Matthew 28

Introduction

Matthew 28 is the climactic conclusion of the Gospel, narrating the resurrection of Jesus and the commission He gives to His disciples. After the darkness of the crucifixion and burial in chapters 26-27, this chapter opens at dawn on the first day of the week, when two women come to the tomb and discover it empty. The chapter moves swiftly through four scenes: the angelic announcement at the empty tomb, the risen Jesus' appearance to the women, the conspiracy of the Jewish leaders to suppress the truth of the resurrection, and the Great Commission on a mountain in Galilee. Each carries theological weight: the earthquake and angel echo the theophanies of the Old Testament, the women become the first witnesses to the resurrection, and the final commission establishes the church's mission until the end of the age.

The Great Commission (vv. 18-20) serves as the theological summit of the entire Gospel. Jesus' claim to possess "all authority in heaven and on earth" fulfills the vision of the Son of Man in Daniel 7:13-14, who receives dominion over all peoples and nations. The Trinitarian baptismal formula -- "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" -- is the most explicit Trinitarian statement attributed to Jesus in the Gospels. And the final promise, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age," forms an inclusio with the name "Emmanuel" ("God with us") given in Matthew 1:23, framing the entire Gospel as the story of God's presence dwelling among His people in the person of Jesus.

The Resurrection and the Angel at the Tomb (vv. 1-7)

Notes

The temporal phrase in verse 1 is notoriously difficult. The Greek Ὀψὲ δὲ σαββάτων literally reads "late of Sabbaths," but ὀψέ here functions as a preposition meaning "after" rather than its more common sense of "late in the evening." The participial clause τῇ ἐπιφωσκούσῃ εἰς μίαν σαββάτων ("as it was dawning toward the first of the Sabbaths") clarifies the time: early Sunday morning at first light. The word σαββάτων is used in two senses in the same verse -- first for the Sabbath day itself, then for the week (a common Jewish usage). This moment became the basis for Christian worship on the first day of the week (see Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2).

The "other Mary" is identified in Matthew 27:56 as the mother of James and Joseph. Mark's parallel (Mark 16:1) adds Salome, and Luke (Luke 24:10) adds Joanna. Matthew's account focuses on just two women, perhaps because Jewish legal tradition held that two witnesses constituted valid testimony (Deuteronomy 19:15).

The word σεισμός ("earthquake") in verse 2 is the same word used at Jesus' death in Matthew 27:54. Matthew is the only evangelist to record earthquakes at both the crucifixion and the resurrection, creating a literary frame: the earth itself responds to the death and rising of the Son of God. The verb ἀπεκύλισεν ("rolled away") indicates that the stone was not removed to let Jesus out -- He was already risen -- but to let the witnesses in. The angel's posture of sitting on the stone (ἐκάθητο ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ) is an image of triumph and authority: the obstacle of death has become a seat.

The description of the angel's appearance uses two similes: his face was "like lightning" (ὡς ἀστραπή) and his clothing "white as snow" (λευκὸν ὡς χιών). These echo Daniel's vision of the Ancient of Days, whose clothing was "white as snow" (Daniel 7:9), and the appearance of the angel in Daniel 10:6. The same language will be used of Jesus Himself at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:2).

In verse 4, the irony is notable: the τηροῦντες ("guards" or "watchers") -- the very men posted to ensure the tomb remained sealed -- "became like dead men" (ἐγενήθησαν ὡς νεκροί), while the dead man they were guarding has risen to life. The verb ἐσείσθησαν ("they shook/trembled") shares its root with σεισμός ("earthquake"): the guards were, so to speak, earthquaked.

The angel's announcement in verse 6 uses the passive ἠγέρθη ("he has been raised"), which is a divine passive -- God raised Jesus from the dead. This is the consistent testimony of the earliest Christian preaching (see Acts 2:24, Acts 3:15, Romans 8:11). The translation here preserves the passive ("he has been raised") rather than the active ("he has risen") to retain the theological emphasis that the resurrection was God the Father's act of vindication of His Son.

The command δεῦτε ἴδετε ("come, see") in verse 6 invites the women to verify the empty tomb with their own eyes, while ταχὺ πορευθεῖσαι εἴπατε ("go quickly and tell") in verse 7 transforms them from witnesses into heralds. The women are entrusted with the first proclamation of the resurrection -- a remarkable detail in a culture where women's testimony was often devalued.

Jesus Appears to the Women (vv. 8-10)

Notes

The combination of "fear and great joy" (μετὰ φόβου καὶ χαρᾶς μεγάλης) in verse 8 captures the paradox of encountering the holy. This is not the terror of the guards (who became like dead men) but the awe of those who stand in the presence of divine action. The same pairing appears in the response to the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:6-7).

Jesus' greeting in verse 9, Χαίρετε, is the standard Greek salutation, literally meaning "rejoice!" It is the same word used in classical Greek as an everyday greeting, but in the context of the resurrection it recovers its full etymological force. The risen Christ's first word to His followers is a command to rejoice. The translation renders this "Rejoice!" rather than the more neutral "Greetings!" to recover this resonance, though the conventional rendering is equally defensible.

The women's response is physical and immediate: they ἐκράτησαν αὐτοῦ τοὺς πόδας ("grasped his feet"). The verb κρατέω means to seize or take hold of firmly -- this is not a tentative touch but a firm grasp. The detail serves an anti-docetic purpose: the risen Jesus has a real, tangible body. They then προσεκύνησαν ("worshiped") him -- the same verb used of worship offered to God throughout Matthew's Gospel (see Matthew 2:11, Matthew 4:10, Matthew 14:33). Matthew presents the women performing an act that, in Jewish theology, is appropriate only for God.

In verse 10, Jesus calls the disciples "my brothers" (τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου) -- a term He has not used for them before in Matthew. After Peter's denial and the disciples' abandonment during the trial and crucifixion (Matthew 26:56, Matthew 26:69-75), this is a word of restoration and grace. Despite their failure, they remain His family. This echoes Jesus' earlier redefinition of family in Matthew 12:49-50: "Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

The Guards' Report and the Bribe (vv. 11-15)

Notes

This passage is unique to Matthew and serves an important apologetic function. The story of the guard at the tomb was set up in Matthew 27:62-66, where the chief priests and Pharisees asked Pilate to secure the tomb to prevent the disciples from stealing the body. Now the very precaution meant to disprove a resurrection instead provides evidence for it: the guards witnessed supernatural events and reported them honestly to the chief priests.

The word κουστωδία ("guard") in verse 11 is a Latin loanword (custodia), and whether these were Roman soldiers or temple police remains debated. The priests' need to "persuade" (πείσομεν) the governor rather than simply command the guards suggests a Roman connection -- temple police would have answered to the priests directly. If Roman soldiers are in view, the stakes were high: sleeping on watch could carry severe punishment. Either way, the cover-up required both effort and expense.

The phrase ἀργύρια ἱκανά ("sufficient silver coins" or "a large sum of money") in verse 12 recalls the τριάκοντα ἀργύρια ("thirty silver coins") paid to Judas in Matthew 26:15. In both cases, silver is used to suppress the truth about Jesus. The verb συναχθέντες ("assembled") is the same word from which "synagogue" derives; here the religious leaders assemble not for worship but for conspiracy.

The fabricated story is self-defeating: if the soldiers were asleep, how could they know it was the disciples who took the body? Matthew does not press this logical point but simply notes that "this story has been spread among the Jews to this very day" (διεφημίσθη ὁ λόγος οὗτος παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις μέχρι τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας). The phrase "to this very day" indicates that when Matthew wrote his Gospel, this counter-narrative was still actively circulated, and he felt the need to provide the true account of how it originated.

The Great Commission (vv. 16-20)

Notes

The number "eleven" (ἕνδεκα) in verse 16 is a quiet reminder of loss: Judas is gone. The group that was twelve -- a number symbolizing the reconstituted tribes of Israel -- is now diminished. The mountain in Galilee is unspecified but carries theological weight in Matthew's Gospel. Jesus delivered His great sermon on a mountain (Matthew 5:1), was transfigured on a mountain (Matthew 17:1), and now delivers His final commission from a mountain. In a Gospel saturated with Moses typology, this final mountain scene recalls Moses on Sinai receiving the Law and commissioning Israel.

The verb ἐτάξατο ("had directed" or "had appointed") in verse 16 is a military term meaning to assign to a post. Jesus did not merely suggest Galilee; He ordered the rendezvous, lending the scene a formal, solemn character: an official commissioning, not a casual meeting.

Verse 17 presents an honest and puzzling detail: οἱ δὲ ἐδίστασαν ("but some doubted" or "but some hesitated"). The verb διστάζω occurs only twice in the New Testament, both in Matthew (here and Matthew 14:31, where Peter "doubted" while walking on water). It means to waver or hesitate rather than outright disbelief. "Hesitated" better captures the word's sense of inner uncertainty rather than settled unbelief. The fact that Matthew preserves this detail -- rather than portraying a uniformly triumphant scene -- speaks to the authenticity of the account. Who the "some" are is debated: it may refer to some of the eleven, or possibly to other disciples present beyond the core group.

The declaration in verse 18, Ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ("All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me"), is the theological foundation for everything that follows. The passive ἐδόθη ("has been given") is again a divine passive: the Father has invested the risen Son with universal sovereignty. The word ἐξουσία means "authority" or "right to act" -- not merely raw power (δύναμις) but legitimate, delegated authority. This claim echoes Daniel 7:14: "He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him." During the temptation, Satan offered Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world" (Matthew 4:8-9); now the Father gives Him all authority in heaven and earth -- through the path of obedience, suffering, and resurrection.

The command in verse 19 has one main imperative -- μαθητεύσατε ("make disciples") -- modified by three participles: "having gone" (πορευθέντες), "baptizing" (βαπτίζοντες), and "teaching" (διδάσκοντες). The main verb μαθητεύω is distinctive: it does not mean merely "teach" or "convert" but "make a disciple" -- enroll someone in an ongoing relationship of learning and following. The scope is universal: πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ("all the nations"). Earlier in Matthew, Jesus restricted His mission to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-6, Matthew 15:24). Now, in the light of the resurrection, every boundary is dissolved. The gospel is for all peoples without exception.

The baptismal formula, εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος ("in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"), is the most fully developed Trinitarian formula in the New Testament. The singular ὄνομα ("name") -- not "names" -- governing all three persons is theologically significant: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share one name, one identity, one divine reality. The preposition εἰς ("into") suggests more than invocation; it implies incorporation -- the baptized person is brought into the reality of the triune God. The Didache (a late first- or early second-century church manual) quotes this formula verbatim, confirming its early liturgical use.

The final promise in verse 20, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος ("Look, I am with you all the days, until the consummation of the age"). The emphatic ἐγώ ("I myself") stresses the personal nature of the promise. The phrase "all the days" (πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας) is more vivid than "always" -- it means every single day, without interruption. The word συντέλεια ("consummation" or "completion") does not merely mean "end" but the full bringing-together of all things -- the final fulfillment of God's purposes. This phrase, "the consummation of the age," appears five times in Matthew (see Matthew 13:39-40, Matthew 13:49, Matthew 24:3) and nowhere else in the Gospels. It is Matthew's characteristic way of referring to the final judgment and the full arrival of the kingdom.

The promise "I am with you" (ἐγὼ μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν εἰμι) forms an inclusio with the name Emmanuel, meaning "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). Matthew's Gospel begins with the promise that the child to be born will be "God with us" and ends with the risen Lord's assurance that He will remain "with you" until history reaches its goal. The entire Gospel is framed by the presence of God in Christ with His people.

Interpretations

• The Trinitarian baptismal formula and its authenticity. Some critical scholars have questioned whether Jesus Himself spoke the Trinitarian formula in verse 19, noting that Acts records baptisms "in the name of Jesus" (Acts 2:38, Acts 8:16, Acts 19:5) rather than the Trinitarian formula. Some have suggested the formula reflects later liturgical development that Matthew placed on Jesus' lips. However, the majority of Protestant scholarship affirms the authenticity of the formula, arguing that the shorter Christological formulas in Acts are summaries or abbreviations of the fuller Trinitarian rite, not alternatives to it. The early and widespread attestation of the formula (Didache 7:1, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus) makes a late invention unlikely. The theological content -- three distinct persons sharing one name -- is implicit throughout the New Testament even where the full formula is not quoted.

• "Make disciples of all nations" -- the scope and nature of the Great Commission. The phrase πάντα τὰ ἔθνη has been read in different ways. (1) The majority evangelical and Reformed reading takes "all nations" as a universal mandate: every people group on earth is to be evangelized, and the church's mission is not complete until disciples have been made among every nation. This fueled the modern missionary movement (William Carey, Hudson Taylor). (2) Some dispensational interpreters have argued that the Great Commission applies specifically to the period after the rapture and is directed to Jewish believers during the tribulation, though this view is a minority position. (3) A mediating view emphasizes that ἔθνη means "peoples" or "ethnic groups," not modern nation-states -- the command is to cross every cultural and ethnic barrier with the gospel. (4) The relationship between "make disciples," "baptize," and "teach" also generates debate. Some traditions (especially Baptist and free-church traditions) understand baptism as following personal faith and discipleship. Paedobaptist traditions (Reformed, Lutheran, Anglican) argue that the command to disciple nations includes the children of believers, and that baptism is the sign of entry into the covenant community, parallel to circumcision in the Old Testament (Colossians 2:11-12).

• "But some doubted" -- the nature of resurrection faith. Verse 17 has been interpreted in diverse ways. Some see it as evidence that resurrection faith was not the product of mass hysteria or wish fulfillment -- genuine doubt persisted even in the presence of the risen Christ. Others argue the doubt was not about whether they were seeing Jesus but about what it meant -- whether they should worship Him. Still others suggest the "some" who doubted were disciples beyond the eleven who were also present. The passage offers pastoral comfort: even in the presence of the risen Lord, honest hesitation is not grounds for exclusion from His commission.