Matthew 27:57–28:15

We must believe the evidence.

Jesus became alive again. Matthew gives some of the evidence. He reminds us that unbelief is foolish.

• 27:57-61: Jesus was dead: Joseph buried his body.
• 27:62-66: There were special guards for the grave.
• 28:1-10: The grave was empty and the Lord Jesus was alive.
• 28:11-15: The guards made a report.
• 28:16-20: Jesus is alive. He is the greatest ruler, with all power and authority.

The order of these paragraphs emphasised something. It was this. Jesus became alive again in order to rule. This was especially true of the first 4 paragraphs. They emphasised two facts. First, they emphasised that the grave was empty. Then, they emphasised that people saw Jesus alive.

Matthew emphasised the strong evidence that Jesus is alive. He did this in several ways.

• Some women were the first people to see that the grave was empty (Matthew 28:6). They had watched Joseph put Jesus’ body in the cave (Matthew 27:61). So, they certainly knew where to find the right place.
• The religious leaders could not deny that the grave was empty. Jesus had told them that he would become alive again. So they had tried hard to make sure that Jesus stayed in the grave. They did not want his disciples to take away his body. (Read Matthew 27:62–66.) But the guards themselves said that the body was not there (Matthew 28:11).

►  The guards were at the grave (Matthew 28:2–4). So the religious leaders’ excuse was false. This was clear. The guards would not all be asleep. If they were, there is something that we cannot explain. They could not know that the disciples stole the body!

►  Some people say that Jesus was not dead. They say that the cool grave made him better. They say that this event could explain the guards’ reaction. But the guards had put a special seal (lock) on the stone. They did this from the outside of the grave. So, Jesus could not have opened it from the inside. And he would not have been able to move the heavy stone. (Read Matthew 27:60 and 66.)

Jesus is alive!

This passage is not just about the empty grave. It is about the fact that they saw Jesus in his body (Matthew 27:8-10). That was what convinced Jesus’ disciples. They actually met him. He was not a ghost. (A ghost looks like a dead person but it is not real.) He had a body. They could touch him. They could hold onto him.

Matthew’s book was not the only one. Anyway, it gives strong proof that Jesus is alive. Dead men do not become alive again. But this man became alive again.

This passage also shows that unbelief is foolish. There is strong evidence that Jesus is alive. But some men and women, (then and now), do not believe it. Some people have never thought much about the matter. But, for the majority of people, there is another reason. They do not want to believe it. People at the time saw the empty grave. They could not explain why it was empty. Jesus had said that he would become alive again. But they would not believe this. Men and women can refuse to believe what they do not want to believe.

The religious leaders at the time of Jesus were like this. They did not care about the truth. (They showed that when Jesus had to stand in front of them.) So, even strong evidence was not enough. Their answer was to invent a story. But the story that they invented was hard to believe. It would have been easier to believe that Jesus did become alive again. Men and women are the same today. They refuse to believe the truth. Instead, they accuse Christians. They say that Christians are telling lies (Matthew 27:64). That is exactly what they are doing themselves.

It can be hard to understand why this happens. The religious leaders at that time would not accept Jesus. The reason for this was pride. They were selfish. This is true of all men and women. They could accept Jesus. But this would mean that they must allow God to rule in their lives. Think about Adam and Eve. They wanted to be like God. (Read Genesis 3:4.) Ever since that time, some people have not wanted to allow God to rule them.

Questions

• What reasons can you give for the truth that Jesus is alive?
• Some religious people today are like the people in Jesus’ time. It is a fact that Jesus became alive again. But these people think that it is not necessary to believe this. Why do they think this? Would it matter if Jesus had not become alive again? (Read 1 Corinthians 15.)
• In many countries, there are traditional stories. They tell about gods and about people who die. Then these people become alive again. What is the difference between them and Jesus?