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11 As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. 12 A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. 13 They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ 14 If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” 15 So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.

16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

In the Kingdom of God, Victory looks DIFFERENT BUT BETTER than we can imagine.

Overall Commentary: 🌎

The Gospel of Matthew ends with a fantastic declaration. Jesus has all authority. Jesus has a purpose for us in His Kingdom. Jesus ha a promise for us.

This is one of my favorite teachings on Exploring the Historical Evidence for the Resurrection.

Commentary

Verse 11-15. The Hoax.

Verse 11-15— Matthew had no reason to make this up. This is likely the first significant excuse the Pharisees gave for what happened to the Body of Jesus. This is also their admitting that they could not account for the body of Jesus. There are multiple reasons why this is a wrong argument:

Roman soldiers were forbidden to sleep on the job. The price was death.
There is no way the disciples could have moved a large stone without waking anyone up.
The disciples were too afraid to stand up for Jesus while he alive. They would be more afraid now.

Verse 16-20- The Sum of It All.

Verse 16—The Mountain—While the Bible does not record which mountain this is, some scholars have speculated that it could have been Mount Arbal. If so, this mountain would have given the disciples a view of many memorable moments in Jesus' ministry. They would have been able to see the Sea of Galilee, the city of Capernaum, and where Jesus called many of them to be His disciples.

Verse 17— "They saw Him"—The Bible does not record that only the eleven disciples were in attendance. This may be where Jesus met with over 500 people, as spoken of in 1 Corinthians 15.

Verse 18— "I have been given all authority"- When Jesus says this, it may be incorrectly assumed that He is subordinate to the Father. This is countered by John 1:1-3. Jesus has the exact nature and deity as the Father and Son. The difference is in their differing roles. The Father is "greater" in role but not in Personhood. This would be like if you worked at a company and had a boss. While your boss has a leadership role, they are no more important than you. Ultimately, all the analogies to explain the Trinity breakdown because God is wholly "other" than anything we can imagine.

Verse 19— Make Disciples- The goal of each disciple is to make more disciples. We do this by going, baptizing, and teaching.

Verse 19— All Nations- Jesus is now telling them to reach beyond the Jewish nation.

Verse 19— Baptizing them "into"- The Greek word "eis" can mean "in" or "into." As disciples of Christ, we baptize people INTO the Kingdom of God.

Verse 19— "Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit"- In the Old Testament, the people of Israel are used to hearing God mentioned as Father. They are also used to hearing about the Spirit of God (Genesis 1:3). Introducing the Son is new and huge!

Verse 20— "Obey all the commands I have given you."- This goes back to Matthew 7. We build our lives on His teaching, which is like building our lives on a Rock.

Verse 20— "I am with you always"- The promise is for God to be with us always. We see this fulfillment in Acts 2. This is not to say that the Holy Spirit and Jesus are the same. That is the heresy of modalism. This is saying that the Holy Spirit fulfills Jesus's saying that His Spirit will always be with us.

Verse 20— "End of the Age"- This means the end of time.

Top Takeaway- Because of Jesus, the story is only beginning.

Jesus' final promise of being with us brings the Gospel of Matthew full circle. In the first part of Matthew, he quotes from Isaiah, who says Jesus would be "God With Us." In the closing verse, Jesus promises to be just that. Not only is Jesus with us, but He invites us into His story.