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Welcome back! I’m a little overwhelmed by my research this week: it wasn’t as clear and succinct as I’d have liked. But I’m trusting the Spirit to work this all out for me!
Last Week’s Work
WRITING TYPES
To start, as I reviewed the literal context, I noticed it tells the story of what two Marys experienced upon returning to Jesus’s tomb after the Sabbath, and reports some of the guards were bribed to lie about what happened that day. From these observations and my previous studies of Matthew, I concluded the overall writing type is narrative.
In addition, I found two other types of writing in the verses I’m concentrating on:
- instruction by the angel (do not be afraid, come see where [Jesus] lay, go tell his disciples in vv5-7) and by Jesus (do not be afraid, tell my brothers to go to Galilee in v10); and
- prophecy by both the angel (v7) and Jesus (v10) that the women and the disciples will see Jesus in Galilee.
LITERAL CONTEXT
To understand the literal context of Matthew’s gospel, I read chapter 1, which contains Jesus’s genealogy (vv1-17), and a mention of another unnamed angel who appears to Joseph explaining Mary’s pregnancy (vv18-25).
Next, I reviewed chapter 27, detailing events leading up to and following Jesus’s crucifixion. Most notably, I discovered Matthew tells us these two women personally saw Jesus dead, buried, and risen! In 27:55-56, he reports Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons looking on when Jesus died on the cross. Then at 27:59-61, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were present at the tomb when Joseph of Arimathea placed Jesus’s body in it and rolled the stone against its entrance. And in our study text, they were given a chance to verify his body wasn’t in the tomb (28:6), and later actually saw him alive again (28:9)!
In other background reading, I came across Matthew 13:53-58, where he describes Jesus’s teaching in his home synagogue in Nazareth and the people reacting with scorn. In 13:55, they ask each other, “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?” This makes me even more convinced “the other Mary” was Jesus’s mother. If so, she’d encountered another angel 30+ years before, who also said, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 1:26-30)!
I also read the remaining verses of Chapter 28 (16-20), which indicate the disciples did as the women told them, meeting Jesus on a mountain in Galilee. There he gave them what we know as the Great Commission.
Isn’t it awesome Jesus trusted two very different women—one who’d been possessed by seven demons (Luke 8:2) and one who’d been pure from childhood (Luke 1:26-30)—to relay such an important message!
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Based on the book’s title and what I discovered from introductions to Matthew’s gospel online, this author is believed to be the tax collector formerly known as Levi. Jesus personally invited him to become a disciple (see Mark 2:14-17; Luke 5:27-32). His writing focuses heavily on fulfillment of the Old Testament. His purpose seems to be to prove Jesus of Nazareth was the expected messiah, evidenced by Jesus’s genealogy (1:1-17) and resurrection. Since it doesn’t mention the fulfillment of Jesus’s prophecy about the temple being torn down (24:2), scholars believe this book was finished before the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, possibly 55-60 AD.
It’s thought Matthew wrote for early Jewish converts to Christianity located in Antioch (Acts 11:19, 27). After the stoning of Stephen in Jerusalem, persecution there began in earnest (Acts 8:1), and many Jewish people fled to Antioch in Syria to continue following Christ. Antioch was a strategic stronghold at the intersection of north-south and east-west trade routes. It had been annexed by Rome several decades before Christ’s birth and featured, among other things, magnificent pagan temples, as well as the headquarters of the Roman garrison in Syria.
Though their customs and daily life differed greatly from ours, I believe we share some similarities with Matthew’s audience, since we also live among a diverse, mobile population that tolerates many different religions and is governed by central authority.
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE TOOLS
As I looked over vv5-7 in their original language, I was drawn to a single phrase in each verse:
Do not be afraid (v5) is rendered from mē [G3361, negation] phobeō [G5399, “startled by strange sights or occurrences”]. This same phrase was also used by Luke when he described Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she would bear Jesus.
He has risen (v6) was translated from egeirō [G1453, “to arouse from the sleep of death, to recall the dead to life”].
Go quickly (v7) comes from tachy [G5035, without delay] poreuō [G4198, go to do something]. This conveyed to me the idea of purposeful haste—don’t just stand there, do something! And that is exactly what the women did, even though they were afraid (v8). That’s a different reaction than I’d have probably had: I tend to put off what I’m afraid to do. I think their great joy must have at least somewhat counteracted their fear.
Whew! This has been a bit overwhelming, but I know the Spirit will help me understand it and put it to use by the time we finish this study. Till then, I hope you’ll keep studying and coming back to see what I’m digging up.
Dig-In Challenges
This week, we’re going to wrap up the second half of our Refine step by examining cross-references and other translations.
- Don’t forget to begin with your prayer from Step 1.
- REFINE: Then consult a concordance or cross-reference study tools online to find and read through the available cross-references for the verses you’re most interested in (I’ll be checking for verses 5-7). Note what the Spirit shows you.
- REFINE: Finally, compare at least a few other translations’ version of the same verses and write about what you find in your study journal. I’ll be comparing ESV, AMP, NIV, and GNT.
It’s hard to believe we’re almost through this study, my friend: just two more weeks! I hope the Lord has used it for your good and His glory! See you next week!