But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Even as Jesus foretells their abandonment and His own death, He offers a promise of reunion in Galilee, not just as a location, but as a shepherd leading his scattered sheep back to safety. This humble, pastoral imagery, easily missed in the gravity of the moment, is a profound glimpse into His enduring care and the plan for gathering His flock after the scattering.
But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Just moments after predicting that all his disciples would desert him, referencing a prophecy about the shepherd being struck and the sheep scattered, Jesus offers a comforting promise. He assures them that even though they will fall away, he will rise again and lead them, just like a shepherd, to a specific place in Galilee where he will meet them. This hopeful outlook seems to have been largely overlooked by the disciples in their immediate fear and confusion.
Jesus knows his closest friends are about to scatter. Yet, He speaks of a reunion. How can He be so sure?
A Shepherd's Vision
Jesus is facing the ultimate betrayal. He’s just told his disciples they’ll all fall away that very night, using the prophet's words: 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' (Matthew 26:31).
It's a stark image – a shepherd struck down, his sheep left vulnerable and dispersed. This isn't just about being arrested; it’s about the apparent death of their leader and the end of their dream.
But Jesus immediately pivots. 'But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.' This isn't a denial of the coming scattering, but a promise that it’s not the end of the story. He sees beyond the cross, beyond the scattering, to a future where He will gather them again.
Why Galilee? It’s where Jesus’ ministry began. What does this specific location signify for His followers after His death?
Returning to the Start
Jesus’ instruction to meet in Galilee is incredibly significant. This was the region where Jesus had first called his disciples. It was the birthplace of His public ministry.
By directing them to return to Galilee, Jesus isn’t just giving them a meeting point. He’s pointing to a renewal of their mission and relationship with Him. After the shock of the crucifixion and the confusion of the resurrection, Galilee would represent a return to their calling, a fresh start.
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It’s a promise that their lives with Him wouldn’t end in despair on the cross, but would continue, transformed and recommissioned, in the very place their journey with Him began.
Jesus uses a powerful metaphor: 'I will go before you.' What does it mean for the Shepherd to lead His scattered sheep?
Leading the Way Forward
The phrase 'I will go before you' isn't just about being present; it’s about active, guiding leadership. It echoes the Old Testament image of God leading His people, and specifically links back to the shepherd metaphor Jesus just employed.
Imagine sheep scattered in fear. They are lost, vulnerable, and don't know where to go. The shepherd's role is to find them, gather them, and lead them to safety and pasture. Jesus promises He will do exactly that.
This promise assures the disciples that even though they will fall away, they won't be abandoned. Jesus, the good shepherd, will rise, find them in their scattering, and personally lead them forward. This leadership means not only survival but eventual restoration and peace.
Understand the original words
egeirō · Greek Verb
The central act of Jesus' resurrection; the divine action of God restoring Jesus to life as the ultimate victory over death.
Jesus' promise to meet his disciples in Galilee after his resurrection frames this tender moment within their recent experiences of betrayal, denial, and impending scattering, offering a pastoral reassurance of future reunion and renewed leadership.
c. AD 27-30
Jesus Calls Disciples from Galilee
Jesus begins his public ministry, calling many of his first disciples from the region of Galilee, establishing it as a significant base of operations and familiar territory for his followers.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
Jesus makes a public entry into Jerusalem during Passover, heralded as a king, but this event heightens tensions with religious and political authorities.
c. AD 30
The Last Supper
Jesus shares his final meal with his disciples, instituting the Lord's Supper and predicting his imminent betrayal and the disciples' desertion.
c. AD 30
Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial
During the Last Supper, Jesus warns Peter that he will deny knowing him three times before the rooster crows, despite Peter's confident assertions to the contrary.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Arrest and Crucifixion
Following his betrayal by Judas, Jesus is arrested, tried, and crucified in Jerusalem, a devastating event for his followers.
c. AD 30— this verse
The Resurrection of Jesus
Three days after his crucifixion, Jesus is raised from the dead, fulfilling his prophecy and offering hope to his disciples.
c. AD 30
Jesus Appears to Disciples in Galilee
After his resurrection, Jesus meets with his disciples in Galilee as he promised, commissioning them to spread his message to the world.
This Old Testament prophecy directly foretells the scattering of the sheep (disciples) when the shepherd (Jesus) is struck down, directly setting the stage for Jesus' promise to gather them again.
John 10:4Jesus uses the imagery of a shepherd going before his sheep here, mirroring the language and concept in Matthew 26:32 as He reassures His followers He will lead them even after His death.
1 Corinthians 15:5This passage lists a specific appearance of Jesus to the disciples in Galilee after His resurrection, fulfilling the promise made in Matthew 26:32.
Matthew 28:16This verse shows Jesus fulfilling His promise by meeting the remaining disciples in Galilee, demonstrating His faithfulness even after their abandonment and His resurrection.
henryMatthew 26:31-35: "Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad."
26:31-35 Improper self-confidence, like that of Peter, is the first step to a fall. There is a proneness in all of us to be over-confident. But those fall soonest and foulest, who are the most confident in themselves. Those are least safe, who think themselves most secure. Satan is active to lead su…
clarkeMatthew 26:32: "But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee."
But after I am risen again - Don't lose your confidence; for though I shall appear for a time to be wholly left to wicked men, and be brought under the power of death, yet I will rise again, and triumph over all your enemies and mine. I will go before you - Still alluding to the case of the shepherd and his sheep. Though the shepherd has been smitten and the sheep scattered, the shepherd shall revive again, collect…
Even as Jesus foretells their abandonment and His own death, He offers a promise of reunion in Galilee, not just as a location, but as a shepherd leading his scattered sheep back to safety. This humble, pastoral imagery, easily missed in the gravity of the moment, is a profound glimpse into His enduring care and the plan for gathering His flock after the scattering.
Just moments after predicting that all his disciples would desert him, referencing a prophecy about the shepherd being struck and the sheep scattered, Jesus offers a comforting promise. He assures them that even though they will fall away, he will rise again and lead them, just like a shepherd, to a specific place in Galilee where he will meet them. This hopeful outlook seems to have been largely overlooked by the disciples in their immediate fear and confusion.
Just moments after predicting that all his disciples would desert him, referencing a prophecy about the shepherd being struck and the sheep scattered, Jesus offers a comforting promise. He assures them that even though they will fall away, he will rise again and lead them, just like a shepherd, to a specific place in Galilee where he will meet them. This hopeful outlook seems to have been largely overlooked by the disciples in their immediate fear and confusion.
"But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”" — Even as Jesus foretells their abandonment and His own death, He offers a promise of reunion in Galilee, not just as a location, but as a shepherd leading his scattered sheep back to safety. This humb…
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Last reviewed October 2026