Join us as we conclude our journey through the Gospel of Matthew with a powerful exploration of Chapter 28. Experience the momentous events of the resurrection morning, where Mary Magdalene and the other Mary encounter both an angel and the risen Christ. Listen deeply as we dwell on the profound implications of the resurrection, a cornerstone of Christian faith.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Alan J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
Today we conclude the Gospel of Matthew, Up from the Grave He Arose, Chapter 28. Let’s listen in to Faith Comes by Hearing’s reading of Matthew, Chapter 28.
Matthew 28 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women,
Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead. And behold, he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him. See, I have told you.
So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, Greetings. And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid.
Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.
While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, Tell people his disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.
And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.
So they took the money and did as they were directed, and this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him. But some doubted.
And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.
In 1992, I summarized Matthew 28 in about three phrases. He is not here, for he has risen, just as he said… Go quickly and tell. In 2007, I summarized this great chapter by writing, He is not here, for he has risen, just as he said. That’s what an angel told Mary. The guards couldn’t explain how they lost the dead prisoner, so the chief priest made up a lie, saying they fell asleep and his disciples came and stole the body. That is not even believable. I continue to write, The resurrection of Jesus is the issue we must decide. If he truly rose from the dead as he said he would, he is God and worthy of our belief. If his body was stolen and he is dead, he is not worth believing because he is dead and his word was not true. There is no category for a quote good teacher. I believe he rose from the dead. He is the Son of God, and all authority has been given to him in heaven and on earth. Praise God. And in 2016, when I read Matthew 28, I was actually in Windhoek, Namibia. I wrote this. He is not here, for he has risen. Can fear and great joy occur together? No. Let me interrupt my journal writing by quoting that verse, verse 8. So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy. So that’s why I wrote, can fear and great joy exist together? And then I wrote the chief priests lie and offer bribe money. Jesus appears to the two Marys, then to the eleven disciples. Jesus instructs them to go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. He promised to be with them always, even to the end. That’s why I am in Namibia today, fulfilling his instructions. I was in Namibia at a Gideon National Convention. Now that’s a country right above South Africa. So I had gone a long way to fulfill this great commission. Terry and I have been to Israel. We’ve been to Jerusalem. We’ve been to the place where supposedly Jesus was buried. I can assure you, the stone has been rolled away, the tomb is empty, and on the door is a sign that says, He has risen. But people have been lying about it ever since. Even the very day it happened. Tell people, his disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. So what do you think? What do you think about the resurrection of Jesus? Is it true? Or do you believe the lies that have been made up for centuries about this historic event? As I wrote in one of those journals, if it’s not true, Jesus is not worth believing one bit. The argument that he was a good teacher is not worth believing because Jesus was a liar because he said he was going to rise from the dead. So I cannot put him in the category of good teacher if, in fact, he’s still in the tomb. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary departed the tomb and as they departed… With fear and great joy they ran to tell the disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said greetings. And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him. Were they hallucinating in their grief? Or did Jesus really appear to the Marys? He tells them that he’s going to meet the disciples in Galilee. Does he? Verse 16 says, And when they saw him, they worshipped him. And Jesus spoke to them. Were they hallucinating? Or did they see Jesus? I believe… that Jesus was crucified, that he died, that he was buried in that tomb, and that he rose from the dead on the third day just like he said he would. And because he did, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. And he gives us an instruction to go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And then he gives us that great promise, and I am with you always to the end of the age. Up from the grave he arose. I believe it. How about you? Jesus, we thank you for the power of the resurrection. By rising from the dead, you conquered death, hell, and the grave. You provided a way of salvation for all who believe in you. Thank you. But you also told us, while we’re still here, we have work to do for you. Help us go and make disciples of others. In Jesus’ name, amen. Thanks for listening to Add Bible today. Maybe you have given up on New Year’s resolutions. May I encourage you to make one this year? Make a New Year’s resolution to read your Bible each day. Before you think you’re doomed to fail, think about all the things you actually do each day. Eat, sleep, work, comb your hair, brush your teeth, check your emails, text. There are many things you do each day, so why not add one spiritual daily habit? Read a portion of God’s Word each day. Now, why is this one harder than any of the others? Because it’s spiritual. Satan fights against you, and for most of you, he wins this battle more days than not. God will spend time with you each day you carve out time to spend with Him. He and the Holy Spirit will speak to you through His Word each day. So how can you have success this time around? First, pick a time to read the Bible. Are you a morning person, a night owl, or neither? You’ve got to pick the best time for you. So as a teenager, I did it at night. But during college, changed to first fruits. The first thing I do each day. What is best for you? Morning, evening, maybe lunchtime. Second, how much time can you set aside? After sleep and work, we have about six hours of discretionary time. That’s 360 minutes a day. Can you give God 10% of your free time each day? That would be about 36 minutes. That’s a tithe of your free time. So round it off, rather than 36 minutes, to maybe 30 minutes a day. We say He is the most important thing in our lives, so can we give Him a mere 30 minutes of each of the days He gives us? And by the way, if you do, 30 minutes is about 2% of the 24 hours He gives us each day. So third, pick a Bible reading plan. Research shows greater success when you have a Bible reading plan. So here’s a few plans you can consider. You can follow the Add Bible plan on the radio, or order any of our day-by-day through the Bible books, or get a Bible reading journal from the Ezra Project. All of our resources are tailor-made for daily time in God’s Word. Visit EzraProject.net today so you are ready to go on January 1st. So, in summary, pick a time, carve out about 30 minutes a day, and pick a plan. You know you would benefit from daily time in the Bible next year. So would your family, your friends, your church, your work, maybe even your community. So make a New Year’s resolution to read your Bible each and every day. I know you’re going to enjoy it.
Join us as we conclude our journey through the Gospel of Matthew with a powerful exploration of Chapter 28. Experience the momentous events of the resurrection morning, where Mary Magdalene and the other Mary encounter both an angel and the risen Christ. Listen deeply as we dwell on the profound implications of the resurrection, a cornerstone of Christian faith.
