What To Do With Truth?

In Matthew 28, we discover the greatest foundational truth God can communicate with us. This is what all of Christianity rests on. Without it, the gospel is powerless; faith is worthless, and a relationship with God is impossible. The truth is: “Christ is risen.” Messiah is not dead, He is alive. Jesus conquered sin, hell, and the grave. That is the message and truth of Matthew 28.

God communicates this profound truth to four distinct groups of people, and each group responds in a unique way, handling the truth with their own perspectives and beliefs. Two groups are blessed with a deeper connection to God, while the other two are led away from the Lord's presence. The way we embrace God’s truth in our lives is crucial. How should we react when He unveils something extraordinary to us? Something so significant that it requires divine intervention for us to accept it?

Let’s look at the four groups of people:

1. The Women

- They went to see the tomb (maybe in unbelief of what happened, or to mark the spot

- They did not go to see Jesus (In their minds, He is dead, remember)

- They were devotees of Him. Intense, extreme followers.

- They had a supernatural encounter (An earthquake, an angel descended from heaven, the great burial stone rolled away)

- They get instructions from the angel, to tell the truth to the disciples to meet Jesus in Galilee.

- Then, the greatest miracle of all - They encountered Jesus - v.9 They worshipped Him

- Their response to the truth is worship, relationship (Greek word: proskuneow - to kneel or come forward and kiss)

2. The Soldiers

- They were unbelievers. (Pagans or Heathen)

- They were, at best, spiritually neutral, doing business as usual.

- They had the same supernatural encounter as the women.

- They reported to the Religious Leaders and did not worship at Jesus’ feet like the women.

- They were willing to exchange the truth with a lie for a momentary monetary reward.

- They twisted the truth to fit a fabricated narrative.

3. The Religious Leaders

- They were in tune with prophecies and Scripture but valued their own opinions more.

- The truth of the resurrection was inconvenient and threatened their place and position.

- They were anti-Jesus in the extreme sense.

- They fabricated and perpetuated a lie instead of protecting and promoting the truth.

4. Disciples

- Their faith was rocked by grief and circumstances.

- They needed a reminder of truth and of the prophecies of Jesus.

- Some of them still doubted, but the still went to Galilee.

- The truth led them to an encounter with the risen Christ and they worshipped Him.

Take Aways:

- We must not just tell people about Jesus, but introduce them to Him.

- Truth is not about facts and knowledge, but about relationship with Jesus.

- We must invite God encounters so information can become revelation in our lives