Matthew 28:1-15

¹ Now after the Sabbath, when the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.

² And see, there was a great earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from the sky and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

³ He looked like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow.

⁴ And out of dread of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.

⁵ But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are seeking Jesus who was crucified.

⁶ He is not here, because he has risen, as he said. Come, look at the place where he lay.

⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and see, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”

⁸ So they left quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

⁹ And see, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” 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 tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

¹¹ While they were going, see, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place.

¹² And when they had assembled with the elders and conspired together, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers

¹³ and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and took him away while we were asleep.’

¹⁴ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”

¹⁵ So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

two other commissions

Before Matthew records Jesus’ great commission, he tells us about two other commissions. First, the ladies who saw Jesus on resurrection Sunday: they were told to go and tell the brothers that he is alive and that he will meet them in Galilee. It was a commission to gather those who would be commissioned. We all have that commission today. We may not all be blessed with the ability to go tell the nations about Jesus, but we all are given the responsibility to send those who are.

The second commission is that given to the soldiers. They were paid money to deny the resurrection of Jesus – to thwart his mission to the nations. Pressure is still on those who have the power to keep the world away from its Savior. They do not have to deny anything. They simply have to stay silent about the reality of Christ and his power. The fate of the lost world is found in the tension between these two commissions.

LORD, we choose to gather and support those whom you will send to the nations.