Mat 28 | TFG | STEP | #Mt 28:1| CXXXIV. ANGELS ANNOUNCE THE RESURRECTION TO CERTAIN WOMEN. PETER AND JOHN ENTER THE EMPTY TOMB. (Joseph's Garden. Sunday, very early.) #Mt 28:1-8 Mr 16:1-8 Lu 24:1-8,12 Joh 20:1-10|

Matthew 28

#Mt 28:1| CXXXIV. ANGELS ANNOUNCE THE RESURRECTION TO CERTAIN WOMEN. PETER AND JOHN ENTER THE EMPTY TOMB. (Joseph's Garden. Sunday, very early.) #Mt 28:1-8 Mr 16:1-8 Lu 24:1-8,12 Joh 20:1-10| #Mt 28:2| An angel of the Lord . . . sat upon it. The angel sat upon the stone that the Roman guards might make no attempt to reclose the tomb. (TFG 739) #Mt 28:4| The watchers. The Roman soldiers on guard. (TFG 739) #Mt 28:5| Fear not ye. See TFG "#Lu 1:30|". #Mt 28:6| Come, see the place where the Lord lay. See TFG "#Mr 16:6|". #Mt 28:7| Go quickly, and tell his disciples, etc. See TFG "#Mr 16:7|". #Mt 28:8| And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy. Fear, because of the heavenly messengers; joy, because of their message. (TFG 741) #Mt 28:9| CXXXV. FIRST AND SECOND APPEARANCES OF THE RISEN CHRIST. THE RESURRECTION REPORTED TO THE APOSTLES. (Jerusalem. Sunday morning.) #Mt 28:9,10 Mr 16:9-11 Lu 24:9-11 Joh 20:11-18| And behold, Jesus met them. The narrative turns back to take up the account of the other women. All hail. This was a customary salutation. But the old formula took on new significance, it means "rejoice." And they came and took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. This delay, permitted to them, and denied to Mary (#Joh 20:17|), probably explains why she became the first messenger, though the other women were first to leave the tomb. (TFG 745) #Mt 28:10| Fear not. See TFG "#Lu 1:30|". Go tell my brethren that they depart into Galilee, and there shall they see me. The repetition may be due to the reticence of the women remarked by Mark in the last section by the key words "and they said nothing to any one" (#Mr 16:8|). The women may have been hesitating whether they should tell the disciples. Thus Jesus reiterates the instruction already given by the angel (#Mt 28:7|). This is the first time the word "brethren" is applied by our Lord to his disciples. (TFG 745) #Mt 28:11| CXXXVI. SOME OF THE GUARDS REPORT TO THE JEWISH RULERS. #Mt 28:11-15| Now while they were going. While Joanna and the group of women with her were on their way to tell the apostles that they had seen Jesus (#Mt 28:9|). Some of the guard. Not all. Told unto the chief priests all the things that were come to pass. Esteeming it folly to guard an empty tomb, the soldiers went to their barracks, while their officers returned to those who had placed them on guard to report what had happened. They rightly judged that the plain truth was their best defense. They could not be expected to contend against earthquakes and angels. Their report implies that they saw Jesus leave the tomb, and after the angel opened it.* *NOTE.--We fail to see any such implication. In our opinion Jesus had already departed from the tomb when the angel came. The tomb was not opened to let the Lord out, but to let the disciples in, that they might see as soon as possible one of the chief evidences of his resurrection (#Joh 20:8 Mt 28:6|). Jesus did not need that one open doors for him (#Joh 20:19,26|), but the disciples had such a need (#Mr 16:3|). But it seems to us contrary to Scripture precedent that these unbelieving soldiers should see the risen Christ, for he did not appear to the unbelieving so far as the record shows, and the implication is that the same principle which made Jesus refuse the testimony of demons made him also decline to let unbelievers become witnesses to his resurrection (#Ac 10:40,41|).--P. Y. P. (TFG 746) #Mt 28:12| When they. The chief priests. Were assembled with the elders. This was evidently not a full, but a select, council of the Sanhedrin hastily summoned. They gave much money to the soldiers. They willfully shut their eyes to the fact that Jesus had risen, and proceed to purchase a lie to subvert the truth. (TFG 747) #Mt 28:13| Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. Unrepentant, despite the many evidences that they had done wrong, they proceed to further invoke the wrath of God. Their lie is doubly apparent upon its face: 1. It would have been practically impossible for men to have rifled such a tomb without waking a guard set to protect it. 2. It is absolutely impossible for men to have known what had occurred while they were asleep. (TFG 747) #Mt 28:14| If this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and rid you of care. It was a capital offense for a Roman soldier to sleep while on guard; therefore, if Pilate heard that they had done this thing, it would require "persuasion" to make him overlook the offense. Possibly the Jews thought that Pilate was sufficiently involved with them to be ready to aid them to hush the story of the resurrection, especially if they confessed to him that they themselves had invented the lie which the soldiers told. (TFG 747) #Mt 28:15| So they took the money, and did as they were taught. The lesson was short and simple; the reward, large and desirable. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continueth until this day. The words seem to indicate that it was published more largely than simply within the walls of Jerusalem. In his dialogue with Trypho, which was written about A.D. 170, Justin Martyr says that the Jews dispersed the story by means of special messengers sent to every country. The fear which they expressed to Pilate (#Mt 27:64|), lends credibility to this statement. (TFG 747) #Mt 28:16,17| CXLI. EIGHTH APPEARANCE OF JESUS. (A mountain in Galilee) #Mt 28:16,17 1Co 15:6| But the eleven disciples went into Galilee. Though Matthew speaks of only eleven being present at this appearance, yet as it was the oft-promised meeting by appointment and as the women and disciples generally shared in the promise (#Mt 28:7-10|), we have no doubt that it was the meeting mentioned by Paul (#1Co 15:6|). (TFG 761) #Mt 28:17| But some doubted. As to the doubts, we may explain them in three ways: 1. Among so large a number as five hundred (#1Co 15:6|), some would likely be skeptical. 2. It would take Jesus some time to draw near enough to all to convince each one of his identity. Some, therefore, would doubt until they were thus convinced by Jesus coming to them and speaking to them, as the first clause of the next section (#Mt 28:18|) shows that he did. 3. Matthew records no other appearance to the apostles save this one, and it seems to us reasonable to think that he here notes the doubts of Thomas (#Joh 20:24,25|), and connects them with the appearance of Jesus generally. He could not well say "had doubted," for he records no other appearance where they had opportunity to doubt. The history of the eleven sustains this view, for there were no doubters among them at Pentecost. According to Paul, many of these brethren were still alive when he wrote his epistle to the Corinthians, which is commonly accepted to have been in the spring of A.D. 57. (TFG 761-762) #Mt 28:18-20| CXLII. THE GREAT COMMISSION GIVEN. (Time and place same as last section.) #Mt 28:18-20 Mr 16:15-18 Lu 24:46,47| All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. But neither the word "power" nor the word "authority" adequately translated Christ's word. It means all the right of absolute authority, and all the force of absolute power. It is a most transcendent claim which Jesus utters here. All authority in heaven! Paul's qualification of these words, or their counterpart in #Ps 8:6| (#1Co 15:27,28|), magnifies instead of detracting from their wonderful import, for he deems its necessary to state that the Father himself is not subject to the Son. Surely in connection with this marvelous celestial power, his dominion over out tiny earth would not need to be mentioned if it were not that we, its inhabitants, are very limited in our conception of things, and require exceedingly plain statements. (TFG 763) #Mt 28:19| Go ye. See TFG "#Mr 16:15|". Therefore. The first word of the commission is significant, and should be remembered. We have no right to wait for sinners to come and hear the gospel; we must carry it to them. See TFG "#Mt 10:6|". The "therefore" with which it opens shows that Jesus rests his command on his divine authority. See TFG "#Mt 28:18|"). And make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them. The structure of the sentence in the original Greek shows that it is the disciples and not the nations who are to be baptized; according to the commission, therefore, one must be made a disciple before he can be baptized. See TFG "#Mr 16:16|". (TFG 763) #Mt 28:20| I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. This is a promise not of bare companionship, but of full sympathy and support (#Isa 43:2 Ex 33:15 Jos 1:5|). The duration of this promise shows that it is intended for all disciples. (TFG 764)