When Heaven Broke Through: The Morning That Changed Everything
What’s Matthew 28 about?
This is the chapter where everything changes – the tomb is empty, Jesus is alive, and suddenly a small group of frightened followers becomes the launching pad for a movement that would reshape human history. It’s resurrection morning, the Great Commission, and the promise that Jesus will never leave us hanging.
The Full Context
Matthew 28:1-20 captures the most pivotal morning in human history, written by a former tax collector who had witnessed Jesus’ ministry firsthand. Matthew writes primarily to Jewish-Christians around 80-85 AD, people wrestling with what it means to follow a crucified Messiah in a world that had rejected Him. These early believers needed to understand that Jesus’ death wasn’t the end of the story – it was the beginning of something unprecedented. The chapter addresses their deepest fears: Was Jesus really who He claimed to be? Had they bet their lives on the right person?
Within Matthew’s Gospel, this chapter serves as the climactic resolution to everything that came before. Where the Gospel opened with Jesus as Emmanuel – “God with us” (Matthew 1:23) – it closes with His promise to be with His followers “to the very end of the age.” The resurrection validates every claim Jesus made about Himself, while the Great Commission transforms a Jewish story into a global mission. For modern readers, understanding the cultural shock of women being the first witnesses, the political implications of claiming a crucified criminal as Lord, and the radical nature of making disciples from “all nations” helps us grasp just how revolutionary this moment was.
What the Ancient Words Tell Us
The Greek here is absolutely electric with meaning. When Matthew 28:2 describes the earthquake (seismos), it’s the same word used for Jesus’ death in Matthew 27:54. Creation itself is responding to this cosmic shift – the earth literally shook when the Creator died, and now it shakes again as He conquers death.
But here’s where it gets fascinating: the angel doesn’t just move the stone away. The verb apokulio means “to roll away” or “remove completely.” This wasn’t about letting Jesus out – He could walk through walls after the resurrection. This was about letting the witnesses in. The stone was moved so they could see the empty tomb and believe.
Grammar Geeks
When the angel says “He is not here, for He has risen” in Matthew 28:6, the Greek uses the perfect passive egerthai – meaning Jesus has been raised and remains in that state. It’s not just that He came back to life temporarily; He’s permanently, eternally alive in resurrection power.
The women’s response is equally telling. Matthew 28:8 says they left with “fear and great joy” – phobos and chara megale. This isn’t casual happiness; this is the overwhelming, almost terrifying joy that comes when you realize the impossible has just become reality.
What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?
Picture this: in first-century Jewish culture, women couldn’t even testify in court. Their witness was considered unreliable. Yet God chose women to be the first evangelists, the first to proclaim the resurrection. This wasn’t an accident – it was a deliberate upending of cultural expectations that would have shocked Matthew’s original readers.
When Jesus appears to the women in Matthew 28:9, they “took hold of his feet and worshipped him.” In Jewish thought, you only worship God. These women, in the immediate aftermath of the resurrection, are making a theological statement that would have been scandalous to Jewish ears: this Jesus is divine.
Did You Know?
The Greek word for “worship” here is proskuneo, which literally means to fall down before someone in recognition of their authority. When the women worship Jesus, they’re not just showing reverence – they’re acknowledging His divine kingship.
The eleven disciples’ mixed response – worship and doubt simultaneously (Matthew 28:17) – would have resonated deeply with Matthew’s audience. These weren’t superhuman faith heroes; they were ordinary people grappling with extraordinary claims, just like his readers were.
How This Changes Everything
The Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 isn’t just marching orders – it’s a complete reframing of God’s relationship with humanity. For centuries, people came to God through Jerusalem, through the temple, through elaborate ritual systems. Now Jesus says, “Go and make disciples of all nations.”
The phrase “all nations” (panta ta ethne) would have been revolutionary to Jewish ears. The Messiah wasn’t just for Israel – He was for everyone, everywhere. This commission transforms Christianity from a Jewish sect into a global movement.
But notice the foundation: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). Jesus isn’t sending them out as salespeople trying to convince people to buy into a good idea. He’s sending them as ambassadors of the one who now has ultimate authority over everything.
Wait, That’s Strange…
Why does Matthew mention that some disciples doubted even while worshipping (Matthew 28:17)? Because honest faith often includes honest questions. Jesus doesn’t wait for perfect faith before giving the Great Commission – He works through doubting, questioning, imperfect people.
The baptismal formula “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19) is the first clear Trinitarian statement in the New Testament. This isn’t three gods – it’s one name (onoma, singular) that encompasses the fullness of who God is.
Wrestling with the Text
Here’s what keeps me up at night about this passage: Jesus promises to be with us “always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). The Greek pas tas hemeras means “all the days” – every single one, without exception. This isn’t just a comforting platitude; it’s a staggering promise about the nature of reality itself.
But if Jesus is always with us, why do we so often feel alone? Why do faithful people suffer? Why does injustice seem to win? Matthew doesn’t answer these questions directly, but he gives us something better: the assurance that the one with all authority is personally, intimately involved in our daily lives.
The tension between the resurrection’s victory and the world’s continued brokenness is real. We live in what theologians call the “already but not yet” – the kingdom has come in Jesus, but it hasn’t fully arrived. The resurrection is God’s down payment on the complete renewal of all things.
“The empty tomb doesn’t just prove Jesus defeated death – it proves that nothing is impossible when God is involved.”
Key Takeaway
The resurrection isn’t just about life after death – it’s about life before death being transformed by the reality that death has already lost. When you know the ending of the story, every chapter takes on new meaning.
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