28:1The other Mary was not Jesus’ mother. She could have been the wife of Clopas (John 19:25). Or, she may have been Jesus’ aunt, the mother of James and John (Matthew 27:56).
Life Application Study BibleMatthewChapter 28
Matthew 28
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1608, 1609
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
28Matthew 28
1Early on Sunday morning,* as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. 2Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the LORD came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. SHis face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. 5Then the angel spoke to the women. 6Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. SHe isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” Jesus Appears to the Women (241) 8The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. 9And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, “Don't be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.” Religious Leaders Bribe the Guards (242) 11As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. 12A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. 1S They told the soldiers, “ You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ 14If the governor hears about it, we'll stand up for you so you won't get in trouble.” 15So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today. Jesus Gives the Great Commission (248/Mark 16:15-18) 16Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted! 18Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,* baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Textual footnotes
- 28:1 Greek After the Sabbath, on the first day of the week.
- 28:19 Or ail peoples.
Life Application Notes 16 notes
28:2The stone was not rolled aside so Jesus could get out, but so others could get in and see that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead, just as he had promised.
28:5-7The angel who announced the good news of the Resurrection to the women gave them four messages: (1) Don't be afraid. The reality of the Resurrection brings joy, not fear. When you are afraid, remember the empty tomb. (2) He isn’t here. Jesus is not dead and is not to be looked for among the dead. He is alive, with his people. (3) Come, see. The women could check the evidence themselves. The tomb was empty then, and it is empty today. The Resurrection is a historical fact. (4} Go quickly and tell. They were to spread the joy of the Resurrection. We, too, are to spread the great news about Jesus’ resurrection.
28:6Jesus’ resurrection is the key to the Christian faith. Why? (1) Just as he promised, Jesus rose from the dead. We can be confident, therefore, that he will accomplish ail he has promised. (2) Jesus’ bodily resurrection shows us that the living Christ is ruler of God’s eternal Kingdom, not a false prophet or impostor. (3) We can be certain of our resurrection because he was resurrected. Death is not the end—there is future life. (4) The power that brought Jesus back to life is available to us to bring our spiritually dead selves back to life. (5) The Resurrection is the basis for the church's witness to the world. Jesus is more than just a human leader; he is the Son of God.
28:10By “brothers,” Jesus probably meant his disciples. This showed that he had forgiven them, even after they had denied and deserted him. Jesus told the women to pass a message on to the disciples—that he would meet them in Galilee, as he had previously told them (Mark 14:28). But the disciples, afraid of the religious leaders, stayed hidden behind tocked doors in Jerusalen (John 20:19). So Jesus met them first there (Luke 24:36) and then later in Galilee (John 21).
28:11-15Jesus’ resurrection was already causing a great stir in Jerusalem. A group of women was moving quickly through the streets, looking for the disciples to tell them the amazing news that Jesus was alive. At the same time, a group of religious leaders was plotting how to cover up the Resurrection. Today there is still a great stir over the Resurrection, and there are still only two choices: to believe that Jesus rose from the dead, or to be closed to the truth-—denying it, ignoring it. or trying to explain it away.
41:12There are three common views about the meaning of this verse: (1) Jesus may have been referring to a vast movement toward God, the momentum that began with John’s preaching. (2) He may have been reflecting the Jewish activists’ expectation that God’s Kingdom would come through a violent overthrow of Rome. (3) Or he may have meant that entering God's Kingdom takes courage, unwavering faith, determination, and endurance because of the growing opposition leveled at Jesus’ followers. In any case, Jesus was pointing out that John’s ministry had ushered in the Kingdom of Heaven.
28:18God gave Jesus authority over heaven and earth. On the basis of that authority, Jesus told his disciples to make more disciples as they preached, baptized, and taught. With this same authority, Jesus still commands us to tell others the Good News and make them disciples for the Kingdom.
28:18-20When someone is dying or leaving us, his or her last words are very important. Jesus left the disciples with these last words of instruction: They were under his authority; they were to make more disciples; they were to baptize and teach these new disciples to obey Christ; Christ would be with them always. Whereas in previous missions Jesus had sent his disciples only to the Jews (10:5, 6), their mission from now on would be worldwide. Jesus is LORD of the earth, and he died for the sins of people from all nations. We are to go—whether it is next door or to another country— and make disciples. it is not an option but a command to all who call Jesus “LORD.” We are not all evangelists in the formal sense, but we have all received gifts that we can use to help fulfill the great commission, As we obey, we have comfort in the knowledge that Jesus is always with us.
28:19Jesus’ words affirm the reality of the Trinity. Some people accuse theologians of making up the concept of the Trinity and reading it into Scripture. As we see here, the concept comes directly from Jesus himself. He did not say baptize them in the names, but in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The word Trinity does not occur in Scripture, but it well describes the three-in-one nature of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
28:19The disciples were to baptize people because baptism unites believers with Jesus Christ in their death to sin and their resurrection to new life. Baptism symbolizes submission to Christ, a willingness to live God’s way, and identification with God’s covenant people.
28:20How is Jesus “with” us? Jesus was with the disciples physically until he ascended into heaven and then spiritually through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). The Holy Spirit would be Jesus’ presence that would never leave them (John 14:26). Jesus continues to be with us today through his Spirit.
28:20The Old Testament prophecies and genealogies in the book of Matthew present Jesus’ credentials for being King of the world—not a military or political leader, as the disciples had originally hoped, but a spiritual King who can overcome all evil and rule in the heart of every person. If we refuse to serve the King faithfully, we are distoyal subjects, fit only to be banished from the Kingdom. We must make Jesus King of our life and worship him as our Savior, King, and LORD.
41:28-30A yoke is a heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulders of an ox or oxen. It is attached to a piece of equipment the oxen are to pull. A person may be carrying heavy burdens of (1) sin, (2) excessive demands of religious leaders (23:4; Acts 15:10), (3) oppression and persecution, or (4) weariness in the search for God. Jesus frees people from aii these burdens. The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of all labor. A relationship with God changes meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose.
40:29-31Jesus said that God is aware of everything that happens even to sparrows, and you are far more valuable to him than they are. You are so valuable that God sent his only Son to die for you (John 3:16). Because God places such value on you, you need never fear personal threats or difficult trials. These can’t shake God’s love or dislodge his Spirit fram within you. This doesn’t mean, however, that God will take away all your troubles (see 10:16). The real test of value is how well something holds up under the wear, tear, and stress of everyday life. Those who stand up for Christ in spite of their troubles truly have lasting value and will receive great rewards (see’5:11, 12).
42:31,32The Pharisees had blasphemed against the Spirit by attributing the power by which Christ did miracles to Satan (12:24) instead of the Holy Spirit. The unpardonable sin is the deliberate refusal to acknowledge God's power in Christ. It indicates a deliberate and irreversible hardness of heart. Sometimes believers worry that they have accidentally committed this unforgivable sin. But only those who have turned their backs on God and rejected alt faith have any need to worry. Jesus said they can’t be forgiven— not because their sin is worse than any other but because they will never ask for forgiveness. Whoever rejects the prompting of the Holy Spirit removes himself or herself from the only force that can lead him or her to repentance and restoration to God.