Daily Blast - The Book of Matthew: Chapter 28
Scripture
“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.”
Reflection
This is the final Daily Blast and what a way to end, with the resurrection of Jesus Christ! In Matthew 28, we hear about Mary Magdalene and Mary visiting Jesus’ tomb and being approached by an angel telling them that Jesus had risen from the dead. How amazing is this! The message was quickly passed around until eventually, the chief priests got wind of what had happened. To smother the truth they fabricated a story about how Jesus’ “disciples came during the night and stole Him away while [the guards] were asleep” (28:13). Whilst this may seem barmy to Christians, it’s a view I’ve heard none-Christians comment on when in conversation about Jesus’ resurrection. To unpick what really happened it is important to remember what was said before Jesus’ resurrection and the events that occurred afterwards. Whilst I won’t go into lots of information (if you research into this you will find lots of compelling arguments to support Jesus’ resurrection), here are two key points.
Firstly, the Bible itself states that the Son of God will rise to join God in heaven and will overcome death (Matthew 16:21). According to 2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is God-breathed” that is to say comes from God and, in Proverbs 3:5, we are called to “trust in the Lord with all [our] heart[s] and lean not on [our] own understanding”. Therefore, if we are listening to these words, we should trust the entirety of the Bible and the claims that Jesus would be resurrected.
Secondly, after Jesus’ tomb was found to be empty, many of His disciples were captured and killed because of their faith. Why would a group of men, who supposedly hid Jesus’ corpse, be willing to have themselves killed to continue to spin a story that they knew was false? I don’t know about you but I certainly wouldn’t go to that extent to try to convince people of something I knew wasn’t true.
Although suffering occurred afterward, I don’t want to leave it hanging on this point, after all, this is a very joyous passage. We are told that Jesus, the Son of God who died on the cross to save us, has conquered death. I feel so blessed to know that God loves us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His one true Son. I was also really struck by the final sentence in this passage: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (28:20). This to me is a real comfort, that no matter the circumstances I’m in and no matter how old I get, Jesus will always be with me, as He is you. Never feel alone, for God is always with you.
Challenge
Something I haven’t touched upon in this Chapter, but is key to the Christian faith, is The Great Commission (28:16-20). In this passage, we are called to spread the Good News of God. Therefore, your final challenge is to go out and talk to someone – friend, family or stranger – about Jesus Christ. Spend some time praying to God about who to talk to and although it may seem daunting, never fear, for God is always with you.