Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Matthew
Book: Matthew
Chapter: 28
Overview:
Christ's resurrection.
(1-8) He appears to the women.
(9,10)
Confession of the soldiers.
(11-15) Christ's commission to his
disciples.
(16-20)
1-8 Christ Rose the third
Day after his
Death; that was the
time he had often spoken of.
On the first
Day of the first
Week
God commanded the
Light to shine out of
Darkness.
On this
Day
did He who is the
Light of the world, shine out of the
Darkness
of the
Grave; and this
Day is from henceforward often mentioned
in the New
Testament, as the
Day which Christians religiously
observed in solemn assemblies, to the honour of
Christ. Our
Lord
Jesus could have rolled back the
Stone By his own power, but he
chose to have it done
By an
Angel. The
Resurrection of Christ,
as it is the joy of his friends,
So it is the terror and
confusion of his enemies. The
Angel encouraged the women against
their fears. Let the sinners in Zion be afraid. Fear not ye, for
his resurrection will be your consolation. Our
Communion with
him must be spiritual,
By Faith in his
Word. When we are ready
to make this world our home, and to say, It is good to be here,
then let us remember our
Lord Jesus is not here, he is risen;
therefore let our hearts rise, and seek the things that are
above. He is risen, as he said. Let us never think that strange
which the
Word of
Christ has told us to expect; whether the
sufferings of this present time, or the
Glory that is to be
revealed. It may have a good effect upon us,
By Faith to view
the place where the
Lord lay. Go quickly. It was good to be
there, but the servants of
God have other work appointed. Public
usefulness must be
Chosen before the pleasure of secret
Communion with
God. Tell the disciples, that they may be
comforted under their present sorrows.
Christ knows where his
disciples
Dwell, and will visit them. Even to those at a
distance from the plenty of the
Means of Grace, he will
graciously manifest himself. The fear and the joy together
quickened their pace. The disciples of
Christ should be forward
to make known to each other their experiences of
Communion with
their
Lord; and should tell others what
God has done for their
souls.
9,10 God's gracious visits usually meet us in the way of duty;
and to those who use what they have for others' benefit, more
shall be given. This interview with
Christ was unexpected; but
Christ was nigh them, and still is nigh us in the
Word. The
Salutation speaks the good-will of
Christ to
Man, even since he
entered upon his state of exaltation. It is the will of
Christ
that his people should be a cheerful, joyful people, and his
resurrection furnishes abundant matter for joy. Be not afraid.
Christ Rose from the dead, to silence his people's fears, and
there is enough in that to silence them. The disciples had just
before shamefully deserted him in his sufferings; but, to show
that he could forgive, and to teach us to do
So, he calls them
brethren. Notwithstanding his majesty and purity, and our
meanness and unworthiness, he still condescends to
Call
believers his brethren.
11-15 What wickedness is it which men will not be brought to
By
the
Love of
Money! Here was large
Money given to the soldiers
for advancing that which they knew to be a
Lie, yet many grudge
a little
Money for advancing what they know to be the
Truth. Let
us never starve a good cause, when we see bad ones
So liberally
supported. The priests undertook to secure them from the
Sword
of
Pilate, but could not secure these soldiers from the
Sword of
God's
Justice, which hangs over the heads of those that
Love and
make a
Lie. Those men promise more than they can perform, who
undertake to save a
Man harmless in doing a wilful
Sin. But this
falsehood disproved itself. Had the soldiers been all asleep,
they could not have known what passed. If any had been awake,
they would have roused the others and prevented the removal; and
certainly if they had been asleep, they never would have dared
to confess it; while the Jewish rulers would have been the first
to
Call for their
Punishment. Again, had there been any
Truth in
the report, the rulers would have prosecuted the apostles with
severity for it. The whole shows that the story was entirely
false. And we must not charge such things to the weakness of the
understanding, but to the wickedness of the
Heart.
God left them
to expose their own course. The great argument to prove
Christ
to be the
Son of God, is his resurrection; and none could have
more convincing proofs of the
Truth of that than these soldiers;
yet they took bribes to hinder others from believing. The
plainest evidence will not affect men, without the work of the
Holy
Spirit.
16-20 This
Evangelist passes over other appearances of
Christ,
recorded
By Luke and
John, and hastens to the most solemn; one
appointed before his
Death, and after his resurrection. All that
see the
Lord Jesus with an
Eye of
Faith, will
Worship him. Yet
the
Faith of the sincere may be very weak and wavering. But
Christ gave such convincing proofs of his resurrection, as made
their
Faith to triumph over doubts. He now solemnly commissioned
the apostles and his ministers to go forth among all nations.
The
Salvation they were to preach, is a common
Salvation;
whoever will, let him come, and take the benefit; all are
welcome to
Christ Jesus. Christianity is the religion of a
sinner who applies for
Salvation from deserved wrath and from
Sin; he applies to the
Mercy of the
Father, through the
Atonement of the incarnate Son, and
By the
Sanctification of the
Holy
Spirit, and gives up himself to be the
Worshipper and
servant of
God, as the
Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost, three
Persons but one
God, in all his ordinances and
Commandments.
Baptism is an outward sign of that inward
Washing, or
Sanctification of the
Spirit, which seals and evidences the
believer's
Justification. Let us examine ourselves, whether we
really possess the inward and spiritual
Grace of a
Death unto
Sin, and a new
Birth unto
Righteousness,
By which those who were
the children of wrath become the children of
God. Believers
shall have the constant presence of their
Lord always; all days,
every
Day. There is
No Day,
No Hour of the
Day, in which our
Lord Jesus is not present with his churches and with his
ministers; if there were, in that
Day, that
Hour, they would be
undone. The
God of
Israel, the
Saviour, is sometimes a
God that
hideth himself, but never a
God at a distance. To these precious
words
Amen is added. Even
So,
Lord Jesus, be thou with us and
all thy people; cause thy
Face to shine upon us, that thy way
may be known upon
Earth, thy saving health among all nations.