There can be no Great Commission without a Great Resurrection
And 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. Matthew 28:7
The Great Commission appears at the very end of Matthew and summarizes the major themes of the gospel. From the very first verse, Matthew has had the words and themes of the Great Commission and has often illustrated its major concepts in the sayings and deeds of the life of Jesus.
Matthew 28 actually has been formed as a unit and contains not one but three distinct commissions. The first one is given by the angels and Jesus to the women who are told that Jesus is indeed risen and He will meet His disciples in Galilee (Matt. 28:5-10). The message and connection is clear here . . . there can be no Great Commission without a Great Resurreciton. The second commission is given by the chief priests to the soldiers who are bribed into spreading a lying report about the resurrection (Matt. 28:11-15).
The third and final commission is given by Jesus to the disciples in Galilee (Matt. 28:16-20). Therefore the Great Commission is an integral part to chapter 28 and is intimately tied to the resurrection of Jesus. The teaching is clear. Without a Great Resurrection there can be no Great Commission.
The meeting in Galilee is significant. The first time Matthew mentions that northern province he calls it “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Matt. 4:15, quoting Isa. 9:1). At this time there was a large cosmopolitan population living there and, from the mountain Jesus gave His commission, the disciples could see the foreign countries where the gospel must travel after the Holy Spirit falls. Matthew 28:17 tells us that “When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.” And so it will always be until the close of time. Not everyone associated with Jesus will believe in Him as the Resurrection and the Life.