Worshipping and Proclaiming - Matthew 27:57-8:15 (Sermon)

 

Thank you, worship team. It is good to gather and praise the Lord. Today, two groups will respond to Jesus’s death and resurrection. The question for us is how do we respond? Another way to ask that is, “What difference does Jesus’s death and resurrection make for our lives?” 

TEXT

I will have J. & G. W. (SHC) / (CCC) to read for us this morning. We are continuing our sermon series in the book of Matthew. We are in chapter 27, starting at verse 57. We will project the words behind me. Would you please stand with me in honor of God’s Word?

MATTHEW 27:57–28:15

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 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. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. 

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 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.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. 

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

While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. (Matthew 27:57–28:15, ESV)

PRAYER

Please pray with me. Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your one and only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. Thank you for raising him from death to life. Because of him, we have hope of resurrection. Help us worship, honor, and follow you. May we hear you through your Word, by the Spirit, in Jesus’s name, amen. You may be seated.

CONTEXT  

The story of Jesus is nearing the end. We began this series on July 17, 2022. Can you believe it? Matthew started with, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1, ESV). Jesus had a kingly ancestry but humble beginnings. Opponents sought to destroy him from birth: 

• There was Herod, 

• Satan, 

• The Pharisees, 

• Sadducees, 

• Scribes, 

• The Teachers of the Law, 

• The Herodians

• High Priests 

• The Sanhedrin

• Roman soldiers, 

• Jewish crowds, 

• and even a disciple, Judas. 

The book concludes with Jesus dead from their efforts. However, he came to earth with that purpose—to die. Through his death and resurrection, he fulfilled the prophecies of old and made a way for God’s people to be forgiven and united with God forever. This was all part of God’s plan. 

STRUCTURE: 

The structure of our verses this morning is as follows: 

A Burial 27:57–61

A Guarding 27:62–66

A Resurrection 28:1–10

A Coverup 28:11–15

Each section begins with timing: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Matthew alternates who does the action: between good and evil. They include a familiar cast: 

• Followers, 

• A Roman, 

• Religious leaders, 

• Guards

• An angel

• And Jesus. 

In our passage, we read what Matthew dealt with 2000 years ago. It was opposition contrasting the mission of the church. Jesus is inviting us on a mission with two good examples contrasted by one bad. We have the excellent example of Joseph of Arimathea and that of two women named Mary versus the Pharisees. 

A BURIAL 27:57–61

Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 27, starting at verse 57. Let’s see this for ourselves. 

“When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus” (Matthew 27:57, ESV). 

We hear in verse 57 of a man by the name of Joseph. Joseph was a popular name. 

• Jesus’s dad was Joseph. 

• Last week, we read there was a Mary with a son named Joseph. 

• In Acts chapter 4, verse 36, we read that there is a man by the name of Joseph called Barnabas. 

When names are common, the authors tend to provide biographical details to distinguish them. This Joseph, in verse 57, had a hometown of Arimathea. 

Arimathea was 22 miles northwest of Jerusalem. Here is a picture. Matthew also tells us that Joseph was wealthy. That contrasts with Jesus. Matthew tells us that Joseph was a disciple of Jesus. That is fascinating, but not all we know because the gospel writer Luke wrote about him, too. He recorded: 

Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. (Luke 23:50–51, ESV)

 

Notice Luke tells us that Joseph was part of a council. What council? He was in the ruling class of Jewish people, the Sanhedrin, and he dissented from the consensus to crucify Jesus. Why did Matthew leave that out? I believe he wanted to emphasize that this man was a devout follower of Jesus. How did Joseph express this devotion? Luke tells us that he dissented from the vote for Jesus’s punishment. Luke also says something Matthew writes in verses 58 through 60. 

BURIAL

Let’s return to Matthew 27 and see what Matthew wrote, Namely, in verse 58. 

He [Joseph] went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 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. (Matthew 27:58–60, ESV) 

TOMB 

Why did Joseph care about the tomb? Jesus was poor. He grew up in Nazareth near the Sea of Galilee, a small rural town. His dad was a carpenter. When Jesus was thirty, he began his ministry living off the benevolence of others. When the poor died, there were burial places, but they were communal and meager. Yet, those who died of crucifixion were often left to decompose. However, they took him down because of Passover regulations on work. Joseph gave him this tomb as an expression of honor and care. This was quite an improvement from the traditional burial for the impoverished, especially those who died on crosses. 

ALLEGIANCE 

This expression of allegiance went beyond sharing a place with Jesus and his family. He gave his unused family tomb, carved in stone, that had never been used. That was extravagant and extraordinary, like the woman who spent what would have been thousands of dollars anointing Jesus’s dirty feet, weeping and wiping them with her hair, as seen before. In another account, we read Joseph anointed Jesus’s body with an incredible amount of spices and perfume, 75 pounds. This was valued in the six-figure range. He went all out to honor Jesus. Joseph was an example of radical devotion, and secondarily, this devotion marks Jesus’s tomb. 

https://www.woh.org/2024/03/30/a-burial-fit-for-a-king/ 

This gift fulfills the Isaiah 53 prophecy in a way we haven’t seen up to this point in Matthew:

“And they made his grave with the wicked 

      and with a rich man in his death” (Isaiah 53:9a, ESV).

There would be no thinking that his body was misplaced, lost, or forgotten. Joseph’s devotion makes Jesus's location unique. 

WOMEN 

Something else makes his location clear: Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. They appeared here and witnessed the burial. Look at verse 61. 

“Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb” (Matthew 27:61, ESV). 

We just read last week that they were at Jesus’s death. Our gospel writers wrote elsewhere they would come back with spices to do the job right. It reminds me of the difference between how guys decorate for an event and women. If I am having people over, I am just concerned about the temperature, odor, and our activity. I don’t put thought into it. My wife is so gifted at creating a welcoming atmosphere. I am a neanderthal in my decorations. Just give me some chips and salsa, and I will be happy. These women cared about Jesus’s body being treated right. When a body dies, it immediately begins to decay. There was no refrigeration back then in the Middle East. Predators and pests do their part to move the process along. The body will stink. These women knew what would happen. They were watching. They saw him at his death. They saw: 

1. His body. 

2. His tomb.

3. The stone. 

4. The burial. 

5. And the missing feminine touch. 

They will come back and make things right. Thus ends the first section of Scripture. Jesus is dead and buried with multiple witnesses. 

A GUARDING 27:62–66

Look at verse 62. Let’s see how Jesus’s enemies respond to his death.

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 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.” (Matthew 27:62–64, ESV)

Matthew told us that a day had passed. The tomb was still sealed. It was Saturday. Saturday was the day of Preparation, the day after the Passover. The Pharisees went to Pilate for another favor. They wanted Pilate to give a guard so this fake, phony huckster wouldn’t be stolen. They were aware of Jesus’s prediction to rise. But they didn’t buy it. They were convinced he was dead. He didn’t faint, swoon, or pass out. He wasn’t in a coma, as some think to this day. He was dead, dead. Joseph believed it, the women thought it, and now the enemies believed it too. And the tomb was shut tight. 

PILATE’S RESPONSE

What was Pilate’s response to this request for guards over the tomb?

“Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.’ So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard” (Matthew 27:65–66, ESV). 

Why did Pilate say that? It seems like he was distancing himself again from the Jewish leadership. He was not giving them what they wanted. Pilate seemed reluctant. He had already washed his hands of the matter. He believed Jesus was innocent. The onus fell back on the religious authorities, not Rome. They would procure the guards. But surprise, surprise, no guard or leader could stop what was going to happen. 

A RESURRECTION 28:1–10

In chapter 28, we see the fantastic reality that Jesus rose from the dead. Go to verse 1.

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week [Sunday], Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 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. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid.” (Matthew 28:1–5a, ESV)  

Here, we have Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, who are highlighted as followers of Jesus.

• They were with him in Galilee. 

• They were there at the cross, 

• They were there at Jesus’s burial, 

• And they were there now at the empty tomb. 

There was an earthquake, and an angel rolled away the stone. The guards we just mentioned were afraid and went into shock. The angel told the women not to be scared. Fear is a natural reaction when one meets an angel.

ANGEL NEWS 

What else did the angel say? Look back at chapter 28. 

“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said” (Matthew 28:5–6a, ESV).  

The women were looking for Jesus. The angel told them he was gone because he rose as he predicted. Jesus knew the future. He was and is the godman. The angel told the ladies that Jesus was gone, and then he gave them a mission. Jump back to chapter 28, verse 6. 

“Come, see the place where he lay. 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” (Matthew 28:6b–7, ESV). 

What did the ladies do? Look at verse 8. 

“So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples” (Matthew 28:8, ESV). 

They busied themselves with obedience. They continued with fear and joy. How does that work? Fear is not always bad. Think of the rush of pleasure and excitement of being a new parent, embarking on a mountain climb, or jumping into a cold body of water from a towering height. Fear and joy are not mutually exclusive. They can go hand in hand. Yet, fear becomes counterproductive when it disrupts the “mission.” They had a mission to share the good news of Jesus’s resurrection. They ran to obey.  

RUNNING 

I love running. It rained a couple of times this week, disrupting my habit, and I miss it. I love running fast and slow, long and short, racing and exploring, and watching running. These women ran. We don’t know the exact distance, but it wasn’t long before they stopped. Why? Because of verse 9.  

MEETING JESUS 

Look at verse 9. 

And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 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 28:9–10, ESV)

They met Jesus. They were the first to meet him and the first to worship him. Jesus was and is worthy of worship. But here, not only was he their amazing healer, teacher, and leader, the prophet, priest, and king, he stood before their eyes alive and well. How would you respond to meeting Jesus after seeing him brutally killed and buried? I am doing a funeral this week for a community member. If she were to rise from the dead, especially since she was cremated, I think we all would freak out. But Jesus did.  

CALLING 

And in verse 10, Jesus spoke. He repeated the message of the angel. These women had a job to do. Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me. I bet the ladies got back to running. They heard and saw the evidence, an earthquake, an empty tomb, and an angelic messenger, but now they saw with their eyes Jesus, felt him with their hands Jesus, and heard him with their ears Jesus. They knew it was him. He was alive and well; they had to let the disciples know. 

WOMEN AND MINISTRY 

I think we can get hung up on some of the counter-cultural passages of Scripture that differentiate men’s and women’s roles in the church and home. Those are good, helpful, and true; however, we see that Jesus thought it was okay for women to tell their spiritual brothers Jesus’s message. God’s Word sees us men and women as different, yet the Bible teaches that we have beautiful similarities: 

• We are both made in the image of God. 

• We are both saved by the same Savior. 

• We both have an invitation to follow him. 

• We both can tell others that Jesus has risen from the grave and that truth changes everything.

A Coverup 28:11–15

However, our messages are not always accepted, nor were these women’s message. The guards had some of the same information: an earthquake, an empty tomb, and an angelic visit. Yet, they would report back to their superiors what they witnessed. Let’s see how they interpreted those facts. Go to our last section of Scripture, verses 11 through 15. 

While they were going, behold, some of the guards went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 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)

Ironically, the religious leaders were the ones committing fraud, not Jesus or his followers. The elders tried to sell a story that didn’t happen. They were not silencing the truth but changing the narrative. They believed Jesus died, but they didn’t think he rose. He must have been stolen. However, if that were the case, where was the body? Where was the evidence? Why lie? They had the majority of the power and wealth. They could speak the truth and discover it, but instead: 

• They paid the guards to fabricate a story. 

• They paid Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus. 

• They sought witnesses to commit perjury to convict Jesus of crimes he didn’t do. 

They were not concerned about truth or law. They were trying to protect their power and reputation. At the root, they were hypocritical and selfish. They would kill to keep up the status quo.

WHAT IF 

The Christians had the evidence before them, and Matthew would die for this. Why? Truth was on their side. And that truth changed their lives. They believed it with all their hearts. Jesus rose from the dead. 

PAUL 

Paul, once an enemy of Jesus’s followers, was converted. He wrote: 

 

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (1 Corinthians 15:3–8, ESV)

Jesus appeared to hundreds of people after he died. He was not a ghost or angel. The women touched his feet. In John, we read that he ate. Jesus was alive. If Jesus hadn’t risen, then Christianity would be the worst scam in history. But he did rise from the dead. He was stolen. 

APPLICATION 

What do you think of Jesus? What do you do with his death and resurrection? Maybe you, like the Pharisees, think he didn’t rise. It is unthinkable to me that a fraud or imposter could pull off what he did. I believe the necessary conclusion is that Jesus was the Son of God, the Son of Man, the prophet, the great high priest, and the perfect lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. Would you agree?

JOSEPH ARAMATHEA  

If you believe, what do you think of Joseph? He gave up great wealth to honor Jesus. Would you do such a thing? Likely, we don’t have this amount of resources. That is okay. We can still honor him with the little we have. Jesus said whoever offers a cup of cold water in his name does it unto him. How are you loving those around you? How do you love your neighbor as yourself? How do you love others? Let us be extravagant like Joseph. 

WAGER

I am reading about a military effort by the British Navy in the early 1700s. They didn’t have mandatory conscription back then. There was no draft as they sought to beat Spain. People had to volunteer. Yet, Britain could not get enough people to fight. The Navy enlisted press gangs to coerce people. They would kidnap people and imprison them. Voyages were long, hard, and dangerous. The Navy was so desperate that they would take people from hospitals. The press gangs would track boats heading in from being months or years away from home. They would board those boats and steal away the sailors for the outgoing voyages. That meant no visits with children and wives, with no rest or vacation or reprieve. Sailing was hard. People died. The food was the same for months. The accommodations were cramped. The medical care was archaic. The book details the story of one such gang hauling away an older man who cried and cried. People died. A young man by the name of Campbell stepped forward to take his place. I don’t know why he would do this other than compassion. God’s Word tells us that we love because he first loved us. When we understand Jesus’s incredible love, it empowers us to love others with that same love. Jesus took our place and gave us opportunities to do the hard things on behalf of others. Let us be known for our love. Let us be like Joseph of Arimathea, who cared more about Jesus than his nest egg. Joseph was not the only example for us in these verses. The women were, too. 

WOMEN 

These women were joyful and ran to share the good news of Jesus. How excited are we to share about Jesus? Do we share? What does it look like to testify to others what God has done in your life? We will have a workshop in the fall to talk about how we can share Jesus’s love in our circles. However, we don’t have to wait till then to share about Jesus. We can ask God to open up opportunities to love in word and deed those around us. Let’s join these ancient followers who followed the promised king into the kingdom.

JESUS 

Ultimately, we too have a hope of the resurrection. One day death will be no more. We will have new bodies and perfected hearts. Sin will be done for good. Tears and sadness will be over. That is all possible because Jesus came down from heaven, became one of us, lived a perfect life, died our death, and rose victorious. That is good news. And some of us need to camp there because our hearts are heavy. 

PRAYER

Let’s pray

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