Matthew 28:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He instructed them to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Here, He emphasized teachings and commandments, avoiding mentions of the Jews, omitting past events, and refraining from reproaching Peter for his denial or the others for their abandonment. Instead, He commanded them to disseminate His teachings throughout the entire world, succinctly including the call to baptize. Aware of the magnitude of this mission, He strengthened them by declaring, "Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Do you not perceive His authority in this statement? And do you see how humbly He expresses it? He promises not only to be with them but also to be present with all future believers. While the apostles would not endure until the end of the age, He speaks to all believers as a unified body. He reassures them, saying, "Do not mention obstacles and challenges: it is I who ease all burdens!" Similar reassurances were provided in the Old Testament; to Jeremiah regarding his youth, to Moses and Ezekiel in their reluctance, He said, "I am with you." He offers the same encouragement here to His disciples. However, there lies a distinction; the former were sent to one nation and often hesitated, whereas these are commissioned to the entire world and express no such reluctance. He reminds them of the end of the age, urging them not to focus solely on their current struggles but to also contemplate the eternal blessings that lie ahead. The sufferings they will endure will conclude with this present life, for this age itself will ultimately pass away, but the rewards they will receive are everlasting, as He has frequently communicated. Having fortified their spirits with the promise of the final day, He dispatched them into the world. Indeed, this day holds significance for those who have lived virtuously, as well as for those who have sinned, including those who have faced punishment.

What Matthew recounts regarding subsequent events aligns temporally with what John describes having taken place earlier, as the risen Christ manifested Himself to them frequently over the span of forty days, appearing and disappearing at various times, though He was not continually visible nor present with them in every moment.

While Scripture does not detail the precise timing of His appearance in Galilee, it does indicate the specific day and hour He was seen in Jerusalem. He visited the disciples in their enclosed space while they were still filled with fear, yet they approached the Mount of Olives emboldened.

John states that the disciples were gathered in the upper room with the doors shut due to fear of the Jews, while Luke notes that there were not just eleven present, but a larger group. Matthew recounts that the eleven gathered in Galilee: “The eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had commanded them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted” (Matthew 28:16-17). He bestowed upon them the authority to teach and baptize. Additionally, Mark narrates that at the end, He appeared to the eleven disciples reclining at the table, commissioning them to preach the Gospel to all the world (see Mark 16:14-15).

The simplest understanding appears to be this: The Lord assured the disciples they would see Him in Galilee, yet He first appeared to them while they were anxiously gathered in the locked upper room. After this encounter, the eleven, fortified in spirit, departed for Galilee. It would not be incorrect to suggest—this view is shared by many esteemed interpreters—that there were fewer disciples present in the locked upper room than those who gathered on the mountain.

However, contrary to what Julian the Apostate claimed in his folly, Jesus Christ did not mislead when He told the disciples He would meet them in Galilee after appearing to them in Jerusalem; rather, He honored His promise by later appearing in Galilee while also granting them the blessing of His presence in Jerusalem to alleviate their grief and to affirm the accounts of the women and others who had witnessed His resurrection. Matthew chose not to detail the journey to Galilee, yet the other Gospel writers addressed this as well, with Mark providing a brief account, Luke offering a more detailed one, and John elaborating even further. To the mountain, Jesus instructed them..., that is, where He had directed them through the women, as mentioned earlier, or where He had pledged, saying: “after my resurrection, I will go before you into Galilee” (Matt. 26:32). Jesus did indeed instruct the disciples to head to Galilee, but there is no written account about the mountain itself. It is likely that He either communicated this directly to them or directed them through the women, though this too is not documented. Moreover, the mountain was familiar to them, as they often retreated there for moments of peace. And when they beheld Him, they worshipped Him... affirming that He was indeed present in Galilee, having arrived there ahead of them.

At the conclusion of the feasts and in obedience to the Lord's instruction, one hundred of the disciples traveled to Galilee. There, six of them were blessed to see the Lord on the Sea of Tiberias, as recorded by St. John. It is possible that during this revelation, the Lord instructed His followers to gather at a specified location, which culminated in their assembly on the mountain as directed by Jesus. This encounter, as noted by St. Philaret of Moscow, carries particular significance; in contrast to other revelations where the Lord presented Himself unexpectedly, this occasion was marked by prior notice, instructing the disciples to go to Galilee to witness Him. The exact name of the mountain attended by this event has not been documented, but it may have been Mount Tabor, where His glory was previously unveiled in the transfiguration, with the charge of maintaining silence regarding this glory until after His Resurrection. Alternatively, it could have been the Mount of the Beatitudes, cherished by believers for the Saviour's greatest sermon delivered there.

He had instructed them to keep this revelation in silence until the time of His resurrection (Matt. 17:9). Now, He declared that He was assuming all the rights bestowed upon Him as the Redeemer of humanity in both heaven and on earth. He was no longer merely the King of the Jews, but also the Sovereign of heaven and earth. Therefore, all that they did among the Jews was to be extended to all nations. Here, they preached repentance and baptized those who believed in the Messiah; this mission was now to be carried out globally. Until now, their baptisms were in anticipation of the coming Messiah; however, they were now to baptize in the name of God Himself. Previously, in their call to repentance, they had not fully articulated the teachings they had received from the Savior; with Him departing from the earth, they were to announce to the world all that they had learned from Him, thereby continuing His ministry through their own. To empower them for this task, He assured them of His enduring presence within His church, promising to remain with them throughout all ages until the fullness of God’s kingdom is revealed on earth. To those who accepted their message in faith and entered His church through baptism, He promised salvation and the ability to perform miracles, which the apostles would carry out for the glory of God's kingdom and the benefit of their brethren (Mk. 16:17, 18).

In recounting the words spoken by Christ to the disciples during this meeting, both Mark and Luke seek to encapsulate the crucial teachings imparted by the Lord following His resurrection, emphasizing His charge to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world. Likewise, Matthew highlights the command to reach out to all nations and instruct them in obedience to His teachings, performing baptisms in the name of the Triune God. He also conveys Christ’s promise to remain spiritually present with believers until the end of the age. This particular assurance is especially significant during His final appearance, marking the conclusion of His physical presence among His followers. It was delivered to comfort the disciples as they were to continue their mission without seeing the Lord in person, thus encouraging them in their forthcoming efforts to spread the Gospel.

This indication illustrates that Matthew, akin to Mark and Luke, amalgamates the teachings of the Lord shared during His various appearances to His disciples into the narrative he presents.

Ultimately, the resurrected Jesus Himself, addressing the same Myrrh-bearers, instructed, ‘Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me’ (Matthew 28:10). Thus, it was Jesus' intention to reveal Himself to His Apostles for the first time in Galilee, as He had directed them. Why then did He reveal Himself in Judea before His appearances in Galilee? The emotional state of the Apostles necessitated His encouragement, reassurance, and intervention to prevent their utter disillusionment. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus made one additional appearance to the eleven Apostles in Galilee, on a mountain.

To fulfill the collective yearning of the believers and to eliminate any grounds for doubt among the less steadfast, the Risen One designated a mountain in Galilee as the site for His revelation and instructed the eleven disciples to journey there (28:16). Galilee was where the Lord performed many miracles and preached His message throughout His ministry, visiting Judea and Jerusalem only during the major festivals. As a result, there were more believers in Him in Galilee than anywhere else, surpassing those who had seen Him, conversed with Him, accompanied Him, or witnessed His miraculous deeds. From among those who had encountered the Lord, over five hundred gathered on that mountain, anticipating the revelation of the Risen One.