by Jen | Feb 13, 2024 | 1-15, DISO studies, Matthew 28
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Thanks again for joining me here! If you’re studying with me, I hope you’re benefiting from what you’ve discovered so far. If you’re not, no problem. All of us have seasons where we can’t squeeze even one more thing into our overscheduled lives. I’m just grateful that you’re finding this series worthwhile enough to keep checking in, and I pray that something about what I share here helps you connect with God’s Word in a meaningful way.
Last Week’s Work
COMPARISONS
Following my instructions from last week, I didn’t find any comparisons using like or as in the verses I’m digging into most (vv5-7). But from my very first reading of the passage in this study, I was drawn to the contrast between the reaction of the guards (vv2-4), and the women. Wouldn’t you have expected the women to faint at the sight of an angel rolling a giant stone away from the tomb? But no, it was the tough, he-man guards who “became like dead men!” Matthew doesn’t indicate the women reacted at all to the angel, other than to hurriedly obey his commands “with fear and great joy” (v8).
CAUSES/MOTIVATIONS
Next, I looked for connectors in vv5-7 and found two action – connector – explanation patterns, along with one explanation. Its connector lies in verse 8, along with the action. I charted what I discovered this way:
Verse 5:
Action “Do not be afraid…”
Connector “for…”
Explanation “I [the angel] know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.”
Wow! I just realized this divine messenger said seeking Jesus is reason enough the women shouldn’t be afraid! Feels like that is a principle worth keeping in mind even today!
Verse 6:
Action “He [Jesus] is not here…”
Connector “for…”
Explanation “he has risen, as he said.”
The reason they wouldn’t find Jesus’s body in the tomb was because, as He’d told them numerous times, He’d risen!!
Verses 7-8:
Explanation “… 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…”
Connector “So…” [therefore]
Action “they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.”
Here, I see why the women departed quickly with fear and joy to tell the disciples: because the angel told them to. Talk about courage—I admire their action in spite of their fear!
CONDITIONS/METHODS
Last, I made a note of how Matthew describes the women’s compliance with the angel’s commands in v8: “they departed quickly… with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” This seems to be another contrast: to me, fear is a negative, limiting force, while joy is positive and motivating. I am so awed these simple women didn’t let fear overpower their joy.
Dig-In Challenges
Now that we’ve collected all these fact gems, we need to make sure we’re viewing them the same way Matthew and his audience would have interpreted this story.
Why that standard? Mainly, because God chose Matthew to write this to an audience in the first century. Our Lord could have decided to send the message through a contemporary American writer—maybe even me (ha ha!)—and then we could have skipped Step 4, Refine, altogether. But He didn’t.
So, this means if we really want the correct understanding of the treasure the Holy Spirit is revealing to us, we need to know how Matthew and his audience would have interpreted it. Here’s how we’ll work toward that this week:
- As always, start with the prayer we created in Step 1.
- REFINE: next, let’s read chapters 1 and 26-28 of Matthew to determine which writing type(s) he used, and list them in our study journals or on a copy of the passage.
NOTE: I’ll be looking for an overall type and individual instances where Matthew used instruction, law, letter, narrative, poetry, and/or prophecy.
- REFINE: At the same time, notice and record any relevant details or events leading up to or following our study text. This will help us establish the literal context of the study passage.
- REFINE: Next, find out what you can about the historical context by identifying the author of this book, and when, to whom, and why he wrote it. You can usually find this information in your bound Bible if it contains an introduction to Matthew’s Gospel. If you don’t have a bound Bible with introductions, check out one of these resources: the ESV Bible Introduction, or the Introduction to Matthew’s gospel from the ESV Global Study Bible.
NOTE: Bible introductions aren’t the inspired Word of God, but they usually provide factual details about the author and his audience we can use to adjust our perspective. Keep in mind, if you decide to research this further, stick with factual, historical resources and avoid commentary if possible.
- REFINE: Finally, examine key words and/or phrases using an interlinear Bible, and note what the Spirit reveals. These Bibles are available on several study websites (I’ll be using the Blue Letter Bible Interlinear tool). They show a verse in the original Hebrew or Greek and provide detail about each word, including its meaning in context. As usual, I encourage you to log anything the Spirit illuminates from this exercise.
This week’s work is a little more involved than the observation we did earlier, but I encourage you to use these tools and dig as much as you can this week. I pray the Spirit will bless your efforts, my friend!
GO TO WEEK 6 >
by Jen | Feb 6, 2024 | 1-15, DISO studies, Matthew 28
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Welcome back, my friend! I admit it. I’m struggling to remember to pray before I begin! Even though I use the prayer card to save my place in my journal, I’m so accustomed to just pulling bookmarks out and setting them aside, I find myself digging in before I’m asking for the Spirit’s help! But I’m determined to retrain myself on this—I just need practice, right?
Here’s what I noticed about repetition, special statements, and lists in this passage.
Last Week’s Work
REPETITION
I found two repeated concepts here. First, fear (vv4,8) and afraid (vv5,10) jumped out to me right away. I’m pretty sure I noticed that repetition so quickly because I so easily relate to being afraid! Who in their right mind wouldn’t be if they saw the sight described in v2?!
Much later, I was reading the passage again and thinking about what caused their fear. That’s when I noticed four instances of see. Interestingly, although I linked fear to the sights described, the passage doesn’t—instead, the angel and Jesus both say this word to reassure the women. First, the angel tells them see the place where he lay, so they would know He wasn’t there (v6). Then he predicts they will see Jesus again in Galilee (v7). And Jesus affirms that prediction with the same word in v10.
By the way, did you notice the angel also says, See, I have told you at the end of v7? What a strange statement! I searched the whole ESV translation to see if Matthew quoted that from somewhere else… and, in fact, he wrote in Matthew 24:25 about Jesus speaking almost the same statement after answering the disciples’ questions about the end of the age. Both statements follow a prophecy. That makes me wonder if this expression might be a way of saying, “wait and watch, this is going to happen!” After all, isn’t it possible having faith about the future—such as looking forward to seeing a dear friend again—could make one less fearful?
SPECIAL STATEMENTS
I found two types of special statements in my study. The first type is command, three of which were issued by the angel in vv5-7, with two affirmed by Jesus in v10:
- Do not be afraid (vv5,10)
- Come, see the place where he lay (v6)
- Go and tell the disciples (v7,10)
The second type is the promise made by the angel and confirmed by Jesus that they would see Him in Galilee (v7,10).
LISTS
Finally, I noticed two lists: the list of three commands to the women by the angel, bulleted above, and the three items (v7) the angel wanted the women to tell the disciples:
- Jesus rose from the dead,
- He is going to Galilee, and
- They’ll see Him there.
Did you find any other repeated concepts, special statements, or lists I didn’t notice? Remember, it’s okay if we have different answers. We are confident that the Spirit is showing each of us exactly what we need to see to learn what God wants us to know from the passage.
That said, I am hopelessly curious about all things Scripture! If you’re willing to share with me, I’d love to know what you’ve discovered. Reach out to me in the comments below, or by email if you don’t want to share with the worldwide web!
Dig-In Challenges
Next week, we’ll be wrapping up Step 3 by looking for three more elements of the lesson we’re learning from Matthew 28:1-15:
- As always, start with the prayer we wrote for Step 1.
- MINE: Read through the passage again to see if Matthew uses any comparisons. The quickest way to locate these is to look for phrases containing the words like or as, as well as more than/ less than and better than/ worse than. Do you find any comparisons that connect directly with your personal focus area?
- MINE: Next, look for causes or motives in the text. These are actually pretty easy to spot, but there is some thinking involved here.
First, look for these key words or phrases: because, for*, in order to, lest, since, so*, so that, that*, to*, therefore. Finding them almost always means you’ll find an action phrase (noun + verb) with the reason for that action, too. The *exceptions are for, so, that, and to—when these are used as other parts of speech like prepositions or articles, you won’t find an action or a reason.
Once you’ve located one of those key words or phrases, the next thing to look for is the action (what’s being caused or motivated). With most of these words/phrases, you’ll find the action before the key word/phrase, and the reason will be after it.
For example, I went to the store because I was out of milk.
The action = I went to the store
because
The reason = I was out of milk.
Occasionally you may see the order of the statements reversed, but the reason will still follow the key word or phrase: Because I was out of milk, I went to the store.
However, with therefore and its synonyms so and hence, the action appears after these key words:
Here’s an example using the same reason and action as above, just changing the key word: I was out of milk; therefore, I went to the store.
Same reason = I was out of milk [but different location!]
therefore
Same action = I went to the store.
Try it, I think you’ll see it’s easier than all these words make it seem (and, of course, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] if you have questions)!
- MINE: Finally, see if you can find any conditions/methods by asking: does the author condition the action you’re studying on something else happening—for example, if this condition is met, [then] that will happen? Or does he describe a particular method by which something happens—for example, specific steps taken to achieve something, or more generally by or through attributes or action (i.e., grace, faith)? Does he use any adverbs (-ly words) that describe how the action was accomplished?
These exercises are a little harder, but I know you can do this—I can’t want to share what I discover next week!
GO TO WEEK 5 >
by Jen | Jan 30, 2024 | 1-15, DISO studies, Matthew 28
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Hello! I’m so grateful you’re joining me again this week! If you’re working along with me, I hope the Spirit revealed something awesome to you in your study since last time. Remember, if it seems He’s directing your focus to different parts of this passage than He’s using with me, it’s okay. That simply means we’re at different places in our walk with God. If we all stick closely to God’s Word and heed the Spirit’s guidance, we can be confident we’re discovering exactly what He wants us to see.
Last Week’s Work
MY PERSONAL TREASURE
As I mentioned last week, I think the Spirit is drawing me to notice the experiences of the women in this passage. Like them, I am a follower of Jesus who’s also felt He was gone from my life. I intend to focus primarily on their interactions with the angel (vv5-7) and with the risen Christ (vv9-10).
That’s a pretty large chunk of the passage, but I’m confident that the Spirit will help me narrow it further as I continue to work with Him.
The other part of the text I examined this past week was setting: who’s involved, and where and when did the action take place?
WHO (CHARACTERS)
I started by looking most closely at Mary Magdalene and the “other Mary.” I need to find out who this other Mary is. It occurred to me if she is Jesus’s mother, she’s already experienced one angel-siting in her lifetime. That might explain why the women didn’t react to the angel the same way the guards did (v4), even though they apparently did feel some fear based on the angel’s reassurance (v5) and Matthew’s statement (v8). And despite—or maybe because of—their fear, they were quick (v8) to obey the angel’s command to go and tell the disciples (v7). How I wish I could say I don’t let fear stop me from doing what I believe God is telling me to do!
WHERE (LOCATIONS)
Two locations are relevant to my focus area: the tomb, where the Marys received their marching orders (v1). And somewhere along the way to the disciples (v9), where Jesus met them. I think it’s interesting that these two activities didn’t happen in the same place, nor did Matthew specify exactly where Jesus appeared to the women, or even where the disciples were.
WHEN (TIMEFRAMES)
But the most amazing thing I noticed this week was Jesus Himself came to the women and reinforced the angel’s command after the women took some action in obedience (vv9-10). Isn’t it just like our God to give us a command that scares us, but when we respond in obedience, He shows up for us in ways we never anticipated?! He is so good!
Dig-In Challenges
I can’t wait to learn more from this awesome passage! This coming week, I hope you’ll join me in one or more of these challenges:
- Start each study session by reading the prayer we wrote in Step 1.
- MINE: Notice if Matthew repeated any concepts in this passage and, if so, how that repetition might be relevant to the treasure the Spirit’s revealing in this study.
- MINE: Locate any special statements (blessings, commands, curses, prayers, promises, and warnings) that connect with the treasure we’re digging into?
- MINE: Ask the Spirit to show us any lists (3 or more similar items mentioned in the text) and their relevance to our personal focus.
I hope to see you next week!
GO TO WEEK 4 >
by Jen | Jan 23, 2024 | 1-15, DISO studies, Matthew 28
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Welcome back, I’m glad you’re here, my friend! Before I share my work from last week, though, I want to remind you these are the results of my personal Bible study. The revelations here are based on what the Holy Spirit is working on with me in this season. If the Spirit has revealed something totally different to you, don’t worry. He’s our primary Guide and Teacher, and He helps each of us to find what we need for our specific faith journey.
I share my answers not because they’re the “right” ones, but to give you an example of what can be discovered through this process. As long as you’re working with the Holy Spirit and staying true to the whole counsel of God in His Word, you’re on the right track, even if your results don’t resemble what I write about here.
As always, I invite your comments and questions to [email protected]: feedback helps me make this process more approachable for everyone.
Last Week’s Work
MY PRAYER
The first task from last week was to develop a prayer I promised to pray every time I sit down to study this section of Scripture. Here’s mine:
Father God, thank You for Your Word and the special meaning it has for me now. Open my eyes, ears, and heart to see and hear the Holy Spirit’s prompts as I work through Matthew 28:1-15 with Him. I believe You have a special message for me in this text, and I want to hear it—even if it’s not all sunshine and roses. I am willing walk the hard road to get there, Lord, to learn hard lessons because I know You love me. You will be with me through all of this and in the end I’ll have something more precious than earthly treasure—experience and knowledge and stronger faith in You. I commit to this study and ask for Your help in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Full Disclosure: I often forget to pray before I start studying. To help me remember, I copied this prayer onto a yellow notecard I use as a bookmark. Now, every time I open my journal to my previous notes, I have a built-in reminder to pray before I dig in!
HUH? and WOW! MOMENTS
Next, I slowly read through the study text again, focusing to my reactions, and noting the parts that caught my attention. Here are my responses:
- HUH? what does Matthew mean, became like dead men (v4)? And I also noticed Matthew mentions fear and afraid several times.
- WOW! The women showed more courage than the guards—they at least remained conscious and could obey the angel’s commands (vv4-8)!
- WOW! The angel must have anticipated the women might be skeptical—he invited them to check out his story about Jesus’s absence—before telling them to share the news of Jesus’s resurrection with others (vv6-7)
- WOW! In the process of following the angel’s command, the women encounter the risen Lord Himself, who confirmed the angel’s directions (vv9-10).
Personally, I felt drawn to the women in this story. I see them—like me (and maybe you, too?)—receiving a calling to deliver a message to fellow Christians that made them both fearful and joyful. Without a doubt, I want to dig deeper into that. I hope you discovered a gem you want to investigate further, too!
Dig-In Challenges
Next week, I plan to:
- Read my prayer bookmark every time I start studying this passage!
- MINE: Identify which aspect of this study I feel the Spirit leading me to dig deepest into right now. It could be one (or more) of the Huh? and Wow! Moments I wrote about this week, or some other item the Spirit hasn’t yet called to my attention.
- MINE: Observe what the passage tells me about the setting of the scene in Matthew 28:1-15 (who’s involved, where and when did the action take place), and note anything the Spirit emphasizes.
GO TO WEEK 3 >
by Jen | Jan 16, 2024 | 1-15, DISO studies, Matthew 28
Hello again! I’m so glad you’re joining me for the first study using the revised Digging into Scripture Ourselves (DISO) process. I’m trying to simplify this process so you can feel confident studying the Bible inductively in the time you have, but I don’t know what I don’t know, and I can’t see the confused look on your face. So please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions!
Let’s Study Matthew 28:1-15!
When I suspended our studies last fall, we were working through a select group of miracles of Jesus, and I want to finish off that series with two passages, Matthew 28:1-15 and Acts 1:6-11, which recount Jesus’ resurrection and ascension.
This week, I’ll work through two of the five steps in the new process using Matthew 28:1-15. If you want to work along with me, here’s what I recommend you start with:
- A copy of Matt 28:1-15, plus access to the entire book of Matthew.
I copy the text from www.blueletterbible.org, paste it in a word processing program (Google docs or MS Word), change the formatting to suit my preferences, and print it out. If you want to use the ESV translation, here’s a copy I created that you can use.
- A study journal.
I’m old-school and like the pen/pencil and paper method for journaling my studies, but you can do this any way you want. If you don’t think you have time to physically write or type your notes, consider recording an audio of your thoughts, or use your smart phone to dictate into a notes app.
But really, if you studied with me before, you know you’re welcome to just read the posts I publish here. They’ll help you become more familiar with the new process and show you how the Spirit speaks to my situation. I’m praying that there will be enough similarities between my life and yours that you’ll find it worth your while to keep checking in with me, even if you can’t study along on your own yet.
Dig-In Challenges
So here’s what I’m going to do this coming week:
- PRAY: I’ll be creating a prayer that I can pray every time I study Matthew 28:1-15. I’m going to write it in my study journal, so I’ll have it handy each time I study.
- SURVEY: Then, I’ll read Matthew 28:1-15, noting anything that makes me say, “huh?” (as in, “I wonder what that means?”) or “wow” (as in, “that is so awesome!”). I’ll record these and next week, I’ll choose one I think the Spirit wants me to dig more deeply into right now.
I’m looking forward to sharing what I discover in this new process you—hope you’ll stop by next week!
GO TO WEEK 2 >
