Disciples make disciples Discussion Questions Read Matthew 27:62-28:20 The last deception will be worse than the first 1. Even after his death, Jesus was still a threat to the chief priests and elders. a. What does their question reveal about them in regard to Jesus teaching? b. In the context of the passage what did they mean by This last deception will be worse than the first? Was the resurrection a deception? 2. How does the passage itself answer four of the most common arguments people put up against the truth of the resurrection? a. He wasn t really dead see 27:50; 27:57-60 b. They went to the wrong tomb see 27:59-61 and then 28:1 c. The disciples stole the body see 28:2-4 and 28:11-15 d. The whole account was made up see 28:1-10 3. We can have great confidence in the reality of Jesus resurrection. a. What does Jesus resurrection mean for you? b. Does the whole of the Christian faith hang on Jesus resurrection? c. What does the resurrection mean for a young Christian mum dying of pancreatic cancer and for her family after she has died? Disciples make disciples 4. Before Jesus gives his this significant command, why does he remind his disciples that all authority in heaven and earth had been given to him? Jesus commands his disciples to go and make more disciples. Note that the baptising and teaching of the disciples is not the method by which they become disciples, but what must necessarily follow their becoming disciples. 5. How does one go about making disciples? 6. Why the emphasis on all nations? 7. How conscious are we at our church that we are to be about the work of making disciples? 8. Was Mark being unrealistic when he was sharing figures of how our church might grow if we more intentionally went about the work of making disciples? 9. What do you think needs to happen in the life of our church for us to be making more disciples? (Feel free to report back thoughts on this question to Mark.) 10. Does this command challenge your thinking about why we are here and our role in the world? 1
Sunday after Easter Day 2013 All authority Matthew 27:62-28:20 The problem with Jesus Deception? Disciples making disciples You ll remember the problem with Jesus was that he just didn t fit the picture He worked on the Sabbath Hung out with tax collectors and sinners Didn t fast Didn t wash his hands properly And directed his harshest teaching against the religious leaders So we saw in the weeks leading up to Easter that in the last few days before they nailed him Jesus told those religious leaders: 1. the tax collectors and prostitutes were entering the kingdom of God ahead of them 2. that the kingdom of God would be taken away from them and give to those who will actually produce its fruit 3. that they were too busy to come to God s banquet but there were plenty of others who would 4. that they weren t ready for the kingdom, but there were others who were 5. that they couldn t be bothered using all that God had given them for him, but others would 6. and that in the end, they were goats who didn t care about others and didn t care about Jesus and that they would one day hear those terrible words from Jesus depart from me. So they had him killed! He had to go He was a trouble maker Blasphemer Drawing far too much attention Under Roman rule, they didn t have the power to put someone to death so they twisted Governor Pilate s arm and even though he could find no reason for the death penalty, he acquiesced and gave him over 2
So he was gone. Dead Buried That s the end of him!! But no that wasn t the end But they weren t even happy after his death... Have a look with me at Matthew 27:62... Read 27:62-64 62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 Sir, they said, we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, After three days I will rise again. 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first. Notice they had been listening to Jesus teaching! They just didn t accept it! Last worse than the first? first deception in their minds that he was messiah or from God second raised from the dead If the second was propagated it would be worse than the first... things would really take off get out of hand That s the problem with Jesus Too much potential Dangerous! So Pilate ordered a guard at the site and that the tomb be sealed. So let s explore then was the resurrection a deception? People today will still tell you it is He wasn t really dead Wrong tomb Disciples stole the body Whole story made up There are several clues right here in the text of Matthew that there s no way Jesus resurrection was a deception. Wasn t really dead? No because the soldiers were very experienced at crucifixion and they only give over bodies not people who are half dead. Matthew tells us v50 with a loud voice he gave up his spirit. Wrong tomb? No Matthew explicitly tells us (v61) that the woman were sitting opposite the tomb as Joseph had placed the body in the tomb and rolled the stone in front of the entrance? 3
Disciples stole the body? No Matthew explicitly tells us that because the religious leaders had heard Jesus say he would rise again they begged Pilate to place a guard in front of the tomb so that this could never eventuate. We read that when the angel rolled the stone back and sat on it the guards were still there v4 so afraid that they shook and become like dead men which I take it means they become very pale!! The other reason we know the disciples didn t steal the body is vv11-15! Matthew goes to great pains to explain how that story came to be spread around. The chief priests and elders paid off the guards to tell that story but there was no substance to it. (These were most likely temple guards, not Roman guards because to admit falling asleep on the job tantamount to suicide). They were paid to spin a yarn. And for some people that was sufficient explanation. But it doesn t explain why these scared and grieving disciples suddenly turned in to bold brave men who boldly proclaimed Christ and led the early church! The whole story made up? No because you have women who first saw the empty tomb and then were the first to see Jesus himself and no one no one would make that up! No Matthew certainly wants us to know that this was no deception... There was an empty tomb that early morning Empty because Jesus rose from the dead. An angel rolled the stone away not to let Jesus out but so the disciples could see in! An angel told the women. The women then saw Jesus And Jesus met the disciples in Galilee. You can count on it! We now stake our lives on it! He s alive! Don t you be deceived into thinking anything else. He is the victorious one Victorious over death Victorious over the Evil one Victorious over sin And that victory is ours too! This afternoon in a large university hall in Wollongong south of Sydney, there will be a large gathering for a thanksgiving service for Bronwyn Chin. GP, mother of 4 children from a girl in 2 nd year uni down to a boy in Year 7. 4
Bron was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer 4 years ago and given 6 months to live. Here is some of what she wrote last year (the rest you ll find on our web site) - I don t like being in pain and I don t like having terminal pancreatic cancer. I would like to grow old with my husband and see my kids grow up. But God appears to have a better plan. I know that he is faithful. His plans are the best and do not revolve around me. As the cancer keeps spreading throughout my body I am very aware that Jesus is my Lord and Saviour in whom I can depend, and that all other ground is sinking sand. I am so thankful to God for the resurrection of Jesus which means I will have victory over death and don t need to fear pain or the dying process. It is such a comfort to read: Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? So I thank God for this gift of cancer because he is good and he is using it for his purposes. The plans of the Lord are perfect even if I don t know the reasons for everything. All I know is that soon I will be with the Lord forever because Jesus alone has saved me through his death and resurrection. Jesus resurrection is our only hope It s the sure sign he was who he said he was our debt has been paid in full death has been conquered the way to God is open It s the sure sign of our own resurrection to new life! No other hope for anyone facing death No other hope for you other than this hope But there is one more thing Matthew would have us know as he finishes. He wants us to understand that disciples of Jesus make disciples of Jesus. Disciples of Jesus work at replicating themselves. Disciples of Jesus multiply themselves. Have a look with me again at vv16ff... The eleven disciples that s the 12 minus Judas meet up with Jesus in Galilee. They worship him though we re told some doubted. Doubted what? That he had risen? that would be hard seeing that he stood right with them. Doubted they should be worshipping him as God? Maybe - we re not told and Matthew doesn t dwell on it......perhaps not all of them had got the picture straight yet... 5
But he makes clear that all authority in heaven and earth the universe had been given to him... God has entrusted all power and authority to Jesus the King! He will reign on David s throne - establishing it and upholding it with justice and righteousness.. do you recall from Isaiah? And what does he do with that authority...? Well John in ch 13 tells us he gets up and washes feet... a sign of his deep humility - and a sign of his ultimate servant hood expressed in the cross... But now we see he has a command for his disciples... It s not optional It s not just for some It s not just for clergy It s for the 11 disciples and any and all disciples who would come after them... It s to make more disciples. Where? Everywhere make disciples of all nations. How? How do you make disciples? The same way Jesus did. You tell the good news and call on people to repent, believe and follow. Turn from a life lived with your back to God ignoring him. Trust him hand yourself over to him And follow him drop everything that s been more important to him so he takes pre-eminence. That s how Jesus made disciples. That s how we re involved in making disciples That s how people have become disciples in my experience. It s how they ve become disciples here over the last 3 and a bit years. And it s how people will continue to become disciples. What happens then? 6
New disciples need to be baptised as a sign of their fresh beginnings as a sign of God s cleansing work within... and any one here if you ve become a Christian in recent years and you weren t baptised as a child then we should talk! And then they need then to be nurtured to be taught all that Jesus taught... v20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Note the emphasis is on what Jesus taught not on the law... this is love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength love your neighbour as yourself; this love for enemy, this is praying for those who persecute you; this is seek first God s kingdom and his righteousness; this is not worrying; this is hungering and thirsting for righteousness; this loving others as he loved us this is laying down your life to serve your friends this is teaching new disciples to make disciples! Now imagine if everyone who attends our church... did all they could to make new disciples... On average we have roughly 200 people on a Sunday Let s say in a year we all worked on replicating ourselves... somehow every one of us were able to with God s help and the Holy Spirit s work - make just one other disciple... and that pattern repeated itself every year... So at the end of 2013 100% 25% 12% 2013 400 2013 250 2013 224 2014 800 2014 312 2014 251 2015 1600 2015 390 2015 281 2016 3200 2016 487 2016 315 2017 6400 2017 608 2017 353 2018 12800 2018 760 2018 395 2019 25600 2019 950 2019 448 2020 51200 2020 1187 2020 502 OK so I m being far too optimistic. So let s say not all of us are up for it. Some of us are too old. Some of us too young. Some of too shy. Some of us don t believe in this stuff....so let s just say out of 200 people ¼ were able to make another disciples 7
Still too optimistic? 12%? Last year s growth - 203 2012 228 = 12%... but how many were new people to area......how many were actual new disciples? Vs Those who were already Christians who either moved churches or moved in to the area! Friends we have to think through this commission. Are we conscious of it? Are we planning for it? Praying about it? Working towards it? Training for it? Do we have heart for it? Do we believe it s for us? Is this commission ours? Here is Jesus in his post resurrection glory and the most significant thing Matthew records for us from Jesus lips go and make disciples of all nations. All authority All nations All things I have commanded... AND - he will be with us all the time! Last words from Jesus via Matthew - and surely I am with you always to the very end of the age when he returns to wind things up! Brothers and sisters... let me recap The problem with Jesus is that he just didn t fit the picture for the religious of the day... and sometimes I wonder if he fits the picture for the religious people of our day!! But we must have complete confidence that there was no deception about his resurrection no evidence of that... and much evidence to the contrary... And that means... this commission comes from the one on whom rests all authority... And his closing command is go and make disciples of all nations... Go replicate and multiply... Which of these tables shall we aspire too?? 8