Matthew 28: Risen! (1)
Pray Psalm 96.8-10.
Give to the LORD the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come into His courts.
Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns;
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved;
He shall judge the peoples righteously.”
Sing Psalm 96.8-10.
Mit Freuden Zart: All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above
Bring off’rings sweet to Him, our LORD; in holy garments praise Him!
Tremble before Him, all the earth; among the nations raise Him!
The earth is fixed, it will not move; the peoples will His justice prove.
Exalt the LORD and praise Him!
Read and meditate on Matthew 28.1-4.
Prepare.
1. How did the earth respond to the resurrection of Jesus?
2. Who moved the stone that sealed the tomb? How did the guards respond?
Meditate.
Forget about all those chubby, goofy-looking angels you’ve seen since childhood, and even angels who look like men with wings. Angels are not like that, as our text today makes plain. Imagine yourself one of those guards. It’s early in the morning—not quite light. You’re drowsy and eager to be relieved. Then you begin to feel the earth trembling. The trembling becomes a quaking. Something like a lightning bolt strikes the tomb you’re guarding, and when you look, it’s a being unlike any you’ve ever seen, his face like lightning and his body white as snow. While the earth shakes with joy, you and your comrades tremble with fear, and fall down as dead.
A new day has dawned. Jesus has risen from the dead. The tomb was opened not to let Jesus out, but so that we could see in. The single angel who broke the seal would have been sufficient to handle all the guards, had they chosen to fight, or all the Roman contingent in Jerusalem, or even all the legions of Roman armies scattered over the earth. The new day is the first day of the new age, the age of resurrection, and it begins with the trembling of the earth and a lightning strike from heaven.
The first day of the new age sees Christ risen from the dead, the light of God causing the darkness to scatter and sinners to cringe, and the earth leaping with joy, because Christ has reconciled the world to His Father, and the day of salvation has begun. It is a day for new songs (Ps. 96.1), for praising the Lord and proclaiming His salvation (Ps. 96.2), and for feeling the earth tremble beneath our feet as Christ’s Kingdom advances on it (Ps. 96. 11-13). Matthew ends his gospel where he began it, pointing to the Old Testament and its many teachings about Jesus and His salvation. “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” were also there, and we shall see that the angel has a special redemptive mission for them.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“‘You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.’
So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard” (Matt. 27.65, 66).
The best that can be said is: “Nice try.”
“In Judah God is known…
You are more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey…
At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep…
You, Yourself, are to be feared; and who may stand in Your Presence when once You are angry?
You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;
the earth feared and was still,
when God arose to judgment,
to deliver all the oppressed of the earth.
Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;
with the remainder of wrath
You shall gird Yourself” (Ps. 76.1, 4, 6-10).
God is known.
“The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech, and
night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.
Their sound has gone out through all the earth, and
their words to the end of the world” (Ps. 19.1-4).
The resurrection did not happen in secret.
The bright, shining, powerful angel came rumbling in with an earthquake to start the fanfare.
Then he opened the tomb to shine a light upon its utter emptiness.
For the Savior King was not bound by darkness and death—only the guard appeared dead.
God’s glory was going out to fill the void, as in the very beginning (Gen. 1.2, 3).
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2.14).
Christianity should ring out as loudly and noisily and brightly as it did that first Easter morning!
We serve a risen Savior and need to act like it.
Jesus said, “I AM the Light of the world.
He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness,
but have the light of life” (Jn. 8.12).
Furthermore, our risen Savior, said:
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden…
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5.14, 16).
Live in, and by, His power. Give off angel vibes.
When we do, we will never hear our gloriously risen Savior opine over us,
as we do the unenlightened, and gobsmacked guards, “Nice try.”
After all, “a new day has dawned.”
Reflect.
1. How would you describe the power that is on our side as followers of Christ?
2. Angels are sent to serve and help us daily. How should that affect us in our walk with and work for the Lord?
3. How should it appear to the people around us that we are citizens of the new age?
The women themselves had earlier witnessed Him in the sepulcher. Now they behold an empty tomb. This is why the angel rolled the stone away and why an earthquake took place: that they might be thoroughly aroused and awakened to the resurrection. John Chrysostom (344-407), The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 89.2
Pray Psalm 96.1-7, 11-13.
Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus with all creation, and commit yourself this day to proclaiming His salvation by your life and words.
Sing Psalm 96.1-7, 11-13.
Mit Freuden Zart: All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above
Sing to the LORD! O, bless His Name! All nations tell His glory!
Salvation’s tidings loud proclaim; let earth rehearse His story!
For God is greatly to be praised; His throne above all gods is raised!
Fear Him, and sing His glory!
All other gods are idols vain; the LORD created heaven.
Splendor and strength with Him obtain; to Him be glory given!
All fam’lies, praise this mighty LORD! Give strength and glory to His Word;
exalt the LORD of heaven!
Let heaven sing with lusty voice; let earth and sea sing sweetly!
Let fields and trees in Him rejoice, for He is coming swiftly
to judge the world in righteousness, the peoples in His faithfulness.
He comes; exalt Him greatly!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Men, check out the fall schedule of reading and study groups. Lots of opportunities here to grow and make some new friends. And check out our clearance sale at The Ailbe Bookstore.
Other columns of interest: This week: Our Read Moore podcast features excerpts from the book, Patrick: A Devotional History. Our Crosfigell teaching letter is pursuing a series on the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column continues our study of “Everyday Christianity”. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
