Bobservations Column: "Jesus Raised Up"

After the darkness and agony of the previous chapter, Matthew 28 is filled with life and worship and dismay. It also sets the stage for the birth of the church and the mission to follow. Jesus had died on the cross and was buried before sundown in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. The chief priests and elders received permission from Pilate to post a guard of Roman soldiers at the tomb to keep the body from being stolen. They did not want Jesus' followers to be able to claim He had been resurrected (Matthew 27:57–66).“He is risen!” These are 3 words that have changed the very outlook and trajectory of all humankind. These 3 words are the key to the Christian faith.Today in our study of God’s Word we come to Matthew’s text on the resurrection of Jesus. In this wonderful chapter, Matthew gives His account of the greatest event in the history of the world, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. This is the great cornerstone of the Christian faith, and what truly sets Jesus apart as completely unique. Everything that we are and have and ever hope to be, all that we believe in is predicated on the reality of the resurrection. There would be no Christianity if there were no resurrection. Conversely because there is a resurrection, all elements of our faith are affirmed as true in every sense. The resurrection then is the cornerstone of our faith.