Matthew 28
Living Bible
28 Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to the tomb.
2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning and his clothing was a brilliant white. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and fell into a dead faint.
5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be frightened!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified, 6 but he isn’t here! For he has come back to life again, just as he said he would. Come in and see where his body was lying. . . . 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and that he is going to Galilee to meet them there. That is my message to them.”
8 The women ran from the tomb, badly frightened, but also filled with joy, and rushed to find the disciples to give them the angel’s message. 9 And as they were running, suddenly Jesus was there in front of them!
“Good morning!”[a] he said. And they fell to the ground before him, holding his feet and worshiping him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be frightened! Go tell my brothers to leave at once for Galilee, to meet me there.”
11 As the women were on the way into the city, some of the Temple police who had been guarding the tomb went to the chief priests and told them what had happened. 12-13 A meeting of all the Jewish leaders was called, and it was decided to bribe the police to say they had all been asleep when Jesus’ disciples came during the night and stole his body.
14 “If the governor hears about it,” the Council promised, “we’ll stand up for you and everything will be all right.”
15 So the police accepted the bribe and said what they were told to. Their story spread widely among the Jews and is still believed by them to this very day.
16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had said they would find him. 17 There they met him and worshiped him—but some of them weren’t sure it really was Jesus!
18 He told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. 19 Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations,[b] baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this—that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”[c]
Footnotes
- Matthew 28:9 Good morning, literally, “All hail!”
- Matthew 28:19 in all the nations, literally, “of all nations.”
- Matthew 28:20 world, or “age.”
Matthew 28
New International Reader's Version
Jesus Rises From the Dead
28 The Sabbath day was now over. It was dawn on the first day of the week. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a powerful earthquake. An angel of the Lord came down from heaven. The angel went to the tomb. He rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His body shone like lightning. His clothes were as white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here! He has risen, just as he said he would! Come and see the place where he was lying. 7 Go quickly! Tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead. He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb. They were afraid, but they were filled with joy. They ran to tell the disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings!” he said. They came to him, took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see me.”
The Guards Report to the Chief Priests
11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city. They reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 When the chief priests met with the elders, they came up with a plan. They gave the soldiers a large amount of money. 13 They told the soldiers, “We want you to say, ‘His disciples came during the night. They stole his body while we were sleeping.’ 14 If the governor hears this report, we will pay him off. That will keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were told. This story has spread all around among the Jews to this day.
Jesus’ Final Orders to His Disciples
16 Then the 11 disciples went to Galilee. They went to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him. But some still had their doubts. 18 Then Jesus came to them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 So you must go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And you can be sure that I am always with you, to the very end.”
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