Comments on Matthew 28 v1 The first day of the week for them is Sunday as the Sabbath is the last and is observed on Saturday. They would not have performed any burial or anointing ritual on the Sabbath. However, they could travel to the tomb on the Sabbath, await the sunrise, which starts the next day according to Jewish tradition, and then perform the ritual. v11-15 Matthew is the only one to document the duplicity of the chief priests. We would assume the watch in v. 11 is the same as those described in 27:64-66 and v. 2-4. The centurions would have only been too eager to cooperate with the high priests if they could deliver them from the governor as it was the death penalty for a centurion to abandon one's post. v16-20 comprise what is know in Christendom as "The Great Commission". It is taken by Christendom to be what gives them authority in the ministry. They read these verses to say that Jesus is telling all those who believe in him to go and teach and baptize and if they do then he will be with them. Naturally, the LDS approach to this passage is quite different. Jesus is speaking to 11 apostles in specific and not disciples in general as he specifically separates them out from all others by summoning them to some mountain. These apostles have previously been granted authority in the ministry (cf. Matt. 10:1, Matt. 16:19, Mark 3:14-15, Luke 9:1, John 15:16), so the purpose of the meeting cannot be to grant authority in the ministry. Rather, the LDS approach is to see this passage as the final command to the apostles to continue the ministry full-time in his absence just as they were ministering full-time when he was with them. v20 "I am with you alway", this is the granting of divine support that has spanned all dispensations, cf. Exod. 3:12, Num. 14:9, Joshua 1:9, Isa. 43:5, Jer. 15:20, Acts 18:20, D&C 34:11, Moses 1:26. Copyright © 2002 by S. Kurt Neumiller . All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form or by any means for commercial gain without the express written consent of the author. Digital or printed copies may be freely made and distributed for personal and public non-commercial use.