Matthew 28

This is the final chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. It recounts how Jesus, who was crucified, died, and was buried in Matthew 27, rose again (the Resurrection), and it records his final command to the disciples. The account of the guard at the tomb at the end of chapter 27 continues in verses 11–15 of this chapter.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 At dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary come to the tomb. A great earthquake occurs, and the angel of the Lord descends and rolls back the stone; the guards tremble and become like dead men.
• Verses 5–8 The angel announces that Jesus has risen, as he said, and tells the women to inform the disciples that he is going ahead of them into Galilee. The women hurry away with fear and great joy.
• Verses 9–10 Jesus meets the women, and they take hold of his feet and worship him. Jesus tells them to instruct "my brethren" to go to Galilee.
• Verses 11–15 After receiving the report of the guards, the chief priests take counsel with the elders and pay the soldiers to say that the disciples stole the body by night.
• Verses 16–20 The eleven disciples see Jesus on a mountain in Galilee and worship him, though some doubt. Jesus declares that all power in heaven and in earth has been given to him and commands them to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them; he then promises to be with them until the end of the world.

Key Verses

• Matthew 28:6 "for he is risen, as he said" — Announces the fulfillment of Jesus' earlier predictions of his resurrection (16:21 and elsewhere).
• Matthew 28:19 "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" — The basis of the church's baptismal formula. Verses 18–20 are treated separately in the article Matthew 28:18–20.
• Matthew 28:20 "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" — Together with Emmanuel ("God with us") in 1:23, it forms a frame that brings the entire book to its close.

People and Places

• Mary Magdalene — A woman who witnessed the crucifixion and burial, and one of the first to hear the news of the Resurrection.
• The other Mary — A woman who also appears in 27:61; many identify her with "Mary the mother of James and Joses" in 27:56.
• The angel of the Lord — Rolls back the stone and announces the Resurrection.
• The chief priests and elders — Bribe the soldiers to spread the story that the body was stolen.
• The governor — Mentioned in verse 14; refers to Pontius Pilate, who appears in chapter 27.
• The eleven disciples — The disciples, without Judas Iscariot.
• Galilee — The place where Jesus had arranged to meet the disciples again. The text does not name the mountain.

Points for Reflection

• Resurrection accounts also appear in Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20, but details such as the number of women who went to the tomb and the number of angels differ. Some interpreters harmonize these as accounts of a single event, while others see the differences as reflecting the distinct emphases of each Gospel.
• The bribing of the guards (verses 11–15) appears only in Matthew, and many interpreters regard it as a response to the story, circulating at the time, that the body had been stolen.
• Verses 18–20 are commonly called the Great Commission. Regarding the sequence "make disciples—baptize—teach," Baptists and others read it as grounds for baptizing those who have professed faith, while Presbyterians, Methodists, Anglicans, and others who practice infant baptism regard baptism and teaching as taking place together (see the infant baptism debate).
• The three names in verse 19 are frequently cited in support of the doctrine of the Trinity, and their relationship to the phrase "in the name of Jesus Christ" in Acts 2:38 is also discussed.
• Matthew contains no Ascension scene. The Ascension appears in Luke 24 and Acts 1.

In the Korean Church

• Verses 1–10 are frequently used as the sermon text for Easter services.
• The wording of verse 19 underlies the words spoken by the officiant in the rites of baptism, including baptism by immersion, in most denominations.
• Verses 18–20 are often read on Mission Sunday, at services commissioning missionaries, and at send-off ceremonies for short-term mission teams, and they are also used as memory verses in Sunday schools.