| Church School Lesson: They Couldn't Keep Him Down |
"They Couldn’t Keep Him Down"
April 20, 2025
Background: Matt 27:24-28:10; Print: Matt 27:39-40, 45-54; 28:1-10;
Key Verse: Matthew 28:9; Devotional: Hebrews 2:1-13
Matthew 27:39-40 (ESV)
39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads
40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
Matthew 27:45-54 (ESV)
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”
48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.
49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,
53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
Matthew 28:1-10 (ESV)
1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.
3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.
5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”
8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Matthew Chapters 27/28 (Commentary)
27:38-44 Two criminals were crucified on either side of him—perhaps they were companions of Barabbas (27:38).Those who passed by showed no pity, but mocked Jesus. The people, as well as the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders, taunted him and told him to come down from the cross (27:39-42).
27:45-49 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness covered the land (27:45). Then Jesus cried out loudly in despair: My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? (27:46), thus quoting and fulfilling Psalm 22:1. Though he had previously known only unbroken divine fellowship from all eternity, Jesus experienced the horrible abandonment of his Father as God poured out his wrath on his Son as he bore the sins of the world.
27:50-51 Finally, Jesus gave up his spirit and died (27:50). At that moment, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two (27:51). This refers to the veil separating the holy place from the most holy place (see Exod 26:33). Since the curtain was torn from top to bottom, clearly God did the tearing. In an instant, full access to God’s holy presence, through Jesus Christ, was granted. No further sacrifices were necessary. Truly, as Jesus declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30).
27:52-53 Matthew also provides an aside here, telling us some saints were raised from the dead and came out of the tombs after Christ’s resurrection. Why? Well, Jesus had defeated death. So this was a small picture of the future resurrection that will take place when Christ resurrects the bodies of all deceased believers to live forevermore (see 1 Thess 4:16; 1 Cor 15:20-23).
27:54-56 The centurion and those with him saw the things that happened and confessed, Truly this man was the Son of God! (27:54).
28:1-4 Early on Sunday, the first day of the week, some of the women who followed Jesus went to the tomb so they could anoint his body with spices (28:1; Mark 16:1). But there they encountered more than they were expecting. An angel in snowy white clothes, whose appearance was like lightning, came down, rolled back the stone, and perched on top of it (16:2-3). This was no cute little cherub. He was so astonishing and fearsome that the guards who saw him were terrified and passed out (16:4).
28:5-6 The angel announced to the women shocking news. Jesus who was crucified was not in the tomb. He’d risen as promised! (see 12:40; 16:21; 17:9, 22; 20:19). Even Jesus’s enemies knew he’d claimed he would rise again from the dead. That’s why they wanted a guard posted at his grave (27:62-66), but Jesus’s disciples—and apparently these visitors—had been slow to understand and believe. The angel invited them to see the empty tomb, a glorious sight.
28:7-10 Then the angel commissioned the women to proclaim Jesus’s resurrection to the disciples (28:7). So they left quickly with fear and great joy to tell them, trying to make sense of all that had happened (28:8). On their way, they met Jesus, their risen Lord. The only proper response to that miraculous sight was to fall down and worship him (28:9). He calmed their fears and sent them to tell the disciples they’d soon see him, too (28:10).