✍ Bible Study
Chapter-by-Chapter Study Guides
Ch. 1
Ch. 2
Ch. 3
Ch. 4
Ch. 5
Ch. 6
Ch. 7
Ch. 8
Ch. 9
Ch. 10
Ch. 11
Ch. 12
Ch. 13
Ch. 14
Ch. 15
Ch. 16
Ch. 17
Ch. 18
Ch. 19
Ch. 20
Ch. 21
Ch. 22
Ch. 23
Ch. 24
Ch. 25
Ch. 26
Ch. 27
Ch. 28
The Risen King and His Unfinished Mission
Matthew — Chapter 28 (ESV)
Chapter Overview
Matthew 28 opens at dawn on the first day of the week, as Mary Magdalene and the other Mary arrive at the tomb only to encounter a dazzling angel and an earthquake that rolls back the stone (v. 1-4). The angel's declaration — 'He is not here, for he has risen, as he said' (v. 6) — is the hinge on which all of Christian faith turns, confirming everything Jesus promised throughout his ministry. As the women run with fear and great joy, Jesus himself meets them on the road, and they fall at his feet and worship him (v. 8-9), a moment that is both deeply personal and profoundly world-changing. Meanwhile, the religious leaders bribe the soldiers to spread a lie about the disciples stealing the body (v. 11-15), reminding the reader that resurrection truth has always been contested, and that faith is a choice made in the face of opposition. The chapter — and the entire Gospel — closes with Jesus on a mountain in Galilee, declaring that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to him, and commissioning his followers to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them (v. 18-20). For you as a believer today, this chapter is both a foundation and a summons: the risen Christ who met those women on a dusty road is the same Lord who meets you now, and his Great Commission is still your calling.
Key Verses
Matthew 28:6 (ESV)
"He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay."
These eleven words — 'He is not here, for he has risen' — are the cornerstone of your faith and the reason every other promise in Scripture can be trusted. The angel's small phrase 'as he said' is quietly powerful: Jesus told his disciples this would happen, and it did exactly as promised. When life feels uncertain, you can anchor yourself to this truth: the God who raised Jesus keeps his word.
Matthew 28:9 (ESV)
"And behold, Jesus met them and said, 'Greetings!' And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him."
The first thing the risen Jesus does is meet ordinary people on an ordinary road with a word of greeting — not a throne-room announcement, but a personal encounter. Their response of grabbing his feet and worshiping him is the only fitting reply to coming face to face with the living Christ. This is an invitation for you too: the risen Jesus is not distant or unreachable, but present and personal, worthy of your full, unheld worship.
Matthew 28:10 (ESV)
"Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.'"
Even in his resurrected glory, Jesus' first pastoral words are 'Do not be afraid' — a tender command that speaks directly to the fear and confusion these women were carrying. He also calls his disciples 'my brothers,' a stunning word of grace given that they had all abandoned him just days before. Whatever you have done or failed to do, the risen Jesus still calls you into relationship and still has a mission for you to carry.
Matthew 28:18 (ESV)
"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'"
Before Jesus gives the commission, he gives the foundation: all authority — not some, not limited — belongs to him. This means the mission you are called to does not rest on your own strength, cleverness, or resources, but on the limitless authority of a risen King. When the task of living and sharing your faith feels overwhelming, this verse calls you back to whose authority you are working under.
Matthew 28:20 (ESV)
"teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
The Great Commission ends not with a challenge but with a promise: Jesus himself goes with you every step of the way, to the very end of all things. This 'I am with you always' is not a vague sentiment — it is a covenant word from the Lord of all authority who has just conquered death. Whatever you face this week, in your ordinary moments and your hardest ones, you are not facing it alone.
Main Themes
- The resurrection as the foundation of faith
- The personal presence of the risen Christ
- The Great Commission as every believer's calling
Discussion Questions
- When you read that Jesus met the women personally on the road and said 'Do not be afraid,' what fear or uncertainty in your own life do you most need to bring to the risen Jesus right now?
- Jesus closes the Gospel with 'I am with you always' — how does that promise change the way you think about the week ahead of you?
Personal Application
Take five minutes this week to sit quietly with Matthew 28:20 and let the promise 'I am with you always' sink in — write it somewhere you will see it daily, like a phone lock screen or a sticky note, as a reminder that you are never doing life alone.
Think of one person in your life who does not yet know Jesus, and ask God to open a natural door for you to share something of what he means to you — even a simple, honest conversation counts as participating in the Great Commission.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank you that the tomb is empty and that Jesus is alive — not just as a fact of history, but as the living Lord who meets me personally and calls me by name. Forgive me for the times I have let fear, busyness, or doubt keep me from walking in the joy and mission of the resurrection. I receive your promise that Jesus is with me always, and I ask for the courage and love to live like it is true, making my life a witness to the risen King. In Jesus name, Amen.
← Chapter 27
Matthew · Chapter 28