Matthew 28-12.27.22
SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 28:5-7
"The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, Who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.' Now I have told you."
OBSERVATION:
This story starts off with Mary Magdalene and the other Mary going to look at the tomb where Jesus' body had been laid. A violent earthquake took place because an angel of the Lord came down from heaven. This angel of the Lord speaks as God, identifies Himself with God, and exercises the responsibilities of God. In several other appearances, those who saw the angel of the Lord feared for their lives because they had 'seen the Lord'. The angel's appearance was like lighting and His clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of Him that they shook and became like dead men. It is clear that the angel of the Lord is a theophany, an appearance of God in physical form. (GotQuestions.org).
UNDERSTANDING:
Jesus declared Himself to be existent "before Abraham", so it is logical that He would be active and manifest in the world. Whatever the case, whether the angel of the Lord was pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus or an appearance of God, it is highly likely that the phrase 'the angel of the Lord" usually identifies a physical appearance of God.
Just as Jesus promised, He rose from the dead! His bodily resurrection shows us that the living Christ is ruler of God's eternal kingdom. And just as Jesus body was resurrected, with that same power our dead bodies will come back to life to be with God forever!
LIFE APPLICATION:
Thank You God for the many forms You show up to make Yourself known. Thank You for giving us the gift of faith to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He came to earth to save us from our sins so that we may be able to have our sins forgiven, and be able to enjoy a relationship with You. Thank You for revealing to us the truth: that Jesus was born of a virgin, He died for our sins, He was resurrected from the dead. He rose, He is alive, and is sitting at Your right side interceding for us. He is making a place for us. He is coming again, and when He does, we will be taken up to be with You forever. We will see You face to face!
We who have received the gift of faith, and have been born-again are now called to witness what You have done for us. We are to share the Good News that Jesus is Lord, and that He came to save us from our sins.
Jesus was with the disciples physically until He ascended into heaven, and then spiritually through the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:4). The Holy Spirit would be Jesus' presence that would never leave them.
Jesus continues to be with us today through His Spirit, and has promised to be with us as well, and to never leave us nor forsake us. I pray we will continue to make Jesus Lord of our lives as we wait for His return as we go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything He has commanded us, and that we will take courage in knowing that He is with us to the very end of the age.
-Robin Orefice
Matthew 27-12.26.22
Scripture
Matthew 27:63-64 NLT
“They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.””
Observation-What does it say?
After the crucifixion and death of Jesus, the leading priests and the Pharisees went to see Pilate. They remembered Jesus telling people that he would rise from the dead after three days. So they requested that Pilate seal the tomb, and place guards all around it to prevent anyone, (especially Jesus’ disciples), from stealing the body, and telling everyone that Jesus has risen. They knew the commotion this would bring them, and it would discredit their reputations.
Understanding-What does it mean?
Jesus resurrection is the key to our faith.
“And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.”-1 Corinthians 15:14-19
There comes a point in every believer’s life where they kind of question their faith. I know I did when I was still young in my faith. Was I just believing and doing this because that is how I was raised, and I wanted to carry on the “family tradition”? Or did I truly believe in my heart of hearts the stories in the Bible and everything it says is true? Well the key for anyone questioning if Christianity is real or not is to prove or disprove the resurrection of Jesus. And the more I think about this story, (particularly this chapter in the book of Matthew), I couldn’t be more firm in my faith knowing that Jesus was raised from the dead, and He was the Son of God.
Let’s me start off by debunking the theories that Jesus’ body was stolen from the tomb by his disciples. Back in those days the Roman Guard were today’s equivalent to our Navy SEALS. I mean, you did not want to mess with these soldiers. So you better believe that the Pharisees and the leading priests took Pilate up on his offer, and used these soldiers to guard Jesus’ body, and placed guards all around the tomb. Also, keep in mind if anything got passed these guards on their watch, their offense would be punishable by death! So you better believe these guards took their watch seriously.
Then you have Jesus’ disciples. They were a group of fishermen and tax collectors; untrained in any form of combat. So you’re telling me this group of men can go behind enemy lines, get passed these Roman soldiers, move the huge boulder in front of Jesus’ tomb, and sneak his body passed everyone? I don’t think so.
Then you have eyewitness of people, not only his disciples, but other people who witnessed seeing Jesus alive after those three days. All accounts can be verified in all four gospels.
The final “kicker” is knowing how Jesus’ disciples, (except John), were brutally martyred. Now you’re telling me that you would be willing to die a gruesome death like that over a lie? I know I wouldn’t. I’d be the first to squeal, “I was just kidding” once apprehended and threatened over a death sentence. But what did Jesus disciples do? They continued to preach the Good News. They were willing to die because they believed in Jesus and all of what Jesus said. They knew the truth! And I know the truth too!
Life Application
Stand up. Stand up for Jesus!
So don’t let anyone try to sway you from what you know is true. This was just one way to know that Jesus was resurrected. This was just one way to know that Jesus said who he said he was. Just think of all of the prophecies in the Old Testament, all pointing to Jesus, all coming true. They were written hundreds of years before they even happened! And for all of those prophecies to line up and come true is like a billion to one! Or maybe, just maybe, it’s how I like to see it. It was a divine plan, from a sovereign God, who knew just how to reconcile the broken relationship of sinful man, to a Holy God.
-Moses Gaddi
Matthew 26-12.23.22
Scripture
Matthew 26:13
“I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”
Observation-What does it say?
Jesus is in Bethany. He is having dinner at a man named Simon’s house. Then a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume and poured it over Jesus’ head. The disciples were baffled with this action. Why would she waste such an expensive item for that?! The disciples thought she could have at least sold the item for lots of money, then gave the money to the poor. But Jesus told his disciples not to criticize her. This woman had done a beautiful thing for him. Jesus tells his disciples that wherever the gospel is preached in the world, that this woman’s story will be told as well.
Understanding-What does it mean?
Put value in the right things.
This woman gave up something very valuable and gave it to Jesus. Scholars believe the worth of the alabaster jar of perfume she anointed Jesus with was worth about a year’s wages! And this woman didn’t even think twice about using it! It takes true devotion and selflessness to do something like that. But that just shows you how much Jesus means to her. She probably spent her life savings on it and was planning on using it on the day she was to be buried. But instead she gives it freely to Jesus. Wow! I think it would be difficult for anyone to do something like that today. In the world we live in now, the value or cost of something can often times overshadow or distort the moral or meaning of something. The question is, what am I putting my values in?
Life Application
How much does Jesus mean to me?
So...how much does Jesus mean to me? Am I willing to honor Jesus with everything I have? Am I willing to look foolish to others around me because of the love I want to show Jesus? Will my story be told for generations to come because of my devotion to Jesus? 🤔 Something to ponder on as we go out in the world today.
-Moses Gaddi