Matthew 28

¹ Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.

² Behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from the sky and came and rolled away the stone from the door and sat on it.

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

⁴ For fear of him, the guards shook, and became like dead men.

⁵ The angel answered the women, “Don’t be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified.

⁶ He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying.

⁷ Go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead, and behold, he goes before you into Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.”

⁸ They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word.

⁹ As they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” They came and took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go tell my brothers that they should go into Galilee, and there they will see me.”

¹¹ Now while they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city and told the chief priests all the things that had happened.

¹² When they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel, they gave a large amount of silver to the soldiers,

¹³ saying, “Say that his disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept.

¹⁴ If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and make you free of worry.”

¹⁵ So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until today.

¹⁶ But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had sent them.

¹⁷ When they saw him, they bowed down to him; but some doubted.

¹⁸ Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

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

²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Around Matthew 28

Book context

MatthewEditorial draft

Matthew opens by presenting Jesus as “the son of David, the son of Abraham” (1:1) and keeps connecting his life to the Hebrew Scriptures. Its teaching centres on the Kingdom of Heaven (4:17), gathers long blocks of Jesus’ teaching such as the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5 to 7), and closes with the commission to make disciples of all nations (28:19). The book does not name its author; early church tradition attributes it to the apostle Matthew. Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897) dates it around AD 60 to 65 and holds that it was the first Gospel written. Many later scholars think Mark came first, so the order of the Gospels is debated.

Why we say this

HisFullGlory editorial · debated · not yet reviewed by a theological reader

From the text itself

Sources

Notes summarise their sources in our own words. Where Christians or scholars disagree, the note says so. Notes are not original-language evidence and do not replace the text.

AI explanation

Matthew 28 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

The Sabbath is over. At first light Mary Magdalene and the other Mary go to look at the tomb. The ground shakes. An angel comes down, rolls the stone away and sits on it, and the guards shake with fear until they are like dead men.

The angel tells the women not to be afraid. Jesus is not here, for he has risen, just like he said. They are to tell the disciples that he goes before them into Galilee. They run with fear and great joy, and Jesus meets them on the way. They take hold of his feet and worship.

The guards report to the chief priests, who give them a large sum of silver to say the disciples stole the body. Matthew writes that the story is still told among the Jews.

The eleven go to a mountain in Galilee. They bow down, though some doubt. Jesus says all authority has been given to him, sends them to make disciples of all nations, and ends: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Background

Matthew ends his Gospel with what is often called the Great Commission. All four Gospels report the empty tomb and the women as first witnesses, but they differ in details such as who went and what was seen, and Christians have long compared them. The sealed tomb and the guard appear only in Matthew. The remark about the report spreading among the Jews refers to a dispute from the time of writing and should not be read as blaming all Jews. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit named together in verse 19 are central to Christian belief about the Trinity.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 25 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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