Matthew 28

Mt 28:1-15.

GLORIOUS

ANGELIC

ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE

FIRST

DAY OF THE

WEEK, THAT

CHRIST

IS

RISEN--HIS

APPEARANCE TO THE

WOMEN--THE

GUARDS

BRIBED TO

GIVE A

FALSE

ACCOUNT OF THE

RESURRECTION.

Mr 16:1-8;

Lu 24:1-8;

Joh 20:1).

The Resurrection Announced to the Women

(Mt 28:1-8).

1. In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn--after the Sabbath,

as it grew toward daylight.

toward the first day of the week--Luke

(Lu 24:1)

has it, "very early in the morning"--properly, "at the first appearance

of daybreak"; and corresponding with this, John

(Joh 20:1)

says, "when it was yet dark." See on

Mr 16:2.

Not an hour, it would seem, was lost by those dear lovers of the Lord

Jesus.

came Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary--"the mother of James

and Joses" (see on

Mt 27:56;

Mt 27:61).

to see the sepulchre--with a view to the anointing of the body,

for which they had made all their preparations. (See on

Mr 16:1, 2).

And, behold, there was--that is, there had been, before the arrival

of the women.

a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven,

&c.--And this was the state of things when the women drew near. Some

judicious critics think all this was transacted while the women were

approaching; but the view we have given, which is the prevalent one,

seems the more natural. All this august preparation--recorded by Matthew

alone--bespoke the grandeur of the exit which was to follow. The angel

sat upon the huge stone, to overawe, with the lightning-luster that

darted from him, the Roman guard, and do honor to his rising Lord.

3. His countenance--appearance.

was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow--the one expressing

the glory, the other the purity of the celestial abode from which

he came.

4. And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead

men--Is the sepulchre "sure" now, O ye chief priests? He that

sitteth in the heavens doth laugh at you.

5. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not

ye--The "ye" here is emphatic, to contrast their case with that of

the guards. "Let those puny creatures, sent to keep the Living One

among the dead, for fear of Me shake and become as dead men

(Mt 28:4);

but ye that have come hither on another errand, fear not ye."

for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified--Jesus the

Crucified.

6. He is not here; for he is risen, as he said--See on

Lu 24:5-7.

Come--as in

Mt 11:28.

see the place where the Lord lay--Charming invitation! "Come,

see the spot where the Lord of glory lay: now it is an empty grave: He

lies not here, but He lay there. Come, feast your eyes on it!"

But see on

Joh 20:12.

7. And go quickly, and tell his disciples--For a precious

addition to this, see on

Mr 16:7.

that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into

Galilee--to which those women belonged

(Mt 27:55).

there shall ye see him--This must refer to those more public

manifestations of Himself to large numbers of disciples at once, which

He vouchsafed only in Galilee; for individually He was seen of some of

those very women almost immediately after this

(Mt 28:9, 10).

Lo, I have told you--Behold, ye have this word from the world of light!

8. And they departed quickly--Mark

(Mr 16:8)

says "they fled."

from the sepulchre with fear and great joy--How natural this

combination of feelings! See on a similar statement of

Mr 16:11.

and did run to bring his disciples word--"Neither said they anything

to any man [by the way]; for they were afraid"

(Mr 16:8).

Appearance to the Women

(Mt 28:9, 10).

This appearance is recorded only by Matthew.

9. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them,

saying, All hail!--the usual salute, but from the lips of Jesus

bearing a higher signification.

And they came and held him by the feet--How truly womanly!

10. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid--What dear associations

would these familiar words--now uttered in a higher style, but by the

same Lips--bring rushing back to their recollection!

go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they

see me--The brethren here meant must have been His brethren after the

flesh (compare

Mt 13:55);

for His brethren in the higher sense (see on

Joh 20:17)

had several meetings with Him at Jerusalem before He went to

Galilee, which they would have missed if they had been the persons

ordered to Galilee to meet Him.

The Guards Bribed

(Mt 28:11-15).

The whole of this important portion is peculiar to Matthew.

11. Now when they were going--while the women were on their way to

deliver to His brethren the message of their risen Lord.

some of the watch came into the city, and showed unto the chief priests

all the things that were done--Simple, unsophisticated soldiers! How

could ye imagine that such a tale as ye had to tell would not at once

commend itself to your scared employers? Had they doubted this for a

moment, would they have ventured to go near them, knowing it was death

to a Roman soldier to be proved asleep when on guard? and of course that

was the only other explanation of the case.

12. And when they were assembled with the elders--But Joseph at least

was absent: Gamaliel probably also; and perhaps others.

and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers--It

would need a good deal; but the whole case of the Jewish authorities was

now at stake. With what contempt must these soldiers have regarded the

Jewish ecclesiastics!

13. Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away

while we slept--which, as we have observed, was a capital offense for

soldiers on guard.

14. And if this come to the governor's ears--rather, "If this come

before the governor"; that is, not in the way of mere report, but for

judicial investigation.

we will persuade him, and secure you--The "we" and the "you" are

emphatic here--"we shall [take care to] persuade him and keep you from

trouble," or "save you harmless." The grammatical form of this clause

implies that the thing supposed was expected to happen. The meaning

then is, "If this come before the governor--as it likely will--we shall

see to it that," &c. The "persuasion" of Pilate meant, doubtless,

quieting him by a bribe, which we know otherwise he was by no means

above taking (like Felix afterwards,

Ac 24:26).

15. So they took the money, and did as they were taught--thus

consenting to brand themselves with infamy.

and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day--to

the date of the publication of this Gospel. The wonder is that so clumsy

and incredible a story lasted so long. But those who are resolved

not to come to the light will catch at straws.

JUSTIN

MARTYR, who

flourished about A.D. 170,

says, in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, that the Jews

dispersed the story by means of special messengers sent to every

country.

Mt 28:16-20.

JESUS

MEETS WITH THE

DISCIPLES ON A

MOUNTAIN IN

GALILEE AND

GIVES

FORTH THE

GREAT

COMMISSION.

16. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee--but certainly

not before the second week after the resurrection, and probably somewhat

later.

into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them--It should have been

rendered "the mountain," meaning some certain mountain which He had

named to them--probably the night before He suffered, when He said,

"After I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee"

(Mt 26:32;

Mr 14:28).

What it was can only be conjectured; but of the two between which

opinions are divided--the Mount of the Beatitudes or Mount Tabor--the

former is much the more probable, from its nearness to the Sea of

Tiberias, where last before this the Narrative tells us that He met and

dined with seven of them.

(Joh 21:1,

&c.). That the interview here recorded was the same as that referred to

in one place only--

1Co 15:6

--when "He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the

greater part remained unto that day, though some were fallen asleep,"

is now the opinion of the ablest students of the evangelical history.

Nothing can account for such a number as five hundred assembling at one

spot but the expectation of some promised manifestation of their risen

Lord: and the promise before His resurrection, twice repeated after it,

best explains this immense gathering.

17. And when they saw him, they worshipped him; but some

doubted--certainly none of "the Eleven," after what took place at previous

interviews in Jerusalem. But if the five hundred were now present, we

may well believe this of some of them.

19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations--rather, "make disciples

of all nations"; for "teaching," in the more usual sense of that word,

comes in afterwards, and is expressed by a different term.

baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the

Holy Ghost--It should be, "into the name"; as in

1Co 10:2,

"And were all baptized unto (or rather 'into') Moses"; and

Ga 3:27,

"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ."

20. Teaching them--This is teaching in the more usual sense of the

term; or instructing the converted and baptized disciples.

to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I--The

"I" here is emphatic. It is enough that I

am with you alway--"all the days"; that is, till making converts,

baptizing, and building them up by Christian instruction, shall be no

more.

even unto the end of the world. Amen--This glorious Commission embraces

two primary departments, the Missionary and the Pastoral, with

two sublime and comprehensive Encouragements to undertake and go

through with them.

First, The MISSIONARY department

(Mt 28:18):

"Go, make disciples of all nations." In the corresponding passage of

Mark

(Mr 16:15)

it is, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every

creature." The only difference is, that in this passage the

sphere, in its world-wide compass and its universality of

objects, is more fully and definitely expressed; while in the

former the great aim and certain result is delightfully

expressed in the command to "make disciples of all nations." "Go,

conquer the world for Me; carry the glad tidings into all lands and to

every ear, and deem not this work at an end till all nations shall have

embraced the Gospel and enrolled themselves My disciples." Now, Was all

this meant to be done by the Eleven men nearest to Him of the multitude

then crowding around the risen Redeemer? Impossible. Was it to be done

even in their lifetime? Surely not. In that little band Jesus virtually

addressed Himself to all who, in every age, should take up from them

the same work. Before the eyes of the Church's risen Head were spread

out, in those Eleven men, all His servants of every age; and one and

all of them received His commission at that moment. Well, what next?

Set the seal of visible discipleship upon the converts, by "baptizing

them into the name," that is, into the whole fulness of the grace "of

the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," as belonging to

them who believe. (See on

2Co 13:14).

This done, the Missionary department of your work, which in its own

nature is temporary, must merge in another, which is permanent. This

is

Second, The PASTORAL department

(Mt 28:20):

"Teach them"--teach these baptized members of the Church visible--"to

observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you," My apostles,

during the three years ye have been with Me.

What must have been the feelings which such a Commission awakened?

"WE who have scarce conquered our own

misgivings--we, fishermen of Galilee, with no letters, no means, no

influence over the humblest creature, conquer the world for Thee, Lord?

Nay, Lord, do not mock us." "I mock you not, nor send you a warfare on

your own charges. For"--Here we are brought to

Third, The ENCOURAGEMENTS to undertake and go through with this work.

These are two; one in the van, the other in the rear of the Commission

itself.

First Encouragement: "All power in heaven"--the whole power of

Heaven's love and wisdom and strength, "and all power in earth"--power

over all persons, all passions, all principles, all movements--to bend

them to this one high object, the evangelization of the world: All this

"is given unto Me." as the risen Lord of all, to be

Second Encouragement: "And lo! I am with you all the days"--not only

to perpetuity, but without one day's interruption, "even to the end of

the world," The "Amen" is of doubtful genuineness in this place. If,

however, it belongs to the text, it is the Evangelist's own closing

word.

Send Addenda, Corrigenda, and Sententiae to

the editor