, He has vindicated Him by raising Him from the dead.

The rolling away of the stone was like the rising of the curtain in a theatre. It was in order to reveal the scene that lay behind it.

28.3-4 ‘His appearance was as lightning, and his raiment white as snow, and for fear of him the watchers quaked, and became as dead men.’

The appearance of the angel was as lightning in its splendour, and his raiment was pure white. They would be reminded of Daniel’s vision when he too had seen an angel fitting this description (Daniel 10.5-6). ‘White as snow’ indicates a certain God-likeness (Daniel 7.9). So glorious was the figure that the guards at the tomb, ‘the watchers’ (compare 27.36), themselves quaked (the word is used of the earthquake in 27.51) and swooned, becoming as dead men. Thus when the women approached there was nothing to fear, apart from the angel.

The description of the guards as ‘the watchers’ is probably ironic. Men had set them to watch, and now they could watch no longer.

28.5 ‘And the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified.” ’

But the angel soon put their minds at rest. He informed them that he was aware that they had come seeking Jesus Who had been crucified, or more literally, ‘was and is crucified’ (perfect participle). But He is not there. The Lamb Who has been slain is risen (Revelation 5.6).

We learn from the other Gospels that by now there were more women present (see 27.55-56) who had by this time caught up with the two who had gone before them in order to consider how to get into the tomb, and that when they arrived the angel was inside the tomb (Mark 16.1, 5). But both accounts are summaries of a far more complicated situation. To have explained the full details of all their movements would have taken away from the main message that had to be got over, that Jesus was risen from the dead

28.6 ‘He is not here, for he has been raised, even as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.’

Then he informed them that Jesus was no longer there. He had been raised by God, just as He had promised. And he invited them to see the place where the Lord had lain. He wanted them to glory in the emptiness of the tomb. Note the use of ‘the Lord’. Jesus was now a figure of great authority and power. He was ‘the Lord’ of the ‘angel of the Lord’.

(Textual note. Aleph, B, Theta omit ‘Lord. But it is found in A, D, W, f1, f13, 565, 700. It may have been omitted over uneasiness about the thought of ‘the Lord’ (YHWH) having been in a tomb).

The Final Triumph (28.7-20).

Following this remarkable experience of the women, we now come to the climax of the Gospel, the resurrection appearances and the giving of the Great Commission. The subsection commences with an appearance to the women disciples, (a reminder of God’s interest in the seemingly unimportant who are faithful in worship and service), goes on to deal with men’s vain attempts to deny the resurrection by falsehoods, and finalises in the appearance of Jesus to His disciples in Galilee where He explains that He has taken His rightful place as Lord over Heaven and earth, and sends them out to proclaim His words throughout the world, and call all men under His Kingly Rule, with the assurance that His presence will be continually with them.

The subsection splits into three passages:

• Through the women both the angel and Jesus tell His disciples to go to Galilee (28.7-10).
• The Chief Priests try to cover up the fact that the tomb which they had sealed has been found to be empty (27.11-15).
• The disciples go to Galilee and see the risen Jesus, learn of His coronation, and receive their great commission, with the promise of His continual presence with them as they go to all the world (27.16-20).

The Women Are Given The Twice Repeated Message That the Disciples Are To Go To Galilee Where They Will See Jesus. They See Jesus And Worship Him (28.7-10).

That Jesus’ resurrection is made known first to the women comes out in all the Gospels. This is a sign of the truthfulness of the narratives. In Jesus’ day no one would have invented such an idea. Little account was then taken of the testimony of women. Anyone inventing such a story would have ensured that the initial appearances were to good, stolid, reliable men. But the women, because of their faithfulness to the memory of Jesus, were privileged first to see the angel, and then to see Jesus Himself in an initial encounter.

Analysis.

• a “And go quickly, and tell His disciples, ‘He is risen from the dead, and lo, He goes before you into Galilee. There will you see Him.’ Lo, I have told you” (7).
• b And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word (8).
• c And behold, Jesus met them, saying, “All hail” (9a).
• b And they came and took hold of His feet, and worshipped Him.’
• a Then says Jesus to them, Do not be afraid. Go, tell my brethren that they depart into Galilee, and there will they see me” (10).

Note that in ‘a’ the angel tells them to inform the disciples that He is risen from the dead and that they are to go to Galilee where they will see Him, and in the parallel Jesus Himself tells them the same. In ‘b’ they leave the tomb in awe and great joy, and in the parallel they see Jesus with an awe and great joy which is expressed in worship. Centrally in ‘c’ Jesus Himself meets them and greets them.

28.7 “And go quickly, and tell his disciples, ‘He is risen from the dead, and lo, he goes before you into Galilee. There will you see him.’ Lo, I have told you.”

The angel than tells the women that they are to go with all speed and inform the disciples that Jesus is risen from the dead and that He will go before them into Galilee where they will see Him. He wants His appearances to them to be free from the trammels of the old Jerusalem. They must speed joyously on their way (as the Magi speeded joyously to Bethlehem) knowing that He will be there before them. ‘Goes before’ indicates, not that He will lead them, but that He will go ahead, like a shepherd might leave his flocks with under-shepherds and go before them in order to ensure that the way ahead is catered for. And there, He assures them, He will see them.

‘Lo, I have told you.” In other words, ‘I have now passed on the message that I was sent to give, and my responsibility is now at an end.’

In the light of Luke’s and John’s narratives this whole verse contains a remarkable statement, for we all know that Jesus actually first appeared to His disciples in Jerusalem, although John does then speak of an appearance in Galilee (John 21). Matthew on the other hand only and quite deliberately details Jesus’ appearance to the disciples in Galilee. Furthermore there would be no purpose in the words we find here if Jesus had not wanted them to see that as His intention.

The first idea that we can quickly dismiss is that Matthew did not know about the other resurrection appearances. Those were so well known that Paul could delineate them in 1 Corinthians 15.3.8 in a way which showed that he expected a general knowledge of them, and that as far away as Corinth. They would necessarily be meat and drink to the early church. Matthew was far too close to Jerusalem, and too much in the hub of things, not to be aware of what had happened there. He would after all have been rubbing shoulders day by day with people who remembered it vividly from the earliest days. He was not an unknown, living in a remote backwater far from Jerusalem.

The only possible genuine explanation, apart from that of an unseemly parochialism which fits ill with the remainder of the Gospel, is that he firmly believed that the appearance in Galilee which he describes, was the crucial one originally intended by Jesus, and that the others were only preliminary, and were actually the result of the disobedience and unresponsiveness of the disciples because of their lack of belief. In other words that Jesus’ original intention was that He would appear to them in Galilee, and that that was only thwarted by their remaining in Jerusalem. Unless the angel was mistaken this must have been so. This view also appears to have been held by Mark 16.7 (and therefore by Peter). Had they believed they would immediately have set out for Galilee on hearing the news from the women. It was because they did not do so that Jesus appeared to them in Jerusalem. Once again the disciples had let Him down.

(It is true, of course, that this raises the old question of sovereignty and foreknowledge, but we cannot work on that basis. From that point of view everything that happens is ‘within God’s will’. But that does not exclude the fact of man’s responsibility for his constant disobedience. The truth is that the same disciples who failed Him in the Garden, also failed Him initially in their response to His resurrection. It is a further indication of how grace in the end triumphed over weakness).

The great importance of this, and the reason why Matthew insists on sticking to what was anticipated in the original plan, is that it indicates (and indicated to his Jewish Christian readers) that Jerusalem was not intended by God to be seen as the source of the new Israel, and the centre to which all should look. That source (if there was to be a source, see John 4.21-22, and note that no indication is given in Matthew of the exact whereabouts of the mountain) was rather to be seen as Galilee where Jesus had walked and preached, and where the great light had first shone (4.16). The new Israel was to be free from the ties of old Jerusalem and rather be connected with the heavenly Jerusalem (Galatians 4.22-31; Hebrews 12.22). It was to be remembered that Jesus was a Galilean, a Nazarene. He was not to be seen as an extension of Jerusalem, and what Jerusalem now stood for, but as One Who was meek and lowly in heart with a message freed from Jerusalem’s ties. Compare how after His birth and exile He returned not to Jerusalem but to Galilee (2.22-23). That Galilee was to be seen as the source of light had been long planned (4.16; compare Isaiah 9.2).

It is true that Jerusalem was indeed to be the place from which God’s instruction would flow out (Isaiah 2.2-4), but once that had been accomplished Jerusalem was to be put aside. Luke brings out the same message, in a different way, in Acts. For Jerusalem finally rejects the Apostles (Acts 12) and Paul (Acts 21.30), even though for a while they would still meet in Jerusalem (Acts 15). And God finally seals it by the openly declared destruction of Jerusalem.

Even today many Christians cannot get away from the clutches of Jerusalem and they thus make it central in their prophetic schemes. It is, however, time that we consigned the earthly Jerusalem religiously speaking to where God consigned it, to the dust, while the idea of it as found in prophecy should be consigned, again where God consigned it, to Heaven (Galatians 4.22-31; Hebrews 12.22). But those who cling on to the old Jerusalem are a reminder to us of how God carries on His work despite our stumbling and our failing which often bring such harm on the work of God. We all cling on to cherished ideas which misinterpret Scripture. It is true that out of the new chaos He produces the new creation. But the suffering often resulting from such disobedience continues.

28.8 ‘And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word.’

Overjoyed at this sudden change in circumstances which turned their gloom and mourning into rejoicing, but very much awed at the presence of the angel and even more by the thought of all that this involved, the women hurried from the tomb to bring their good news to the disciples.

28.9 ‘And behold, Jesus met them, saying, “All hail.” And they came and took hold of his feet, and worshipped him.’

And as they sped on their way Jesus Himself appeared to them and greeted them. And the result was that they fell down and worshipped Him. The taking hold of His feet may have been as an indication of allegiance, or it may have been in order to show their affection in a worshipful way. What it did, however, reveal was that Jesus appeared in a genuine body. He was not just a spirit.

‘All hail.’ This was a typical courteous greeting of the period. Compare the greeting to Mary in Luke 1.28. It is clear that Jesus did not mind appearing to the women in Jerusalem. No one would take that as an official event.

28.10 ‘Then says Jesus to them, Do not be afraid. Go, tell my brethren that they depart into Galilee, and there will they see me.”

Jesus then repeats the message of the angel. They are to tell the disciples and all who are believers (my brethren, compare 12.48) to leave Jerusalem and go to Galilee, where they too will see Him. At this stage Jesus is still looking to the disciples to obey Him. It is difficult to believe that at this point (from a human point of view) He is intending to appear to His Apostles that very night. The alteration in plan took place because of their steadfast unbelief. That is not, of course, to deny that in His sovereignty He knew what was going to happen, simply to indicate that that was how He wanted it to be seen.

‘Do not be afraid.’ What the women were experiencing was undoubtedly awesome in the fullest sense of the word. First a glorious angel and an empty tomb, then a message that Jesus would soon appear to all His disciples, and now the actual appearance of the One Whom they had watched die on a cross. No wonder that there was a kind of fear and awe gripping them in the midst of their joyfulness.

‘Depart into Galilee, there will they see Me.’ Men must no longer look to Jerusalem but to Him, and He is not bound up in Jerusalem. The importance of Galilee came out from the start. It was in Galilee that Jesus took refuge on His return from exile (2.22). It was in Galilee that the people who sat in darkness would see a great light (4.16). It was in Galilee that He carried out His main ministry (4.23) and established a large band of disciples. At the crisis point of His life Jesus was declared to be a Galilean (26.69). Thus Matthew saw Galilee, ‘Galilee of the Gentiles’, as the starting point of the future. And he did it on Jesus’ authority. That was where Jesus was really to be seen.

The Chief Priests Bribe The Guards So That They Will Say That Jesus’ Body Was Stolen (28.11-15).

This whole Section from 26.1 onwards commenced with the Chief Priests bribing Judas so that He would betray Jesus (26.14-16), prior to which was the anointing of Jesus (26.6-13), now it ends here with the Chief Priests bribing the guards so as to lie about His body being stolen, after which we learn of Jesus’ heavenly anointing as He is invested with all authority in Heaven and earth.

Note how this episode is placed specifically in between two appearances of Jesus in His body, in one of which He was actually seized by His legs (28.9). People would have to believe whether they received the testimony of men who were asleep, or of those, both men and women, who were wide awake.

Analysis.

• a Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city, and told the Chief Priests all the things that had happened (11).
• b And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave much money to the soldiers (12).
• c Saying, “Say you, ‘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 rid you of care (13-14).
• b So they took the money, and did as they were taught (15a).
• a And this saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until this day (15b).

Note that in ‘a’ the guard came and told the Chief Priests what had happened, and in the parallel they went to the Jews and told them what they had been told to say. In ‘b’ they were given much money, and in the parallel they took the money and did as they were taught. Centrally in ‘c’ we have details of what they were to tell the people, and a guarantee of safety from the governor’s wrath.

28.11 ‘Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city, and told the chief priests all the things that had happened.’

At the same time as the women were going to tell the Apostles and their fellow-believers that the tomb was empty, the guards were going to the Chief Priests for the same reason. But while the women went with joy in their hearts the soldiers were very unhappy, and they came to the Chief Priests and explained what had happened.

Came into the city.’ There is a parallel and contrast here with coming into the city of the ‘saints’ as witnesses to the resurrection (27.53). The saints came to ‘many’. The women came to the disciples. And the soldiers came to the Chief Priests. All in their own way testified to wonderful happenings. It was only the Chief Priests who refused to hear and believe.

‘All the things that had happened.’ That is, everything of which they were aware. They had not witnessed the resurrection, nor possibly could they remember much about the angel, for the former had taken place before the grave was opened, (unless we take 27.51-52 as indicating that it resulted at the same time as the earthquake), and they were traumatised by the latter

28.12 ‘And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave much money to the soldiers.’

As a result the Chief Priests called an emergency meeting of some of the Sanhedrin in order to discuss what they should do. The conclusion that they came to was that they should bribe the soldiers to lie on their behalf, and to this end they gave them much money. They were not to be bought cheaply.

There is disagreement about whether these soldiers were Roman soldiers or Temple servants. There are a number of things in favour of their being Temple servants.

• Firstly they had reported back to the Chief Priests and not to Pilate. That could also have been true of Roman soldiers who had been allocated to act on the Chief Priests behalf, but it is suggestive. Indeed there is a good case for suggesting that had Roman soldiers been involved they would simply have sealed up the tomb and pretended that nothing had happened, hoping that no one else knew (they would have nothing to lose by doing so, and everything to gain). They would be in a dreadful fix and would consider it quite probable that no one would look in it again for a long time, by which time no one would know when it had happened. And they would not have considered the possibility of a resurrection. It was only Jews who would have an interest in what the empty tomb might mean, and would probably want to report back what had happened, who would behave in the way described here. (Compare how continuing interest was also restricted to Jews - verse 13).
• Secondly they were prepared to admit to neglect of duty in return for a bribe. It is doubtful if a Roman soldier would ever have dared to do such a thing. His punishment would have been too severe. To suggest that such a crime would be overlooked by the military is unlikely indeed. Nor would any such soldier have wanted to spread a rumour around pointing to his misdemeanour. It would be asking for trouble, for it would certainly get back to their commanders. However, for supporters of the Chief Priests, the spreading of such rumours at their request would have been considered a good thing, although they would have wanted well paying for their trouble.
• Thirdly, if they had been Roman soldiers who were considered to have failed in their duty by falling asleep it is questionable whether the Chief Priests could have spoken with such confidence about getting them excused, for it would be a military matter, and such behaviour was looked on very seriously and was usually punishable by death. But it is quite conceivable that they would have confidence that they could obtain pardon for their own men who had failed, even though they were temporarily acting on Pilate’s behalf. They could do so on the grounds that they were not used to doing such guard duty and were exhausted after the events of the previous days and nights of being involved in monitoring the pilgrims over the feast days.
• Fourthly, only ‘some’ of the soldiers reported back. This suggests that the whole contingent consisted of at least six or seven, if not more. It is quite frankly doubtful if six or seven Roman soldiers would be allocated to such an unimportant task. It was not the Romans who were fearful of what would happen, it was the Chief Priests.

Against this idea of their being Temple guards is that they are called ‘soldiers’. But it would seem probable that armed guards in the Temple would often popularly be called soldiers by people like Matthew, just as Herod would have his own soldiers. Soldiers were not limited to the Roman army. The other point that may be raised is as to why if they were the High Priest’s soldiers they were accountable to Pilate. But we have to recognise that the Chief Priests had made a commitment to guard the tomb. If it ever came to his attention that they had failed they would therefore be accountable to Pilate however little he might in fact have cared about the matter, for he was the one on whom any blame would finally fall.

28.13 ‘Saying, “Say you, ‘His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.’

The story that the soldiers had to spread around was that ‘His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.’ Compare 27.64 where this was actually what the High Priests had feared. This rumour was to be spread in order to convince the people that He had not risen. And no doubt they themselves believed that it must be so. What other explanation could there be? Paradoxically, for some who heard the rumour it might well have had the opposite effect. Knowing the Chief Priests they might have said to themselves, ‘It is clear that the tomb must be empty otherwise they would not talk like this. Perhaps then He did rise from the dead’. However, it would give a good excuse to those who were determined not to believe.

‘While we were asleep.’ This would be in order to avoid questions. Too much might be revealed if they once admitted that they were awake and were then as a result questioned further. Of course the question that should then arise is, ‘If they were asleep how did they know what had happened to the body? And if they woke up and saw it, why did they do nothing about it?’ Either way their story does not hold water. It is clearly grasping at straws.

But to be asleep on duty would make them look foolish (which was why they had to be heavily bribed). Why did they not then rather claim that they were overpowered by a large band of armed men? The answer is clearly because they knew that no one would believe it. They knew that the facts could be looked into, and probably would be if they told that story. And none of Jesus’ opponents wanted the facts looking into. Their only hope lay in admitting that no one knew anything about what had happened, but that it had happened anyway (a truly solid basis for being a reliable witness! No wonder only the Jews who wanted to believe it did so).

Besides, the story of a tomb robbing by a bunch of amateurs, while the guards lay asleep without being disturbed, is hardly credible. Imagine the ribaldry the guards would have had to face. Consider the scene. A dark tomb, a large rock to be moved requiring two or three men to do it, and a number of guards lying round the tomb. Then a band of intrepid disciples arrive, admittedly by the light of a nearly full moon, and without making a sound, they avoid the guards without disturbing them, move the large stone without making any noise at all, locate the body in the dark tomb with no difficulty, carry it out, again avoiding the soldiers, and then disappear, and meanwhile no one wakes up or spots them in the process. It would hardly have sounded credible to any who heard it. It was not credible.

It should also be noted that in the Roman Empire the molesting of graves was a serious offence. Among other things the well known Nazarene inscription makes this fact abundantly clear. Had it genuinely been believed that the disciples had stolen a body which was government property and had hidden it away, they would undoubtedly have been sought out and probably executed.

28.14 ‘And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and rid you of care.

The problem with such a story for the soldiers was that it might reach the governor’s ears, which would not please him very much. And they knew that they had been acting under his instructions. But they were assured by their employers that they would then see that everything was all right for them. They promised that they would use their influence, and probably more money, in order to ensure that there were no repercussions. Had these been Roman soldiers we might in fact have expected their fear to be that their Commanders found out (Pilate would have returned to Caesarea, or would be on the point of doing so). It was they who would be directly responsible for disciplining such a failure. It is very unlikely that they would have believed that their commanders could be bribed. Thus again we have the impression that these were the Chief Priests’ soldiers.

28.15a ‘So they took the money, and did as they were taught.’

The guards accordingly took the money and spread the word that was ‘taught’ to them. Note the emphasis on ‘taught’. This lie is in strong contrast with the word that the disciples will be called on to teach (verse 19). The inference is that the Chief Priests and Pharisees taught lies, while the disciples taught the truth.

28.15b ‘And this saying was spread abroad among Jews, and continues until this day.’

The result was that this story became popular among Jews as an explanation of the empty tomb and continued to be so until the time of writing. The impression that this verse gives is that Matthew’s main purpose in giving the explanation is in order to explain where such a story came from, rather to be seen as an attempt to provide specific evidence of why people could believe that a guarded tomb was definitely empty. It would appear that this latter was something that every Jew knew. It is clear that Jews were seen as the only ones interested in the matter. Gentiles probably did not believe Jews anyway, and certainly did not believe this mad story.

‘Continues until this day.’ This tells us only that the rumours continued for a certain period. It tells us nothing about when ‘this day’ is, only that it was some years after the events described. This was an expression common in the Old Testament. In Jeremiah 25.3 it indicates either a period of ten years, or one of twenty three years. See also Jeremiah 36.2; and especially Numbers 22.30 where the period is quite short (an asses lifetime).

Jesus Appears To His Disciples In Bodily Form And Reveals That He Has Been Crowned As Lord Of All. He Sends His Disciples Out To Proclaim The Good News To All Nations And To Call On Them To Observe All His Commandments (28.16-20).

Jesus now appears and reveals His new heavenly Kingship, and calls on His disciples to go out in His name in order to make disciples of people from all nations, giving them the assurance that He will go with them and be with them wherever they go, and however long it takes. Note the deliberate contrast with the previous passage. While the soldiers were declaring that the body had been stolen Jesus, in His transformed body, was appearing to His disciples.

• a But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him. But some doubted (16-17).
• b And Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth” (18).
• c “Go you therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (19).
• b “Teaching them to observe all things whatever I commanded you” (20a).
• a “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world (or ‘age’)” (20b)

Note that in ‘a’ they come to the mountain and see the risen Jesus, and in the parallel He promises that He will from now on continue to be with them as they go out and fulfil His command. In ‘b’ they learn of His coronation in Heaven where He has been given all authority in Heaven and on earth, and in the parallel they are to teach men to observe all His commandments as King (first on earth and then in Heaven). Central in ‘c’ is their great commission to go to all nations taking to them the triune God, and drenching them with the Holy Spirit in His Name.

28.16 ‘But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had appointed them.’

In accordance with Jesus instructions the eleven Apostles finally went into Galilee to find new truth, in total contrast with the soldiers who had gone to the Chief Priests to be taught lies. And there they went to the mountain that Jesus ‘had appointed them’. This would suggest that prior to His death He had already tried to make arrangements for them to go to Galilee as soon as He was dead, and had given them details about where they would see Him once they did so (although the arrangement might have been made during His resurrection appearances in Jerusalem). Compare 26.32. But until they had heard what the women had to say it is clear that this had slipped into the background of their memories. But now that they knew that Jesus was indeed risen they obeyed His words. This appearance in Galilee, and the giving of Jesus’ commission there, were important. They indicate that Jesus’ work in Galilee and the surrounding area must go on, and that what is to go forward is based on that. Was this the mountain on which He proclaimed the teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, or the mountain on which He fed the five thousand? (5.1; 15.29). Or did He have in mind the elders who had gone into the mountain with Moses and Aaron, to enjoy the presence of God? (Exodus 24.1-2). We just do not know. But we do know that He was fond of teaching in mountains because it meant getting away from the general crowds.

28.17 ‘And when they saw him, they worshipped him. But some doubted.’

It is not likely that the eleven went alone. They could hardly have disappeared from among the other brethren and the sisters without giving a hint of what was happening. And furthermore the angel is said to have declared that the women disciples will be present (28.7). Thus ‘they’ here probably has a wider connotation than just the eleven. However Matthew’s main concern is with the eleven to whom the commission will especially be given, as it had been in chapter 10.

When Jesus made His appearance on the mountain they all ‘worshipped Him’. This was probably not worship with a full understanding, but it was fairly close. And yet there were still those among them who found it hard to believe, which is not really surprising. No doubt they all had to keep pinching themselves to make sure that they really were awake, and that it was not all a dream. It should perhaps be pointed out here that people do not have mass ‘hallucinations’ which tally with each other. Thus such a shared experience of Jesus could not have been an hallucination. And the fact that some were still struggling with incredulity confirms this even further. We receive hallucinations of what we expect to see, not of the things we doubt. Even the doubts therefore confirm the genuineness of the experience, even though they bring out the obduracy of some of the Apostles. This latter fault was certainly not the kind of thing that people who respected the Apostles would have invented. Indeed the whole account from 26.1 onwards has been so uncomplimentary to the Apostles that it must be genuine.

‘Some doubted.’ This can only mean that they were at first unbelieving of what they saw. It was not easy for them to grasp the fact that Jesus was risen. Compare ‘disbelieved for joy’ in Luke 24.41, where it was clearly momentary. There are a number of possibilities as to what this means:

• 1). They saw Him at a distance before He ‘came to them’ (in the next verse) and were thus questioning as to whether it was really Him (compare 14.31-32 where Peter’s ‘doubt’ is also followed by ‘worship’ because he doubts no longer).
• 2). Those who doubted were in fact some outside the eleven who were taking time to adjust.
• 3). The statement is a general one as indicating the whole post-resurrection situation, and confirming the doubt that constantly initially arose among all who heard about it, until all was made clear (thus an honest recognition in an abbreviated storyline that not all believed immediately. If so it might be put in paranthesis). See also Luke 24.11, 25, 37; John 20.25; Mark 16.13.

Note that the doubts are there before ‘He comes to them’ and speaks with them. It is an honest recognition of the perplexity that Jesus’ appearances at first produced in men before they became convinced, and accepted the idea. But they are not the indication of a continuing experience after He had spoken with them. Indeed truly doubting men do not worship (verse 17) so that the doubts were limited to a few. We may well be better to translate the verb as ‘were perplexed’. It is not credible to suggest that Matthew is talking about long term doubts. He is proclaiming a positive message, not considering things sceptically or with disinterest. He is thus talking about a situation which was resolved by what follows. But what he does want us to know is that they did not just swallow everything thoughtlessly. None of these men were easily convinced, even though conviction came to some more quickly than to others.

28.18 ‘And Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” ’

‘Jesus came to them.’ They had seen Him at a distance, but now He approached them and their doubts vanished. We are not told where Jesus had been meanwhile, apart from the fact that what He now says confirms that He had been in His Father’s presence. For He spoke to them and said, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” Here He is expanding on the authority that He has constantly revealed throughout His life so that this is a powerful and strong statement. It is declaring that He has been openly proclaimed as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19.16), that nothing now remains outside His control (Ephesians 1.19-23), that He is Lord of Heaven and earth (compare 11.25; and see Acts 17.24) and that He has received again the glory which was His before the world was (John 17.5). Paul thus tells us that He rose above all the powers of the heavens and that all principalities and powers in heavenly places were made subject to Him (Ephesians 1.21-23). As regards earth His Kingly Rule, which had been revealed especially in His power over evil spirits (12.28), has been established and confirmed. The picture is thus of the Son of Man who as Israel’s king has come out of suffering to the throne of God to receive His worldwide and eternal Kingly Rule and glory and dominion (Daniel 7.14). The child Who was born and the Son Who was given has had the government put on His shoulders so that He might reign over the whole sphere of His Kingly Rule (Isaiah 9.6-7). God has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every Name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, with the result that He has been declared to be ‘Lord’ (YHWH) (Philippians 2.9-11). Men had refused Him that authority, but God has confirmed it and it is now to be manifested so that all men will be shortly made aware of it (compare 26.64), and never more so than when the wind and fire descended on His disciples in the Temple area (Acts 2). For Kingly Rule belongs to the Lord, and He rules over the nations (Psalm 22.28), and YHWH has set His king upon His holy hill (Psalm 2.6). Thus the world will never be the same again, for Jesus is King and is at work among men. He Who refused Satan’s offer of all the kingdoms of the world if He would rule them in his way (4.8) has received something greater than even Satan could have imagined. He is King of both Heaven and earth.

28.19 “Go you therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

And it is because this authority is to be seen as over the whole earth that His disciples are to go out, not spreading lies like the soldiers did, but in order to make disciples of all nations, baptising them into the Name of the Triune God. ‘Making disciples’ involves bringing men and women into long term commitment. There is no room here for ‘being saved’ and then just drifting along. All are to be committed to Christ as Teacher, Master and Lord.

‘Make disciples of all nations.’ This is the primary command. The baptising and teaching then follow. First we have the bringing to discipleship (repent for the Kingly Rule of Heaven is drawn near), and then the baptising and teaching must follow. There is no point in baptising or teaching those who are not committed to discipleship for they will not benefit by it. Such people rather need to have the Gospel proclaimed to them. (Unlike a participle preceding an imperative, a participle following an imperative, as here, rarely in the New Testament indicates imperative force. It is rather consequential). But once a person has become a disciple, he is then to be baptised and taught.

The idea of going out to ‘all nations’ confirms 24.14 and 12.18, 21. See also 8.11. It is the fulfilment of the fact that He is the son of Abraham (1.1) through Whom ‘all the nations of the earth are to be blessed’ (Genesis 12.3). They are to go to both Jews and Gentiles (in the same way as they will be hated by both Jews and Gentiles - 24.9; compare 10.17-18, 22). And in going they are to baptise them into ‘the Name’, that is, the Name above every Name, the Name of YHWH (or ‘LORD’) (Philippians 2.9-11). This is the first mention of baptism in Matthew since the time of John the Baptist. Then it symbolised the drenching with the Holy Spirit that was coming through the Coming One. Now it is an indication that all who receive Him by repenting and believing, will be deluged with the Holy Spirit. Thus they will have responded to the call of the Father, they will have come under the Kingly Rule of the Son, and they will have been drenched with the Holy Spirit. That is why they will be baptised into the Name of all three. It is the indication of a new beginning, a new Spirit endowed Israel responsive to the Father through the Son. We can compare here 3.16-17 where the ideas of Father, Son and Holy Spirit are also combined at Jesus’ baptism. But the fact that all three have the same Name is an indication of their oneness. We should note that this is not a baptismal formula (the very early church mainly baptised in the Name of Jesus) but simply a statement of what this baptism is to signify in the terms already expressed in Matthew. It sums up the whole message of Matthew and of Jesus Himself, God as ‘My Father’ and ‘your Father’, and thus as taking a personal interest in their lives, Jesus as ‘the Son, the Beloved’ (3.17; 11.27; 17.5; 21.37; 22.2) Who has come to save (1.21; 8.17; 12.17-21; 20.28), and promises that He will be with them always (28.20), and the Holy Spirit as the Empowerer Who will be bestowed on men by Him Who drenches men with the Holy Spirit (3.11; 12.18, 28). All three are clearly closely involved when a person is baptised.

So, that Jesus should speak of ‘the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit’ in this way is in fact merely the culmination of all that His teaching has been pointing to. He has constantly spoken of the Father as ‘My Father’ in a very distinctive way, especially in the second part of the Gospel (7.21; 10.32-33; 11.27; 12.50; 16.17; 18.10, 19; 20.23; 24.36; 25.34; 26.29, 39, 42, 53), and sometimes in apposition to Himself as ‘the Son’ (11.27; 24.36), and as ‘your Father’ when intimating that God takes a detailed interest in their lives. He has spoken of Himself in terms of sonship in 11.27; 21.37; 22.2, and He has in His hearing had witness borne to Him as the Son by the Father in 3.17 and 17.5. Furthermore He presses that claim further in 17.26. Now therefore that His Sonship has been confirmed by His restoration to heavenly glory this was only the natural way for Him to speak. And as the One Who acted continually through the power of the Holy Spirit (12.28) and is now to drench men throughout the world in the Holy Spirit (which is the significance of the idea of baptism and promised in 3.11), how could He not mention the Holy Spirit? The work of the Holy Spirit is above all what baptism pictured. Having been united with His Father in Heaven therefore the idea of Father, Son and Holy Spirit arises naturally here as expressing the tripartite working of Those Who in Jesus’ eyes were active in bringing about salvation.

Some would suggest that the singular ‘name’ is to be seen as signifying ‘each of their names’. But, even if that were so, the fact that the Name of Jesus is paralleled with the Names of Father and Holy Spirit in His designation as the Son, and what is more is placed between them, is to indicate quite clearly that He enjoys an equal divine status. He is the equivalent of the Angel of the Lord in Genesis.

Some have suggested that the thought is too advanced, but as we have shown the idea is intrinsic throughout the Gospel which has made clear that activity of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. If we deny that Jesus ever rose again, that He ever appeared to His disciples, and that He ever ascended to glory, we might take that view. But then it would hardly matter anyway. But if we acknowledge that having risen to His Father Jesus now appeared among men as the One anointed at His ‘right hand’ we will expect something special. He has been in the very centre of Truth with the One Who is Truth Himself and where the most advanced thinking that is conceivable (and inconceivable) takes place. The wonder of it is not that He produced wonderful truth, but that it had been so well prepared for beforehand while He was on earth. That is the miracle. And the idea is constantly found throughout the New Testament from the earliest times (Romans 8.11; 1 Corinthians 12.4-6; 2 Corinthians 13.14; Galatians 4.6: Ephesians 4.4-6; 2 Thessalonians 2.13; 1 Peter 2.2). It must have come from somewhere

Some would ask why, if Jesus taught them this about the whole world, the Apostles did not immediately go to the Gentiles. But the answer lies in their insular thinking. At first their idea of ‘all nations’ was Jews in ‘all nations under Heaven’ (Acts 2.5). It was only later, with some prompting, that they remembered all that Jesus had taught and therefore expanded their mission to Gentiles, eventually welcoming all who would come to Him. It is simply another example of the slowness of the disciples’ thinking. (As Acts demonstrates, had they in fact been left to themselves they would probably never have left their successful mission in Jerusalem).

‘Baptising them.’ This is an unexpected introduction of the idea only found elsewhere in chapter 3. What began there is now coming to greater fulfilment. The time of drenching in the Holy Spirit is now here in the person of the One Who drenches with Holy Spirit (3.11). What began as a local movement must now move worldwide. All limits have now been removed. The Holy Spirit must be poured out like rain on all kinds of people (Acts 2.17). And this will be evidenced by their being baptised. That Jesus must have said something like this comes out in the fact that from the earliest record of post-resurrection preaching those who responded were called on to be baptised (Acts 2.38, 41). And it was assumed ever after. There is no hesitation anywhere.

‘Into the Name.’ The idea is that now they are seen as belonging to Him (Titus 2.14; 1 Peter 2.9) and are sealed by His Spirit (Ephesians 1.13; 4.30).

28.20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatever I commanded you.”

Their mission is also to be one of teaching. They are now to fulfil their role as Scribes of the Kingly Rule of Heaven bringing forth what is new (what Jesus has brought) and what is old (the Scriptures) (13.52). The Messianic movement into the world is not to be by warfare or force of arms. That is how false religions spread. It is to be by proclamation of the truth, by the sword of the word. Men must be won by truth and love, not be forced to respond at the point of the sword of men. Only the former can produce true men of God. The latter produces religious robots, and even terrorists. And they must be taught to observe all that Jesus has commanded them, especially as revealed in Matthew’s Gospel. Just as Jesus taught these men as His disciples (5.1-2), so must they teach those who become disciples of Jesus through them. The Sermon on the Mount is thus an essential part of the Good News as they go out to bring men to submit to Him, not only that they might be blessed (5.3-9), but also that they might call Him ‘Lord, Lord’, and do what He says (7.13-29). For their constant prayer is to be, ‘May your Kingly Rule come, and your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven’ (6.10). From now on men are to seek first the Kingly Rule of God and His saving righteousness (6.33). For Kingly Rule belongs to the Lord, and He rules over the nations (Psalm 22.28).

‘All that I have commanded you.’ This applies to this day as well as His day. It is all-inclusive. Anyone whose teaching excludes obedience to all the commands that Jesus Himself taught is clearly on the wrong track.

27.20b “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world (or ‘age’).”

And the guarantee of their success will be that He Himself is with them always, in all His authority and power as the risen Lord. This reflects the words at His birth in 1.23, ‘He will be called God With Us’, again an emphasis at both beginning and end. That He will indeed be so is again evidence of His divinity. Only One Who was divine could accompany each member of a group which spread out throughout all the world. To Matthew this is the equivalent of Pentecost, which made this situation apparent to the world. There also the breath of God and the fire of God indwelt His people.

So the divine King is now among them and will continue among them and the Kingly Rule of Heaven and its power is confirmed as available to all who respond to the King. Thus to Matthew the presence of Jesus continually with His people (as the drencher in the Holy Spirit - 3.11) is parallel with the pouring out of the Holy Spirit in Luke, and the fulfilment of the coming of the Kingly Rule of Heaven. For this presence of Jesus with His people compare 18.20; also 10.40. For when the Holy Spirit possesses a man he comes under the Kingly Rule of Heaven. But such men must still ‘repent’ and become disciples, for the Kingly Rule of Heaven is at hand in the presence of the King (4.17). Thus as they go out teaching men to observe all that He has commanded they must pray, ‘may your Name be made holy (by the triumph of the word), may your Kingly Rule come (by the bending of the knee to Jesus as Lord and reception of the Holy Spirit), may your will be done (by obedience to His commandments), on earth as it is in Heaven’ (6.9-10), as they ask for their teaching to have its divine effect.

We should note here how Jesus, when He called on men to go forth in His Name, based His way of going about it on that of God in the Old Testament. He too constantly promised that He would go with those whom He called and sent out in His service, and the assumption also was that His power would be with them as long as they were obedient. Consider, for example, Joshua 1 where, having commanded his full obedience to the Law of Moses, God’s promise is ‘I will not fail you or forsake you --- be not frightened nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go’ (Joshua 1.5, 9), which is very similar to this, apart from the fact that now it is the presence of Jesus that will go with them, and that too was in a situation where Joshua and Israel were going forward in order to establish God’s Kingly Rule, and all had to be careful to do all that the Law of Moses commanded. Compare also Exodus 3.12; Judges 6.16; in both of which is the promise ‘I will be with you’, where a similar overall idea was in mind. But in all these cases in the Old Testament the promise is basically to individuals, even though their followers were also included in a general way. In 28.20 the promise is given to all who go out in order to make disciples, and to each of them as individuals. Thus Jesus is taking over the prerogative of God in a big way, and promising that He Himself would do what God had previously done for His people in even greater measure. Whoever else in history has ever dared to make such a claim?

That Jesus’ continuing presence with us is a comfort can hardly be denied. We can be assured that He will never fail us or forsake us (Hebrews 13.5). But the emphasis here is not so much on that, as on the fact that He is with us in order that we might successfully carry out His mission. He is with us in order to empower us in that. This is not a promise on which simply to rest, although it includes that, it is a promise on which to go forward. The servants must fulfil their responsibilities before the Lord returns (25.14-30) and the end of the age/world comes, so that all nations might hear the good news of the Kingly Rule of God. For ‘the end of the age/world’ compare 13.39, 40, 49; 24.3 with 30-31. It is the time of final judgment and consummation of God’s purposes when final destinies are determined. And that is what all is leading up to, a fitting end to the Gospel.

IS THERE SOMETHING IN THE BIBLE THAT PUZZLES YOU?