At times, Matthew's language is very precise, along with being often graphic. In this final chapter of his Gospel, the scene offers a completely different feeling. An abrupt shift in mood from the trauma of the previous narrative justifies the chapter break.
We can almost hear the song birds as the sky begins to lighten that Sunday morning. We are presented with the two Marys coming to check on the tomb where Jesus was laid. A tremor had struck, an aftershock from the earthquake which opened other tombs while Jesus was still on the Cross. They would have been concerned about making sure Jesus' body had not been exposed. There were other women present, but Matthew does not mention them.
As a dramatic device, he inserts something which had happened some short time earlier, while it was still dark. An angel came down from Heaven and moved the stone completely away from the entrance of the tomb, then sat down on it to wait for the women to arrive. It's as if he paid no attention at all to the soldiers guarding it. While maintaining a rather human aspect, the angel glowed with the power of the Spirit Realm. The soldiers nearly fainted for fear, knowing this was not someone they could have faced in battle. Nor are we told of Jesus' resurrection, but apparently the soldiers fled when there was nothing left to guard.
The women thus found the only the angel near the tomb. He invited them to inspect the tomb, to see Jesus was gone. Most emphatically the angel asserted Jesus had risen back to life, just as He had promised. They were instructed to take a message to the surviving eleven disciples. They were told to return to Galilee and meet where Jesus had told them they could find Him. In case anyone doubted, it was an angel of God who had spoken on this matter. The women were appropriately impressed, and wasted no time complying.
Somewhere between the tomb and Bethany, where they had all been staying during the Passover, perhaps in or near the Kiddron Valley, they encountered the risen Lord Himself. His greeting stands as an example for His followers, considering the circumstances at the inauguration of the Kingdom of the Spirit, variously translated, but we should prefer "Rejoice!" They mobbed Him, falling at His feet. It was an altogether and appropriate response, given He was so very obviously the Son of God. He reminded them fear no longer had any place in the Kingdom business. He refers to the Eleven as "brethren," significant in releasing them from guilt over their previous fears. Reinforcing the message from the angel, He said He would be there in Galilee to meet them.
Meanwhile, across town the guards reported to the chief priests. This shows they had been detached from their normal duties, and reported to the ranking Jewish officers. We note the priests grasped the story, and did not argue with it. Rather, they make it a point to insure no one else hears it. They bribed the guards to tell a story soldiers would be loath to admit: the disciples managed to steal the body while they slept. This would make the disciples criminals, and put the guards at risk for not remaining alert. Given this warranted summary execution for the guards, the priests promised to offer political protection. They would convince Pilate it was necessary to go along with this tale, and prevent them being disciplined by their commander. The guards accepted the bribe and the deal, and began telling the false story. Matthew tells us this remained the official report among Jews even as he was writing this.
While this lie was growing in Jerusalem, the disciples hastened back to Galilee. Gathering on the mountain where He had promised to meet them, they saw Him coming from a distance. Could it really be Him? Matthew does not report the pleasantries. He notes only that those present worshipped, and others weren't too sure what they were seeing and hearing. The closing comment by Jesus is best read in light of all Matthew had written up to this point. Throughout His ministry, Jesus labored to show the Nation of Israel had long ago left the original intent and meaning of the Old Covenant. He had promised it was all coming to a close in His Person, as the final and ultimate revelation of God. The time of the Jews had passed, and God's dealings with mankind would now be on a spiritual plane only. He had paid the price, and there was now no further sacrifice required. Rising from the dead on His own initiative, He answered for all time every challenge to His right to speak for God.
Thus, all authority rested in Him, in both Heaven and earth. Nothing else mattered; they need not consider the claims of any other office, above or below. Satisfy Christ, and all else is immaterial. As His duly appointed messengers, these eleven men were to disciple people from all nations, just as Jesus had discipled them. National identity meant nothing, only Kingdom Citizenship. These new disciples from across the full scope of humanity were to be immersed wholly into the full identity of the triune Godhead. In so doing, they would teach them to obey everything Jesus had explained and exemplified. At no time would they ever again be without His divine presence. The man now divine would be present in all their labors on His behalf. While they were yet to see precisely how that would be, it was a promise they could never forget.
Matthew leaves the story there. For him, the whole gospel hung on knowing who and what Jesus was, particularly in context of a contrary message from the Jewish leadership. These did not even know God any more, so they were unable to recognize His Son, His teaching, His power, and His demands. They had died to the truth long before, and it waited until God's good pleasure to end their part in His plans. They never noticed what really happened, so foreign had they become to God. From then on, all mankind must approach God from the same place, doomed to Hell, and escaping only through His Son.
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Ed Hurst
02 February 2008
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