When They Saw Him - a podcast by Rev. W. Reid Hankins

Sermon preached on Matthew 28:16-20 concerning the significance of the resurrection to the Great Commission by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the worship service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 4/4/21 in Novato.















Sermon Manuscript







As we consider today the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, we are looking at Matthew’s unique contribution to the accounts of the various appearances of the risen Lord Jesus. After his resurrection, Jesus made appearances to his disciples both in Judea and in Galilee. Prior to the cross, Jesus had given his disciples special direction to meet him in a certain place in Galilee after he was raised. Matthew’s account starting in verse 16 tells us of this initial post-resurrection appearance in Galilee. And how thankful we are that Matthew has preserved this encouraging and comforting record. For it teaches us so much about how to respond to the risen Jesus, of the significance of the cross, and how this all calls the church to be making disciples of all the nations.







Look with me first at how the disciples responded to the risen Jesus by worshipping him. In verse 16 we see the eleven disciples had gone up to Galilee to wait for Jesus to come to them as he promised. This eleven refers to that inner circle of twelve disciples Jesus had, minus Judas Iscariot who had betrayed him. It is possible there were other disciples there also with the eleven, as other disciples often were with Jesus’ inner circle too. Some have wondered if this was the same occasion when Jesus appeared to more than five hundred disciples at once, per 1 Corinthians 15:6. But the attention especially is given to the eleven here.







So then, they behold the risen Jesus there on that mountain in Galilee. And they worship him. This word of worship is one that literally would entail bowing down and laying prostrate before someone in worship and adoration. It’s a wonderful bookend to the book of Matthew which began with the Magi coming to worship the newborn Jesus. Now, at the end of Matthew’s account, these disciples worship the resurrected Jesus, same word for worship in the Greek.







Let us not quickly gloss over this point. This is indeed a fitting response by the disciples here. Remember what had happened. They had followed Jesus for the last few years, receiving his teachings, witnessing his miracles and all the wonders he performed. Through it all they were increasingly coming to the conclusion that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah who would save God’s people from their sins and deliver them to a glorious kingdom. They had finally started to come to that conclusion, but then Jesus told them he would have to suffer and die at the hand of the religious leaders, but that he would also then rise from the dead. This prediction bewildered them, and when Jesus finally was arrested this inner circle of his disciples initially deserted him in the moment, denying him, fleeing for their own lives. But then the reports came in that he was risen. Then they had even seen him, but he pointed them to go to Galilee and meet him there like he had previously instructed. So, they went. And lo and behold, here he is! Here, up from the grave, he stood arose. And so, as he appears to them in Galilee, they bow to the ground. They worship him for the Lord and King and the Son of God that he is. When Jesus had predicted ahead of time this would happen, they had struggled to believe it, not understanding that he had to rise from the dead. But now, it was all coming true, just as he had told them it would. How marvelous, how amazing, how wonderful, how glorious this was! It would have left them in awe and resulted in this response of worship of Jesus! And that is what Matthew recorded.







Interestingly, Matthew also tells us here in verse 17 that whil...

Further episodes of Reformed Sermons and Sunday Schools at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Petaluma, CA

Further podcasts by Rev. W. Reid Hankins

Website of Rev. W. Reid Hankins