The Tomb Hewn Out In The Rock

(Matth.27:60)

Jesus Is Risen

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.

And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:1-20)

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The Gospel According to MATTHEW Matthew, whose name means "gift of Jehovah," left his occupation of gathering taxes (Matt. 9:9-13) in order to follow Jesus. In Luke 5:27-32, Matthew gave a banquet for Jesus before becoming one of the Twelve Apostles (Matt. 10:3). He was an eyewitness of Jesus' entire ministry. The four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) form a unique kind of written document. They present four complementary views of the life of Jesus. Aside from these four Gospels, there are only a few writings in the contemporary historians, Josephus and Tacitus, which the life and activities of Jesus. Several scholars suggest that they were written down, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, because the number of surviving eyewitnesses to Jesus' life were dwindling. From early times, Matthew's book has been placed at the beginning of the New Testament. The approximate date for its writing is A.D. 58-68. There is some evidence that it was originally written in Hebrew or that Matthew made one copy in Hebrew and one in Greek. The large number of Old Testament quotations used in the book seem to indicate that Matthew directed his writing primarily toward a Jewish audience. He lays great stress on the OId Testament passages which show that Jesus was the Messiah (Christ), the long-awaited King of Israel. For the most part, the narrative is chronological, though certain portions of the material are grouped according to subject matter (e.g., the Sermon on the Mount, chaps. 5 -7, and the parables in chap. 13). In Matthew's presentation of the life of Jesus, the central theme is that He is the King of the long-awaited kingdom of God. Of the fifteen parables and twenty miracles recorded in the Book of Matthew, ten of the parables and three of the miracles are not mentioned in the other Gospels. In addition, the account of the saints who came back to life at Christ's resurrection (Matt. 27:51, 52) the sealing of Jesus' tomb, and the posting of the Roman guard outside it (Matt. 27:62 - 66) are exclusively recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.   [Source for Introduction of chapter: Hebrew Greek Key Study Bible KJV edited by Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN 37422]