- Matthew 28 is a lovely ending to the Gospel according to Matthew. It has an interesting series of incidents broken into three parts, and we want to try and touch on all three in this 9 mins read.
- Tomorrow, we’ll continue with the Gospel of Mark and we have a special minister to share with us.
Part 1: Jesus is risen from the dead!
For the first part (v1-10), I believe it is only right I ask you to enjoy the embedded YouTube video below (It’s a song by Donald Lawrence that captures it beautifully).
Part 2: Older People Syndrome continues…
The older people – chief priests (pastors), religious leaders, and elders – consulted together, devised a plan and decided to bribe the soldiers to perpetrate a lie. It is wild o… Pastors were using worldly people to disseminate false info.
“When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” – Matthew 28:12-14
- In our day people pay pressmen, social media influencers, and others to say all sorts of things.
- And the people who have been hired know that this thing is not true sha, but they are just after the money, likes, or rewards.
- Because the penalty for a Roman guard to sleep on duty was death! But because of the bribe of a large sum of money (and hope that their governor will not hear about it), they were willing to compromise the truth.
Dear friend, if we find ourselves trading truth and integrity for money, wealth, fame, etc., we should know that we have entered the world of carnality.
The language the world speaks is money. Jesus mentioned clearly that this is what the pagans seek after but we shouldn’t do so (Matthew 6:32-33). Then He added that we will have to make an ultimate choice of a master to serve – GOD or MONEY (Matthew 6:24).
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." - Matthew 6:24
You see, the amount of money that was given to the soldiers was not stated, but the older people had to pay a lot of money, and they had to pay between 12 – 72 men (depending on how many were used in the change of guard every 3 hours for the 3 days).
- This money was many times more than they paid Judas for the betrayal.
- That is just how sin works: you will have to commit more sins trying to cover up for what you committed in the first.
- Even then, sin is never fully covered by man – it will always be found out – if not now, in eternity.
The good news is this: sin can be forgiven, covered, cleansed, blotted out, and forsaken through a sinner’s confession and faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The lie that was decided by the older people, after all the consulting and meetings, did not even make sense. Think about the six short points listed below:
- How would so many guards, under the fear of the death penalty, fall asleep?
- How did they remain asleep during the moving of a huge stone and the body?
- Several disciples came to move such a stone and the body, and they were all quiet enough that a single guard could not be roused from the supposed sleep? Eiii…!
“You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep. If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed (v13-15).
- How could the disciples accomplish this in secret or stealth mode like ninjas, working against trained soldiers stationed at the entrance of the sealed tomb?
- And if all the guards were asleep, how could they know who took the body?
- Above all, their words/lies were contradicted by hundreds of godly men who were eyewitnesses and would not lie or be bribed like pagan soldiers.
Yet this reveals the truth and evil about “older people” and even “religious people.”
They care more about themselves, positions, titles, benefits, and institutions than about the truth and about God’s people.
They have their own agenda and selfish ambition, and they will stop at nothing to accomplish it.
Part 3: The Great Commission
When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore 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 I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:17-20
This is the final instruction Jesus gave to His disciples (you and I) to do and He gives two assurances:
1. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples…” Dearly beloved, all those who get involved in this commission have the highest backing!
Jesus dey your back! You no dey walk alone! It’s like someone becomes a President of a business or nation, and they ask you to complete an assignment.
Eg. If the President of Nestle Ltd (producers of Milo), asked that I go and make an advertisement for the them, I will gladly do so. Because I know full well that he has the power to back my mission, take care of me, protect me, fund me, and give me lifetime supply of milo, etc. (seriously, somebody should link me lol).
2. “And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of age.” I believe Jesus gave these assurances to curb the doubts (v17). Today I want to repeat these very words of Jesus to you: He is with all who keep this commission – He is with them always – to the very end.
So what is this commission?
#1. GO!
- Go means go; make a move; get up and move.
- It involves activity and action. We have to go and bring the people to Christ.
- In parable Jesus gave, it is the shepherd that goes to find the lost sheep (Luke 15).
#2. MAKE DISCIPLES! A disciple is a follower/pupil of a leader/teacher
- Jesus went to find fishermen, tax collectors and doubters, and made them into powerful Apostles by teaching, training, and interacting with them for 3 years.
- Disciples are made by deliberate efforts and not by wishes. There is a difference between making Jollof and buying Jollof. Disciples are made; not bought, not hired.
- And if you want to be a disciple, you must submit to follow teachings of the Apostles so you can be made into something (Matthew 4:19).
Now when they saw the boldness and unfettered eloquence of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and untrained in the schools [common men with no educational advantages], they marveled; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. - Acts 4:13
#3. Make disciples of ALL NATIONS!
- All nations means all the nations of the world. Let’s not take out some part of the scriptures.
- I believe that our generation has made it possible to go by the ease of airtravel and social media.
- You and I will not have any excuse to give if the Gospel is not sent to all nations.
- Dear friend, if you don’t have the resources to travel physically, use your social media deliberately to share the Gospel.
#4. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
- This involves first the physical representation of our repentance and cleansing from sin (being immersed into water), and our being born again in Christ (being brought out of the water).
- And second and most crucial is the baptism of the Holy Spirit (evidenced by the gift of speaking in tongues and other spiritual gifts).
- You cannot be a good christian without the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8).
Listen carefully: I am sending the Promise of My Father [the Holy Spirit] upon you; but you are to remain in the city [of Jerusalem] until you are clothed (fully equipped) with power from on high.” - Luke 29:49
#5. Teaching Them to obey everything I have commanded:
- Jesus has commissioned that you and I will become teachers of His Word to others.
- “By this time you ought to be teachers…” (Hebrews 5:12): It is an error for you and I not to bear the fruits of teaching God’s word to others after we have been taught (eg. for about 1-3 years).
7 So he said to the vinedresser, See here! For these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and I find none. Cut it down! Why should it continue also to use up the ground [to deplete the soil, intercept the sun, and take up room]?
8 But he replied to him, Leave it alone, sir, [just] this one more year, till I dig around it and put manure [on the soil].
9 Then perhaps it will bear fruit after this; but if not, you can cut it down and out. - Luke 13:7-9
- And if you just recently gave your life to Christ, we want you plead with you to find a Bible-believing church, submit to the teaching of the Word, and obey the Word you’re being taught.
- It is the only way you can become a disciple of Jesus and then you can also go and make disciples!
May grace and peace be multiplied to us all as we go and make disciples for Jesus. Heyy… you’re blessed!
- Remember that tomorrow, we’ll continue with the Gospel of Mark and we have a special anointed minister (Minister James Deke) to share with us.
- We will leave you one more song below titled: “I’m going to the ends of the world!” It’s a jam blast and it will encourage you to fulfill the great commission. Enjoy!
Do share your lessons from Matthew 28 with us. Remember to tag us on 📲:
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