“No one comes to the Father except through me.” - Jesus Christ

Matthew 28

June 19th, 2008 Posted in Matthew, Salvation is Jesus

The final chapter of Matthew covers Jesus’ resurrection, a cover-up by the Pharisees, and Jesus’ last command, known as the great commission. The resurrection of Jesus is one of the most obvious and important events that prove Jesus’ claim that he is the Son of God.

At the crucifixion of Jesus, almost all of his disciples ran away, and only a few followed at a distance to see what would happen.  When Jesus died they thought they were wrong about Jesus.  But then Jesus came back from the grave, just as he said, and empowered the disciples, and all believers, to fulfill the great commission.

Verses 16-20:

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The rest of the disciples lives prove that Jesus was resurrected. They turned from scared men to bold preachers because they knew that Jesus was alive and working in their lives. Even in the midst of extreme persecution, not one of them backed down. John was the only one to die of old age, but was still persecuted and imprisoned for spreading the Gospel.

If the resurrection of Jesus had been a hoax, as the Pharisees claimed in verses 11-15, the disciples would have backed off or admitted to their deception.  But instead each one of the disciples went through great suffering in obeying the last command that Jesus gave them.

  • Andrew (Peter’s brother, fisherman) died on a cross at Patrae, in Achaia, a Grecian Colony.
  • James (the elder son of Zebedee, brother of John) was beheaded at Jerusalem.
  • James (also called James the Less) was thrown from a pinnacle of the Temple, and then beaten to death with a club.
  • John, the beloved disciple (elder son of Zebedee, brother of James, both James and John we also called “Sons of Thunder” or “Boanerges”), died of extreme old age in Ephesus.
  • Thaddeus (also called Jude) was shot to death with arrows.
  • Matthew (also called Levi, a tax collector) was crucified in Alexandria.
  • Nathanael (also called Bartholomew) was flayed alive and beheaded in Albanapolis, Armenia.
  • Peter (also called Simon or Cephas, also called The Zealot) was crucified, head downward, on a cross in Persia (now Iran) during the persecution of Nero.
  • Philip was hanged against a pillar at Heropolis (Abyssinia).
  • Thomas (also called Didymous and the doubter) was run through the body with a lance at Coromandel, in the east Indies.
  • John was the only one to die of natural causes.
The endurance of the disciples in their faith and devotion to the risen Jesus Christ is just one of many historical facts that prove the resurrection.  There have been many attempts by scholars using very poor and inconsistent methods over the years trying to argue against the resurrection.  Others would claim that even if Jesus did not raise from the dead, their “Christian” faith would not falter, but that is not the true Christian faith.  As the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19:
And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
Jesus was raised from the dead and has given his followers the command to spread his Gospel of peace throughout the entire world. Even amongst great persecution through all history, the Christian faith has continued to grow through the saints’ love for the very people who persecute them.  Salvation is Jesus. There is no other way.

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