Verse by Verse

16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.

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

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

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the 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 have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

they saw Him (v.17) — “they” may include the 500 of 1 Corinthians 15:6, as it is unlikely the apostles would have be doubting at this point.

doubted (v.17) = can include the meaning of “hesitated,” perhaps because they didn’t recognize Him in His glorified body until He began speaking.

go (v.19) — in the original, this expresses an assumption — “as you are going”

name (v.19) — singular — the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have one name

These were the “poor of the flock” (Zechariah 11) to whom in distant Galilee and far from Jerusalem the Great Shepherd connected Himself, and whom He commissioned to proclaim His rights as King and the laws of His Kingdom throughout the whole earth. He assured them of the donation of all power given to Him both in heaven and in earth, and promised to be with them until the consummation of the age. That consummation would have then come if Israel had repented; but the two tribes in Jerusalem sent Stephen (Acts 7) to say “We will not have this Man to reign over us,” and the ten tribes in Rome, the capital of the Dispersion, committed a similar message to Paul (Acts 28). Hence this commission is now in abeyance, but will be resumed, and obeyed, when Divine relations are once more resumed with Israel.

There is no Ascension in this Gospel, for all in it relates to the King and to the Kingdom which He proposed to set up upon the earth; and so He promises to be with them until the predicted hour came of the establishment of the kingdom. The interpretation of this commission belongs, therefore, to the Hebrew church, represented by the apostles and the five hundred brethren. The Church of God — the “secret” revealed in Ephesians — does not here appear, for its home is heavenly, and its commission is to take out from both Hebrews and Gentiles an election to heavenly glory. — Williams, pages 730-731.

That this “commission” cannot be intended for the body of Christ, the Church of the age of grace, can be seen by its contrast with 1 Corinthians 1:17, where Paul writes: For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

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

12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,

13 saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’

14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.”

15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

guard (v.11) — Pilate had put the Roman soldiers at the disposal of the Sanhedrin, so the guards reported to the Jews first.

all the things that had happened (v.11) — the earthquake and the appearance of the angel (vs. 2-4)

secure (v.14) — protect them from punishment for failing in their duty

The desperation of the Sanhedrin can be clearly seen in the explanation that was offered. These witnesses certainly could not support their testimony as to what had happened, for they were asleep. Their story was at best only a guess. A large sum of money would have been necessary to persuade the guards to perjure themselves because, if they were asleep as they stated, they could be executed by the governor for dereliction of duty. In spite of the obvious flimsiness of the testimony and the danger to life, the guards “took the money and did as they were instructed” (v.15). Thus they put their lives into the hands of the Sanhedrin. Having committed themselves to this explanation, the leaders circulated the story widely in an effort to explain away the fact of the resurrection or Christ.

It is significant that while the disciples disbelieved the reports of the resurrection and sought confirmation of it, the Sanhedrin believed the report and sought an explanation to deny it. — Pentecost, page 502.

In other words, if the guards were asleep as they said, how could they know what happened to the body?

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

2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.

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

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

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

6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”

8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.

10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

The resurrection also appears in Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-12 and John 20:1-31. Each writer gives different details depending on the purpose of the book. Matthew’s is the shortest account.

after the Sabbath (v.1) — the night of Saturday night and Sunday morning after the sabbath ended at sundown on Saturday

rolled back the stone (v.2) — to reveal the empty tomb. Jesus was already risen and gone.

Rejoice (v.9) — one commentary said that the Hebrew word used here was the ordinary greeting when meeting a friend.

The resurrection is attributed to the Father (Hebrews 13:20); the Son (John 2:19-21; 10:17-18) and the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11).

57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.

58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.

59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,

60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.

61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate,

63 saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’

64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.”

66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.

rich man (v.57) — in fulfillment of Isaiah 53:9

Arimathaea (v.57) — about 25 miles away from Jerusalem in the hill country of Ephraim

The account given in all four gospels (Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42) indicates that Joseph of Arimathaea was a wealthy and influential man, a member of the Sanhedrin (Luke 23:51), and one who had been secretly a disciple of Jesus (John 19:38). He went boldly into Pilate, although this involved ceremonial defilement for a Jew during the feast, and requested the body of Jesus. — Walvoord, page 236.

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The word translated “secretly” could be rendered “secreted,” or hidden away … Christ made preparations for all events associated with His death so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. This word may indicate that Jesus had arranged with Joseph to make arrangements for His burial to fulfill and Old Testament prophecy. By way of preparation, Joseph had obtained space in a garden adjacent to the place of crucifixion; there was a new tomb there. He had arranged with a fellow counselor, Nicodemus, to provide the spices necessary for a proper burial (John 19:39). Joseph had provided the linen cloth in which to wrap the body of Jesus (Mark 15:46). Thus before the crucifixion all that was needed for burial had been provided. It may well be that Joseph had hidden himself away in the recesses of the garden where he could witness the events transpiring on Golgotha without being observed. At the moment Christ cried, “It is finished” (John 19:30), and dismissed His spirit from His body, Joseph was ready to proceed with the burial. Haste was now required because it was late afternoon and the setting of the sun would bring the Sabbath. — Pentecost, page 491.

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The sepulchre was probably a small chamber, along one side of which was a shelf cut in the rock, and on this shelf the body was laid. The “great stone” was no doubt ready for use. It was these stones, forming the doors to tombs, that were whitewashed every spring to prevent passers-by from being made ceremonially unclean. The stones were sometimes round and flat, like millstones, laying upright against the face of the rock in which the excavation was made. They could then be easily rolled backwards and forwards, to open or close the aperture.

As they went out, they rolled a great stone — the Golel — to close the entrance to the tomb, probably leaning against it for support a smaller stone — the so-called Dopheq. It would be where the one stone was laid against the other, that on the next day, Sabbath though it was, the Jewish authorities would have affixed the seal, so that the slightest disturbance might become apparent. — Pentecost, page 492

other Mary (v.61) — “the mother of James and Joses” from v. 56

While none of the disciples seem to have found any comfort in Christ’s predictions that He would rise again, yet the chief priests and the Pharisees understood and remembered, and were determined that no apparent fulfillment of such predictions should be accomplished by the disciples.

“Now on the morrow, which is after the Preparation.” The Preparation had already became a name for Friday as the eve of the sabbath. Matthew uses it without explanation, but Mark (15:42) tells his readers what it means. It looks as if Matthew employed this circumlocution in order to avoid using the word “sabbath.” did he shrink from saying in so many words that this miserable act of hostility, on the part of the Jewish hierarchy against the Messiah, took place on the sabbath? Months before this the Pharisees had been moved to take counsel to destroy Him, because He had done good on the sabbath (12:12-14); and now they do not scruple to do evil on the sabbath.

The deputation address the Procurator with respect: “Sir, it came to our minds (v.63).” And they speak of Him whom they have forced the Procurator to crucify with contemptuous abhorrence. They will not even name Him; they use a pronoun which indicates that He is far removed from them, and a substantive which stigmatizes Him as a seducer of the people: “that deceiver” (compare John 9:28; 2 John 7:1). They quote His words in a manner which suggests the confidence with which they were spoken: “After three days I rise again.” although the words recorded were spoken in private to the disciples, yet they may have been repeated until they reached the ears of His watchful enemies. The Pharisees, having suggested that the Body might be stolen, put into the mouth of the disciples the very expression which Herod Antipas is said to have used of Jesus: that He was the Baptist, who “is risen from the dead” (Matthew 14:2). “The last error” means “the last deceit” or “the last seduction,” with direct reference to “that deceiver” or “seducer.” The Pharisees knew that they  must use political considerations in order to influence Pilate. Just as they had charged Jesus with claiming to be King of the Jews, while they said nothing about His claiming to be the Son of God, so here they mean that, if the disciples persuaded people that Jesus had risen from the dead, they might cause a far more serious rising than had occurred at the triumphal entry in consequence of the persuasion that Jesus was the Messiah.

That Pilate’s words mean “take a guard,” rather than “Ye have a guard,” seems clear from the fact that the only guard which they had was the Temple-police, and this they could have employed without coming to the Procurator. Evidently they want something which required his permission; and it is Roman soldiers who are set to guard the tomb (28:12-15). — Pentecost, pages 493-494.

⁵⁰ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

⁵¹ Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,

⁵² and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;

⁵³ and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

⁵⁴ So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

⁵⁵ And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar,

⁵⁶ among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

cried out again (v.50) — probably “It is finished” (John 19:30)

yielded up His spirit (v.50) = lit. “He sent His spirit away” — He died willingly, voluntarily, of His own will. (Luke 23:46; John 10:18).

veil (v.51) — the curtain separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies (Exodus 26:31). This indicated that man now had direct access to God through Christ. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:19-21).

The veil itself was the sign that man was barred from coming to God; that heavy, solid veil, ever gave that testimony that it is impossible for man to approach God. The rent veil shows that it has been made possible. The rent veil declares that the great sacrifice on the cross of the spotless Lamb of God has been accepted. It is the first great answer of God to the majestic word of the dying Savior, “It is finished.” It likewise shows that the Jewish ceremonial law is fulfilled and ended. — Gaebelein, page 604.

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saints (v.52) — As a careful reading of this account reveals, the raising of the bodies of the saints, although mentioned here, actually occurred after the resurrection of Jesus. This event is nowhere explained in the Scriptures but seems to be a fulfillment of the feast of the first fruits of harvest mentioned in Leviticus 23:10-14. On that occasion, as a token of the coming harvest, the people would bring a handful of grain to the priest. The resurrection of these saints, occurring after Jesus Himself was raised, is a token of the coming harvest when all the saints will be raised. — Walvoord, pages 235-236.

I did notice that verse 52 says “many” of the saints, not “all.”

centurion (v.54) — the Roman soldier who was in charge of the squad who were guarding the hill at the time of the crucifixion.

the Son of God (v.54) — We aren’t told if this is a statement of the Centurion’s faith. He literally said “a” son of God, so it may just have been recognition that Jesus was something more than a man.

Mary the mother of James and Joses (v.56) — the wife of Clopas (John 19:25)

mother of Zebedee’s sons (v.56) — Salome (Mark 15:40) — perhaps a sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus

⁴⁵ Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.

⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

⁴⁷ Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!”

⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.

⁴⁹ The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

sixth hour (v.45) = noon

ninth hour (v.45) = 3 p.m.

darkness (v.45) — supernatural

In Matthew, Jesus’ cry (v.46) is partly in Hebrew (Eli = “My God”) and the rest in Aramaic. The words are a quote from Psalm 22:1.

These words mark the climax of the suffering of Christ for a lost world. Here He drank to the dregs the cup of sorrow, grief, and pain on our behalf. In these hours when the sun refused to shine upon suffering deity, Jesus found fitting expression to His feeling of desolation in the words of the Psalmist. Isaiah had given a vivid portrayal of the suffering Servant who was to be “wounded for our transgressions.” John the Baptist pointed to Jesus as “the Lamb of God that taketh away the collective sin of a world of sinners.” Christ gave Himself a “ransom for many.” Him who knew no sin God “made sin” for us. On the cross Christ became a “curse for us” and so redeemed us from the curse of the law. We are “redeemed by the precious blood of Christ” shed on Calvary. He gave Himself a “ransom for all.” The writers of the Gospels make it plain that Jesus “had a baptism to be baptized with” and a “cup to drink.” Paul and other writers of the epistles lay out clearly the same plan of redemption. Jesus had to pay the price alone and tasted death — spiritual death — for every man. Spiritual death is broken communion. Jesus had a taste of such a broken communion, the first and last He ever experienced — in those desolate hours when darkness lay upon the earth and upon His soul. That is the reason He used the words of distressed astonishment: Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani (Hebrew) — “My God, My God, to what end or purpose hast Thou forsaken Me?”

Christ’s cry, “Why have you forsaken me?” testified to the fact that He had here entered into spiritual death — separation from God as the sinner’s Substitute. His physical death would soon follow as He fully tasted death for every man (Hebrews 2:9) — Pentecost, pages 485-486

35 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.”

36 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.

37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.

39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads

40 and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said,

42 “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.

43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

44 Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.

cast lots (v.35) — prophesied in Psalm 22:18

kept watch (v.36) — stood guard

A board on which the crime of the condemned was written was generally carried before the criminal, who was led forth to the place of execution through the crowded streets. This custom was most likely followed with our Lord. Pilate himself had the superscription drawn up and it was written in three languages: Latin, Greek and the Aramaean dialect of Hebrew. The one here in Matthew was undoubtedly the Latin inscription, while the fullest, as reported by John “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” was written in Arameaen and the one in Mark “The King of the Jews” is the Greek inscription. Pilate could not help himself, he had to write as he did, though he may have had the thought in mind to avenge himself and to mock the Jews. — Gaebelein, pages 597-598

two robbers (v.38) — prophesied in Isaiah 53:12

wagging their heads (v.39) — prophesied in Psalm 22:7-8

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.

28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.

29 When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

30 Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.

31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.

32 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.

33 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull,

34 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.

Praetorium (v.27) — the soldiers’ quarters

The scarlet robe, crown and reed (vs. 28-29) were to mock His claims to be a king.

struck Him (v.30) — So His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men (Isaiah 52:14).

Cyrene (v.32) — A Roman province in North Africa, home to many Jews

Golgotha (v.33) — Aramaic for “skull” — equivalent to the Latin calvaria, Calvary

It was probably about two-and-a-half hours from when Jesus first appeared before Pilate until He arrived at Golgotha (6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.).

sour wine mingled with gall (34) — prophesied in Psalm 69:21 — given to prisoners as an anesthetic to reduce suffering. Jesus refused it.