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. And 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. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 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." So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And 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. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."- Matthew 28:1-10
Yesterday we read that many women who followed Jesus from
Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar at His Crucifixion, among
whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the
mother of Zebedee's sons. Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went
to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the
body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it
in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn
out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the
tomb, and departed. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary,
sitting opposite the tomb. On the next day, which followed the Day of
Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to
Pilate, saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that
deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.' Therefore command that
the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by
night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the
dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first." Pilate
said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you
know how." So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and
setting the guard.
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. And 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. His countenance was like
lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for
fear of him, and became like dead men. My study Bible comments that the earthquake is a sign of our Lord's great victory over death, and foreshadows the general resurrection of all humanity. It asks us to note that the angel does not roll back the stone to let the Lord out, for in His glory, Christ could pass through solid rock (see John 20:19). On the contrary, the open doorway to the tomb allows the witnesses in, so that they may see He has already risen.
But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I
know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is
risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 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." So they went out quickly from the tomb with
fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And 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. Then Jesus
said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to
Galilee, and there they will see Me." My study Bible tells us that these women are the first witnesses of the supreme event in all history: the Resurrection of Christ and the destruction of death. The angel refers to Christ as the One who was crucified, teaching us not to shy away from His death, but to glory in the Cross (1 Corinthians 2:2; Galatians 6:14), which is the weapon which Christ used to destroy death and the trophy of His victory. At the liturgical services of Pascha (Easter), Orthodox Christians sing the following hymn hundreds of times: "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life." Here St. Paul is cited, who says, "If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile" (1 Corinthians 15:17).
Our first verses in today's reading tell us many things that are quite striking: 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. And 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. His
countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And
the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. First of all, this is the dawn of the first day of the week. This is the day after the Sabbath, and it's known to us as Sunday, the Lord's Day. Moreover, it is also thought of as the eighth day, the eternal day begun with the Resurrection of Christ. It is dawn, the beginning, as Christ, Sun of Righteousness, is Risen. Suddenly, it seems the powers of heaven are shaken once again, in the sign of the earthquake, as an angel descends from heaven, rolls back the stone, and sits on it. We're told that his countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow -- similar to Christ's face and clothing at the revelation of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:2). We see the response of the guards, Roman soldiers. The angel says to these faithful women, who have come to serve Christ even in His death, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where
the Lord lay. 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." Here is the good news, He is risen, as He said. And there is a commission here from the angels; these women will become the Apostles to the Apostles, as the Church declares them to be. The angel is a messenger, as are all holy angels, and this is the greatest message they could hear. And these women respond in a complex way, as has so often the case with Jesus throughout His ministry, and in the presence of heavenly tings: they go running with fear and great joy, and in obedience bring the disciples the word. So they went out quickly from the tomb with
fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. For this obedience and faith, they are the first to see the risen Christ: And 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. Then Jesus
said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to
Galilee, and there they will see Me." This is the great good news, that Jesus has conquered death, and opened the door for all of us to be with Him where He is (John 17:24). These women are the first to see and hear the good news, and to take it to the disciples. In Christ's economy of the risen Word, women are the first to obey, playing this essential role in our salvation, and reversing the story of Eve. In the story of the Resurrection, we all become essential. What role do you play? Faith and obedience tell the story of loyalty and love.