Matthew · chapter 28 of 28
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Matthew 28 tells how, at dawn on the first day of the week, an angel descends, rolls back the stone and announces to the women that Jesus has risen. Jesus himself meets them, the guards are bribed to say the disciples stole the body, and on a mountain in Galilee Jesus gives the eleven the Great Commission: to make disciples of all nations and to be with them always.
Matthew 27 ended with Jesus buried, the tomb sealed and a guard before it. Chapter 28 is the resolution of the Gospel: the resurrection confirms everything Jesus said and everything Matthew has shown about him as Son of God, Messiah and Lord. The book closes with a commission that looks to all nations and a promise of presence that does not end.
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary go to see the tomb. There is a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descends, rolls back the stone and sits on it. His appearance is like lightning and his clothing white as snow. The guards tremble and become like dead men.
The angel tells the women not to be afraid: Jesus is not here, for he has risen as he said. He invites them to see the place and tells them to go quickly and tell his disciples that he is going before them to Galilee, where they will see him. They leave with fear and great joy, and on the way Jesus meets them, greets them, and they take hold of his feet and worship him. He tells them not to be afraid and to tell his brothers to go to Galilee.
Some of the guard report to the chief priests, who assemble with the elders, give a large sum of money to the soldiers and tell them to say that the disciples stole the body while they slept. The soldiers take the money, and that story spreads among the Jews to the day Matthew writes.
The eleven go to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had appointed. They worship him, though some doubt. Jesus says that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him, and commands them to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all he has commanded. He promises to be with them always, to the end of the age.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The angel says that Jesus is not in the tomb, for he has risen as he said, and invites the women to see the place. The resurrection confirms Jesus' word and is the center of the Christian faith.
Jesus meets the women, and they take hold of his feet and worship him. The first witnesses of the resurrection are women, and the natural response to the living Lord is worship.
Jesus declares that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him, and therefore commands his disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The mission rests on his authority, not on the disciples' ability.
Jesus commands them to teach all that he has commanded and promises to be with them always, to the end of the age. The Gospel, which began with God with us, ends with that same promise of presence.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. — Matthew 28:1
Answer: He rolled back the stone and sat on it. — Matthew 28:2
Answer: Not to be afraid, that Jesus was not there because he had risen as he said, and to tell his disciples that he was going before them to Galilee. — Matthew 28:5-7
Answer: They gave them a large sum of money to say the disciples had stolen the body while they slept. — Matthew 28:12-13
Answer: That all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to him. — Matthew 28:18
Answer: That he would be with his disciples always, to the end of the age. — Matthew 28:20
Matthew 28 affirms that Jesus lives, and that is the foundation of Christian hope. The women run with fear and great joy to bring the news, and the disciples, even with doubts, worship. In a small group you can talk about how the resurrection changes the way we face death, failure and fear, and why the joy of faith sometimes lives alongside questions.
The Great Commission is not the task of a few but the mission of the whole church: to make disciples, baptize and teach. It rests not on our strength but on Christ's authority and his promise to be with us. In Sunday school you can ask what concrete step we can take this week to share the gospel or help others follow Jesus, knowing we do not go alone.
Matthew 28 closes the Gospel with the risen Lord sending his disciples to all nations and promising them his presence to the end of the age. The book that began by announcing Jesus as God with us ends with that same promise, leaving readers with the invitation to follow him and make disciples.
The text says that when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. It does not explain the cause; it may refer to surprise at something so extraordinary or to a hesitation not resolved all at once. Matthew does not hide the doubt, and Jesus still entrusts the mission to them.
It is the formula Jesus commands for baptism, and many Christians see it as an expression of faith in one God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To be baptized in that name means to enter into relationship with the triune God and join his people.
According to Matthew, the guards reported what had happened, but the chief priests gave them money to say the disciples had stolen the body. It was a way to explain the empty tomb without admitting the resurrection. Matthew says that story was circulating among the Jews in his time.