WHY REJOICING IS ESSENTIAL TO RESURRECTION

Open your Bibles with me to Matthew 28:1-10

Matthew 28:1–10 NASB 2020

Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook from fear of him and became like dead men. And the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to report to His disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Rejoice!” And they came up and took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go, bring word to My brothers to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

INTRODUCTION

The deed had been done, and the smoke was still settling at dawn of the first day of the week. Two women named Mary made their way to the place where Jesus was buried. The early morning journey had been marked by an earthquake strong enough to loosen the stone covering the tomb. As they arrived, they saw that the stone had been rolled away and an Angel was sitting on it. They were instructed by the Angel to enter the tomb to observe the place where the body of Jesus used to be, then to deliver the news of his resurrection to his disciples and to give them instructions to meet him in Galilee.

What happened next is what arrested my attention. The text says: “they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to report it to his disciples (V. 8 ). As they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying Rejoice! They came forward, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him (V. 9).

My issue with this text precedes from the statement that “they left the tomb with fear and great joy,” but when Jesus met them on the way, He said “Rejoice.” What is it that Matthew is attempting to teach us through his narrative of this resurrection event?

The central idea of Matthew 28:8–9 centers on the transformative encounter between the risen Jesus and the women, establishing worship as the proper response to the resurrection.

I. FEAR AND GREAT JOY

A) Explanation: Fear in Matthew 28:8–9 operates as a natural human response to the supernatural, yet it coexists with joy and ultimately yields to encounter with the risen Christ.

Fear as a Legitimate Response

The women experience genuine gladness from the angel’s announcement, but simultaneously find themselves struck with fear, held in suspense between joy and perplexity—a condition where opposite feelings move the godly alternately in opposite directions until the peace of the Spirit brings them into settled condition. This isn’t weakness or lack of faith; rather, mingled emotions of ecstasy and dread need cause no surprise when all things are considered. The women have just encountered an angel and learned that death has been conquered—fear is the appropriate human reaction to the impossible made real.

II. REJOICE

The women already possessed joy—so Jesus’s command to “rejoice” isn’t introducing an emotion they lack, but rather calling them to deepen and solidify what they’re already experiencing.

Despite the angel’s earlier command to stop being afraid, the women’s fear persists even as they depart with great joy. This coexistence reveals their emotional complexity: fear is an inevitable and even proper human reaction when encountering the supernatural, yet joy must have the last word for these women who came to mourn but leave carrying news of resurrection.2

Jesus’s greeting functions on multiple levels. He tells the women to be glad and celebrate because he is with them. The command isn’t remedial—addressing an absence of joy—but rather confirmational. By speaking the word “rejoice,” Jesus validates and amplifies what they’re already feeling. After the falseness of previous uses of this greeting (by Judas in betrayal and by soldiers mocking Jesus), the greeting is “redeemed” by Jesus’ use of it here to the women.

The women’s lingering fear, despite their joy, suggests they need reassurance that their joy is appropriate and justified. They’ve witnessed the impossible; they’re running to tell disciples who will likely disbelieve them. Jesus’s direct command—spoken by the risen Lord himself—transforms their tentative joy into authorized, confident rejoicing. He’s essentially saying: Your joy is not premature or misplaced. Rejoice fully, because I am here and the resurrection is real.

III. WORSHIP

The Greek word chairō (rejoice/be glad) naturally evokes worship as its fitting response. It captures the right emotional and spiritual posture that emerges when a sequence of events reaches its climax—a moment where praise becomes both the expression and the fulfillment of the joy being experienced. In other words, worship doesn’t merely communicate the gladness someone feels; it actually completes and perfects that joy itself.

So, It’s alright if you have fears with your joy today