INTRODUCTION Jesus death was not the end of His ministry, and neither is His resurrection. He rises to commission His disciples to carry on His work to the Gentiles. “Go” said the angel; “go,” Jesus repeated to the women; now, again, “Go” (28:7, 10, 19). . . . . Continue Reading »
Mary and the other Mary come to the tomb on the day “after the Sabbath,” which is the first day of the new week. It is beginning to dawn and light is beginning to shine. Now, a new week begins, new light breaks. But Matthew’s phrasing is even more emphatic on this . . . . Continue Reading »
The angel rolls away the stone from Jesus’ tomb and takes a seat on it. It’s an enthronement, but there’s something more. In Exodus 17, Moses sits down on a stone while Aaron and Hur hold up his hands. Joshua fights in the valley below, filling the ground with . . . . Continue Reading »
Jesus’ body is placed in a tomb and a “great stone” rolled in front of it. Can He move the stone? That is to say: Is He truly a greater Jacob, who set up a stone where angels descended (Genesis 28:18), who rolled away a large stone to open a well for Rachel the shepherdess . . . . Continue Reading »
Heaven and earth are key themes in Matthew’s gospel (see Jonathan Pennington’s Heaven and Earth in the Gospel of Matthew ). The two words are used in combination eight times in the gospel, and those uses fall out into a nearly chiastic pattern: A. Heaven and earth pass away, . . . . Continue Reading »
Matthew is up to something with his use of two different words for “tomb” in the narratives of Jesus’ burial and resurrection. The two words are mnemeion and taphos , and the 9 uses in the closing chapters of Matthew are deliberately patterned: mnemeion , 4x: 27:52, 53, 60 . . . . Continue Reading »
Matthew 28 is arguably constructed with two intertwine chiasms. The first covers verses 1-8, and the second goes from verse 9 through the end of the chapter. The first follows this pattern: A. Women arrive at grave, v 1 B. Angel descends from heaven, vv 2-3 C. Guards become like dead, v 4 . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION Two Marys, Mary Magdalene and the “other Mary,” the mother of Jesus, have stayed with Jesus through His death and burial. They are back after the Sabbath, and become the first witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. THE TEXT “Now after the Sabbath, as the first . . . . Continue Reading »
Following up a suggestion from my colleague, Toby Sumpter: It seems that there’s a chiasm stretching from the beginning of the crucifixion scene to the end of Matthew: A. Jesus mocked as king of the Jews, 27:27-31 B. Soldiers and Jewish leaders at the cross, 27:33-44 C. Jesus cries for His . . . . Continue Reading »
Whether Joseph knows it or not, he is preparing Jesus for priestly ministry. Clean linen cloth reminds us of the priestly attire at the temple, the linen clothing that the high priest wore on the day of atonement when he entered the Most Holy Place to sprinkle blood toward the ark. The . . . . Continue Reading »
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