June 20, 2024
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Matthew and Exodus? Here’s today’s reading:
Matthew 28 (NIV)
Jesus Has Risen
1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it……Continue Reading
Exodus 4
“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”
Matthew 28:6 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.28.6.NIV
Praise God!
God gives women the privilege of being the first to see the glory of our salvation, through the risen Lord who saves us from our sin. This is one of the proofs that this story is true. Noone at that time would say that women were the first to see Jesus, not his disciples. God does the opposite of what the world expects, and this is so unlikely that the disciples don’t believe the women. Luke 24:11 says, “but they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.” And we have the hope of what Jesus says before he is taken back to heaven. And SURELY I am with you always, to the very end of the age. As if to say, “of course I will be with you, that is a definite!” Let’s not forget that Jesus is our friend, and he is always with us.
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
”So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.“
Matthew 28:8 NKJV
What an amazing day! You and your friends go to visit the tomb of your beloved Messiah….in depths of grief. Then an Angel appears to you. He tells you not to be afraid, but the manly soldiers fall like dead men. The Angel tells you to take a message to the disciples and on the way you see Jesus, alive!
I always wondered why God would harden Pharaoh’‘s heart. Now I have a better understanding. I believe the reason why God hardened Pharaoh’‘s heart is to show Moses that He , I Am, is all powerful all knowing and in control of everything , Moses seem to be a little bit wishy-washy and lacking some confidence, God said to Himself, I”ll harden Pharaoh heart, to show him I’m all powerful
Matthew 28
Profound words.
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew when he talks about the Resurrection doesn`t include everything but he does give us some details just only brief. That`s where when reading the other gospels you get the complete picture. Here in Matthew the Angel of the Lord appears with a great earth quake and rolls the stone away. This angel speaks to the women and tells them that Jesus has risen. Then Jesus appears to these women and they held His feet and worshipped Him. Jesus tells them to tell the disciples that He will meet them in Galilee. During the time when the Angel of the Lord appeared with an earth quake the guards standing watch were frozen with fear. They eventually scatter and some tell the chief priests what they have witnessed and instead of the priests being joyful that Jesus has proven who He is { the Messiah} by rising from the dead and worshipping Him; they instead bribe the guards to lie about what they just witnessed. Even though they would be killed for not doing their duty. Only some of them went to the chief priests. I wonder how many might had turned to Christ themselves of this guard. There was quite a large number of them. Anyways Matthew leaves out a lot and goes into the statement by Jesus. That they are to make disciples of all Nations teaching about Jesus and spreading the gospel everywhere. God bless.
It is not surprising that people would be confused and dumbfounded at meeting the risen Jesus. It was not part of their regular experience. So you can imagine their joy at seeing Him, recognizing it looked and sounded like Him, but I don’t know how to characterize this. Hence they were joyful yet afraid. But how wonderful when that sunk it as reality. It really did turn out the way He said. He does have power over sin and the grave. He is even better than they thought. And the enemies certainly have to try and cover it up..with a ridiculous proposal that could have been easily resolved. If they stole the body, let’s find out where they are…search the countryside. But no efforts like those taken because the soldiers knew He was raised. And when He is together with His disciples, it is not surprising that He would give them final marching orders and comfort. Go and make disciples, but I will always be with you….What a great combination….it goes for us too.
Jesus spoke several times that this would happen, that death would not keep Him. I am sure each time He said it, it simply confused His followers and they assumed it to be figurative or just simply beyond their understanding. As it comes to pass and here He is once again after witnessing so definite of a death, one so long agonizing and public, there is NO queston that He is ALIVE!
Matthew28