New Testament · Gospel

Matthew 28

He Is Risen

An earthquake. An angel. An empty tomb. And then the most important words ever spoken: He is not here. He has risen.

Berean Standard Bible BSB KJV

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1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.

2Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it.

3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

4The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men.

5But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

6He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay.

7Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have told you.”

8So they hurried away from the tomb in fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples.

9Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him.

10“Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.”

11While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened.

12And after the chief priests had met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money

13and instructed them: “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’

14If this report reaches the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”

15So the guards took the money and did as they were instructed. And this account has been circulated among the Jews to this very day.

16Meanwhile, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had designated.

17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted.

18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Understand This

Matthew 28, explained

What Matthew 28 is saying

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary discover the empty tomb after an angel descends and rolls away the stone. The risen Jesus meets them and commissions them as the first witnesses. The guards report to the chief priests, who fabricate the stolen-body story. Jesus meets the eleven on a Galilean mountain and delivers the Great Commission: make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching, with the promise of His presence until the age's end.

The background behind it

Women as first witnesses is historically significant because female testimony was generally inadmissible in Jewish courts—no apologetic inventor would choose this. The Great Commission's Trinitarian baptismal formula and universal scope ('all nations' / panta ta ethnē) mark a dramatic expansion from the earlier Israel-only mission (10:5–6). The 'some doubted' note is remarkably honest.

Themes running underneath

Resurrection is the vindication of everything Jesus taught, did, and claimed. The commission universalizes the mission—all nations, all time—while the final promise ('I am with you always') forms an inclusio with the Gospel's opening 'Immanuel' (God with us). The already/not-yet tension of the kingdom is captured in the coexistence of authority and mission.

Why it still matters

The Great Commission is not optional for the church—it defines its existence. And the closing promise ensures that mission is never carried out alone. The risen Christ accompanies every act of disciple-making until the end of the age.

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Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.