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Beyond the Sabbath

Matthew 28:1-10

Easter 1a

March 27, 2005

Matthew 28:1-10

[Mt 28:1] Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. [2] And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. [3] And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. [4] The guards shook for fear of him 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 has been crucified. [6] “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. [7] “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

[8] And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. [9] And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. 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 take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

Matthew 28:1

[Mt 28:1] Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.

After the Sabbath…

Many of our Lord’s miracles took place in direct confrontation of the religious because he performed them on the Sabbath. This was one of the major reasons for our Lord’s death sentence. The religious leaders had become fastidious about their rules, they were using them to exclude the poor and crippled from Jewish life and to extract exorbitant amounts of money from the Jewish people. Jesus bypassed their system by healing the sick and crippled and by offering salvation to Gentiles and other outsiders. Healing, on the Sabbath, was in direct opposition to the religious leaders rule and made Jesus a target for their ire:

Mark 3:1-6

[Mk 3:1] He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. [2] They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. [3] He *said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” [4] And He *said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. [5] After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. [6] The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

Finally, Jesus’ greatest miracle occurs after the Sabbath; when he is resurrected from the dead.

The truth is that the miracles of Jesus occur in our lives when we are willing to get beyond the Sabbath. The miracles occur beyond the law or when we are willing to move from beyond the letter of the law and to its heart.

Jesus tells us that “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven [Matt 5:20].” In our study of that verse we said; “unless your compassion surpasses your religion, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Where am I on this chart? Is my compassion greater than my devotion to rules, ritual, or prejudice? Is my life more filled with judgment or with justice? By observing my actions, would I be convicted of doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with my God? Or am I more filled with pre-judgments and accusations about those who are poor and in need in my community? Do the poor call me friend?

Is my life still stuck in the laws of the Sabbath-People or have I moved beyond to compassion? Do I live in the miraculous world of the resurrected or am I still crossing the t's and dotting the i's of the law? Am I living an after-the-Sabbath life?

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.

There are two amazing things about this sentence:

1. Look who comes to care for Jesus;

2. Look at what they find!

While the men are still huddled in the upper room or scattered about the city; it is the women who rally themselves to come to Jesus’ side.

This was an act of pure love; for their faith had already been dashed. They did not expect to find a resurrected Jesus; but instead, they thought they would find his broken body after two days of decay. They came to offer their last gift, they came with great respect to care for the decomposing body of their dearest friend; to bathe him and wrap him in proper burial clothes. The Sabbath laws would not allow them to care for the corpse of Jesus so they came after he died—beyond the Sabbath.

The faith of the men was dashed, the hope of the men was gone; but beyond faith and hope was the love of these women. Beyond death, after the Sabbath, greater than hope and faith, there was love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Matthew 28:2-4

[2] And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. [3] And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. [4] The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.

The guards shook for fear...

There is something very comical about this picture of Matthew. A detail of Roman guards are so afraid that they can’t even move, they “became like dead men.”

Meanwhile, one single angel sits on a rock above them smiling expansively. And why not? He has good news, great news and he can’t wait to share it.

What does it tell us about God’s messengers that we should pass on to others?

1. We mustn’t doubt their existence. Angels are seen all throughout the bible and into the book of Acts.

2. Angels serve as messengers, but their name would also apply to a town crier or an agitator in the streets.

3. They are not little babies resembling the Roman demigods of Bacchus (Cupids). Flying babies might amuse hardened Roman soldiers but they would hardly strike them with deadly fear. Nearly every time an angel appears, his first words have to be; “Don’t be afraid.”

Although, the angel’s first words to the women are, “Do not be afraid,” he cuts no such slack for the soldiers. It as though the angel would have been happy to sit there the whole day keeping the guards shaking in their sandals. To the oppressor, the angel looked frightening; but to the women that loved Jesus, the angel came in peace with a message of great joy.

How will the messenger come into my life? Have I been oppressor or oppressed? It is more than what I have or have not done personally for the sins of a nation can fall on its people if those people do not stand on the side of the vulnerable. Will the angel cause me to tremble or to rejoice?

Matthew 28:5-7

[5] The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. [6] “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. [7] “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

“He has risen, just as He said...”

There are two ways that this statement could be taken; as a reprimand for their lack of faith or a blessing for their deep love. The word used for “just as He said [GSN3004 lego],” means according to His claim, or, as he emphatically promised.

However, the angel follows up this promise with the words; “Come, see.” These are the words of Christian invitation and typify the attitude of a follower of Jesus. We claim His promise but we invite others to the blessing we know to be true. These are words of blessing and comfort; truth and invitation. Do we share the promise of hope and invite people to see the proof of belief in our lives? Do we back up the truth with the invitation to “Come, see.”

Matthew 28:8-9

...with fear and great joy

Here are the three responses of the first witnesses to history’s greatest news:

1. They left the tomb quickly with fear [GSN5401 phobos] and great [GSN3173 megas] joy [GSN5479 chara].

Fear also translates into they were put to flight. It is also used for panic and terror or even respect, reverence and awe. Joy is not just a descriptive word; it also means to rejoice. The first followers of Christ would not think of joy without rejoicing. The term for great means incomparable might, completeness or abundance. It even means perfect. Do we have that kind of respect or even fearful reverence before our God? Do we have a joy that leads to rejoicing? Do others see our awe at the perfection of Christ’s abundance in our lives—in every circumstance?

2. And ran [GSN5143 trecho] to report [GSN518 apaggello] it;

I have been a country runner for years; even participating in a few endurance events in my time. However, I have participated in enough events to see the heels of professional runners as they leave trails of dust in front of me. Most of us are hardly even country runners when it comes to spreading the greatest news in history.

These ladies ran—which is also the word for something that spreads quickly (like a fire)—to impart the “report.”

The “report” is an announcement or declaration to a people. This was the task of John the Baptist, but it now fell to the women to accomplish. They loved Jesus beyond even their faith and their reward was the right to be the first evangelists of the greatest announcement in history.

The Great News of Jesus always comes with a duty; a responsibility. These women receive the amazing report and are told by both the angel and the Lord to spread the news like wildfire. How are our torches doing? Are we ready to spread the Gospel like wildfire or is our fervor more like a wet match on a snowy day? Are we wearing dress shoes or high heels in our attempt to spread the Greatest Report or are we strapped into well-worn, sturdy, all-terrain boots? Do we have both the Gospel and the commissioning in our lives or are we just trying to roll around in our own bliss? Let’s go brothers and sisters. Let’s go start some fires!

3. They came up and took hold [GSN2902 krateo] of His feet and worshiped [GSN4352 proskune] Him;

Here is the truest form of worship. The women who loved Jesus were stunned and amazed that he was alive. When they heard it was true they ran to spread the news. In the act of spreading the news; they encountered the living Jesus! It is always in the act of sharing Christ that we will meet Christ.

The women had a dismal job—an impossible job—ahead of them. They were going to tell a room filled with self-pitying men (in a time where women were worth less than the family burro) that Jesus had appeared to them—the female followers—before he had appeared to the male apostles. Yet, to that task they committed themselves even before they saw Jesus.

When they did see Jesus their response was complete reverence. The clung (the term also means seized or even took custody) his feet. They worshipped him; a word which means to lay prostrate, do reverence or bow low.

Once they found him; they were not going to let him go. They completely forgot their commission. Jesus had to remind them of their work because they were so enamored with his presence.

Does any of this sound like my response to Jesus? Am I so in love with Jesus that I forget everything else (sometimes even my purpose)? Do I meet Jesus in the commission of the Gospel? Do I meet him while I am out running to tell the world? Do I live out the Gospel with complete abandonment of self and total dedication to his worship and to his commission? Missing either of these responses (adoration and commission) is to miss the whole response. It is faith without obedience which is no faith at all.

Send me, Lord; out with your great commission. Break me, Lord; with a passion for your love. Use me, melt me, take me, Lord of Lords.

Matthew 28:10

[10] Then Jesus *said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

“Do not be afraid...”

Here are the words of Christ to those who loved him—even beyond faith; “Do not be afraid.” The words are more accurately; “Stop being afraid!” It is a command, not a statement. Those women had much to fear—the Romans, the Religious Leaders, even the ridicule of the Apostles—and yet Jesus commands them to; “Stop being afraid.” What has fear to do with the Christ? Is he the Messiah or not? While the men continue to hide in the upper room; the women return with great news, a new commission and a command for the new church.

“Go and take…”

Here is where the Gospel must always lead us. From “Come, see,” to “Go and take.” We cannot have one side of the Gospel message without the other. If our come and see does not lead to go and take, we are not obedient followers.

“Leave for Galilee...”

Through the women, the men are given but one simple command from their Lord; “Take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.” That is their only command but they do not follow it. Was it because they didn’t believe the women? Luke tells us the men ridiculed the women:

Luke 24:11

[Lk 24:11] But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.

Was it because they refused to believe that Christ would reveal himself to the women before them? Was it because they refused to believe that our Lord would use women as his heralds? These women would proclaim (or preach) the first sermon after the resurrection and the men would not listen.

Our Lord is no respecter of genders; he respects the faithful follower, the loving follower. Love is all he sees. Will Jesus see my love—beyond the Sabbath? Will I follow his command and meet him on the road to tell the world? Does my love of Jesus move me beyond fear, am I running out like a town crier or street agitator, am I spreading the Great News of Jesus like wildfire?

It is not an option. It is the love that Christ requires: A love beyond fear, a love beyond faith and a love beyond the Sabbath.

Copyright Notice

“Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1988. Used by permission.”

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