Matthew 28 - Printer Friendly

What does Matthew 28 mean?

Chapter Commentary:

After the darkness and agony of the previous chapter, Matthew 28 is filled with life and worship and dismay. It also sets the stage for the birth of the church and the mission to follow. Jesus had died on the cross and was buried before sundown in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. The chief priests and elders received permission from Pilate to post a guard of Roman soldiers at the tomb to keep the body from being stolen. They did not want Jesus' followers to be able to claim He had been resurrected (Matthew 27:57–66).

Before dawn on Sunday, an amazing scene unfolds at the tomb. Accompanied by an earthquake, a mighty angel of the Lord descends from heaven right before the guards. He looks like lightning dressed in white. He breaks the seal on the tomb, rolls back the large stone, and sits on it. The guards shake in fear and then faint (Matthew 28:1–4).

Two women named Mary, faithful followers of Jesus, arrive on the scene around sunrise to find the angel present and the guards apparently unconscious on the ground. The angel shows them Jesus' empty tomb and tells them Jesus, the one who was crucified, is risen. He gives them a specific message to take back to the disciples: Tell them Jesus is raised from the dead and that He is going before them to Galilee. They will see Jesus there (Matthew 28:1, 5–8).

The women quickly leave to do as the angel has said, but they are stopped along the way by Jesus Himself. They fall on the ground and take hold of His feet. They recognize that He is the Son of God, risen from the dead, and they worship Him. As the angel did, Jesus tells them not to be afraid and to go and tell His brothers to go to Galilee, where they will see Him (Matthew 28:9–10).

Meanwhile, the temple guards who had fainted regain consciousness. Some of them go and report to the chief priests what has happened. The chief priests and elders meet and decide to bribe the guards to tell a different story. They pay these Roman soldiers enough to say that they fell asleep on duty and Jesus' followers came and took His body away. They promise to keep Pilate from executing them from sleeping on the job if he learns of their story. Already, from the moment the truth of Jesus' resurrection began to spread, the lie that He remains dead is being distributed. Both stories continue to be told and believed today. (Matthew 28:11–15).

Matthew skips over appearances made by Jesus as described by the other gospel writers. He jumps straight to Jesus' meeting with the eleven remaining disciples on a mountain in Galilee. Jesus tells them that He is using His authority, given to Him by God the Father, to send them out on their lifelong mission. In this "Great Commission," Jesus commands His disciples to make more disciples of Him. This cooperative, mentoring, personal expansion of His kingdom is the primary mission of His followers. They must baptize these new followers and teach them to obey everything He has told them to do. Matthew ends with Jesus' promise to be with His disciples always, into and through eternity (Matthew 28:16–20).

Matthew 28:1–10 describes how two of Jesus' women followers learn of Jesus' resurrection. Before they arrive at the tomb on Sunday morning, an angel from heaven descends and rolls back the large stone. This is accompanied by an earthquake. The Roman soldiers faint. The angel tells the women Jesus is risen from the dead. Jesus meets the women, and they worship Him. He sends them to tell His brothers He has been resurrected from the dead and that they should go to Galilee. They will see Him there.

Matthew 28:11–15 describes a plot by the Jewish religious leaders to distribute a false story about Jesus' resurrection. The Roman soldiers report what really happened at the tomb. The chief priests and elders agree to bribe the soldiers to lie and say they fell asleep on the job so hard that Jesus' followers were able to steal His dead body. They promise to protect the soldiers from Pilate, the Roman governor, if he hears they slept while on guard duty and wants to punish them. The lie begins to spread among the Jewish population, despite the idea being ludicrous (Matthew 27:66).

Matthew 28:16–20 describes Jesus' commissioning the eleven remaining disciples on a mountain in Galilee. He had given them a message to meet Him there. Now He appears and commands them to make disciples from the people of all nations on the earth. He calls on them to baptize these disciples in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They must also teach these new believers to obey everything Jesus has commanded them to do. Matthew ends his book with Jesus' promise to always be with those who believe in Him.

Chapter Summary:

An angel of the Lord descends from heaven and rolls the stone from Jesus' tomb. The guards faint. The angel sits on top of the stone and waits. Two women, followers of Jesus, arrive and are told that Jesus is risen from the dead. Jesus then meets them and tells them to give the news to His brothers. The chief priests bribe the guards to say Jesus' followers stole His body. Jesus meets the disciples on a mountain in Galilee and commissions them to make disciples of people from all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey Jesus' commands. Jesus promises to be with them always.

Chapter Context:

Matthew 28 follows the dark events of the crucifixion in the previous chapter and brings Matthew's story of Jesus to a close. An angel descends from heaven and rolls back the stone. The guards faint. The angel tells two women Jesus is risen and then Jesus meets them. The Jewish religious leaders bribe the guards to lie and distribute a story that His followers took the body. Jesus meets His disciples in Galilee and commissions them to make disciples of people from all nations on earth, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all of Jesus' commands.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.

Accessed 4/27/2024 8:30:56 AM