Make Disciples

"Death conquered by a Risen Savior" is a message that certainly warrants heralding to all who will hear. It should not surprise us then, that the now-risen Jesus Christ would commission His disciples to do just that in verse 19 of chapter 28. It is striking that while Matthew ends his gospel account with the resurrection of Jesus, he does not leave it with an empty tomb; rather for his concluding narrative Matthew skips ahead a number of days leaving us with a final command to Jesus's disciples to spread the message of the empty tomb. Matthew is not alone in his report; in the New Testament as a whole there are about ten appearances of the risen Lord; in eight of these accounts, Christ gives an explicit commission involving telling others. There is an inherent link between a risen Savior and the sharing of His message. The fact that Christ is risen from the dead ought to stir His disciples to want to tell others about Him and His life-giving message.