Chronological Bible Study – Nov 14
What I Noticed Today (Matthew 28; Mark 16)
Matthew 28
In verses 1-10, as dawn was breaking on Sunday morning, the two Mary’s went to the tomb. There was a great earthquake, and an angel from heaven rolled back the stone from the entrance to the tomb. His appearance was like lightning and his clothes as white as snow. The guards trembled. The angel spoke to the women comforting them, saying that Jesus had risen from the dead. The angel told them to tell the disciples and go to Galilee, where you will see Him again. They ran to tell the disciples and along the way Jesus met them, telling them again to tell the disciples and then meet Him in Galilee.
In verses 11-15, the guards went to tell the chief priests what had happened. The elders and the priests gave money to the guards telling them to tell people that the disciples had come in the night and taken Jesus away.
Note: Falling asleep during guard duty was punishable by death according to Roman law. So, for the soldiers to say they had fallen asleep while on duty was an admission of a crime. Of course, this story begs additional questions, like how is it that all the soldiers fell asleep at the same time, if they did fall asleep how did they know it was the disciples who took Jesus’ body, and how is it that in the act of rolling away the stone none of the soldiers woke up?
In verses 16-20, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, found Jesus, and worshiped Him. Jesus then gave the disciples the Great Commission: 1) go, 2) make disciples of all the nations, 3) baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and 4) teach them to observe all that He had commanded them.
Note: “Go” is an imperative verb. It tells us what to do. Making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them are all imperative participles. They tell us how to do it. These are not suggestions from Jesus; these are commands of what and how we are to fulfill His commission.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- Jesus did not defend himself when he was accused. None of His accusers would have believed Him anyway.
- Despite the humiliation, torture, and abuse, Jesus did not retaliate.
- In His death on the cross and resurrection, He overcame all His enemies.
- Jesus kept His promises to His disciples.
- Jesus goes before us.
- Jesus has all authority on earth and in heaven.
- Jesus will be with us always!
All the notes for the book of Matthew have been compiled into a single pdf document. You can download it by clicking here.
Mark 16
In verses 1-8, (See also Matthew 28:1-8), in the evening when the Sabbath was over Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James, and Salome bought spices to anoint Jesus. Early the next morning, they went to the tomb and found the large stone rolled away and a young man dressed in white linen sitting on the right side of the tomb.
The angel told them not to be afraid; Jesus had been resurrected, and to tell His disciples and Peter that Jesus would meet them in Galilee (as promised in Mark 14:28). The women fled from the tomb and said nothing to anyone for a while because they were afraid.
Note: Peter being singled out for this confirming message indicated that despite his denial of Jesus, he was still counted among the disciples.
Mark 16:9-20
Note: These twelve verses are the most problematic and disputed in the New Testament. The writing style is different than previous writing. Mary Magdalene is introduced with some detail as though we had not already been introduced to her, but she was mentioned three times before in Mark 15:40, 47, and Mark 16:1. Modern scholars generally agree that these last twelve verses were written by someone other than Mark and added to his Gospel early on, and thus became part of the canonized version.
In verses 9-13, Mary Magdalene returned to the tomb that same morning, and Jesus appeared to her. She went and told the disciples, but they did not believe her. Jesus also appeared in a different form to two others as they were walking on the road. When these two reported it to the others, they did not believe either.
In verses 14-18, Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples while they were eating. He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who told them He had been resurrected.
Note: The word the author used to describe Jesus’ rebuke of the disciples is especially harsh criticism.
Then Jesus commissioned the disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. The signs of a person who believed include casting out demons, speaking other languages, picking up snakes, not being harmed by poison, and being able to heal the sick.
In verses 19-20, after speaking with them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven by God and sat at His right hand. The disciples went as directed into the world, preaching the Gospel.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.