Matthew 27&28
Rebecca Lightfoot
N Matthew27:51-53,when Jesus died,”...the curtain of the temple was torn n 2 from top to bottom.& the earth shook,& rocks were split.The tombs were opened.&many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,& coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went n2 the holy city & appeared 2 many.”These EVENTS were so shockingly revealing of WHO was just crucified that “When the Centurion & those who were w him,keeping watch over Jesus,saw...what took place,they were filled w AWE & said,”This was the Son of God.”(Matt27:54).What these men saw was so monumentally compelling that they believed what was previously ridiculously unbelievable.What they were 1st hand witnesses to was so AWESOME,that they were now CONVINCED that Jesus “was the Son of God”.These men allowed TRUTH to impact&change them.These men had their perspective for life changed!They surely knew the consequences of their BELIEF(at the very least the future of their careers would b negatively impacted),but the ETERNAL significance of what they witnessed...it soaked into their lives & changed them!Matt28:2-4 THE MOST AWESOMELY SIGNIFICANT EVENT OF ALL TIMES occurs!The power of sin&death is demolished when Jesus raises up from the dead!There were guards around the tomb of Jesus that witnessed this 1st hand-“& behold,there was a great earthquake,for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven & came & rolled back the stone & sat on it.His appearance was like lightening...& for fear of him the guards trembled & became like dead men.But the angel said to the women,”Do not b afraid,for I know you seek Jesus who was crucified.He is not here,for he has risen”...”ALL of the guards saw and heard this!Even though they ALL saw the same thing,some of them refused to allow the significance of what they witnessed change their minds&hearts about Jesus(Who he is,&His message)!N Matt28:11-15 we learn more about these men,”...some of the guards went n2 the city & told the chief priests ALL that had taken place.& when they had assembled w the elders &taken counsel,they gave a sufficient sum of money 2 the soldiers & said,”Tell people,’His disciples came by night & stole him away while we were asleep’.& if this comes to the governor’s ears,we will satisfy him & keep u out of trouble.”These guards took the money & did as they were directed!These men let their greed overwhelm the significance of what they just witnessed!Additionally,their perspective for life remained temporal!The Awesome things they just saw&heard were quickly overshadowed by money!They turned away ETERNAL TRUTHS because they more concerned about getting a bunch of money.The result is that their story(LIE)has spread to this day.”These men DID NOT let TRUTH impact/change them!& they not only succumbed to lies,but they spread lies/they lived a lie(a bunch of lies)!When we do not allow TRUTH to marinate n our lives,& change us,we will end up succumbing to lies just as this 2nd group of men did.& just as these men end up “living a bunch of lies”,so our lives will become the same...,& potentially lost for Eternity!Satan knows this,& this is why DECEPTION is one of the most effective weapons n Satan’s arsenal.Every lie begins w a deceptive thought of some kind.We must not just b aware of this,but we must take to heart 2Corinthians10:3-5,”For though we live n the world,we do not wage war as the world does.The weapons we fight w r not the weapons of the world.On the contrary,they have divine power to demolish strongholds.We demolish arguments & every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,& we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”If we are to defend our lives&who we are from deception,then we must seek to have “knowledge of God”,& then we must “take captive every thought” that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.If not,we will fall prey to the most effective weapon of the enemy of God-deception of all kinds!Anytime that any TRUTH comes under attack,it is Satan’s most effective weapon taking aim & plotting a strategy to ultimately bombard The TRUTH of WHO Jesus is,&His Gospel.Dear Lord,I know there are lies&deception in my life.Some more noticeable than others.Please root these out of my mind&heart,and replace them w Your Truths....may these change me forever to b faithful to You.