The risen King and the great commission: all authority, all nations, always with you

Matthew 28 is the last chapter of the Gospel and its climax. It happens on the first day of the week, after the Sabbath that followed the crucifixion. Matthew has told that the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea was sealed and guarded (27:62-66), and two women, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, saw where Jesus was laid (27:61). The chapter now follows them back at dawn. The date of the Gospel and the debates about its author are treated in the class on chapters 1 and 2.

The resurrection is the central claim of the New Testament. The earliest written testimony is in Paul's letters. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, written in the mid-50s AD, Paul recites what he received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, was buried, was raised on the third day, and appeared to Peter, the Twelve, more than five hundred, James, and all the apostles, and finally to Paul. Most scholars date the tradition within a few years of the events. The four Gospels tell the story in different ways, with differences in who went to the tomb and where Jesus appeared, and readers have proposed harmonisations while noting that the accounts agree on the empty tomb, the women as first witnesses, and appearances that convinced the disciples. That the women were the first witnesses is notable, since some ancient writers, such as Josephus, report that women's testimony carried less weight in court.

The setting of the closing section is Galilee, where the ministry began (4:12-17). The Jewish leaders' answer to the claim of resurrection, that the disciples stole the body, was still being told when Matthew wrote, and Justin Martyr in the second century reports that Jewish opponents said the same. The Gospel addresses a church that faced that charge.

Matthew 28 is narrative that moves from a scene of dramatic action to a scene of quiet instruction. It has three parts, and each answers a question. Who will tell the news? The women do. What will the opposition say? That the body was stolen. What will the risen Lord do with his disciples? He sends them. Reading well means seeing how the chapter closes the Gospel's themes: the promised Immanuel of 1:23, the Son of Man of Daniel 7 in 24:30 and 26:64, the mountain settings (4:8; 5:1; 17:1; 24:3), and the fulfilment of the Lord's predictions of his rising (12:40; 16:21; 17:23; 20:19).

The resurrection accounts are written as history, not parable, and the details are physical: the stone is rolled away, the women grasp his feet, the guards report. They also use apocalyptic images, the earthquake and the angel whose appearance is like lightning, borrowed from Daniel 7:9 and 10:6. Some critical scholars regard the empty tomb accounts and the guard story as later legend, and others, N. T. Wright among them, argue that the resurrection is the best explanation for the rise of the church. The class reads the chapter as the Gospel writer intends it, as testimony to a bodily resurrection.

The commission also needs close reading. In Greek the single command is 'make disciples' (matheteusate); 'going', 'baptizing' and 'teaching' are participles describing how it is done. The phrase 'all nations' (panta ta ethne) can mean 'all Gentiles' or 'all peoples including Israel'. Most interpreters take it to include Israel, since the same phrase is used of judgment on all nations in 25:32 and of the gospel preached to all nations in 24:14.

Verses 1–4

At dawn on the first day the two Marys go to see the tomb. A great earthquake, as at Jesus' death (27:51), marks God's act, and an angel descends, rolls the stone away and sits on it. The stone is rolled away so that the witnesses may see, not so that Jesus may get out. The angel's appearance is like lightning and his clothes are white as snow. The guards tremble and become like dead men. The irony is plain: those posted to watch the dead man are themselves like the dead, while the crucified one is alive.

Verses 5–8

The angel tells the women not to be afraid and says he knows they are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 'He is not here; He has risen, just as He said!' The verb is passive, 'has been raised', a way of speaking of God's act. The women are invited to see the place and sent to tell the disciples that he is going ahead of them into Galilee, which recalls what Jesus said at the supper (26:32). They leave in fear and great joy.

Verses 9–10

Jesus himself meets them with a greeting, 'Greetings!' (chairete). They grasp his feet and worship him, which shows that this is a physical body. He repeats 'Do not be afraid' and tells them to send word to 'My brothers', the same disciples who deserted him, so that he restores them. Galilee is again the place of meeting.

Verses 11–15

While the women are on the way, some of the guards report to the chief priests. After meeting with the elders, the priests give the soldiers a large sum of money and tell them to say that the disciples came by night and stole the body while they slept. They promise to satisfy the governor. Matthew says the story is told among the Jews to this day. The story admits the tomb was empty, and a sleeping witness cannot testify to what happened. The bribe contrasts with the angel's truthful message.

Verses 16–17

The eleven, no longer twelve since Judas, go to the mountain Jesus had designated. When they see him they worship him, but some doubted. The Greek verb (distazo) means hesitate or waver. It most naturally refers to some among the eleven, and others suggest a larger group. Matthew does not hide the doubt, and the risen Lord comes to those who doubt.

Verse 18

'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.' The language echoes Daniel 7:13-14, where the Son of Man is given authority, glory and a kingdom that all peoples and nations serve. It also reverses the third temptation (4:8-9), where the devil offered all the kingdoms for worship. Jesus receives all authority, and he has done so by obedience to the cross.

Verses 19–20

'Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.' The command rests on the authority just stated. 'Name' is singular, which fits the church's later teaching of one God in three persons. Baptism marks entry into discipleship. The teaching is to obey all that Jesus commanded, including the Sermon on the Mount, so the commission is both to proclaim and to teach. 'And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' The promise of presence echoes God's words to Moses (Exodus 3:12) and to Joshua (Joshua 1:5), and it fulfils Immanuel, 'God with us' (1:23). The end of the age was a theme of chapters 13 and 24.

The chapter confirms the resurrection as God's vindication of Jesus. Paul says Jesus was declared the Son of God in power by the resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4) and is the firstfruits of those who have died (1 Corinthians 15:20). The resurrection is bodily and historical, and it is the beginning of new creation. Without it, Paul says, faith is futile (1 Corinthians 15:17). Old Testament texts such as Psalm 16:10 and Isaiah 53:10-12 are read by the apostles as pointing to it (Acts 2:25-32), and Jesus' own appeal to Jonah (12:40) points to the third day.

The commission teaches the doctrine of the Trinity in a baptismal formula. The Father, Son and Spirit share one name, and the church has understood this as a statement about the one God. It teaches the universal mission of the church: the promise to Abraham that all nations would be blessed (Genesis 12:3) and the servant's calling to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 49:6) are now carried out under the risen Lord. It teaches that discipleship includes teaching obedience to Jesus' commands, and that the church lives under his authority and in his presence until the end.

The chapter also shows that doubt can coexist with worship, and that the risen Lord restores those who failed. The women are the first witnesses, and the disciples who deserted him are called brothers.

This chapter is fulfilment in the plainest sense. The angel says Jesus has risen just as he said, pointing back to his predictions in 12:40 and 16:21. His claim to 'all authority in heaven and on earth' is most likely an echo of Daniel 7:13-14, where the Son of Man is given dominion over all peoples. The Son of Man who sat before the high priest as a prisoner (26:64) now stands as the ruler of heaven and earth. Paul describes the same in Philippians 2:9-11 and Ephesians 1:20-22.

Matthew 28:20 fulfils the Immanuel promise of 1:23: the risen Jesus is God present with his people. Isaiah 41:10, Jeremiah 1:8 and Haggai 1:13 give the promise of presence to prophets and people, and here Jesus gives it in his own name. The disciples worship him (28:9, 17), and the Gospel has already stated that worship belongs to God alone (4:10). The baptismal name places Jesus beside the Father and the Spirit. The Gospel ends with a person, who has all authority and will be with his people.

The Gospel's frame is complete. The king the Magi sought is the king whose enemies sealed the tomb. The title 'king of the Jews' was placed on the cross as mockery, and the resurrection shows him as Lord of all nations. The Gospel opens with a genealogy that mentions Abraham and nations, and it closes with a commission to all nations.