CHAPTER 28
. 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. ( = Mark 16:1-8;
Luke 24:1-8; John 20:1).
The Resurrection Announced to
the Women (Matthew 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 (Luke 24:1) has
it, "very early in the morning"—properly, "at the
first appearance of daybreak"; and corresponding with this, John
(John 20:1) says, "when it
was yet dark." See on John 20:1.
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 John 20:1; Matthew 28:2).
to see the sepulchre—with
a view to the anointing of the body, for which they had made all
their preparations. (See on Matthew 28:2).
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 (); 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 .
Come—as in .
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 .
7. And go quickly, and tell his
disciples—For a precious addition to this, see on .
that he is risen from the
dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee—to which
those women belonged (Matthew 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 (Matthew 28:9;
Matthew 28:10).
Lo, I have told you—Behold,
ye have this word from the world of light!
8. And they departed quickly—Mark
(Mark 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 Mark 16:11.
and did run to bring his
disciples word—"Neither said they anything to any man [by
the way]; for they were afraid" (Mark 16:11).
Appearance to the Women
(Matthew 28:9; Matthew 28:10).
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 ); for His brethren in the higher sense (see on ) 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 ().
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, Acts 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.
. 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" (Matthew 26:32;
Mark 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.
(John 21:1, c.). That the
interview here recorded was the same as that referred to in one place
only— 1 Corinthians 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 , "And were all baptized unto (or rather 'into')
Moses"; and Galatians 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 (Matthew 28:18): "Go,
make disciples of all nations." In the corresponding passage of
Mark (Mark 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 Mark 16:15).
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 (Matthew 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 by Me placed at your command—"Go ye
therefore." But there remains a
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.
CHAPTER 28
. 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. ( = Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-8; John 20:1).
The Resurrection Announced to the Women (Matthew 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 (Luke 24:1) has it, "very early in the morning"—properly, "at the first appearance of daybreak"; and corresponding with this, John (John 20:1) says, "when it was yet dark." See on John 20:1. 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 John 20:1; Matthew 28:2).
to see the sepulchre—with a view to the anointing of the body, for which they had made all their preparations. (See on Matthew 28:2).
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 (); 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 .
Come—as in .
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 .
7. And go quickly, and tell his disciples—For a precious addition to this, see on .
that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee—to which those women belonged (Matthew 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 (Matthew 28:9; Matthew 28:10).
Lo, I have told you—Behold, ye have this word from the world of light!
8. And they departed quickly—Mark (Mark 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 Mark 16:11.
and did run to bring his disciples word—"Neither said they anything to any man [by the way]; for they were afraid" (Mark 16:11).
Appearance to the Women (Matthew 28:9; Matthew 28:10).
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 ); for His brethren in the higher sense (see on ) 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 ().
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, Acts 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.
. 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" (Matthew 26:32; Mark 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. (John 21:1, c.). That the interview here recorded was the same as that referred to in one place only— 1 Corinthians 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 , "And were all baptized unto (or rather 'into') Moses"; and Galatians 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 (Matthew 28:18): "Go, make disciples of all nations." In the corresponding passage of Mark (Mark 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 Mark 16:15). 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 (Matthew 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 by Me placed at your command—"Go ye therefore." But there remains a
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.