Go Tell A disciple is someone who is becoming like the Master-Teacher. So if this discipleship thing really works, then we are becoming more like Jesus and others are becoming more like Jesus because they are becoming like us. Others are becoming like me... The followers of Jesus are seeing Him for the first time after His resurrection actually seeing alive our Messiah who had been murdered! There are angels, the promise of the Spirit, the anticipation of Jesus return and the Kingdom all of these things are shaping what they understand, what they do, what they live for. Everything has changed and they are right in the middle of it. They are becoming like Jesus and others are to become like them. I wonder, if those disciples saw what we are becoming, would they recognize Jesus and themselves in us? Or would they wonder, Where did it go wrong? Søren Kierkegaard in "And I looked around and nobody was laughing" says this, "I went into church and sat on the velvet pew. I watched as the sun came shining through the stained glass windows. The minister dressed in a velvet robe opened the golden gilded Bible, marked it with a silk bookmark and said, "If any man will be my disciple, said Jesus, let him deny himself, take up his cross, sell what he has, give it to the poor, and follow me." Karl Barth wrote, The Word became flesh--and then through theologians it became words again. Yet Jesus left His followers with a mission: to duplicate followers of Him, because He has all authority and He is coming back with the Kingdom. Others are becoming like me... like Jesus? FOR DISCUSSION If you or I were to become like Jesus, what would have to happen? What are the steps? What is the process? ENCOUNTER Read God s word so that He can speak to you. Matthew 28:1-10, 16-20 1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There
you will see him.' Now I have told you." 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they EXAMINE what the passage says before you decide what it means. Put brackets [ ] around the responses: afraid, joy, worshiped, doubted Circle the command make disciples Underline go, baptizing, and teaching to obey Draw an arrow from therefore (verse 19) back to verse 18 EXPLORE God s Word by asking questions of what you saw. 1) When the disciples saw the angels, saw and heard Jesus when they began to understand that He really did rise from the dead what were they thinking? Describe, as best you can, their thoughts, emotions, perceptions, and plans. What was it like? 2) How does the authority of the resurrected Jesus (verse 18) relate to what He tells His followers in verses 19-20? 3) What is the Great Commission? Who has this mission and why? 4) How are we to accomplish this mission?
5) What are the obstacles to making disciples of Jesus? What resources do we have to make disciples of Jesus? 6) How are we (Forcey) doing? What is good, and what needs improvement? How are you doing? What are you doing? NOTES ON THE PASSAGE (Adapted from Thomas Constable, Expository Notes) 1 - The women went early Sunday morning. The "other Mary" was Mary the mother of James and Joseph (27:56). Mark added that Salome also accompanied them (Mark 16:1). Salome was evidently the name of the mother of Zebedee's sons. Apparently they did not know that the Sanhedrin had posted a guard at the tomb. They evidently went there to remember Jesus but also to anoint Jesus' corpse (Mark 16:1). They must not have known that it had been sealed either. 2-4 - Apparently a second earthquake had occurred (cf. 27:51). The relationship between the earthquake, the descent of the angel, and the rolling away of the stone is indefinite in the text. The angel rolled the stone away to admit the witnesses, not to allow Jesus to escape (cf. John 20:26). The guards experienced the earthquake and observed the angel who appeared as a young man (Mark 16:5). It was seeing the angel that evidently terrified them so greatly that Matthew could describe them as dead men (vv. 3-4). Perhaps they fainted dead away. 5-7 - Of all the possible reasons for the tomb being open and empty that the women could have imagined, the angel clarified the one true explanation. Jesus had risen from the dead. The angel reminded them that Jesus had predicted His resurrection (cf. 16:21; 17:23; 20:18-19). He then invited them to come and see where He had lain and to go and tell the other disciples that He had risen from the dead. They should go quickly because this was the greatest news. Jesus would confirm His resurrection with a personal appearance in Galilee shortly (cf. 26:32). He would arrive in Galilee before they did and meet them there. All the Gospels mention the fact that women were the first people to see Jesus alive. This is a proof that the resurrection was real. In that culture the witness of women was not regarded very highly. Thus, if the evangelists fabricated the resurrection, they certainly would not have written that women witnessed it first. Who Moved the Stone? is a classic apologetic on the subject of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Frank Morison, whose real name was Albert Henry Ross, was a skeptical British journalist when he began his research, but it convinced him of the historicity of the resurrection, and he became a Christian. This book presents a careful study of the last seven days of Jesus' pre-crucifixion ministry 8-9 - Jesus' sudden appearance must have given the women the shock of their lives (cf. Mark 16:8). He gave them a customary salutation (Gr. chariete, cf. 26:49). They kneeled at His feet and
worshipped Him (cf. v. 17). Grasping someone's feet was a recognized act of supplication and homage (Mark 5:22; 7:25; Luke 17:16). 10 - "Why, then, Matthew's record of a resurrection appearance in Galilee? The answer surely lies in the combination of two themes that have permeated the entire Gospel. First, the Messiah emerges from a despised area... and first sheds his light on a despised people...; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit (5:3). For this reason, too, the risen Jesus first appears to women whose value as witnesses among Jews is worthless... Second, 'Galilee of the Gentiles' (4:15) is compatible with the growing theme of Gentile mission in this Gospel... and prepares for the Great Commission (28:18-20)." (D.A. Carson, "Matthew," p. 590. See Zane C. Hodges, "Form-Criticism and the Resurrection Accounts," Bibliotheca Sacra 124:496 (October- December 1967):339-48) 11 - Some of the guards left the others at the tomb and reported the earthquake, the angel, and the empty tomb to the chief priests. That they reported to the priests strongly suggests that they were Jewish temple guards rather than Roman guards (cf. 27:65). If they had been Roman guards and had reported to their Roman superiors, they probably would have lost their lives for falling asleep on duty (cf. Acts 12:19; 16:27-28). 12-15 - The action of these Sanhedrin members proves that their promise to believe in Jesus if He would come down from the cross was hypocritical (cf. 27:42; Luke 24:13-32). They continued to show more concern for their own reputations and what was expedient than for the truth. Their devised story was a weak one that a critic might easily discredit. If the guards had been asleep, they could not have known of the theft. If one of them was awake, why did he not sound an alarm? It was also incredible that the disciples who had abandoned Jesus out of fear would have summoned enough courage to risk opening the guarded tomb. Moreover, if the Sanhedrin had any evidence against the disciples, they surely would have prosecuted them, but they did not. Molesting graves was sometimes punishable with death in the ancient Near East. Consequently Jesus' enemies resorted to bribery to shut the mouths of the soldiers, and later Pilate, if necessary. 16 - Galilee, of course, was where Jesus began His ministry, and it had Gentile connotations because of the presence and proximity of many Gentiles. What Jesus would tell His disciples in Galilee would continue His ministry and teaching that they had already experienced. 17 - When the Eleven finally saw Jesus, they worshipped Him. Yet some of them still had unresolved questions about how they should respond to Him. The word "doubted" (Gr. edistasan) means "hesitated" (cf. 14:31). Apparently Jesus' resurrection did not immediately dispel all the questions that remained in the minds of His disciples. Perhaps, also, some of them still felt embarrassed about deserting Him and wondered how He would deal with them. 18 - Notice the repetition of "all" in verses 18-20: all authority, all nations, all things, and all the days. Matthew stressed the authority of Jesus throughout his Gospel (7:29; 10:1, 7-8; 11:27; 22:43-44; 24:35). God restricted Jesus' authority before His resurrection because of His role as the Suffering Servant. Following His resurrection God broadened the sphere in which Jesus exercised authority (cf. 4:8-10). He became the One through whom God now mediates all authority (cf. Dan. 7:14; Phil. 2:5-11). This was Jesus' great claim. 19-20 - He gave them a new universal mission in keeping with His new universal authority. Previously He had limited their work to Israel (10:1-8; cf. 15:24). Now He sent them into all the world. They could go confidently knowing that Jesus has sovereign control over everything in heaven and on earth (cf. Rom. 8:28). In the Greek text there is one imperative verb, "make disciples" (Gr. matheteusate), modified by three participles, "going," "baptizing," and "teaching." All three participles describe what is required to make disciples, and all are understood as a command. Making disciples involves bringing people into relationship with Jesus as pupils to teacher. It involves getting them to take His yoke of instruction upon themselves as authoritative (11:29), accepting His words as true, and submitting to His will as what is right. A good disciple is one who listens, understands, and obeys Jesus' instructions (12:46-50). Disciples of Jesus must duplicate themselves in others. Jesus' disciples should make disciples among all people
without distinction. Baptism implies evangelism that preceded it. When the preached gospel is believed, then baptism publically demonstrates that identification with Christ by faith. Discipling also involves teaching followers everything Jesus commanded His disciples. As Matthew has already shown, that includes Jesus interpretation of the Old Testament as God originally intended (e.g., Matt 5). Disciples must not just understand what Jesus has commanded, as foundational as that is. They must also obey it. This Gospel ends not with a command but with a promise, or rather a fact. Jesus will be with His disciples as they carry out His will. This is His great commitment. Immanuel is still God with us (1:23; cf. 18:20). The expression "to the end of the age" (Gr. pasas tes hemeras) literally means "the whole of every day. Jesus promised to be with us every day forever. And until He returns to begin the Kingdom on earth, we (Kingdom citizens) have a mission to keep in this foreign land: make disciples. GOING FURTHER One thing we can do to train ourselves to remember, is to memorize a part of what our Father has said to us. he Holy Spirit can use this to change our thinking so that our heads are more like Jesus. This week, memorize Matthew 28:18-20