Matthew 28: 1 – 20
Hide and go seek
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.” 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. 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.
Today we are going to finish our study in the Gospel of Matthew. This last chapter is just as thrilling as the previous chapters. A lot of interesting things are reported.
The thought that came to me for a topic was ‘Hide and go seek’. We will see that not only the apostles went into hiding but so did the ‘soldiers’ who were guarding the tomb.
I want you to keep an eye out for the verses that instruct the apostles to go to Galilee. Before our Lord Jesus was arrested He had told them that He would meet them there. However, with all that occurred all they could do was hide. It took personal visits by our Lord Jesus to get them moving to Galilee as He had instructed.
I mentioned in our last study that I believe that the soldiers were Jewish not Roman. I will give you my reasons in a little while. We will see that some in fear for what happened went to the Jewish priests to tell them what happened at the tomb. The rest of the other soldiers just disappeared. Perhaps some fled from the city in fear of being arrested themselves. Perhaps the ones who did not come to the Priests were the soldiers who punched our Lord Jesus after putting a bag over his head. Having witnessed His resurrection, they could run but where could they really hide.
Late on the same day as the Chief Priests sealed the tomb, two of the women disciples go to survey the tomb and assess the situation. We learn from the other Gospels that it was to see whether there might be any opportunity of anointing the body of Jesus. Their main problem is how they will remove the large stone guarding the entrance. They are unaware of what others have done, Joseph in anointing the body of Jesus, and the Chief Priests and Pharisees in setting a guard and sealing the tomb. But when they arrive at the tomb they discover that the great stone has been removed from the mouth of the tomb, and that a glistening figure is sat on it. This glorious figure then reveals to them that Jesus has risen.
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.
The women disciples had to wait until the Sabbath was over, because by Jewish Law they could not anoint the body of Jesus on the Sabbath. And while the other women were finalizing their preparations the two Mary’s were sent on towards dawn to survey the situation and to consider the possibility of the removal of the great stone blocking the entrance to the tomb. The others would follow on more slowly. Matthew abbreviates what happens and opens with the arrival of the two women at 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.
They were probably somewhat apprehensive. There had been a great earthquake, following closely on the earthquake that had caused such damage on the day of crucifixion so that they may well have wondered what they were going to find. Nothing had prepared them for what they did find. For they discovered that the earthquake had opened the tomb, and that an angel of the Lord had descended from Heaven and was seated on the stone. There had been ‘an angel of the Lord’ connected with His birth in 1.20. Now we find one connected with His ‘rebirth’, His resurrection. In both cases this angel explains what God is doing. He has sent Jesus to save us from our sins, He has vindicated Him by raising Him from the dead.
The rolling away of the stone was like the rising of the curtain in a theatre. It was to reveal the scene that lay behind 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.
The appearance of the angel was as lightning in its splendor, and his raiment was pure white. They would be reminded of Daniel’s vision when he too had seen an angel fitting this description (Daniel 10.5-6). ‘White as snow’ indicates a certain Godlikeness (Daniel 7.9). So glorious was the figure that the guards at the tomb, ‘the watchers’ (compare 27.36), themselves quaked (the word is used of the earthquake in 27.51) and swooned, becoming as dead men. Thus, when the women approached there was nothing to fear, apart from the angel.
The description of the guards as ‘the watchers’ is probably ironic. Men had set them to watch, and now they could watch no longer.
5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
But the angel soon put their minds at rest. He informed them that he was aware that they had come seeking Jesus Who had been crucified, or more literally, ‘was and is crucified’ (perfect participle). But He is not there. The Lamb Who has been slain is risen (Revelation 5.6).
We learn from the other Gospels that by now there were more women present (27.55-56) who had by this time caught up with the two who had gone before them to consider how to get into the tomb, and that when they arrived the angel was inside the tomb (Mark 16.1, 5). But both accounts are summaries of a far more complicated situation. To have explained the full details of all their movements would have taken away from the main message that had to be got over, that Jesus was risen from the dead.
6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Then he informed them that Jesus was no longer there. He had been raised by God, just as He had promised. And he invited them to see the place where the Lord had lain. He wanted them to glory in the emptiness of the tomb.
Following this remarkable experience of the women, we now come to the climax of the Gospel, the resurrection appearances and the giving of the Great Commission. The section commences with an appearance to the women disciples, (a reminder of God’s interest in the seemingly unimportant who are faithful in worship and service), goes on to deal with men’s vain attempts to deny the resurrection by falsehoods, and finalizes in the appearance of Jesus to His disciples in Galilee where He explains that He has taken His rightful place as Lord over Heaven and earth, and sends them out to proclaim His words throughout the world, and call all men under His Kingly Rule, with the assurance that His presence will be continually with them.
That Jesus’ resurrection is first made known to the women comes out in all the Gospels. This is a sign of the truthfulness of the narratives. In Jesus’ day no one would have invented such an idea. Little account was then taken of the testimony of women. Anyone inventing such a story would have ensured that the initial appearances were to good, stolid, reliable men. But the women, because of their faithfulness to the memory of Jesus, were privileged first to see the angel, and then to see Jesus Himself in an initial encounter.
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.”
The angel than tells the women that they are to go with all speed and inform the disciples that Jesus is risen from the dead and that He will go before them into Galilee where they will see Him. He wants His appearances to them to be free from the trammels of the old Jerusalem. They must speed joyously on their way knowing that He will be there before them. ‘Goes before’ indicates, not that He will lead them, but that He will go ahead, like a shepherd might leave his flocks with under-shepherds and go before them to ensure that the way ahead is catered for. And there, He assures them, He will see them.
‘Lo, I have told you.” In other words, ‘I have now passed on the message that I was sent to give, and my responsibility is now at an end.’
In the light of Luke’s and John’s narratives this whole verse contains a remarkable statement, for we all know that Jesus first appeared to His disciples in Jerusalem, although John does then speak of an appearance in Galilee (John 21). Matthew on the other hand only and quite deliberately details Jesus’ appearance to the disciples in Galilee. Furthermore, there would be no purpose in the words we find here if Jesus had not wanted them to see that as His intention.
It is true that Jerusalem was indeed to be the place from which God’s instruction would flow out (Isaiah 2.2-4), but once that had been accomplished Jerusalem was to be put aside. Luke brings out the same message, in a different way, in Acts. For Jerusalem finally rejects the Apostles (Acts 12) and Paul (Acts 21.30), even though for a while they would still meet in Jerusalem (Acts 15). And God finally seals it by the openly declared destruction of Jerusalem.
8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to bring His disciples word.
Overjoyed at this sudden change in circumstances which turned their gloom and mourning into rejoicing, but very much awed at the presence of the angel and even more by the thought of all that this involved, the women hurried from the tomb to bring their good news to the disciples.
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.
And as they sped on their way Jesus Himself appeared to them and greeted them. And the result was that they fell and worshipped Him. The taking hold of His feet may have been as an indication of allegiance, or it may have been to show their affection in a worshipful way. What it did, however, reveal was that Jesus appeared in a genuine body. He was not just a spirit.
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.”
Jesus then repeats the message of the angel. They are to tell the disciples and all who are believers (my brethren, compare 12.48) to leave Jerusalem and go to Galilee, where they too will see Him. At this stage Jesus is still looking to the disciples to obey Him. It is difficult to believe that at this point (from a human point of view) He is intending to appear to His Apostles that very night. The alteration in plan took place because of their steadfast unbelief. That is not, of course, to deny that in His sovereignty He knew what was going to happen, simply to indicate that that was how He wanted it to be seen.
‘Do not be afraid.’ What the women were experiencing was undoubtedly awesome in the fullest sense of the word. First a glorious angel and an empty tomb, then a message that Jesus would soon appear to all His disciples, and now the actual appearance of the One Whom they had watched die on a cross. No wonder that there was a kind of fear and awe gripping them in the midst of their joyfulness.
‘Depart into Galilee, there will they see Me.’ Men must no longer look to Jerusalem but to Him, and He is not bound up in Jerusalem. The importance of Galilee came out from the start. It was in Galilee that Jesus took refuge on His return from exile (2.22). It was in Galilee that the people who sat in darkness would see a great light (4.16). It was in Galilee that He carried out His main ministry (4.23) and established a large band of disciples. At the crisis point of His life Jesus was declared to be a Galilean (26.69). Thus, Matthew saw Galilee, ‘Galilee of the Gentiles’, as the starting point of the future. And he did it on Jesus’ authority. That was where Jesus was really to be seen.
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.
At the same time as the women were going to tell the Apostles and their fellow-believers that the tomb was empty, the guards were going to the Chief Priests for the same reason. But while the women went with joy in their hearts the soldiers were very unhappy, and they came to the Chief Priests and explained what had happened.
12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
As a result, the Chief Priests called an emergency meeting of some of the Sanhedrin to discuss what they should do. The conclusion that they came to be that they should bribe the soldiers to lie on their behalf, and to this end they gave them much money. They were not to be bought cheaply.
There is disagreement about whether these soldiers were Roman soldiers or Temple servants. There are several things in favor of their being Temple soldiers.
. They had reported back to the Chief Priests and not to Pilate. That could also have been true of Roman soldiers who had been allocated to act on the Chief Priests behalf, but it is suggestive. There is a good case for suggesting that had Roman soldiers been involved they would simply have sealed up the tomb and pretended that nothing had happened, hoping that no one else knew (they would have nothing to lose by doing so, and everything to gain). Then after three days they would just go back to their barracks. They would be in a dreadful fix and would consider it quite probable that no one would look in it again for a long time, by which time no one would know when it had happened.
If the tomb was empty after this period then the tale of the disciples coming and stealing the body away would be a more realistic theory. It was only Jews who would have an interest in what the empty tomb might mean and would probably want to report back what had happened, who would behave in the way described here. (Compare how continuing interest was also restricted to Jews - verse 13).
. They were prepared to admit neglecting of duty in return for a bribe. It is doubtful if a Roman soldier would ever have dared to do such a thing. His punishment would have been too severe. To suggest that such a crime would be overlooked by the military is unlikely indeed. Nor would any such soldier have wanted to spread a rumor around pointing to his misconduct. It would be asking for trouble, for it would certainly get back to their commanders. However, for supporters of the Chief Priests, the spreading of such rumors at their request would have been considered a good thing, although they would have wanted well reimbursement for their trouble.
. If they had been Roman soldiers who were considered to have failed in their duty by falling asleep it is questionable whether the Chief Priests could have spoken with such confidence about getting them excused, for it would be a military matter, and such behavior was looked on very seriously and was usually punishable by death. But it is quite conceivable that they would have confidence that they could obtain pardon for their own men who had failed, even though they were temporarily acting on Pilate’s behalf. They could do so claiming they were not used to doing such guard duty and were exhausted after the events of the previous days and nights of being involved in monitoring the pilgrims over the feast days.
. Only ‘some’ of the soldiers reported back. This suggests that the whole contingent consisted of at least six or seven, if not more. It is quite frankly doubtful if six or seven Roman soldiers would be allocated to such an unimportant task. It was not the Romans who were fearful of what would happen, it was the Chief Priests.
Against this idea of their being Temple guards is that they are called ‘soldiers’. But it would seem probable that armed guards in the Temple would often popularly be called soldiers by people like Matthew, just as Herod would have his own soldiers. Soldiers were not limited to the Roman army. The other point that may be raised is as to why if they were the High Priest’s soldiers they were accountable to Pilate. But we must recognize that the Chief Priests had made a commitment to guard the tomb. If it ever came to his attention that they had failed they would therefore be accountable to Pilate however little he might in fact have cared about the matter, for he was the one on whom any blame would finally fall.
13 saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’
The story that the soldiers had to spread around was that ‘His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.’ Compare 27.64 where this was what the High Priests had feared. This rumor was to be spread to convince the people that He had not risen. And no doubt they themselves believed that it must be so. What other explanation could there be? Paradoxically, for some who heard the rumor it might well have had the opposite effect. Knowing the Chief Priests, they might have said to themselves, ‘The tomb must be empty otherwise they would not talk like this. Perhaps then He did rise from the dead’. However, it would give a good excuse to those who were determined not to believe.
The excuse ‘While we were asleep’ would be to avoid questions. Too much might be revealed if they once admitted that they were awake and were then as a result questioned further. Of course, the question that should then arise is, ‘If they were asleep how did they know what had happened to the body? And if they woke up and saw it, why did they do nothing about it?’ Either way their story does not hold water. It is clearly grasping at straws.
But to be asleep on duty would make them look foolish (which was why they had to be heavily bribed). Why did they not then rather claim that they were overpowered by a large band of armed men? The answer is clearly because they knew that no one would believe it. They knew that the facts could be investigated, and probably would be if they told that story. And none of Jesus’ opponents wanted the facts looking into. Their only hope lay in admitting that no one knew anything about what had happened, but that it had happened anyway (a truly solid basis for being a reliable witness! No wonder only the Jews who wanted to believe it did so).
Besides, the story of a tomb robbing by a bunch of amateurs, while the guards lay asleep without being disturbed, is hardly credible. Imagine the indignity the guards would have had to face. Consider the scene. A dark tomb, a large rock to be moved requiring two or three men to do it, and several guards lying round the tomb. Then a band of disciples arrive, admittedly by the light of a nearly full moon, and without making a sound, they avoid the guards without disturbing them, move the large stone without making any noise at all, locate the body in the dark tomb with no difficulty, carry it out, again avoiding the soldiers, and then disappear, and meanwhile no one wakes up or spots them in the process. It would hardly have sounded credible to any who heard it.
It should also be noted that in the Roman Empire the molesting of graves was a serious offence. Among other things the well-known Nazarene inscription makes this fact abundantly clear. Had it genuinely been believed that the disciples had stolen a body which was government property and had hidden it away, they would undoubtedly have been sought out and probably executed.
14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.”
The problem with such a story for the soldiers was that it might reach the governor’s ears, which would not please him very much. And they knew that they had been acting under his instructions. But they were assured by their employers that they would then see that everything was all right for them. They promised that they would use their influence, and probably more money, to ensure that there were no repercussions. Had there been Roman soldiers we might in fact have expected their fear to be that their Commanders found out (Pilate would have returned to Caesarea, or would be on the point of doing so). It was they who would be directly responsible for disciplining such a failure. It is very unlikely that they would have believed that their commanders could be bribed. Thus, again we have the impression that these were the Chief Priests’ soldiers.
15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
The guards accordingly took the money and spread the word that was ‘taught’ to them. Note the emphasis on ‘taught’. This lie is in strong contrast with the word that the disciples will be called on to teach (verse 19). The inference is that the Chief Priests and Pharisees taught lies, while the disciples taught the truth.
The result was that this story of the stolen (and untraceable) body became popular among Jews as an explanation of the empty tomb and continued to be so until the time of writing. The impression that this verse gives is that Matthew’s main purpose in giving the explanation is to explain where such a story came from. It makes clear that it was to be an attempt by the Chief Priests to provide specific evidence (a few sleeping guards) of why people could believe that a guarded tomb was definitely empty. This latter was something that every Jew who did not believe in Christ accepted (there was little alternative). Jews were seen as the only ones interested in the matter. Gentiles probably did not believe Jews anyway, and certainly did not believe this mad story.
Jesus now appears and reveals His new heavenly Kingship and calls on His disciples to go out in His name to make disciples of people from all nations, giving them the assurance that He will go with them and be with them wherever they go, and however long it takes. Note the deliberate contrast with the previous passage. While the soldiers were declaring that the body had been stolen Jesus, in His transformed body, was appearing to His disciples.
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.
Acting finally in accordance with Jesus’ instructions the eleven Apostles went into Galilee to find new truth, in total contrast with the soldiers who had gone to the Chief Priests to be taught lies. And there they went to the mountain that Jesus ‘had appointed them’. This would suggest that the arrangement might have been made during His resurrection appearances in Jerusalem. Now that they knew that Jesus was indeed risen they obeyed His words.
17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
It is not likely that the eleven went alone. They could hardly have disappeared from among the other brethren and the sisters without giving a hint of what was happening. And furthermore, the angel is said to have declared that the women disciples will be present (28.7). Thus ‘they’ here probably has a wider connotation than just the eleven. However, Matthew’s main concern is with the eleven to whom the commission will especially be given, as it had been in chapter 10.
When Jesus made His appearance on the mountain they all ‘worshipped Him’. This was probably not worship with a full understanding, but it was fairly close. And yet there were still those among them who found it hard to believe, which is not surprising. No doubt they all had to keep pinching themselves to make sure that they really were awake, and that it was not all a dream. It should perhaps be pointed out here that people do not have mass ‘hallucinations’ which tally with each other. Thus, such a shared experience of Jesus could not have been an hallucination. And the fact that some were still struggling with incredulity confirms this even further. We receive hallucinations of what we expect to see, not of the things we doubt. Even the doubts therefore confirm the genuineness of the experience, even though they bring out the headstrong of some of the Apostles. This latter fault was certainly not the kind of thing that people who respected the Apostles would have invented. The whole account from 26.1 onwards has been so uncomplimentary to the Apostles that it must be genuine.
A startling point is made that ‘Some doubted.’ This can only mean that they were at first unbelieving of what they saw. It was not easy for them to grasp the fact that Jesus was risen. There are a number of possibilities as to what this means:
1). They saw Him at a distance before He ‘came to them’ (in the next verse) and were thus questioning as to whether it was really Him.
2). Those who doubted were in fact some outside the eleven who were taking time to adjust.
3). The statement is a general one as indicating the whole post-resurrection situation and confirming the doubt that constantly initially arose among all who heard about it, until all was made clear.
Please take note that the doubts are there before ‘He comes to them’ and speaks with them. It is an honest recognition of the perplexity that Jesus’ appearances at first produced in men before they became convinced and accepted the idea. But they are not the indication of a continuing experience after He had spoken with them. Truly doubting men do not worship (verse 17) so that the doubts were limited to a few. We may well be better to translate the verb as ‘were perplexed’. It is not credible to suggest that Matthew is talking about long term doubts. He is proclaiming a positive message, not considering things skeptically or with disinterest. He is thus talking about a situation which was resolved by what follows. But what he does want us to know is that they did not just swallow everything thoughtlessly. None of these men were easily convinced, even though conviction came to some more quickly than to others.
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
They had seen Him at a distance, but now He approached them and their doubts vanished. We are not told where Jesus had been meanwhile, apart from the fact that what He now says confirms that He had been in His Father’s presence. For He spoke to them and said, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” Here He is expanding on the authority that He has constantly revealed throughout His life so that this is a powerful and strong statement. It is declaring that He has been openly proclaimed as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19.16), that nothing now remains outside His control (Ephesians 1.19-23), that He is Lord of Heaven and earth (Acts 17.24) and that He has received again the glory which was His before the world was (John 17.5). Paul thus tells us that He rose above all the powers of the heavens and that all principalities and powers in heavenly places were made subject to Him (Ephesians 1.21-23).
About earth His Kingly Rule, which had been revealed especially in His power over evil spirits (12.28), has been established and confirmed. The picture is thus of the Son of Man who as Israel’s king has come out of suffering to the throne of God to receive His worldwide and eternal Kingdom and glory and dominion (Daniel 7.14). The child Who was born and the Son Who was given has had the government put on His shoulders so that He might reign over the whole sphere of His Kingly Rule (Isaiah 9.6-7). God has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every Name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, with the result that He has been declared to be ‘Lord’ (YHWH) (Philippians 2.9-11). Men had refused Him that authority, but God has confirmed it and it is now to be manifested so that all men will be shortly made aware of it and never more so than when the wind and fire descended on His disciples in the Temple area (Acts 2). For Kingly Rule belongs to the Lord, and He rules over the nations (Psalm 22.28), and YHWH has set His king upon His holy hill (Psalm 2.6). Thus, the world will never be the same again, for Jesus Is King and Is at work among men. He Who refused Satan’s offer of all the kingdoms of the world if He would rule them in his way (4.8) has received something greater than even Satan could have imagined. He Is King of both Heaven and 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,
And it is because this authority is to be over the whole earth that His disciples are to go out, not spreading lies like the soldiers did, but in order to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the Name of the Triune God. ‘Making disciples’ involves bringing men and women into long term commitment. There is no room here for ‘being saved’ and then just drifting along. All are to be committed to Christ as Teacher, Master and Lord.
‘Make disciples of all nations.’ is the primary command. The baptizing and teaching then follow. As we have the bringing to discipleship (repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is drawn near), and then the baptizing and teaching must follow. There is no point in baptizing or teaching those who are not committed to discipleship for they will not benefit by it. Such people rather need to have the Gospel proclaimed to them. But once a person has become a disciple, he is then to be baptized and taught.
This is the first mention of baptism in Matthew since the time of John the Baptist. Then it symbolized the drenching with the Holy Spirit that was coming through the Coming One. Now it is an indication that all who receive Him by repenting and believing, will be deluged with the Holy Spirit. Thus, they will have responded to the call of the Father, they will have come under the Kingly Rule of the Son, and they will have been drenched with the Holy Spirit. That is why they will be baptized into the Name of all three. It is the indication of a new beginning, a new Spirit endowed Israel responsive to the Father through the Son. We can compare here 3.16-17 where the ideas of Father, Son and Holy Spirit are also combined at Jesus’ baptism. But the fact that all three have the same Name is an indication of their oneness.
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.
Their mission is also to be one of teaching. They are now to fulfil their role as Scribes of the Kingdom of Heaven bringing forth what is new (what Jesus has brought) and what is old (the Scriptures). The Messianic movement into the world is not to be by warfare or force of arms. That is how false religions spread. It is to be by proclamation of the truth, by the sword of the word. Men must be won by truth and love, not be forced to respond at the point of the sword of men. Only the former can produce true men of God. The latter produces religious robots, and even terrorists.
And the guarantee of their success will be that He Himself is with them always, in all His authority and power as the risen Lord. This reflects the words at His birth in 1.23, ‘He will be called God with Us’, again an emphasis at both beginning and end. That He will indeed be so is again evidence of His divinity. Only One Who was divine could accompany each member of a group which spread out throughout all the world. To Matthew this is the equivalent of Pentecost, which made this situation apparent to the world. There also the breath of God and the fire of God indwelt His people.
So, the divine King is now among them and will continue among them and the Kingly Rule of Heaven and its power is confirmed as available to all who respond to the King. To Matthew the presence of Jesus continually with His people is parallel with the pouring out of the Holy Spirit in Luke, and the fulfilment of the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven.
We should note here how Jesus, when He called on men to go forth in His Name, based His way of going about it on that of God in the Old Testament. He too constantly promised that He would go with those whom He called and sent out in His service, and that His power would be with them if they were obedient. In this verse the promise is given to all who go out to make disciples, and to each of them as individuals. Thus, Jesus is taking over the prerogative of God in a big way, and promising that He Himself would do what God had previously done for His people in even greater measure.
That Jesus’ continuing presence with us is a comfort can hardly be denied. We can be assured that He will never fail us or forsake us (Hebrews 13.5). But the emphasis here is not so much on that, as on the fact that He is with us in order that we might successfully carry out His mission. He is with us to empower us in that. This is not a promise on which simply to rest, although it includes that, it is a promise on which to go forward. The servants must fulfil their responsibilities before the Lord returns (25.14-30) and the end of the age/world comes, so that all nations might hear the good news of the Kingdom of God.
