#1330 Matthew 28 Part 3 The Great Commission

 

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28: 16-20 ESV

Matthew 28: 16-20 The Great Commission

The eleven disciples went to Galilee - Judas was the twelfth, and he has not yet been replaced. 

When they saw Him they worshiped Him - Jesus receives and can receive worship for one sole reason, and that is because He is God the Son, the eternally begotten of the Father. So for you who are Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons or Muslims, the Jesus you refer to that is only a man, only a prophet, or an angelic being, that is not the Jesus of the Bible. The Bible is clear in that we do not worship idols, men, animals, nature, or angels, for all those are beneath God, they are created things, called into being, not the eternal Being. We will dive deep into the doctrine of the "Trinity" when we get to John, but here are some verses till then.

…24Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen. 26For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.… Romans 1: 24-26

…8And I am John, who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things. 9But he said to me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” 10Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near.… Revelation 22: 8-10

…9“All this I will give You,” he said, “if You will fall down and worship me.” 10“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” 11Then the devil left Him, and angels came and ministered to Him.… Matthew 4: 9-11

…17These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ. 18Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you with speculation about what he has seen. Such a person is puffed up without basis by his unspiritual mind. 19He has lost connection to the head, from whom the whole body, supported and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God causes it to grow.… Colossians 2: 17-19

But some doubted - This is one of the great things about the gospels, they don't lose the character of the individual, Matthew covers what he intends to cover, and it is in the other gospels that we find it was Thomas who doubted most, but Jesus alleviates him and others of this doubt. The gospels are not copy and paste; they are very sincere and authentic. 

…26Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”… John 20: 26-28

“When they recognized him, it was natural that they worshipped him, but the whole experience was so mysterious and overwhelming that some doubted…The verb distazo does not denote a settled unbelief, but a state of uncertainty and hesitation.” (France)

ii. “Dunn sees Matthew’s mention of this doubt as ‘a genuine historical echo’ – those who were there would never have forgotten the conflicting emotions and beliefs in that unique experience.” (France)

iii. The fact that some of the disciples doubted argues against the theory that their seeing Jesus was simply a hallucination born of a desperate desire to see Him.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me - This is because of His position as the Son, and also because of the price that He paid to take back, reclaim that which was lost. He said on the cross, "It is finished", the debt was paid, the books were balanced, those whom the Father called were purchased. God has made it abundantly clear that there is no way around Jesus, He is the only way.

…21For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes. 22Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, 23so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.… John 5: 21-23

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations - The beginning of Jesus ministry started with Him being baptized by John the Baptist, not John the Presbyterian, and acquiring disciples for the purpose of teaching them. Of all the disciples, there was yet a smaller group of apostles, pillars of the church. Jesus models for them what they are to do as shepherds, which is to teach others about Jesus, going through all of Scripture, declaring to men first that there is a God, that there is a breach between men and God called sin, and that God has provided a bridge between men and God, this man called Jesus, the Son of God. Without Christ it is impossible to please God, the void is too vast, beyond time and space, an ocean one has no means to see across. This command here, what we call "The Great Commission", is not just to the disciples of old, and it is not just to those who would go abroad on the mission field. It is first to those in your house, and to them you make known Who you believe in, you teach your children about God, about sin, about God's holiness and just wrath, we study and learn the scriptures from whence comes our faith, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We go and take our family to church, to meet with other believers, as He has also commanded this as a means of grace. We make sure we are at a church where the Bible is believed and taught, that the doctrine is sound, that we listen as the word is exposited. Remember, He has already appealed to authority here, it is His, so His word is not a suggestion, these are commands, He is Lord.

…10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! 12And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”… Luke 2: 10-12

…9Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.… Philippians 2: 9-11

14But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be shaken.” 15But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you may be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ.… 1 Peter 3: 14-16

Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit - This is the Triune formula. 

21When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” 23Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,… Luke 3: 21-23

…25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’ 26When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father— the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father— He will testify about Me. 27And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.… John 15: 25-27

 

#1329 Matthew 28 Part 2 Testimonies

 

11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. Matthew 28: 11-15 ESV

Matthew 28: 11-15 In The Telling

…19Your righteousness reaches to the heavens, O God, You who have done great things. Who, O God, is like You? 20Though You have shown me many troubles and misfortunes, You will revive me once again. Even from the depths of the earth You will bring me back up. 21You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.… Psalm 71: 19-21

Some of the guard - These are the Roman soldiers who were watching over the tomb. We don't know how many there were, but most likely at least 4, two on and two off for shifts. Since it says, "some", there was probably more. 

Told the chief priests all that had taken place - They were given to the priests to perform this duty, and it was a really short and easy job which would only need to go till Monday. After that it wouldn't matter if the tomb was disturbed, the seal broken, but here they are giving account of what had taken place. There was an earthquake, we were terrified by beings we did not know, frozen in fear. 

So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. – John 2:18-22

…3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.… 1 Corinthians 15: 3-5

They gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers - This would be necessary to get them to tell this lie. Saying you slept through an earthquake, while some disciples, who previously abandoned Christ, came and rolled the stone away while you also slept through that was risky. It could lead to severe punishment as a soldier. They also promised to protect them from the governor. Sadly, there is a great claim to investigate here, but their minds are made up. They are fully rejecting the Messiah.

And this story has spread among the Jews to this day - This is still the most common version of the story to deal with Christ's resurrection, but people have offered more since then. The swoon theory is that Christ didn't really die, He just passed out, and so this is why He was able to get out of a sealed tomb. I'm not a doctor, but I think a weekend is probably not enough time to recover from something like crucifixion. He was nailed to a cross, hands and feet, yet He walked with those feet, out of the tomb, and also 7 miles to Galilee. He had been whipped, beaten before the cross and at the end also had a spear shoved into His side, towards His heart, which caused the blood and water to flow. The Romans were professionals, so they knew they had turned over a dead body. All of the gospel writers testify to the Resurrection, but I use to say, as someone not wanting to believe in God, "of course they did, they were His disciples." This is true, but they also testify to their own cowardice, abandoning the Savior, and Peter even denying Him three times. The Jewish leaders actually picked the most plausible story, and this story, Matthew is claiming, some estimate 30 years later when he writes this, was still the standard. It goes further still:

And they were successful at what they did. It was the common knowledge 30 years later when Matthew wrote. And you can even go further into say the year 114 to 165. In those years there was a man living by the name of Justin Martyr, one of the early church fathers. And he writes that this was still among the Jews the most common opinion. He writes this at that time, "You Jews selected men and sent them into all the world proclaiming that a certain atheistic and lawless sect has arisen from one Jesus, a Galilean deceiver whom we crucified, but His disciples stole Him by night from the tomb and deceived men by saying that He is risen from the dead and ascended into heaven." - J Mac 

"So what", you say, well, what did Jesus' followers attest to? Answer - an empty tomb. What did the Jewish leaders, the Roman guards and history attest to? Answer - an empty tomb. Jesus friends and enemies attest to the same thing, and this is not the first or only example of this. The enemies of Christ offer some of the best argument for other miracles as well. Remember, when Christ performed miracles the Jews accused Him of doing it by the power of Satan. They didn't say that He didn't perform miracles, that they witnessed, so they couldn't say that. Even in their own literature, extrabiblical writings, they try to write off the miracles and Who Jesus is.

They despised Him. They despised His origin. They despised His presence. And they despised Him at the end. He was “a man of sorrows.” Nobody gave Him honor and nobody gave Him respect. Nobody important. He had no one in His life that mattered. He hung around with a bunch of ragtag nobodies from Galilee who, seven of whom may well have been fisherman. The rest were uneducated Galileans. And the only non-Galilean in the group was Judas from the town of Carioth. He was the kind of person you just turn your face away from. That’s why we rejected Him.

You know, it got ugly from there. Do you know the Hebrew word for Jesus is Yeshua? Have you heard that? Yeshua. The Jews through history have changed it to Yeshu, Yeshu, which is an acrostic for “let his name be blotted out.” Let his name be blotted out. He is also called Tului, in Hebrew, “the hanged one.” And “cursed is anyone - ” Deuteronomy says “ - who is hanged on a tree.”

Maybe you’ve heard the story about Mary being a hairdresser. This is written in the Talmud, which is the codification of Jewish history. That His mother Mary was a hairdresser who committed adultery with a Roman mercenary named Joseph ben Pandera, produced Yeshu, who learned the magical arts in Egypt and led people astray. That’s a quote from the Jewish Talmud.

They developed early on a prayer, Jewish prayer. “May all Christians be suddenly destroyed without hope and blotted out of the book of life forever.” This is a deep-seated animosity. And it hasn’t been helped through history by what so-called fake Christians have done to the Jews. But they started out with contempt and it’s still there even today. And do you know every Jew knows the story of Jesus so he or she can reject it? I mean, you’re not really a Jew if you don’t know you can’t believe in Jesus. We didn’t esteem Him. That’s an important last line. “He was despised; we did not esteem Him.” That’s the ultimate scorn. You know what that means in Hebrew? He was non-existent. He didn’t even exist. To put it mildly as Paul said in Romans 9:32, “They stumbled over the stumbling stone.” John Macarthur from Behold The Lamb Sermon Sep 29, 2012

…25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. 26And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27“Yes, Lord,” she answered, “I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”… John 11: 25-27

…8But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.… Romans 10: 8-10

#1328 Matthew 28 Part 1 Do Not Be Afraid

 

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. 2 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. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” Matthew 28: 1-10 ESV

Matthew 28: 1-10 Resurrection

1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.… Luke 24: 1-3

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb - In Luke we learn that they were bringing spices they had prepared, which would be to finish preparing His body for burial. The Jews didn't embalm like the Egyptians, but this would help cover some of the stench, maybe ward off animals, and allow them the opportunity to deal with their grief. It seems, though these ladies were familiar with Jesus' power to raise others, and though He had told them that He must die and rise again, yet they clearly come expecting to find His dead body. 

23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” 28 Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” 29 So Mary immediately went to him.

30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. 31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. 32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them.

They told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”

38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. 39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.

But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!” John 11: 23-44

For an angel of the Lord - The angel did not roll the stone away for Jesus to exit, but rather to reveal the empty tomb. Jesus needed no such help, He was already risen from the grave. Later He will come to a place that is locked up and yet enter and appear in their midst. No one opened the door for Him then either. The earth quaked at His death and again at His resurrection. 

18Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what He had said to her. 19 It was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them. 20After He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.… John 20: 18-20

“The earth shook both at Christ’s passion and at his resurrection; then, to show that it could not bear his suffering; now, to show that it could not hinder his rising.” (Trapp)

And for fear of Him the guards trembled and became like dead men - When heaven contacts earth unveiled, even angels, who have stood before and witnessed the glory and holiness of God, are overwhelming to earthlings. The reflection of God's glory on the face of Moses was too much for the eyes of men, and why, because we are paralyzed by the presence of such otherliness. It becomes apparent quickly that we gaze upon that which we are not worthy to see, that we are defiled and looking upon that which isn't, God is Holy and we are not. When modern day charismatics speak of their "heavenly encounters", they lie and go on about all the things their hearts desire here, everything that feeds their egos and greed. When John receives a vision of Heaven, like other prophets, it is mortifying. These guards probably don't even have this angelology that the women and disciples would know. They would know the stories of the Greeks and Roman myths, maybe think these are gods or demigods, but whatever they see it is traumatizing to them, and to the point of paralysis.  

…7“Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.” 8And I am John, who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things. 9But he said to me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”… Revelation 22: 7-9

…16And I heard the voice of a man calling from between the banks of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.” 17As he came near to where I stood, I was terrified and fell facedown. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.” 18While he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me, helped me to my feet,… Daniel 8: 16-18

But the angel said to the women, do not be afraid - This is a common utterance of angels, and of all that which is heavenly and set apart, "don't be afraid." It's like being out on a walk in woods where lions don't live and then all the sudden you are in the midst of lions, and one of them says, "don't be afraid". 

He is not here, for He has risen, as He said - Jesus has made it as clear as possible to them that this is how it is going to play out, that He has to die, but we are so slow to believe, to comprehend, to let go of our play book. 

There are several examples in the Bible of people being resuscitated before this, such as the widow’s son in the days of Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24) and Lazarus (John 11:38-44). Each of these was resuscitated from death, but none of them were resurrected. Each of them was raised in the same body they died in, and raised from the dead to eventually die again. Resurrection isn’t just living again; it is living again in a new body, based on our old body, perfectly suited for life in eternity. Jesus was not the first one brought back from the dead, but He was the first one resurrected. - E Word

Come see the place where He lay - This is why the angel rolled the stone away, to reveal it's emptiness.

Then go quickly and tell His disciples - It's interesting that women are the first witnesses, given that they were not considered valid witnesses in these times. God doesn't seem to care about this, and here even reverses the order of the Fall, where Eve first gave Adam to eat, now the woman goes to pronounce the way back. Christ is risen, the tomb is empty. The courts may not accept their testimony, but here God demands it by way of the angels.

In first century Judea women were not considered reliable witnesses. The Jewish historian Josephus said –

“Let not the testimony of women be admitted, on account of the levity and boldness of their sex.” (Antiquities of the Jews, Chapter V111 : 15)

The thinking of the time was recorded in the Talmud –

“Any evidence which a woman [gives] is not valid (to offer), also they are not valid to offer. This is equivalent to saying that one who is Rabbinically accounted a robber is qualified to give the same evidence as a woman” (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 1.8).

Go tell My brothers - Jesus was the first born.

28And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. 29For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.… Romans 8: 28-30

#1327 Matthew 27 Part 5 A Rich Man's Grave

 

57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. Matthew 27: 57-66 ESV

Matthew 27: 57-66 Burial of Jesus

There came a rich man from Arimathea - Why does it matter that he was rich? On a practical level, this allowed for him to afford a tomb hewn into the rocks, a tomb that was nearby, which was also important, because they were pressed for time to get Jesus into the ground before the start of the Sabbath. Jesus had already stated that it was harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven then for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, yet with God we see all things are possible. Most importantly though, it fulfills a very specific prophecy. 

9He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.… Isaiah 53: 9-10

Named Joseph - In Mark's gospel we find that Joseph was a member of the council, the Sanhedrin, the majority of which sought to charge and crucify Jesus. In Luke we find that he did not consent to their judgment. In John, who spares no one, we find that he "was" a secret disciple for fear of the Jews. Not deciding against Jesus and showing up to request his body would kind of out you. Here he identifies with Christ in His death and burial, and there is a lot at stake, he is a man, like Nicodemus, who has a lot to lose, respect, power, money, property. I will dig deeper into the Nicodemus story in John for there is a lot there. 

42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. Mark 15: 42-45

50Now there was a Council member named Joseph, a good and righteous man, 51who had not consented to their decision or action. He was from the Judean town of Arimathea, and was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52He went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.… Luke 23: 50-52

38Afterward, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (but secretly for fear of the Jews), asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and removed His body. 39 Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom.… John 19: 38-40

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there - They are the faithful; they just can't leave their Lord. 

1Soon afterward, Jesus traveled from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him, 2as well as some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3Joanna the wife of Herod’s household manager Chuza, Susanna, and many others. These women were ministering to them out of their own means.… Luke 8: 1-3

More on Mary Magdalene

How that imposter said, while He was still alive - They are not done with Him, they realize He spoke of His death and resurrection. He was buried on Friday so they need to make it through Sunday, with Him still in the tomb. in order to vindicate their actions which were brought on by their pride, envy and greed. They hated Him quite deeply. 

While He was still alive: In this, the enemies of Jesus admit that Jesus is dead. They did not believe the “Swoon Theory,” a conjecture that denies the resurrection, saying that Jesus never really died, but just “swooned” on the cross, and then somehow wonderfully revived in the tomb.

i. A humorous letter to the editor to a Christian magazine accurately evaluated the “Swoon Theory”:

Dear Eutychus: Our preacher said, on Easter, that Jesus just swooned on the cross and that the disciples nursed Him back to health. What do you think? Sincerely, Bewildered

Dear Bewildered: Beat your preacher with a cat-of-nine-tails with 39 heavy strokes, nail him to a cross; hang him in the sun for 6 hours; run a spear through his heart; embalm him; put him in an airless tomb for 36 hours and see what happens. Sincerely, Eutychus - E Word

Lest His disciples go and steal Him away - It would be possible to raid a tomb, but His disciples were Jews so this would be unlikely, as a dead body would be a defilement. Even if they did, what good would it do to have a dead body? I think their fear relates more to the miracles they saw Jesus do, including raising people from the dead. Asking for a guard will make their propaganda even more difficult to believe, especially given the high profile nature of this execution and the severity of failure as a Roman soldier, multiple Roman soldiers. 

By sealing the stone and setting a guard - You have the aversion of death, the psychological and religious reasons to avoid the tomb, the expected rotting of the corpse, and since it was Jesus Who was dead, they really had no reason, nor knew of anyone else with His ability. Who was going to come raise Jesus from the dead? His disciples already abandoned Him, they proved afraid, so they would have an aversion towards being anywhere near this, fear getting arrested, meeting the same end as their Master. From their behavior this would appear more like defeat. Joseph had already provided a large stone, something that was probably used to keep animals from raiding a tomb. Now they are going to seal the stone which will be a Roman seal consisting of a rope around the stone and the edge of the tomb, which will then be covered in wax. Besides all this there will be a Roman guard which was done in shifts, one group at post while the others rested. So now the breaking of this seal, if reported, would be the soldiers head. It is unlikely that anyone could be quiet enough in removing such a stone that the soldiers could sleep through it, and they just needed to make it through Saturday and Sunday, then Jesus would be proven an imposter, a fraud like they said. 

#1326 Matthew 27 Part 4 Darkened

 

45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.

49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons. Matthew 27: 45-56 ESV

Matthew 27: 45-56

Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land - In Roman time this would be from noon till about 3 in the afternoon. Darkness is associated with God's judgment. He is giving a physical, historical sign here of the time at which His wrath is being poured out on His Son. Jesus is the altar upon which the sin offering rests, and this is every sin from the fall till the end of time. This is the darkness that awaits the unrepentant, those that hold onto their sin, demand that God bow to them, live unto themselves and forever reject God's only way, Jesus. He was hung up there in the light, had been a spectacle during the day, had been mocked, and recognized beyond the shadow of a doubt. Africanus, the historian, makes remarkable comments below, not arguing about whether this happened, but arguing against the naturalist's desire to put it off, dismiss what happened with an unsuitable natural explanation. 

There was contemporary evidence for this unusual darkness. “Origen (Contra Celsus, ii,33) and Eusebius (Chron.) quoted words from Phlegon (a Roman historian) in which he made mention of an extraordinary solar eclipse as well as of an earthquake about the time of the crucifixion.” (Geldenhuys in his commentary on Luke)

iii. Phlegon, Roman historian wrote: “In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was an extraordinary eclipse of the sun: at the sixth hour, the day turned into dark night, so that the stars in heaven were seen; and there was an earthquake.” (Cited in Clarke)

On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun. For the Hebrews celebrate the passover on the 14th day according to the moon, and the passion of our Savior falls on the day before the passover; but an eclipse of the sun takes place only when the moon comes under the sun. And it cannot happen at any other time but in the interval between the first day of the new moon and the last of the old, that is, at their junction: how then should an eclipse be supposed to happen when the moon is almost diametrically opposite the sun? Let opinion pass however; let it carry the majority with it; and let this portent of the world be deemed an eclipse of the sun, like others a portent only to the eye. Phlegon records that, in the time of Tiberius Caesar, at full moon, there was a full eclipse of the sun from the sixth hour to the ninth—manifestly that one of which we speak. But what has an eclipse in common with an earthquake, the rending rocks, and the resurrection of the dead, and so great a perturbation throughout the universe? Surely no such event as this is recorded for a long period.8

Africanus rightly argues that a solar eclipse could not have occurred during the lunar cycle of the Passover, as this diagram shows. He also questions the link between an eclipse, an earthquake, and the miraculous events recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. Eclipses do not set off earthquakes and bodily resurrections. We also know that eclipses only last for several minutes, not three hours. For Africanus, naturalistic explanations for the darkness at the crucifixion were grossly insufficient, as he showed by applying real science. Creation.com - Africanus

…13He catches the wise in their craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning. 14They encounter darkness by day and grope at noon as in the night. Job 5: 13-14

…30I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD. 32And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has promised, among the remnant called by the LORD.… Joel 2: 30-32

…10And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness, and men began to gnaw their tongues in anguish 11and curse the God of heaven for their pains and sores; yet they did not repent of their deeds. 12And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East.… Revelation 16: 10-12

…29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 30And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 31When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne.… Matthew 25: 29-31

Eli Eli lama sabachthani - My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me - This is from Psalm 22, a Psalm that describes the crucifixion in vivid detail 1,000 years before it happens. This is the Son of God, a member of the Trinity, God the Son being forsaken by God the Father and Spirit. It is honestly beyond my comprehension, but so complete was His obedience, so complete was my salvation, that Christ stoops this low, to be forsaken of His own Father until Holiness is satisfied. People ask, "how can God forsake God?", but Scripture is clear that there are three persons. I ask them, "how could anyone but God appease the infinite nature? How could anyone but the eternally begotten Son satisfy the infinitely holy and just God, and take the cup of His wrath towards all those who are being saved from all of time, in 3 hours?" 

1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning? 2I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest. 3Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.… Psalm 22: 1-3

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit - In John's gospel we find what Jesus said, "It is finished", the debt is paid, My sheep are bought back, the slaves are set free. The requirements of justice have been met, and God's holiness remains intact even in His mercy. 

…29A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit. 31It was the day of Preparation, and the next day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed.… John 19: 29-31

The veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom - This is the veil that separated the Holy place from the Most Holy place in the temple. As many have mentioned, it was notably torn from top to bottom because God did the tearing. God and man have long been separated because of sin, but Christ made atonement for this. In the Holy of Holies is the Ark of the Covenant, and inside the Ark is the scrolls, the ten commandments, the law which was broken. Above them, the lid, that is the mercy seat, the foot stool of God, where the cherubim face His presence. On this thin layer, the mercy seat, which separates God from the broken law beneath, the priest sprinkles the blood of the atonement. Imagine being the priest who walked in to this scene.

Acts 6:7 says that in the days of the early church, a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. Perhaps this torn veil demonstrated to them the greatness of the work of Jesus. It is also probably how the torn veil became common knowledge.

iii. “It is not a slight rent through which we may see a little; but it is rent from the top to the bottom. There is an entrance made for the greatest sinners. If there had only been a small hole cut through it, the lesser offenders might have crept through; but what an act of abounding mercy is this, that the veil is rent in the midst, and rent from top to bottom, so that the chief of sinners may find ample passage!” (Spurgeon)

…24and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand. 26He did this to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and to justify the one who has faith in Jesus.… Romans 3: 24-26

Earth quaked and rocks were split - Interestingly this will happen again at His second coming.

…3Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. 4On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half the mountain moving to the north and half to the south. 5You will flee by My mountain valley, for it will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him.… Zechariah 14: 3-5

Saints who had fallen asleep were raised - This is an interesting testament and encouragement to those who are waiting even now. It should also help with understanding the picture of  rapture in 1 Thessalonians.

They were raised, “Not to converse again, as heretofore, with men, but to accompany Christ, that raised them, into heaven; and to be as so many ocular demonstrations of Christ’s quickening power.” (Trapp)

…16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. 17After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.… 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18

Truly this was the Son of God - The centurions offer up the fear of God which is the beginning of knowledge, and even in their uninitiated state, not understanding before Who this was or why these Jews were so angry, they make a confession that bears the earmarks of those who truly believe. They have witnessed and participated in His abuse, have seen the sky blackened, the earth quake, all on the day when a man who has a placard above His head that reads, "King of the Jews", a man Who claimed to be the Son of God, was accused of blasphemy for such, and crucified. What a coincidence that it would all happen on this day. How wide their eyes must have opened when they looked further into the festival, the meaning of the Passover, and wider still when they find that all these things were spoken of by the prophets. Some heathens see what the religious elite refuse to accept even with more evidence than these soldiers had available to them.