Faithful Disciples

Setting and Overview

Matthew’s accounts of the events following Jesus’ death focus on a number of different subjects. Some of those offer us a very negative example, specifically the religious leaders and Pilate, but that is no surprise after what we have seen in the previous chapter. More refreshingly, we do see some very positive examples, but those actually come from some unlikely sources. As Matthew offers the alternative to the opponents of Jesus and to the followers who had fled, the positive example of discipleship does not come from any of the apostles, but rather from the women and from a rich member of the Sanhedrin.

Exposition

The women who Matthew focuses on in verses 55-56 were not new to the scene: they had been with Jesus since Galilee, uprooting their lives and using their finances to support Jesus’ needs. Notably among them in Matthew were Mary Magdalene and the mother of John and James. Either out of respect or fear, they are watching from a distance, but unlike the apostles, they are still there. As they had through their commitment and support shown that they accepted Jesus’ demands for those who would follow him (Luke 14:25-33), so they also reflect that in their faithfulness even through Jesus’ death on the cross. A similar faithfulness is then seen by a very different character, a rich member of the Sanhedrin named Joseph. Being a member of the Sanhedrin, he is able to do something that Jesus’ other followers likely couldn’t: approach Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. The very fact that he had such access, however, also highlights how much he had to lose by identifying publicly with Jesus, showing that he also took to heart Jesus’ expectations for discipleship (Matthew 10:37-39.)

The religious leaders represent the other end of the spectrum as those who are committed to opposing Jesus, but ironically, it is they who focus the most on Jesus’ prediction that he would rise after three days. They don’t believe his words, but they are worried that his followers will try to fake such an event and so they ask Pilate for a guard for the tomb. Pilate also isn’t interested in such a “deception” and so he supports their request and they then go and make the tomb as secure as possible, ironically enough providing confirmation of the truth of the resurrection.

At dawn on Sunday, two of the women go to the tomb to finish preparing the body. An angel suddenly appears, accompanied by an earthquake either at his appearance or at the rolling away of the stone. Although he looks like a man, his appearance is also clearly supernatural, and so the guards become terrified. The angel does not speak to them however, but to the women instead. He tells them that although they came for Jesus, he isn’t there because he has been raised. He invites them to see the truth of what he is saying by viewing the empty tomb. After viewing it, they are to go and tell the other disciples that Jesus has been raised and that they should go to Galilee where he will meet them, a confirmation of his promise from Matthew 26:32. The women are still terrified and undoubtedly overwhelmed (Mark 16:8) but they nonetheless obey and are headed to tell the disciples when Jesus appears to them. They respond by falling down to worship him in a scene that harkens back to the anticipation of his anointing (Matthew 26:7, John 12:3.) Jesus echoes the comfort and the assignment from the angel, confirming that the women are called to be the first disciples to share the news of the resurrected Jesus.

Examination and Application

The significant roles of the disciples in this section, especially the women, should serve as a confirmation to all believers of the important role that anyone can be called to fill in the Gospel going out to all the world. It also presents an uncompromising picture, however, of the dedication that Jesus expects of all his disciples. The women have completely committed their lives to Jesus, and are still present even when all hope seems lost. They are invited to come see the empty tomb, an invitation that can harken back to the invitation for an unbeliever to come meet Jesus (John 1:46), but also can be a reminder to us as believers to continually return to God’s Word to see and better learn all that Jesus has taught (I Peter 2:2-3.) Finally, we are also called to go and tell the world of the good news that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and reigns today as King.