Study Format:
1. Read passage aloud. What did you notice in the reading? What words or phrase caught your attention?
2. Read passage aloud a second time. What questions would you ask the text?
3. Read passage aloud a third time. What do you hear God calling you to do or be in response to this text?
Interesting Ideas to Consider:
• We’ve talked often about how the Gospels are eye-witness accounts, and eye-witnesses often remember events differently. Such is the case in the resurrection of Jesus, a story which is told in all four Gospels with several subtle differences. Similar to all of the accounts, the event takes place at the dawn on the day after the Jewish Sabbath, or what we know as Sunday. In all four accounts, the first to arrive at Jesus’ tomb was women. Either Mary Magdalene (John), Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Matthew), or those two and some others. In all four there was a stone rolled away (either before they arrived, John and Luke, or while they were there Matthew and Mark). And in all four, the body of Jesus was not there. Some ways that Matthew may differ from your memory: in Matthew, the women do not go to anoint Jesus body, because it was already anointed and the guard posted would have prevented them anyway. Instead they went to continue their vigil (in this it is similar to John). They did not wonder who would roll away the stone (that line is from Mark), because they didn’t intend to enter the tomb.
• V. 5 refers to Jesus as “the crucified one” (NRSV translates to “who was crucified”). “The crucified one” is a perfect participle, which in Greek grammar indicates a completed event with on-going significance. What this means is even now that he is risen, he remains “the crucified one,” that event still has meaning. Resurrection was not an undoing of the events of the crucifixion; it was an on-going effect of the completed crucifixion event.
• The Angel of the Lord instructed the women to tell the disciples to go to Galilee to see the risen Jesus. This is more about theology than geography. In Matthew, “Galilee of the Gentiles” is the appropriate setting for the disciples to receive the Great Commission, sending them out to “make disciples of all nations.”
Some important emphases of the resurrection event in Matthew, according to Dr. Boring
1. The resurrection is an eschatological event (eschatological or eschatology is a fancy theology word that you should know, mainly because Pastor Kjersten tries to use it a lot and then has to translate, so it would be easier on her if she just taught you what it means. Eschatology is from the Greek eschaton meaning last things or last days and logos meaning word, so translated “words about the last days.” Basically, eschatology is part of theology that talks about the ultimate destiny of humanity). So, what is meant by the resurrection as an eschatological event is that it is not simply a thing that happened to Jesus; rather it is the ultimate decisive event for human history. Resurrection faith is not simply about believing that something happened to Jesus, that the tomb was empty or that his body came back to life. The soldiers and the chief priests in Matthew 28:11-15 knew that Jesus had come back to life, but it did not change them, so they did not have resurrection faith.
2. The resurrection itself is not described. The mystery of what happened and how is not worth speculating on, but is worth testifying to.
3. Resurrection faith is not the same as historical accuracy. We do not need to harmonize the competing narratives, for each account gives some aspect of Easter faith.
4. The resurrection is not the happy ending to an almost tragic story (see the bullet point about the perfect participle in Greek). Rather, the whole of Matthew’s Gospel should be read through the lens of this event. None of the rest of it matters without this ending.
5. Resurrection is not a final miracle by Jesus; it is the act of God for Jesus. In death, Jesus was as powerless as any human.
6. Resurrection faith is not based on evidence, it comes from encountering the resurrected Jesus (28:8-10), hearing testimony from those who saw the resurrected Jesus (28:10, 16), and by his continued presence among his disciples (28:20). Our resurrection faith comes from the testimony of those who saw Jesus (scripture) and Jesus’ own continued presence among us (for example, in the sacraments and in the gathered community).
7. Resurrection faith is about worship, not analysis. Even then, doubt is not excluded, but is a part of faith (28:17, “and they [the disciples] worshiped him [Jesus], but some doubted.”)
8. Resurrection faith is not simply faith in the empty tomb. It is possible to believe Jesus rose from the dead and still not have resurrection faith. Similarly, the whole of the New Testament proclaims resurrection faith, but only the Gospels have the story of the empty tomb.
Works Sourced:
Boring, M. Eugene. “The Gospel of Matthew.” The New Interpreter’s Bible Volume VIII. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995.
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