This is the last chapter of the book of Matthew, the first book of the New Testament. The gospels, or the four accounts of the life of Jesus, were written quite a few years after Jesus died. This commentary on Matthew chapter 28 explains to us that the great mission we need to do, the main reason we were called of God to this earth, is to tell others that they have a hell to shun and a heaven to gain.
This last chapter of the book of Matthew talks about the resurrection of Jesus, which tells us that you and I can be resurrected when Jesus returns to take us to heaven. The resurrection of Jesus proves that He did raise up His body after they destroyed the temple of it. Jesus raised Himself from the dead. Jesus is all powerful; when things go wrong, Jesus has all power on your behalf. The earthlastday.com commentary on Matthew chapter 28 tells us that if we do not work for God in telling others about His love, our life is worthless and vain.
MT 28:1 “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.” This is excellent proof that the Sabbath is still binding. Many Christians teach that there are no more commandments, but the Bible never says that — it only says we are not under the condemnation of the law. In Luke 23, the last chapter, it says that the apostles rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.
LK 23:56 “And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.” Why would the apostles rest on the Sabbath after Jesus died if the Sabbath had been changed? Why did they return on Sunday, the first day of the week, if Sunday had become the day of rest? It proves the Sabbath was never changed. The Sabbath was given to all humans in Eden, 1,500 years before there was a Jew.
The Sabbath was kept by all the apostles all their lives. John says he was in the Spirit on the Sabbath, 90 years after Jesus. Why was John still keeping the Sabbath? We are not saved by keeping the commandments; yet also we cannot be saved without keeping the Ten Commandments through the righteousness of Jesus. The apostles came to see the tomb of Jesus on Sunday because it was a working day. They could have done work on the tomb, but they did not understand that Jesus had told them He would rise again.
MT 28:2 “And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.” It was time for Jesus to rise from the grave. An angel came. In case people, or Satan himself, would try to prevent the resurrection of Jesus, God sent an angel.
This is also the witness of Jesus raised up from the dead, to be welcomed by the hosts of heaven, who welcomed their commander with great love and worship. The commentary on Matthew chapter 28 tells us that Jesus gained the victory over sin. He lived a sinless life, and now we have hope that if faithful, by the righteousness of Jesus, we too will be raised up one day to go to a land where there is no more tears, no more suffering, no more death.
MT 28:3 “His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:” This is like Moses, who reflected the glory of God, and his face shone so much that people were afraid to look at him. Earth is dim; in heaven, the glory and light of God’s presence must be astounding. Angels are much more powerful than humans — we remember that one angel, in the times of Israel, killed many thousands of Assyrians in a moment.
MT 28:4 “And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.” Men need to understand that God is real, even if we do not see Him. Many live as if God did not exist, not understanding that all our thoughts, words, and actions are recorded. Those who do evil need to know that one day they will have to meet God. But many humans are not very responsible, and they postpone something they do not see, as if the day they meet God will never come.
Commentary on Matthew chapter 28 tells us that one day we will meet Jesus at the judgment. If we resemble His character of humility, love, kindness, sincerity, and honesty, we will be able to enter heaven. If we are legalists, proud, selfish, dishonest, filled with unbelief, rude, and unkind, we will never enter heaven.
MT 28:5 “And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.” The fear that a message from God gives to the lost gives comfort to the humble and honest followers of Jesus. The same angel who freed Peter from jail in the book of Acts is the same one who struck, in a different way, the proud Herod.
AC 12:21 “And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. 22 And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. 23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.”
MT 28:6 “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” The unbelief of the apostles, who thought that Jesus would reign, needed now to be addressed, as they had a disappointment, but it was explained. The difference between a false prophecy and a disappointment is that God sometimes allows His followers to not see the light right away, and God hides the facts for a time, then God explains the truth. In the story of the first angel’s message of 1844, the first angel’s messenger, William Miller, thought the cleansing of the sanctuary of Daniel 8:14 was the return of Jesus.
When the time came, the people were greatly disappointed. But it was not a false prophecy, as the calculations — even a child can count and see they are correct. The next day, God gave a vision to Hiram Edson and explained that the cleansing of the sanctuary is not the earth, but Jesus passing in 1844 from the holy place to the most holy place in the heavenly sanctuary.
MT 28:7 “And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.” Jesus appeared to the disciples for 40 days. Let us remember that Jesus did not go to heaven when He died, as He told Mary, “Touch me not, for I have not yet ascended to my Father.”
This is because, biblically, people do not go to heaven when they die. They wait for the return of Jesus to be resurrected. The first message of the angels to the disciples was already an evangelistic mission to tell others about the resurrection of Jesus. Angels could have done that work of evangelism, but God wants us to develop love, care, and skill in evangelism, to be spokesmen for Him.
MT 28:8 “And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.” This was amazing news. The Jesus they loved so much, whom they thought to be dead — and they did not understand: as Jesus is God, why did He die? How could God die? The divinity of Jesus did not die, as this is impossible. Only the human part of Jesus died. This is why He said, “Destroy this body,” the human part, “and I, the divine Jesus, will raise it up.” This first evangelistic campaign found success, as the apostles ran to see the tomb of Jesus with great joy.
MT 28:9 “And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.” Jesus so longed to meet His friends again that He appeared to them on the way as they went to tell the disciples. It seems that all unbelief was gone, as they worshipped Jesus and knew that He is the Son of God, since no one can raise himself from the grave unless he is God. The word “worship” here is PROSKUNEO, the same word used for the worship of the Father.
When the Father is worshipped in the Bible, it uses PROSKUNEO. Here, Jesus too is worshipped in the same way as the Father. Jesus is also God.
MT 28:10 “Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.” Jesus here arranges a meeting with His apostles. It says that when Jesus rose, there were about 500 people present.
These 500 turned the whole world around. Paul says that in his lifetime they preached the gospel to the whole world — and this was without television or the internet. There is no excuse for us today; by spending one hour a day online, we can tell many people that Jesus loves them and that they can live forever without pain, tears, and suffering.
MT 28:11 “Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.” The guards told the priests that Jesus had risen from the dead. This time, as in the days of Pharaoh, unbelief met its match. There came a time when the priests could no longer hold their unbelief, as Jesus being raised from the dead proves He is God.
But pride seems to be stronger than faith, and just as Pharaoh refused to humble himself and was so blinded by pride that he followed Israel to the Red Sea after seeing all the incredible miracles and the plagues, he still followed Israel. The priests, instead of repenting and asking forgiveness, tried to lie and continued their work of deception. There comes a time when the heart is so hardened that it cannot repent anymore.
MT 28:12 “And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,” MT 28:13 “Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.” So blinded by sin, the religious leaders lied to the people in order not to lose face, not realizing that they were fighting against God. The Bible says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. When Ananias and Sapphira lied to God, they were killed instantly.
This is one of the most amazing things I can read in the Bible — human beings so blind to the truth, human beings who have lied to themselves so much that they will be ready to confront a lion, not understanding that the lion is stronger than them. I saw a video once on YouTube of a proud man who entered the cage of a lion. He was so proud that he did not realize what he was getting himself into.
He came out of that cage bruised, with his clothes torn apart. Pride is a terrible thing; it makes one believe they are something when it is all a lie. This is one reason many people will not enter heaven. Many worship human reasoning and only believe men’s arguments rather than worshipping God. And men are so proud that they deceive themselves into being something they are not, not measuring the eternal danger they put themselves in.
MT 28:14 “And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.” MT 28:15 “So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.” The soldiers were so foolish that they feared men more than God and were afraid to disobey orders, not seeing that God would have blessed them for being faithful and true.
MT 28:16 “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.” MT 28:17 “And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.” Here too there was still unbelief. We do not know how much those who doubted had been exposed to the ministry of Jesus and the Torah.
The more we know, the more we are responsible for the truth we have heard. It does not mean that if we avoid the Bible we will be excused, as we all have the opportunity to read the Bible — there are free Bible apps available online. Nobody will have any excuse, the book of Romans says.
RO 1:19 “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”
MT 28:18 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Jesus on earth lived the same kind of life we could live. But after His resurrection, Jesus can use His power as the Father can. There is no limit to God’s power; it says there is nothing impossible for God. Is there anything too hard for the Lord? In all your troubles and sufferings, Jesus is there. Jesus can deliver you from loneliness, pain, suffering, poverty, sickness, and all troubles. Call upon Him — He says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me.”
MT 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” This is the main reason we are on earth, apart from cleansing our character in God’s righteousness and becoming like Jesus. We need to work for Jesus, we need to evangelize, we need to tell others that creation is true, that Jesus is God, that the three angels’ message is the last message for planet earth, and that it is a matter of life or death.
MT 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Jesus will be with us as we preach the truth. But if we do not do the work of God, then a curse rests upon us. When we know something that can save people, we have a responsibility to tell others and to save them from eternal destruction.
Are we going to be so selfish that we do not care about others?
Then why do we bear the name Christian if we only care about ourselves, while people are dying all around us, without God, lost, and ready for eternal destruction? Then the blood of those people whom we did not reach will be upon us. Even as we do God’s work, we need to say, “We have done our duty; we are unprofitable servants,” as this work is a duty. I counsel you to read these two stunning books: The Great Controversy by Ellen G. White and Daniel and the Revelation by Uriah Smith.