Matthew 28:16-20

This passage occurs both in the Narrative Lectionary and the Revised Common Lectionary (Trinity Sunday), most recently June 4, 2021.

Summary:
Well, this passage clarifies a few things:
* Jesus did have to suffer
* The law still exists in the new creation (***)
* Commissioning is just as important as proclamation
* Baptizing is subordinate to making disciples; yet Baptism binds us to God
* The resurrection changes God's name
While we are at it, let's also clarify two other things
* The Trinity was in Matthew's Gospel
* Some, not all, doubted

Okay, I will be less pugnacious, but Matthew brilliantly closes out of his Gospel.  Only five verses, but it really does tie together so much of Matthew's writing.

 
Key Words
ορος ("mountain", 28:16)   Mountains show up at many key points in the Gospel of Matthew:  The sermon on the Mount, the transfiguration and the betrayal of Jesus.  Matthew may be connecting some of the "dots" within his story here.  I wrote about this in my comments on Matthew 5 as well.

εταξατο ("command" from τασσω, 28:16)  

***I wrote in 2017:  Even after the resurrection, the concept of obedience still exists.  I write this because recently I've been engaged in some discussions with "hyper" Lutherans who want to functionally deny the role of the law within the new creation.  The law still exists; the new creation does the law.  But okay, let's avoid this discussion and actually get to something that we can preach:  Living as a disciple means obeying, even as we doubt.  (See below for more on law and Gospel post resurrection)

I would amend in 2023:  I would probably want to write this differently -- I am not sure the new creation does the law; I might say fulfills the law.  Regardless, the reality though is that the creation that we are on earth, both sinner and saint, needs and does the law.

προσεκυνησαν ("worship", from προσκυνεω, 28:17) and εξουσια ("authority" or "power", 28:18). The President of Luther Seminary once gave a great sermon linking this passage (Matthew 28:16-20) with the temptation of Christ.  It will be on a mountain that the devil offers Jesus all authority if Jesus would worship him.  Poetically, here it is on a mountain that the disciples worship him as the hear that Jesus has all the authority.  The point of the sermon (by Dr. Richard Bliese) was that devil tried to convince Jesus that suffering wasn't necessary for his authority and glory, but Jesus would have none of it.

εδιστασαν ("doubt", from δισταζω 17)  Back in chapter 14, Jesus rescues a sinking Peter and asks him why he doubted.  Here we are, after the crucifixion and resurrection, and doubt still lingers.  Interestingly, Jesus does not rebuke them for their faith (or even false worship) but simply puts them to use and offers them the promise of his presence.  What is Jesus response to failure on the part of the disciples?  Commissioning and promise.  I would argue that in both John 22 and Matthew 28, Jesus not only hands over the promise but also employs people.  This to me suggests that law can function as Gospel when it lets us know that Jesus cares about us.  In other words, when someone tells us to quit smoking, we can hear this as law but also as love in that the person cares about us.  The failure of church to commission people is a failure to communicate God's love for them.  Ultimately I would argue that it is the promise of Jesus' presence that will give them the strength to carry out this command!

μαθητευσατε and βαπτιζοντες ("teach" and "baptize", 19)  Interestingly, the only imperative verb in verse 19 is "make disciples."  The rest are participles that likely describe the verb "teach."  [Grammatically you can argue that "go," although not an imperative, functions like this because of its position.]  In the Greek, baptizing and teaching are not imperatives, they are participles that describe the manner of making disciples.  This is true in the parish too; we make disciples by baptizing them and teaching them.  One should not press too hard here because even if "baptize" only modifies "make disciples" it is still commanded to us by Jesus!  However, it reminds us that Baptism without teaching is not what Jesus commanded. 

I would also add that the purpose of our teaching is making disciples...Do we look at Christian Education as formation??

Side note on the verbs here:  The main verb (μαθητευσατε ) is in the plural (second person).  No one of us is commanded to make disciples.  It always take the community to accomplish this task.

εις το ονομα ("into the name" 19)  Two points here.  First off all, there is only the most scant evidence that Matthew's Gospel did not originally have the Trinitarian name.  All the major manuscripts have it.  In fact, each and every manuscripts has it.  The main evidence against it consists of one or two Greek Fathers who don't include it when they cite Matthew, most importantly Eusebius.  However, Eusebius wrote around 300; the Didache (110 AD), which heavily quotes from Matthew's Gospel includes the name Father, Son and Holy Spirit within its Baptismal formula. (The Didache also use the word "into" and not "in" reflecting Matthew's language)

Second point, we are baptized into the name of God.  There is something that happens in Baptism that joins us to Christ.

μεθ υμων ("with you"; the word μεθ is μετα but the letters change before a vowel, much like "a" becomes "an", vs 20).  It is a good reminder that Jesus offers a plural promise here:  "With all of you."  More importantly though, the words "with you" appear in the middle of the words "I am."  "I am" or εγω ειμι can also signify the name of God (see one of the previous' weeks entries on this).  Here though we find the construction "I with you am."  In the middle of God's name is "with us."  I would argue that God's name has been changed by the death and resurrection of Jesus.  God is forever bound to humanity in a way that God was not before (see tearing of temple curtain).  Even if the whole name of God thing seems like a stretch, Jesus is indicating that after the crucifixion and resurrection he is truly Emmanuel, or God with us, as the angel declared in the beginning of the Gospel. 

Grammar:  How Greek often switches subjects.
In verse 17, Matthew says that "some doubted."  He actually doesn't use the word "some," but the words οι δε.  These two words simply mean "The and."  How did the translators get to "some" from "the and"?

This particular construction (δε ("and") following the word οι/ο ("the")) almost always implies a new subject.  Often times Greek writers will do this; perhaps to save space because it is quicker to write "ο δε" then to write out "the other person I was just writing about."  This device, I assume, almost functioned like a period or a paragraph start; "attention reader, new subject."  For example, Matthew uses this construction back in verse 16 to switch the narrative from the Jews to the disciples. We have a paragraph marker there, but in the original Greek, which lacked punctuation, this didn't exist. 

In verse 17, the question becomes, whom is Matthew referring to when he switches the subject? We are not told of anyone on the hill.  It seems the only option is to assume Matthew here switches from all eleven disciples to a smaller group within that.  While a minority think he means all the disciples (and thus is NOT switching subjects), most people assume he is referring to a subset within the disciples.  Regardless at least some of the people on that hill are doubting...and Luke tells in Acts they all keep moving forward with the team!

Matthew 28:1-10 (Easter)

Here are links for Greek commentary on all four Resurrection Gospel accounts.
Matthew 28:1-10
Mark 16:1-8
Luke 24:1-12
John 20:1-18

Special note for 2020 and COVID:  "Afraid yet filled with joy..."  This passage definitely has a great deal of fear, change and uncertainty.  Yet at the heart of it is joy and resurrection.  I think this passage, while seemingly not as a emotional as John's Gospel, gets at the heart of the emotional ambiguity that Easter 2020 is bringing for all of us:  Afraid, yet filled with joy.

Note in 2023:  It is interesting to see this note from 2020.  While we no longer live under the veil of the pandemic, the narrative and culture of fear continues.

Summary:  The angel tells the people "no longer be afraid."  This command concerning fear is in an on-going tense.  We should never be afraid any more!  Jesus has won.  I would offer a pastoral way to hear the command to no longer be afraid.  As Christians, we can no longer be afraid of grief.  Not that we will avoid grief, but that we do not have to fear visiting the tomb.  We can "go there" and mourn and even mourn with others.  The power of the resurrection is revealed as we let our hearts experience the sadness of our goodbyes.  Only one who knows they will say hello again can give a proper good-bye and miss a person!

All in all, what strikes me this year about Matthew's account of the resurrection is still how chaotic is seems.  I have always pictured Mark as the chaotic writer, but Matthew's account seems very unsettled.  It does not even seem to calm down once Jesus shows up.

Key Words:
ταφος ("grave," 28.1):  The translators get this word right.  I point it out because I find a pastoral nugget in this: Amid the midst of grief and sorrow, the women want to look at the grave.  In our culture, we are often taught, especially as Christians, to avoid the grave, to avoid reflecting on grief.  We are taught to live in joy of resurrection.  This is true, but I sense that in order to experience the power of resurrection, we must also go to the grave and be confronted by the power of death.  Furthermore, I think our encounter with the news of the resurrection, even of our loved ones, produces a mixture of fear and joy, echoing the emotions of the first disciples.

σεισμος ("earthquake," 28.2):  We've had this idea before in Matthew...during Palm Sunday the whole city shook with the cheers of the people!  Also, after the crucifixion, an earthquake caused the centurion to confess his faith.  Interestingly, σεισμος can also mean storm.  Jesus slept in the boat during the storm in Matthew 8:24; he emerges from the hull to calm the storm and disciples.  Likewise, Jesus will emerge from the tomb to calm this σεισμος, including the disciples.  Perhaps in both stories the disciples remain of little faith...

See also εσεισθησαν ("shake," aorist passive of σειω, 28.4).  In this case, the guards were shaken.  The resurrection will shake everyone and admittedly cause fear.  The world has been turned upside down!

φοβου ("fear," 28.4 as a verb in 28.5):  While Matthew's portrayal of the resurrection is perhaps not as stark as Mark's, Matthew still has fear!  Worth noting is that the imperative verb (do not be afraid) is in the present tense:  "Stop being afraid and keep not being afraid."  The resurrection means we have nothing to fear, truly, nothing to fear.

φοβεισθε ("fear", as a verb, 28:5)  The verb here is the plural, something we do not observe in English. These are words to the community of faith, not just the individual.  They are also present tense, suggesting the disciples were afraid and that they are no longer to be afraid.

εσταυρωμενον ("crucify," passive perfect participle of σταυροω, 28.5):  The perfect tense in Greek implies that the action still results in a current state.  Jesus has been and still is in the state of crucifixion:  Resurrection did not negate crucifixion.  Jesus was and is eternally crucified!

ειπεν ("said" from λεγω, 28:6)  I would argue here that you could translate this verb as promise.  Why?  Well, for starters, we have a language problem.  Hebrew doesn't distinguish between "say" and "promise."  God and humans have the same verb for speech, and so the English authors translate - from Hebrew - God's speech as "promise" because what God says God will do, God does.  Admittedly, Greek does distinguish between the words.  BUT:  The authors of the Gospels never use the verb promise to describe Jesus' words, except the explicit promise of the Holy Spirit at the end of Luke's Gospel.  Functionally, when they writes Jesus "says" this means "promise" because what he says will happen.  So, I think you can go by the Old Testament/Hebrew rule:  Everyone speaks, but when Jesus speaks, you can translate it as promise...

It is also worth noting that the angel emphasizes that Jesus is risen, "just as he said."  The angel is challenging them to have faith, not just in the resurrection but in evidence of God's faithfulness.  Even the story that should be about all the proof in the world is still about trusting a word, the word of Jesus, the word of the angels and finally the word of the women.

αστραπη ("lightning," 28.3):  This word would be uninteresting to me except that it also appears in 24.27, "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man."  Jesus also predicts earthquakes in the second coming (σεισμος in 24.7).  While Jesus has not returned a second time, lightning and earthquakes suggest a dawning of a new age in the resurrection.  As Jesus said,
"Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."  (16.28)"
The Son of Man has come in his Kingdom.

υπηντησαν ("meet," aorist of υπανταω, 28:9)  This word can mean meet, but it is also used in Matthew 8:28 (also in Acts 16:16) to mean confront or oppose.  This is an interesting idea of Jesus confronting them here!  It is also interesting that Jesus does better than his promise; he meets them long before Galilee!

χαιρετε ("rejoice," 28:9)  It means rejoice -- but it can be used as a greeting.  A few things to note.  First, in the LXX or New Testament, whenever it is used in the plural, it is a command, "Rejoice" and not a greeting.  However, I humbly suggest that in Matthew 28, Jesus is actually saying "Rejoice!"  He is meeting women at the crossroads of fear and joy - he commands them to rejoice.  And what do they do?  They fall down and worship!  If you think this is too much of a stretch, you can note the profound difference in the scenes of greeting in the last chapters of Matthew's Gospel:
Matthew 26:49  Judas says, "Greetings (χαιρε), Rabbi."
Matthew 27:29  The solider mock him saying, "Hail (χαιρε), King of the Jews."

εκρατησαν ("seize", from κρατω, 28:9)  This word actually comes into English in Demo-cracy.  The people (demo) seize/hold (krato) the power!  What is worth noting here is that there are only two times people seize Jesus:  soldiers to arrest him and now women to worship him.  There is something gripping -- literally -- about this scene.  They are suffering trauma and now comes along Jesus.  They hold him because they don't want to let him go.  (In 2020, I wonder how many of us will hold loved ones the first time we can see after this COVID lock-down is over!).

Grammar and translation:
There are two things you shouldn't waste time tying to learn in a dead language:  numbers and dates/times.  Why?  Because translators don't get these wrong!  For example, in 28:1 you have the phrase: εις μιαν σαββατων.  The literally means "the first of the sabbath."  Which means, as it turns out, on the first day after the sabbath (akin to Monday being the first day of the week).  It doesn't mean "the first thing on the Sabbath!)  Similarly, I would want to translate, οψε δε σαββατων as in "late on the Sabbath" but it really means, in this case, "after the Sabbath was over."  When it comes to time/dates, just trust the people that spend their lives translating.  There is nothing theological at stake; they just spent time learning the ancient idioms!

Easter (RCL and NL)

Here are links for Greek commentary on the resurrection accounts in all four Gospel
Matthew 28:1-10
Mark 16:1-8
Luke 24:1-12
John 20:1-18

Note:  All four Gospels do not portray an entirely resolved emotional situation.  Our anthems on Easter project robust celebration and confidence.  The Easter Gospels show fear, confusion and the dawning of the entirely unexpected.

A teaser from the posts on Luke 24:1-12
προς εαυτον ("to himself"; 24.12)  Most translators take the phrase, "to himself" to mean "to his possessions," namely, Peter's house (including BDAG).  Hence they translate it "Peter went to his house."  Yet, Peter does not necessarily go to his home. It literally says, "He went away to himself." This could just as naturally read, "He went away by himself." As the KJV puts it "wondered in himself."  Most translators likely base their translation on John 20:10, where it is more clear that the disciples went home.  But Luke's imagery is of Peter walking away by himself, pondering these events, likely without any real direction in his wanderings.
Luke's presentation of the Resurrection story gives us permission to struggle with the Good News.  It is so good, so amazing, that even the first disciples struggled with it.

A teaser from the posts on Matthew 28:1-10 and Mark 16:1-8:
εσταυρομενον ("crucified"; 6).  This word is also in the perfect, meaning an action happened in the past that still describes the state of affairs.  The angel declares that even though he is risen, Jesus is still in the state of being crucified.  You are seeking the crucified one; he is risen.  Jesus is alive but he still has the wounds in his hands.

My pastoral thought, reflecting on the Greek, is that the women have the courage and compassion to go to the tomb.  It can be easy to make Easter into a day when we criticize those who focus on the grave; who focus on grief.  I think as Christians we have the power to grieve because we have hope.  In short, we can say good-bye and miss them because we will see them again.

A teaser from the post on John 20:1-18:
μνημειον ("tomb", 20:1)  This word comes from the Greek for memory (like English "mnemonic" is something that helps you remember).  The complaint almost reads, "They have taken Jesus out of my memory!"  There is something to play with here, about memory and loved ones.  Jesus isn't just a memory; your loved ones aren't just a memory.  Jesus is alive!