The teachings of Philip G. Roets & Lois Roets
The Final Picture: Suffering, Death, and Resurrection
Commentary by Philip G. Roets STL, SSL
The Final Picture
The setting for the following remarks of Jesus is about the year 30 A.D. The Jews are in control of Jerusalem only insofar as they do the bidding of Roman authorities. Some of the Jews have sold out to the pagans and are working for them. The majority resent the dominance of the Romans but they can do nothing about it. A few years later, 68 A.D., this hostility and animosity will break into the open and the Roman armies will come in and wipe the people out completely.
In this section of Matthew, Jesus is talking about these events as he sees them shaping up in his time. The gospel writers, of course, are describing them after the events have taken place.
The apostles called Jesus' attention to the beauty of the Temple buildings. They stood out in every direction because, no matter where you came from, you had to walk up to Jerusalem. Jesus says simply, "The day is coming when there will not be a stone on top of stone. All will be destroyed." The apostles were amazed, and they wanted to know when this was going to happen. Jesus uses the occasion to stress the key notions of his teaching.
First, he points out that the actual end of time is unknown. Many times it will seem like the end is near and then things seem to right themselves. One truth they must keep in mind: there is going to be a lot of violence in all ages. There will be murders, wars, and the wild news that goes with these. The important point is that the end will not come until the Gospel of the Kingdom has been carried to the whole world. Everybody will have the opportunity to be saved.
Then comes the description of the destruction of Jerusalem. Remember this is being written after the fact. The actual destruction took place about 70 A.D. The gospel is written about 30 years later. Jesus could have foreseen that some of this would happen. He also knew the rebellious attitude of the Jews towards Rome, and the pattern of the Romans in putting down any insurrection.
Jesus describes the whole catastrophe as "the abomination of desolation." This is a clear reference to the picture in Daniel as he describes the destruction of Jerusalem in 168 B.C. under Antiochus Epiphanes. This was explicitly called the "abomination of desolation" which was the placing of the statue of Zeus in the Holy of Holies.
Jesus stresses the certainty of what he is saying. He emphasizes that even if the heavens and the earth were to disappear, it would not happen until everything that Jesus has said was fulfilled. Then he calls their attention to the days of Noah when the Ark was being built. Everybody could see the work and ask about the meaning. In spite of the warnings, the people kept right on with their lawless lives and were caught in the punishment.
Then we have three parables that stress this idea of being prepared, because we know neither the day nor the hour when the end will come.
First there is the story of the servant. The master is gone and the servant does not know when he will return. He decides to take his chances. He mistreats the fellow servants. He has his own special parties at the master's expense. And in the midst of the revelry, in walks the master. Jesus says there will be some bitter frustration.
Next comes the story of the ten bridesmaids. They were waiting for the wedding party to come. When they heard the bridegroom was on his way, they were to go out to meet him, lead him back to the house of the bride, and their work was over. Five of these girls were wise and five were foolish. The bridegroom was slow in coming so they all retired. In the middle of the night, the cry went up, "He's coming!" The wise girls got up, lit their lamps, and were ready to go. The foolish ones found themselves with no oil for their lamps. They wanted to borrow some but the provident girls said no. There was not enough for all. They should have foreseen the needs. Again, the conclusion is clear. Stay awake. Prepare. Be Ready!
"I Buried the Talent You Gave Me."
This story tells us how we should use our gifts in preparation for the end. The master was going off on a trip. He gave one servant 5 talents, another servant 2 talents, and the last servant received one talent. Now remember, a talent was a huge amount. The man who got five, worked hard and made another five. The man who got two, worked hard and made another two. The man who received one talent, buried it so that he could retrieve it when the master returned.
The master returns and calls for an accounting. The first servant comes and presents the initial five and the five he made. The master says, "Well done, good and faithful servant! Because you have been faithful in small details, I'll put you over something big. Enter into the joy of your master." The second servant presents the original two talents and the two he had made. He, too, receives exactly the same praise and reward. Finally comes the third servant who had buried his talent. He said, "I knew you were a tough master and I was scared so I buried the talent you gave me. Here it is." The master was very angry. He took the one talent away from him and gave it to the first servant who already had ten. Then he threw the third servant out of his house because he was useless.
At first glance this looks unjust, until Jesus draws his conclusion. Everyone receives certain gifts or talents from God. They are all good but they are to be used. It doesn't matter what the initial gift was. The important point is what each one does with his gifts. If they are used gainfully, he will be fully rewarded. If the talents are wasted or not used, even what he seems to have will be taken away and he will be thrown out.
Kindness to Others: Guarantee of Reward. The Valley of Hinnom: Gehenna.
Finally, Jesus spells out exactly what these gifts are and how they are to be used. He is concerned with the most important part of the life of his followers. How do they relate to the needs of the people around them? If they help others who are in need, they are doing it to Jesus and shall receive the big reward. If they fail to help others in need, they are failing in regard to Jesus and shall be rejected accordingly.
The conclusion to this section is the application of all these ideas to the final coming and the last judgment of the whole world. Everyone is going to be brought before the throne of Jesus in his glory. The people who lived the law of love will receive their "inheritance," the reward that is theirs by rights because they have been kind to others especially those in need.
The people who showed no compassion or love for others, especially those in need, will be expelled. The place they go is described as a place of perpetual fire and they will be outcasts from the Kingdom. The image used here is the valley of Hinnom, or "Gehenna," in the Greek. It refers to the one valley near Jerusalem where all the parts of animals that could not be offered on the altar were thrown. There was a fire burning here at all times to consume the trash. People who did not identify themselves as members of the Kingdom in this life will be excluded totally in the end because they have no identity.
We come now to the end of the earthly life of Jesus and the important events of his death, resurrection, and ascent into heaven. These were the facts about Jesus that the followers saw and remembered most vividly. They knew the terrible fear they had felt for themselves and how they had deserted and hidden. Then they recalled how Jesus had come back and how delighted and reassured they had become.
The key to these events in Matthew's Gospel is in the final three verses. Jesus gives his disciples their mission as he leaves for the last time. The disciples were to spread throughout the entire world and make disciples of everyone until the world was COMPLETE. We translate the final phrase "until the end of the world" in English. That is misleading because such a phrase usually means the final stages of something. The Greek word, "telos," means "end" in the sense of "completion." It is the end in which something is brought to the perfection it is supposed to achieve.
A good example: A boy receives a kit for making a wagon. He has all the needed tools. He works on the project until he has a new wagon in front of him. He has worked "to the end" in the Greek sense of this phrase. He has "completed" the plans as they should be and has the finished product. The boy could get disgusted and say, "I quit! That's the end!" This too, is "the end" but it is not the meaning of the Greek phrase in the Gospel. Yet this is the meaning that many interpreters have taken from the phrase. So they keep talking about the "end of the world."
It's true, the book of Revelation talks about the end in the sense of a day of destruction and slaughter, fear and terror. But remember also, the Book of Revelation is first and foremost the account of the persecution of the Christians by the Romans in the late first century. It was a warning of worse terror to come and the kind of courage the followers of Christ would have to have. Again, because of extended and unintended interpretations, many applications have been made to our lives that were never intended.
Matthew describes the two groups. Jesus and the apostles are getting ready for the Passover celebration. Jesus says this will be the time when the leaders of the Jews will take him. The outcome will be death by crucifixion. At the same time the leaders of the Jews were in session plotting the death of Jesus but one point they all agreed on. They were not going to take Jesus during this feast because of the huge crowd present and the danger of a riot.
The next scene is at the house of Simon the leper. Jesus is there for the Passover meal. During the meal, a woman comes in and pours expensive ointment over Jesus' head. The apostles were appalled at the waste. This oil could have been sold for a good price and the money given to the poor. Jesus scolds them for their thoughtlessness. This woman has anointed the body of Jesus in preparation for his burial. And Jesus promises that wherever the Gospel is preached, this story will be told to the credit of the woman.
John gives a few more details of this story. He says that Lazarus and Martha and Mary were at the meal and that it was Mary who did the anointing. Frequently, people identify this Mary with Mary Magdalen. The Gospels do not make this identity. Secondly, because Mary Magdalen was supposed to have been possessed by 7 devils, they say she was a sinful woman. However, the phrase can also mean that she was a very sick person and Jesus cured her.
Then we come to the betrayal by Judas. Matthew stresses that Judas was one of the twelve, one of the privileged followers. What happened to bring Judas to this pass is not spelled out in the Gospels. Matthew says that Judas had already made the agreement to sell Jesus and was now looking for the opportunity to carry out his plan. The price that he was given was the price fixed by law for a slave: 30 shekels.
The time for the Passover meal was at hand and the apostles prepare for the feast. When the meal was in progress, Jesus solemnly tells the group that one of them will betray him. The apostles figured it was an unintentional act and each began to ask if he was the guilty one. Jesus' answer was especially meaningful, "One of you who has dipped his hand into the cup of friendship with me will betray me." This did not identify anyone in particular because they all did this. Then Jesus says how terrible the act is. There is no doubt it gave Judas an opportunity to repent even though the plot would go through.
Judas also asks, "Is it I, Lord?" Jesus answers, "You have said it." This did not betray him to the other eleven because the words were ambiguous. What was really in the mind of Judas is difficult to say. I think his subsequent conduct is evidence that he did not expect Jesus to be taken. He had seen Jesus disappear before, so he figured the same thing would happen again. After it was over, he could go up to Jesus and show him the 30 pieces of silver and put the money in the common coffers. However, Jesus did not free himself. When Judas saw Jesus really condemned, he went out and hanged himself. His second sin was worse than the first.
Then comes the central part of this feast. It is extremely important but has been misconstrued in my opinion. Judas is gone. Jesus now takes the bread and the cup and gives it new meaning — the sign of the New Covenant. The dipping of bread into a common cup of wine was part of the Seder ritual. In the Old Covenant, it signified the sharing and community of those present. Now Jesus establishes the New Covenant of Love. He uses the same sign but gives it new meaning.
This special sharing became the center of the celebration of the first Christians. Gradually the whole jumble of transubstantiation and Eucharistic Presence and consecrated bread came into play. There is no doubt that this communal meal and its significance should be the center of the lives of Christians. However, the meaning should be something crystal clear and easy to see so that it is clearly a sign of the kind of lives they lead, and the principal means of spreading the good news of Jesus. The REAL PRESENCE is the SHARING (KOINONIA) of all the people present. The Passover takes on a new meaning from this time forward. No longer does it look back to the deliverance of Israel from the slavery of Egypt. Now it reflects the deliverance of all mankind from sin and death in Jesus Christ.
There is no doubt that this final Passover dinner of Jesus with his apostles was the center of the lives of the first Christians. Every time they got together for a meal they were to render Jesus totally present by the kind of lives they were living and sharing.
Application to today: We see this in our parishes, today. It is Sunday morning. The Holy Name Society or the Altar Society has a special Mass in Church. They all go through the ritual of receiving the Communion Bread. Then after the Mass is over they go over to the school hall, talking and laughing, and join together for a real good community breakfast. Which of these ceremonies is the true Eucharist or meal intended by Christ? In my mind, there is no doubt that the second event is the real Eucharist. The Mass is a meaningless ritual which has become a matter of rubrics and superstitions. The parish meal is the real sharing of real people in a life situation. Because of the love that reigns in their lives, they truly render Jesus present in their community in a special way, that day.
When the meal was over, Jesus and the apostles walked out to the Mount of Olives. This was a favorite spot of Jesus. Jesus tries to warn the apostles about their fear and how this fear would lead to desertion that very night. Peter again declares his loyalty. So Jesus puts his prediction on the line. That very night, before dawn, Peter would have the chance to express his loyalty to Jesus, or to deny him out of fear. Peter will choose the latter course.
Now the final events in the life of Jesus are ready to unfold. Jesus takes the eleven and goes out to Gethsemane, "The Oil Press," in the Kedron valley at the foot of the Mt. of Olives. This was a favorite retreat of Jesus. He went there often when he wanted to be alone to think things through. He left eight of the apostles at the gate. He took Peter, James and John and went into the garden. He left the three at a special spot and told them to keep vigil with him. Then Jesus went off a little further and began to do battle within himself over the choice he was about to make. He came back to the three who were supposed to be keeping him company. They were sound asleep. He woke them and told them to stay awake and watch. He came back a second time and found them sleeping again. A third time, he went off to struggle through his decision. He came back, woke up the three and told them to come with him. His decision had been made. He was going to face the betrayer and the crowd of enemies rather than run away.
Note very carefully how this story is told. Jesus is having a very difficult time making his decision. He knows the terrible suffering and death that await him. He knows these executions have been carried out often on other people. He is looking for some other way to carry it out. Finally, he decides that the only way he can show his sincerity in what he is teaching and preaching is to die for the truth.
This is often referred to as the Agony in the Garden. The Greek word, "Agon," is perfect for the action. It means a fearful struggle, both physical and mental. Jesus struggled and then made his decision to be taken. He made it with his eyes wide open and made it willingly. But he made that decision only after great fear and anguish.
While Jesus is still speaking with the apostles, Judas appears leading a band of thugs and crooks sent by the leaders of the Jews. Judas had told them not to make a mistake and catch the wrong person. He had given them a signal. He would give the kiss of friendship to the one who was to be taken. I think this is evidence that he expected Jesus to free himself from the crowd somewhere along the line.
Judas says, "Hello Master!" and then kisses Jesus with the sign of friendship. Jesus says, "My friend, what's up?" The others surged forward and seized Jesus. Then one of the apostles — John says it was Peter — took his sword and badly mangled one ear of the servant of the High Priest. Jesus reached up and healed the ear and told Peter to put his sword away. If the Father had wanted him to go free he would have sent armies of his angels to defend him.
Jesus boldly faces the crowd and condemns them for the cowards they are. He had been among them constantly and publicly, teaching and preaching and helping all who needed help. Now they come after him as if he were a dangerous criminal. They take Jesus and the apostles run away.
The supreme court of the Jews was called the Sanhedrin. Caiaphas, as high priest, was in charge of the Sanhedrin. This trial, of course, was a farce. They had no case so they trumped up various charges but could make none of them stick. Then one of them said Jesus had blasphemed against the Temple. He quoted Jesus as saying, "I can destroy the temple of God and in three days build it up again." According to the Pharisaic interpretation of the Law this would be blasphemy because the word "to destroy" and the word "Temple" are used in the same sentence.
The High Priest tries to force Jesus into some kind of answer but he stands there in dignified and total silence. Then the High Priest puts Jesus under oath to state whether he is the Messiah, the Son of God (King). And Jesus spoke. "That's right! And I say to you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of the heavens." Jesus quotes from Daniel and states that he is that victorious Son of Man.
The High Priest had what he wanted. This was clearly blasphemy. He tore his garments (a ritual act) and stated, "He has blasphemed! Why do we need witnesses? You have just heard the blasphemy." Sentence is passed. The Sanhedrin gives in to demeaning conduct by striking the accused and spitting in his face. Then they blindfold him and strike him in the face and ask him to prophesy who had hit him.
Meanwhile Peter has sneaked along at the back of the crowd to see the outcome of the trial. He sat down in back with the servants. A servant-girl came along and said, "You, too, were with Jesus of Galilee." Peter denied this statement categorically in front of everyone. He started through the gate and another servant girl said, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth!" In answer, Peter swore on oath he did not know Jesus. A little bit later one of the crowd said to Peter, "You are one of them for sure. Your accent gives you away." Peter became vehement in his denial of any knowledge of Jesus. At that moment, the cock crowed and Peter remembered that Jesus had said, "Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times."
Then comes the most vivid sentence in the story. "HE WENT OUTSIDE AND HE WEPT BITTERLY!" Sources outside the Gospels tell us that Peter regretted these denials all his life. Some ancient paintings show him with deep grooves worn in his cheeks by the tears of a lifetime.
The night was finally over. All the priests and elders, the whole Sanhedrin, were present as they bound Jesus over to be led to Pilate. The Jews no longer had the power to put anyone to death. Rome had to approve. Pilate is the Roman governor of the times. Pilate was definitely not liked by the Jews. They did not like any Roman who sat in power over them. They especially did not like Pilate because it was clear he despised them, used and abused them at every opportunity.
Now Judas sees what is going to happen. He sees that Jesus is bound over to Pilate and he knows that Pilate will definitely kill another Jew. Judas was overcome with sorrow. He took the 30 shekels back to the Priests and elders. He made a perfect confession: "I have sinned by the betrayal of innocent blood." (But he made the confession to the wrong priest. Jesus could have forgiven.) Their answer came back instantly, "What's that to us? That's your problem!" Judas flung the coins on the temple floor and went out and hanged himself.
Now we see the depth of the hypocrisy of these leaders. The money is tainted in the eyes of the Law because it is blood-money. Therefore, the leaders pick up the coins and buy a field that can be used as a cemetery for foreigners too poor to pay for their own burial.
Judas should not be depicted as some kind of terrible criminal whose ways were all bad. Jesus chose him as a young man out of all his followers, to be one of the special twelve. Judas certainly did not expect his failure to be the cause of the death of Jesus. When he saw the magnitude of his mistake and admitted it completely to himself, he was well on the road to perfect recovery. He had only to go to Jesus, the person whom he had offended, express the sorrow he felt for what he had done, and forgiveness and a new opportunity would have been his. He saw his failure and admitted his guilt. He confessed his sin and failure but he went to the wrong priest. The first word of Jesus on the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!" Judas was included in this forgiveness.
Jesus is now brought into the presence of Pilate. Pilate and Jesus are now the central figures in the drama of salvation. Pilate says he knew that Jesus was innocent from the very start and that he had been delivered into his hands out of envy, jealousy and spite. So Pilate goes right to the heart of the accusation. He asks Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus replies: "You said it!" He seems to be saying that such is not the issue here. The Jewish leaders take up their chant of accusations. Jesus did not say a word and Pilate was amazed. He asked Jesus if he wanted to answer their accusations. But Jesus did not say a word. He would not be sidetracked into a false issue.
Pilate tried another way out of the dilemma. It was a custom of Rome at the time of any Jewish festival to release one of their political prisoners. At that moment, Rome was holding under close guard a man named Barabbas. He was a notorious murderer and everyone was glad to see him kept under lock and key. Now he offers the leaders a choice between Jesus and Barabbas. He thought for sure they would choose Jesus.
Before he could make a decision, Pilate's wife got word to him. "Have nothing to do with this just man for I have suffered today in a dream about this man."
During this interlude, the leaders had moved through the crowd urging them to cry for the release of Barabbas and the death of Jesus. Now Pilate asks the question and is met by an uproar of cries for Barabbas. When he asked what he should do with Jesus, they shouted over and over, "Crucify Him!" Pilate saw there was no possibility of changing the flow of the mob. He gave in. He took water and washed his hands publicly and said, "I am innocent of the blood of this just man. It is on your consciences." The people shouted back: "His blood be upon us and upon our children." Pilate released Barabbas and bound Jesus over to be scourged and crucified.
Before we go into the actual punishment, let us look at the two statements about the blood of Jesus in this chapter. Judas calls it innocent blood. Innocent it was. Jesus had never done anything to harm any person. He had done good to all who asked and believed in him. Now the people in their wild frenzy of injustice say they are willing to take the blame for the shedding of this blood. Shed the blood they will, and on these people it will come but, if they see their mistake, it will flow as a river of forgiveness and salvation rather than the curse they intended.
In our world, today, there are rivers of blood being shed from little children to old people. Violence is more and more a way of life. We need the river of salvation and sanctification in place of all this bloodshed. But the change will take place only when the people ask for it and live so as to achieve it. Judas confessed but was not forgiven because he confessed to the wrong people. The people called for the blood of Jesus to flow on them for generations to come but they wanted it as a curse. We have to make sure that these mistakes are not repeated in our days.
After Jesus is condemned to death by Pilate, the Roman soldiers take him as their prisoner. This is exactly what the leaders of the Jews wanted. They knew the brutality of these men. They knew there was no limit to the torture they could inflict. The Jews could inflict a scourging but it could never be more than 39 lashes and the whips were not allowed to break the skin or bruise the flesh. The Jewish scourging was more an indignity and a public shame.
The Romans had varying degrees of scourging. Their whips were all deliberately cruel and inhuman. Frequently the person died in the act of being scourged and could go through only a token crucifixion. Jesus got the worst of everything. They beat him. Then they picked up an old scarlet cloak. They fashioned a helmet of thorns for his head and put that on as a crown. They put a reed in his right hand as a scepter. Then they bent a knee in mockery, spat in his face, struck him with the reed on the thorns, and shouted, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Finally they stopped out of sheer exhaustion. They took off the symbols of the mockery and replaced his own clothes. Then they took him out to be crucified.
The place of execution or crucifixion was called Golgotha, the hill of the skull. On the way to the hill, the soldiers impressed a man named Simon to help Jesus carry the cross. He was from Cyrene and was probably just some passerby or bystander. The Romans had the right as captors to force any Palestinian to do any chore, like it or not.
Golgotha seems to have been a designated place of execution. The usual procedure was that the uprights of the crosses were firmly planted into the ground. The victim carried only the crossbar. When they reached the top of the hill, the procedure depended on the mood of the soldiers. The victim was usually given an alcoholic or drugged drink to help ease some of the pain. Then the person was tied or nailed through the wrists to the crossbar. The body was hoisted to the upright and the person was usually impaled on the seat. If the person did not die from the crucifixion, the soldiers would break the legs, the body would slump, and the person would suffocate.
Ordinarily there was a plaque placed on the upright to tell why the person was dying. So the Romans put up the sign, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." Then they crucified two other criminals on either side of him.
The soldiers were entitled to any possessions the condemned man had. So in the case of Jesus, they rolled dice to see who would get his clothes. The ultimate shame has now been placed on Jesus. The passers-by mocked him as a faker. The leaders of the Jews joined in the mockery and made it even worse. Even the robbers who were on the crosses beside Jesus joined in the mockery and ridicule.
The actual stay on the cross, according to Matthew, begins at 12:00 noon, and lasts until 3:00 P.M. At 3:00 P.M., Jesus cries out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" Literally, it means, "My God, My God, why have you abandoned me!"
Two things must be said about this cry. First of all, the people misunderstood and thought he was calling on Elijah. Secondly, it sounds like a cry of despair but is actually an expression of complete confidence in God. It is the opening line of Psalm 22 which starts out with a cry of almost despair to emphasize how great is the need of David. Then the psalm goes on to express how great is the writer's confidence that Yahweh will save him no matter what the problem. The Gospel writers are telling us the attitude of total confidence that Jesus had in the Father when everything looked like a total failure.
At 3:00 P.M., Jesus cries out in a loud voice and dies. At that moment according to the Gospel, the veil of the Temple between the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place was torn from top to bottom. The significance of this statement is clear. The Old Covenant is over and done with. The Holy of Holies, which was the original seat of the Ark of the Covenant, was exposed as an empty and meaningless room. There was an earthquake and the tombs opened and many ancient holy men were seen walking about the city. The meaning of this description is also clear. The work of all these former saints is now fulfilled and they will be able to share in the victory of Jesus for which they were waiting. Many of the ordinary people who had been so loud in their mockery, were suddenly filled with fear. Finally, Matthew makes special mention of the women who stood faithfully by to the very end: Mary of Magdala, the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of John and James, the Zebedee boys.
It is almost 6:00 P.M. and the beginning of the great Passover. Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man, was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate to ask for the body. The body was handed over. Jesus was wrapped in a clean shroud and placed in Joseph's own tomb which was new, and unused — up to that time. They rolled a large stone across the entrance and left. Mary of Magdala and the other Mary were sitting across the way.
The next day, the leaders came to Pilate again. They reminded him that Jesus had promised to rise in three days. So they asked that Pilate put a special guard around the tomb to prevent the apostles from stealing the body and saying that Jesus has arisen. This error would be worse than the first. Pilate was really fed up with the whole incident and he told the leaders to take care of this guarding themselves. So they put a guard of temple police around the tomb. The fear that the apostles would steal the body was groundless. The apostles were so afraid that they had run off. Only Peter had come back and he, in no way, wanted to be connected with Jesus. Yet the guard did a great service. It guaranteed that the body could not have been stolen.
Early on Sunday morning, the two Mary's come to the tomb. There was another earthquake and the huge stone was rolled back. An angel of the Lord sat there in radiant garments and the guard was flat on its face, scared to death. The angel spoke to the women. "Don't be afraid. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth. He is not here because he has risen as he said he would. Come, take a quick look at the spot where he lay and then go tell the apostles." The women went running to find the apostles.
Suddenly Jesus appears to the women. They are really afraid. Jesus reassures them and then tells them to go to the apostles and tell them to head for Galilee to meet him.
Meanwhile, the guards went back to Jerusalem to tell the leaders what had happened. The leaders listened and realized they were worse off than before. So they gave the guards some money and said, "Go out and say, 'While we were asleep, the apostles came and stole the body!'" The guards did as they were told but how stupid could they be? If the guards were asleep, how did they know who stole the body? If they were not asleep, why didn't they prevent the stealing?
Matthew 28:16–20
The Gospel story is brought to a quick end because the rest of the story is to be told in the lives of the followers of Jesus.
The eleven apostles go to the mountain in Galilee where they were supposed to meet Jesus. Some of them were really scared as Jesus walked up. Jesus reassures them and then gives them the mission of the Church until the whole universe is brought to completion.
Here are the words from the gospel. First, Jesus gives his credentials: "All power has been given to me in heaven and on earth." This is clearly a reference to Genesis 1:1. All the power that was set in motion with the first creation has now been set forth again by Jesus.
This power he is handed over to his followers. Their mission is this: "Make convinced followers of all nations." Everybody is included. There is no one small, chosen nation. "Immerse them into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." This is the full revelation of who God is and will be developed at great length by the first Christians in Acts of the Apostles.
"Teach them to obey all commands whatsoever I have given you." The whole message of Jesus is to be spread throughout the world. "And I-with-you-Am until the fulness of time" (synteleia tou aionou). Yahweh had been the special presence among the people of the Old Law. Now Jesus will be the presence manifest in the world through his followers. The work of the followers of Jesus is to bring the whole universe to fulfillment.
The whole Gospel story according to Matthew ends on a positive, upbeat note. There is no thought or word of the destructive end of the world as is so often talked about. The whole of creation is to be brought to its "synteleia," its "completion" so that all the parts fit together as intended by God from the beginning.
The basic Greek word is "koinonia" or "perfect sharing" with each other. This is the description of the judgment of each individual. We shall be judged not on whether we took part in some ritual or liturgical exercise. We shall be judged by the way in which we interacted with true love with all the people who came into our lives. That is the unique message of Jesus. When this message is truly lived then the world is ready for its full and complete life.
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