The final chapter of Matthew’s gospel includes his account of the resurrection of Jesus, as well as the famous Great Commission, in which Jesus issues His final command before ascending to heaven. Let’s take a look.
1) V1-10 – 1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. 7Then go quickly and tell His disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ Now I have told you.” 8So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell His disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet and worshiped Him. 10Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see Me.”
The Jewish Sabbath ran from Friday at 6 PM until Saturday at 6 PM. And then “at dawn on the first day of the week,” which was Easter Sunday morning, two of the female followers of Jesus named Mary went to the tomb. Matthew says there was “a violent earthquake,” the result of an angel having rolled away the stone from the entrance to the tomb. Now Jesus did not need an angel to roll away the stone to let Him out after the resurrection; rather, the angel rolled away the stone to show that the tomb was empty. We must remember that there were guards stationed at the tomb, and Matthew explains that they were so frightened at the angel’s lightning bright appearance “that they shook and became like dead men” (v4).
The first words of the angel to the women were, “Do not be afraid.” How certain it would have been for them to be very afraid! Yet, the angel brings wonderful words about the crucified Jesus: “He is not here; He has risen, just as He said” (v6). The angel invites them to look into the tomb for proof, and then instructs them to “go quickly and tell His disciples” that He will meet them in Galilee. And then the angel pronounces that he has accomplished his mission, saying, “Now I have told you” (v7). The women (or at least one of them – see and compare this passage with Luke 24:9-12 and John 20:1-2, 11-18) ran back to tell the disciples, filled with mixed emotions – fear and joy. Can it be true? What does it mean?
Before the women could get far, Jesus greeted them, and they fell at “His feet and worshiped Him” (v9). He reiterated the angel’s words, saying, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell” the disciples (and perhaps Jesus’ actual brothers) to go to Galilee, where they would see Him. Presumably, the women, still afraid in spite of their joy, needed to be given the commands of the angel again, so they would be bold enough to make the announcement to the disciples of Jesus’ resurrection. Matthew doesn’t record their conversation with the disciples, but we know from other accounts (Luke 24:9-12; John 20:1-2, 11-18) that there was skepticism at best. Women carried no authority on such weighty matters, which explains why they had to be strengthened and encouraged multiple times to make such an important announcement about Jesus.
2) V11-15 – 11While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
Matthew is the only gospel author to address the stolen body hypothesis, which attempts to denounce the resurrection of Jesus, but Matthew brings it up only to refute it. He says that the guards, who were stupefied with fear at the presence of the angel, later made their way to the chief priests to report what had occurred. Matthew says the religious leaders “devised a plan” and paid the soldiers handsomely to start the story that the disciples stole Jesus’ body during the night while they had fallen asleep. The religious leaders even promised to protect the soldiers from trouble with the governor, should he hear about it. So apparently, the religious leaders believed the guards’ account, and still wanted to do whatever it took to retain control and power over the Jews. It’s hard for me to consider what they would have done had Jesus appeared to more than the 500 Paul refers to after His resurrection, or even them and rebuked them for their wickedness. That time will no doubt come, but for now, Jesus is patiently waiting; at this moment, He had more important reunions to make, which we see in the next passage. Regarding the stolen body hypothesis, it’s still around today, just as it was 30-40 years after Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, back when Matthew wrote down this account.
3) V16-20 – 16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in [or into; see Acts 8:16; 19:5; Romans 6:3; 1 Corinthians 1:13; 10:2 and Galatians 3:27] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew ends his account with the reunion in Galilee between Jesus and the disciples. It surprising to read v17, “When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.” They actually see Him with their own eyes and talk with Him and hear His words, and still some of them doubted. His appearance must have been significantly different now than before it was before His crucifixion. Or perhaps that’s the stain of sin, that in our wretched natural selves, we cannot approve of the supernatural, the spiritual, the authentic, lasting nature that God has designed for us to cherish. Nonetheless, Jesus pronounces the Great Commission with His final words to His disciples, saying first that the Father has given “all authority in heaven and on earth” to Him. In other words, if they didn’t get that He was the King of the universe and beyond while He was with them prior to His death, now that He has risen they should realize that He is still the King of the universe and beyond. His commands must not be taken lightly. He alone has power.
Jesus uses that power that He has always had to now command His followers, the sheep of His pasture, to go. They (and we) are to “go and make disciples of all nations.” We are not to stay; we are to go. We are not to stand by as the people of the nations of the world live their futile lives without learning to follow Jesus; rather, we are to actively create in the people of the nations of the world a desire to love and live for Jesus. Of course, many will reject that effort and fight against us for such boldness. But some will see the light, by the grace of God; many seeds we plant will be watered and grow to produce fruit for God.
In our efforts to make disciples, we must baptize and teach. Peter understood this when he preached the first sermon in the Book of Acts, calling on his audience to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. The precious thing about Jesus’ instruction here is His mention of the Trinity, baptizing into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Without doubt, there are a number of clear hints of the Trinity, and the early church fathers picked up on that to explain their understanding of the Trinity, which has passed down to us, who must affirm the doctrine as well. Without the Trinity, we run into a host of problems, even though we may not be able to fully explain or even understand how there could be three co-equal, co-eternal, eternally distinct Persons in the one self-existent Godhead. We are also commanded to teach – teach the disciples we make to obey everything Jesus commanded when He was with His disciples. So the gospel accounts of Jesus’ teachings are crucial to these efforts. We have parables and sermons that teach doctrine and theology from the mouth of Jesus, and we have His examples of service and His exhibitions of great love and mercy and compassion that we are to mimic as we live under His reign of grace by and in the power of His Spirit.
Finally, of significant important for Jesus’ disciples, and for us as well, “Surely,” Jesus says, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (v20). There is never a place we can go that Jesus doesn’t accompany and guard His sheep. There isn’t a moment we must endure with His merciful presence. What a comfort for the disciples, and what an encouragement for us to give our best effort in the Great Commission!
Bible text from
Gospelcom.net. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society.