What is a simple statement that anyone could remember which reminds us daily as to our mission as a church? This is important because if we can’t memorize the mission of the church and have it right at the tip of our tongues, right at the forefront of our hearts and minds then we will become confused. When we are confused then we send out to the world a confusing message. So what, simply put, is the mission of the church?

Matthew 28:16-20  

Matthew is the only gospel which weaves into his resurrection account the conspiracy around Jesus’ resurrection. The other gospel accounts do not give any more mention of Pilate, the Romans in general or the chief priests after the resurrection. They apparently see that anything outside of the resurrection event as irrelevant.

But Matthew is different. He had heard these rumors that the disciples, which included him, had stolen Jesus’ body while the guards slept and wanted to set the record straight. So today instead of approaching the scripture the way would if this were an Easter sermon, I want to examine this unique aspect of Matthew’s account because I think there is a valuable lesson in this.

1 Corinthians 15:3-6  

In Matthew’s Gospel, at chapter 26 he stops writing directly about Jesus and begins focusing more on the people around Jesus. Jesus is still the center of the story but beginning with the woman who anointed his feet with perfume, to Pontius Pilate and his wife, Matthew focuses on the people around Jesus. Today we are going to be looking at the people around Jesus at the Cross. They are all different but need the same Savior.

Matthew 27:54

What do we make of Pontius Pilate? As the Roman governor of Judea, he was not a soft touch. He put down uprisings with deadly violence before Jesus and after Jesus. He is a firmly pagan, devoted to the worship of the Roman Emperor. However, I believe we see in the gospel accounts a man affected by Jesus, maybe in spite of himself.

Matthew 27:24

Judas is one of the most enigmatic characters in the Bible. People still debate what his motives were when he betrayed Jesus. We won’t be able to answer that question, but what he did, and how he responded to it, is clearly laid out in the Bible. Judas gave into hopelessness. How can we go through our darkest days as Christians without following Judas’ example into oblivion?

Matthew 27:3

What do we do when we fail Christ? What do we do when we break a promise made to the Lord? What do we do when we get involved in sin which is so deep it sets up a chasm of guilt and shame between us and the closeness we used to enjoy with Christ?

Now if you have never had a serious failing, then good for you. Really. I hope it stays that way. But if you do have serious failing, like Peter, like many good people I have known over the thirty-five or so years as a Christian, like me, then here’s what you need to know.

Matthew 26:75