What did the disciples think would happen next after Jesus proved to them that He was alive following the resurrection? We get a clue from the question they asked in verse 6 of today’s reading: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” They thought it was the end of the story. Or, perhaps more accurately, the beginning of a new one. What I don’t think they expected was that they would have to go back to school.

Verse 3 says Jesus “appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” His aim was twofold. First, He would provide His followers with irrefutable proof of His bodily resurrection (v. 3). Jesus backed this claim by being with them in the flesh and eating with them (v. 4). Second, He would finish instructing them and prepare them for their next stage of ministry. For forty days, Jesus taught them about the kingdom of God (see Matt. 4:23). Yet despite all this instruction, His apostles still had questions. Specifically, they wanted to know when the kingdom would be restored to Israel (v. 6).

In his reply, Jesus pointed out that the timing was not their concern. The times and dates are things that “the Father has set by his own authority” (v. 7). The immediate task that lay before them was to wait for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit who would empower them to bear witness “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (v. 8). Jesus had spoken to them about the ministry of the Spirit. He had called Him “another advocate” who would “help you and be with you forever” (John 14:16). He is also called “the Spirit of Christ” (Rom. 8:9; 1 Peter 1:11).

Pastor and author Erwin Lutzer has called failure “the back door to success.” But at first, it often just feels like failure. When we stumble, we may find it difficult to get back up and start again. Even after seeing the risen Christ, Peter seemed to go backward rather than forward. When Peter made the sudden decision to go fishing in John 21:3, he was not merely looking for a way to pass time. Perhaps it was a decision born of necessity. Were the disciples running low on food? Did Peter feel his denial of Christ had disqualified him from serving the Lord, and all that was left was a return to his old vocation?

Whatever motivated Peter, the result was a failure that mirrored his initial call (Luke 5:4–11). When someone on the shore urged them to try again on the other side of the boat, it was John who recognized it was Jesus (v. 7). Jesus’ repeated questions and the command to “feed” His sheep in verses 15–17 could imply Peter’s sudden return to his old vocation sprang from concerns about the practical needs of the small band of disciples. Yet when they reached the shore with their miraculous catch, Jesus already had “a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread” (v. 9). Jesus’ questions were not intended to shame Peter but to remind him of his true vocation and recommission him. In addition to providing an opportunity to reaffirm his commitment three times (one for each denial), He promised that Peter would one day make good on his boast that he would lay down his life for Jesus (John 13:37).

Jesus’ promise made Peter curious about John’s fate, prompting a quick rebuke. Jesus’ new marching orders for Peter are the same as His original command: “You must follow me” (v. 22).

On the day my father died, I visited his hospital room. The bed was empty. When I asked the nurse where he was, she looked alarmed and said, “Didn’t anyone call you?” I looked again at the empty bed, hoping my eyes had played a trick on me. But my father was gone.

Mary Magdalene “and the other Mary” (the wife of Alphaeus and the mother of James) must have felt similarly disoriented when they came to Jesus’ tomb, only to find its massive stone already rolled away. They had come to complete the burial rites and wondered how they would remove the stone (Mark 16:2). Upon arriving, they found the tomb open but not empty. However, instead of seeing the body of Jesus, they were greeted by an angel whose “appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow” (v. 3). The angel invited the women to inspect the place where Jesus had been laid, then commanded them to “go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him’” (v. 7).

This testimony laid the foundation for the Apostles’ gospel and is still the bedrock upon which it stands today. These women had watched Jesus die and were the first of His disciples to enter the empty tomb (see Mark 15:40). They were also the first to see the risen Christ (v. 9). The apostles and other disciples did not immediately accept their good news. According to Luke 24:11, “their words seemed to them like nonsense.” We should not be surprised or discouraged when others are put off by the gospel and express skepticism about its message. Even Jesus’ own disciples were slow in accepting what seemed too good to be true.

Those followers of Jesus who watched the events described in Matthew 27 must have felt like they were in a nightmare. Even though Jesus had told them about His coming death, this was not how they expected the story to unfold. Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion were horrific enough. But from noon until three in the afternoon, “darkness came over all the land” (v. 45). Modern readers are intrigued by the phenomenon. What caused this darkness? Was it an eclipse? A storm? Did some kind of supernatural fog envelop the area where the crucifixion took place?

Matthew does not give us details about the cause, perhaps because the language he uses provides enough of a clue to identify its ultimate source. The story of Israel’s Exodus tells how the Lord caused “darkness” to descend over the land of Egypt, which lasted for three days (Ex. 10:21–22). Similarly, the prophet Amos spoke of a day when the Lord would “make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight” (Amos 8:9). Matthew frames it as a theological rather than a meteorological event. The darkness is evidence that a great judgment has taken place.

Verse 46 notes that after three hours, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” With this quotation of Psalm 22:1, Jesus not only identifies Himself with the suffering it describes (see v. 18), but also with the hope of resurrection promised in Psalm 22:22–31. At the moment of Jesus’ death, the curtain of the Temple was torn from top to bottom and a great earthquake split open the tombs “of many holy people” who “were raised to life” (v. 52). The earthquake occurred as Jesus spoke His final words, but the resurrection of these saints probably took place after that of Jesus (v. 53).