Book of Matthew, Chapter 28
J. Riley
Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 5But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place the Lord lay. 7And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” 8So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. 9And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” 11Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. 12When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13saying,m “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ 14And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” 15So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. 16Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20taching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth
Daniel 7:14 – I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
There is a significant change of direction with this verse, regarding the offer of salvation. Here Yeshua is telling His disciples to go out to the nations (goyim), not just the children of Israel (see Matthew 10:6). Something significant happened with the death of Messiah that enabled the gospel to go out to the non-Jewish world.
Jewish view of Gentile “Salvation”:
Rabbi Emden – intent of Jesus (and especially of Paul) was to convert only the Gentiles to the seven moral laws of Noah and let the Jews follow Mosaic Law. According to Judaism, the 613 mitzvot or commands were issued only to the Jews and therefore binding only upon them. At Mt Siani, the children of Israel were given the obligation to teach other nations the Noahide Laws.
It is forbidden by the Talmud for non-Jews on whom the Noahide Laws are still binding, to elevate their observance to the Torah’s mitvot as the Jews do.
Any non-Jew who lives according to these laws(of Noah) is regarded as a righteous Gentile and is assured of a place in the world to come, Olam Haba, the Jewish concept of Heaven.
The Trinity
v. 19 is often used to teach the Christian “trinity” – the Unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead – a concept contradictory to a Hebrew understanding of the Scriptures.
Jewish view of God – monotheism
God is one, and the Godhead is a single being. The Hebrew Scriptures (O.T.) lift this one article of faith above all others:
Deuteronomy 6:4 – Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one LORD. (found in the first verse of the Shema – the most important prayer in Judaism)
Deuteronomy 5:7 - Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
Isaiah 44:6 – Thus saith the LORD, the King of Israel and His redeemer the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; and beside me there is no God”.
Any formulation of an article of faith which does not insist that God is solitary, that divides worship between God and any other, or that imagines God coming into existence rather than being God externally, is not capable of directing people toward the knowledge of God.
Judaism sees God as a single entity and views the concept of the Trinity as both incomprehensible and a violation of Torah’s teaching that God is one.