Matthew 28:1
Sabbath. The Jewish holy day each week was on Saturday, with the first day of the week as Sunday. Thus, Jesus' resurrection occurred on the third day of these events (Friday-Saturday-Sunday).
The Angel of the Lord – Matthew 28:2-7
When the two Mary's came to visit the tomb, a glorious creature sent by God from heaven appeared. This may have been the same angel (Gabriel) that appeared to Joseph and told him to marry Mary and that Jesus would be God's Son and God's presence (Matt. 1:20-23). The angel at the tomb caused the guards to faint (Matt. 28:4). The angel spoke to the women directly and revealed the empty tomb, explaining that Jesus had risen.
Matthew 28:9
Took
hold of
his feet and
worshipped him. The women were the first people to give the resurrected Jesus the honor and praise due him (Matt. 14:33). Jesus' feet are mentioned to show that Jesus was not just a spirit or ghost but in fact was resurrected in bodily form (John 20:20, 27; 1 Cor. 15:13-22).
Matthew 28:9
Took
hold of
his feet and
worshipped him. The women were the first people to give the resurrected Jesus the honor and praise due him (Matt. 14:33). Jesus' feet are mentioned to show that Jesus was not just a spirit or ghost but in fact was resurrected in bodily form (John 20:20, 27; 1 Cor. 15:13-22).
Matthew 29:10
Galilee. Galilee was in the northern part of Palestine where many Gentiles lived, and was where Jesus started and had most of his ministry (Matt. 4:13-17). Jesus was now restarting his ministry through his disciples from this same place, "Galilee of the Gentiles."
The Lie About Jesus' Body - Matthew 28:11-15
The Jewish leaders realized that reports about Jesus' resurrection would undermine their authority so they bribed the guards to say that Jesus' body had been stolen.
Matthew 28:16
The
eleven. This refers to Jesus' original twelve disciples minus Judas Iscariot who had killed himself after betraying Jesus (Matt. 27:3-10). Matthew 28:17
They worshiped him but some doubted. The disciples gave Jesus the honor, reverence, and praise that is due him. "Doubted" here means something more like "hesitated" because the disciples were afraid of judgment and rejection from Jesus because they had abandoned him when he was arrested (Matt. 26:56). Matthew 28:18
All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. The theme of Jesus' authority has been emphasized throughout Matthew (Matt. 7:29; 8:5-13; 9:6; 9:33; 11:27; 12:8; 17:5). Now Jesus' authority was consummated and expanded because of his faithfulness to God even unto death, resulting in God raising him and exalting him above all other beings in the world (Phil. 2:5-11). See WCF 8.3; BC 26, 27; HC 50. Matthew 28:19
Baptizing them in the name. Baptism is a sign of cleansing, identification, and union of a person with God. The Christian baptism is done in the Triune name of God that became the Christian orthodox expression — Father, Son, and Spirit. Matthew 28:20
Teach them to obey. Matthew was written to record and communicate many of the things Jesus taught in order to help fulfill Jesus' command to make disciples of all nations through teaching them what Jesus' taught. See WLC 108; WSC 50; BC 19, 27, 29, 33; HC 47.
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