Commentary on Matthew 28

Matthew 28 is the triumphant finale of the Gospel, recording the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the Great Commission. The chapter opens with the women discovering the empty tomb, an angel announcing the risen Lord, and Jesus himself appearing to them. It then pivots to the religious leaders' cover-up, before culminating in Jesus' appearance to the disciples on a mountain in Galilee. There, he declares his universal authority and commissions them to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching, with the promise of his enduring presence. This chapter transforms the cross from a tragedy into the hinge of history and launches the mission of the church.

Historical context

The events of Matthew 28 take place in Jerusalem and Galilee, likely around AD 30-33. The Jewish Sabbath ran from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset; the women came to the tomb 'toward the dawn' on the first day of the week (Sunday), which would soon become the Christian day of worship (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 16:2).

Tombs in first-century Judea were typically caves with a rolling stone door, sealed by Roman authorities to prevent tampering (Matt 27:62-66). The guard was likely a detachment of Roman soldiers, making the resurrection claim politically explosive. The religious leaders' bribery of the soldiers (Matt 28:11-15) reflects the ongoing tension between the Sanhedrin and the early Christian movement.

Matthew's Gospel, written primarily for a Jewish-Christian audience, emphasizes Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. The resurrection validates his identity as the Son of God and the promised Messiah. The Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) echoes God's promise to Abraham that all nations would be blessed through his offspring (Gen 12:3, 22:18), now fulfilled through the risen Christ.

Verse by verse

• 1:

  Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. The careful timing — after the Sabbath, at dawn — underscores the women's devotion and the historical specificity of the resurrection. They came to anoint a dead body, expecting only grief. Matthew notes 'the other Mary,' likely the mother of James and Joseph (Matt 27:56), showing that faithful women were the first witnesses to the empty tomb — a detail the early church would never have invented in a culture where women's testimony was often discounted.

• 2:

  And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. The earthquake echoes God's presence at Sinai (Exod 19:18) and signals a cosmic event. The angel does not roll away the stone to let Jesus out — the resurrected Lord needs no such help — but to let the women in, to see the empty tomb. The angel sitting on the stone is a posture of calm authority, mocking the sealed tomb and the Roman guard.

• 5:

  But the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.' The angel's first word is a pastoral command: 'Do not be afraid.' Fear is the natural human response to the supernatural, but the gospel consistently replaces fear with faith. The angel identifies Jesus not by his titles but by his crucifixion — 'Jesus who was crucified' — grounding the resurrection in the reality of his suffering. The cross and the empty tomb belong together; one without the other is either despair or fantasy.

• 6:

  He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. This is the theological center of the chapter and of the entire Christian faith. 'He has risen' — the Greek ēgerthē (ἠγέρθη) is a divine passive, indicating God the Father raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 2:24, Rom 8:11). The angel adds 'as he said,' pointing back to Jesus' own predictions of his resurrection (Matt 16:21, 17:23, 20:19). The invitation to 'see the place' grounds faith in historical evidence; the empty tomb is not a symbol but a fact.

• 7:

  Then 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. See, I have told you.' The women are commissioned as the first evangelists — sent to tell the disciples, including Peter who had denied Jesus. Galilee, the region where Jesus began his ministry, becomes the place of restoration and recommissioning. The angel's final phrase, 'See, I have told you,' carries the weight of divine authority.

• 9:

  And behold, Jesus met them and said, 'Greetings!' And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. The risen Jesus personally confirms the angel's message. His greeting — Chairete (Χαίρετε), literally 'Rejoice!' — transforms the morning from grief to joy. The women's response is twofold: they take hold of his feet (physical, tangible contact, proving he is not a ghost) and they worship him. This is the appropriate response to the risen Lord: not mere intellectual assent, but embodied worship.

• 10:

  Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.' Jesus calls the disciples 'my brothers' — a term of restored relationship despite their abandonment and denial. The cross had scattered them; the resurrection gathers them. Galilee is not just a geographical location but a theological one: the place of calling, teaching, and now commissioning.

• 11:

  While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. The soldiers report to the religious leaders, not to Pilate, suggesting the priests had arranged the guard. Their report of the resurrection is met not with faith but with a cover-up — a stark contrast to the women's faithful proclamation.

• 12:

  And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers. The religious leaders' response to the resurrection is a conspiracy. They do not investigate the miracle; they suppress it. The 'sufficient sum of money' echoes the thirty pieces of silver paid to Judas (Matt 26:15). Unbelief always costs something, and it always requires a lie to sustain itself.

• 16:

  Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. The number 'eleven' is a quiet reminder of Judas's absence and the brokenness of the group. Mountains in Matthew are places of revelation (the Sermon on the Mount, the Transfiguration). This mountain in Galilee becomes the new Sinai, where the risen Christ issues the new covenant commission.

• 17:

  And when they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. This is one of the most honest verses in Scripture. Even in the presence of the risen Lord, some disciples doubted. The Greek word edistasan (ἐδίστασαν) means 'hesitated' or 'wavered.' Faith and doubt can coexist. Jesus does not rebuke them for their doubt; he commissions them anyway. The Great Commission is given not to perfect, unwavering believers, but to a mixed group of worshippers and doubters.

• 18:

  And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.' This is the foundation of the Great Commission. Jesus' authority is not self-derived but 'given' by the Father (Dan 7:13-14, Phil 2:9-11). It is universal — 'all authority in heaven and on earth' — encompassing every realm. The resurrection is the vindication of that authority. The disciples are not sent in their own strength but under the authority of the risen King.

• 19:

  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The command is not 'go' (a participle in Greek) but 'make disciples' — the main verb. The going is assumed. 'All nations' shatters Jewish particularism; the gospel is for every ethnic group. Baptism in the triune name — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — is the initiatory rite of discipleship, marking entry into the community of the risen Christ. This is the first explicit Trinitarian formula in the New Testament.

• 20:

  Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Discipleship is not just conversion but ongoing instruction in obedience to Jesus' commands. The content of that teaching is 'all that I have commanded you' — the Sermon on the Mount, the parables, the ethical demands of the kingdom. The commission ends not with a command but with a promise: 'I am with you always.' The Greek pasa tas hēmeras (πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας) means 'all the days,' including the difficult ones. The 'end of the age' points to Christ's return, when his presence will be fully realized. The Gospel of Matthew, which began with 'God with us' (Emmanuel, Matt 1:23), ends with the same promise.

Key themes

• The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
• The Great Commission and Discipleship
• The Authority of the Risen Lord
• The Triune God in Mission
• Faith Amid Doubt

Application

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not merely a past event to be believed; it is a present reality that reshapes all of life. Because Jesus is risen, death has lost its final sting, and every moment of our lives is lived under the authority of the living King. The empty tomb is the guarantee that our labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Cor 15:58).

The Great Commission is not an optional program for the especially committed; it is the marching orders for every disciple. Making disciples begins in our homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces — not by coercion but by invitation, not in our own strength but in the authority of Christ. Baptism and teaching are the ordinary means by which the church grows, and they are empowered by the promise of Christ's presence.

Perhaps the most comforting truth in this chapter is that Jesus commissions disciples who doubt. He does not wait for perfect faith before he sends us. He meets us on the mountain, in our hesitation, and says, 'All authority is mine. Go. I am with you.' The Christian life is not about having no doubts; it is about acting on the faith we have, trusting that the risen Christ is faithful even when we waver.

Frequently asked questions