Matthew 28:1-10 - The Morning That Changed Everything

Date: 04/05/26 Series: Easter 2026 Title: The Morning That Changed Everything Main Passage: Matthew 28:1–10 (NIV) Support Texts: 1 Corinthians 15:3–4, Romans 6:8–11, John 11:25–26 Speaker: Ian Ahlstrom Big Idea: Jesus rose again, defeating death and paying for the sins of the world.

Introduction – The Story That Led to This Moment

The last time most people saw Jesus, He was hanging on a cross, trying to breathe, His body giving out. The crowd had gathered to watch, but when it was over, they started leaving. Luke says they were beating their breasts and walking away. The moment they came for was done.

The disciples had already scattered. What started with confidence had turned into distance and uncertainty.

But not everyone left.

Some stayed. The women who had followed Him from Galilee were there, watching from a distance. They saw where His body was laid. They saw Joseph take Him, wrap Him, and place Him in a tomb that had never been used. They saw the stone rolled into place, and they stayed long enough to know exactly where He was.

And now everything shifts.

Because if He is really gone, then what does that mean for everything they just gave their lives to?

The next day comes, and for them, nothing changes. He is still in the tomb. The stone is still in place. There is no new direction, no new word, just silence.

“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.” (v.1)

They’re not going to fix anything. They’re not going to change anything. They’re just going back to the place where they saw Him laid.

Movement 1 – Matthew 28:2–4

“There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.” (v.2)

Matthew brings us straight into the moment, and what he describes is not quiet or subtle. The ground is shaken, and at the same time the stone that had sealed the tomb is rolled away. The angel does not step back from it or beside it. He sits on it, making it clear that what had been put in place the day before is no longer holding anything in place now.

“His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.” (v.3)

We are given just enough detail for us to understand that this moment stands out and is not something that could be overlooked. What is happening here is visible, and it carries weight. The presence of the angel makes it clear that this is not an ordinary moment we are seeing at the tomb.

“The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.” (v.4)

The guards are still there, but they are no longer in control of anything. They had been placed there to secure the tomb, to make sure nothing changed, and now they are the ones overwhelmed by what is happening in front of them. They are shaking, unable to act, while everything they were supposed to maintain has already been undone. So what will they do with this moment?

The stone is moved. The guards are overwhelmed. The tomb is open.

And this is the scene as the women stand there and are taking it all in.

Movement 2 – Matthew 28:5-7

“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.’” (v.5)

The angel speaks directly to them, and the first thing he addresses is their fear. That’s not unusual in a moment like this. When people are confronted with something like this, fear is a natural response. But he’s not there to bring judgment. He’s there to tell them what just happened.

They’re looking for Jesus, the one who was crucified. What they saw days earlier is still real. The cross is still fresh in their minds. That’s why they came back to the tomb.

But the angel says…

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” (v.6)

Now everything shifts.

Jesus is not in the place they came to find Him. The tomb is not holding Him. And what the angel says points them back, not forward. “Just as He said.” This isn’t something new. He had said more than once that He would be killed and that on the third day He would rise, even if they didn’t fully understand it at the time.

If He is alive, then the cross was not the end, it was the payment, and what He came to do has been completed.

“Come and see the place where he lay.” (v.6)

They’re invited to look for themselves. Not to assume it. Not to take someone else’s word for it. To actually see it. The place where His body had been laid is now empty.

“Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’” (v.7)

The instruction comes immediately.

They’re not told to stay there. They’re told to go and tell. And the message is clear. Jesus is alive, and He’s already ahead of them. He’s not delayed by what just happened. He’s already moving, and they’re being called to follow where He’s going.

Movement 3 – Matthew 28:8-9

“So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” (v.8)

They don’t stay at the tomb. They leave and begin moving with what they’ve been given. There’s urgency in it, not because everything makes sense yet, but because they’re responding to what they heard. Fear is still there, joy is there too, and they’re carrying both at the same time as they go.

They’re not just told what happened. They’re sent to speak it. The first people entrusted with the message that Jesus is alive are already moving with it. What they’ve been given isn’t something to hold onto quietly. It’s something they carry forward.

And what they’re carrying is not just news. It’s the reality that Jesus, the one they saw crucified, is no longer in the tomb. The death they witnessed did not hold Him. The grave did not keep Him, which means what He did on the cross was enough.

And this is where it begins to feel familiar. There are times where you don’t have every answer, where you’re still trying to make sense of what God is doing, and the question isn’t whether everything is clear. The question is whether you’re going to move with what you’ve been given.

They are moving while still trying to understand, but what they know about Jesus is enough for them to take the next step.

“Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said.” (v.9)

As they go, Jesus meets them.

They’re not standing still waiting for clarity. They’re moving, and that’s where He meets them. The one they had been told was alive is now standing in front of them.

“They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.” (v.9)

They come to Him and take hold of His feet. The one they saw crucified is now standing before them, and they are able to touch Him. What they were told is now confirmed in front of them. The message they were carrying is no longer just something they heard. It’s something they’ve now seen, and their response is worship.

Movement 4 – Matthew 28:10

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’” (v.10)

He speaks to them again, and just like before, their fear is addressed. What they are experiencing is still overwhelming, and Jesus meets them in it. He doesn’t remove everything they feel, but He gives them something to move forward with.

He gives them direction. They are to go and tell.

This isn’t a new message, but now it’s coming from Him. They heard it from the angel, but now they’ve seen Him for themselves.

“Go and tell my brothers…”

These are the same men who had walked with Him and then ran. The same ones who scattered are the ones He is sending for. Later, they will be sent out and known as apostles, but right now they are the ones who had followed Him and then fled.

And He does not distance Himself from them.

He calls them brothers.

Nothing in this moment shows them earning that again. Nothing shows them restoring themselves. He speaks to them as family.

“…tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (v.10)

He is not calling them to stay where they are. He is calling them to come to Him. They are not being asked to believe this from a distance. They are being called to see Him for themselves. The same Jesus who was crucified is now alive, and He is drawing them forward.

And from this point on, everything begins to move outward.

Because what they are about to see will shape everything that comes next. The same ones who ran, the same ones who were scattered, are the ones who will stand and speak. When they are questioned, when they are pressed, when they are told to stop, they are not speaking from assumption. They are speaking from what they have seen in this moment.

Closing Reflection (Invite team to pass out communion)

What took place that morning was not just an empty tomb. It was the confirmation that everything Jesus had said was true. He was crucified, He was buried, and now He is alive. Death did not hold Him, and the grave did not keep Him.

And the responses to that moment begin right away.

The women see what has happened, they hear what they are told, and they move with it. They go and tell what they have seen, even though they are still trying to understand it.

But they are not the only ones who saw what happened.

The guards were there too. They experienced the same moment, and later they go and report what they saw. But instead of moving forward with it, they are persuaded to change the story. They allow what they witnessed to be reshaped into something else, and they carry that instead.

Both groups saw something real, but they did not respond the same way. And that is where this begins to press on us, because the question is not just what happened at the tomb. The question is what we do with what we have seen.

Do we move with it and let it shape our lives, or do we let other voices, pressure, and influence reshape it into something easier to carry? Because that is still what happens. We either move with the truth of who Jesus is, or we slowly allow the world and people around us to push truth to the side, soften it, or keep quiet.

Final Invitation / Salvation Moment

And that’s why this moment matters.

Because Jesus didn’t just rise so we could talk about it. He rose so we would respond to Him.

If you’ve never responded to Him, this is where it starts.

You don’t need to fix your life first. You don’t need to clean everything up. The cross already paid for your sin, and the resurrection proves it was enough. What He is calling you to do is turn from your sin and trust Him.

To stop trying to carry your life on your own, and to surrender it to Him.

And if you know that’s where you are right now, then don’t push that away. Don’t explain it off. Don’t wait for another time.

Respond to Him.

You can do that right where you are. You can simply pray and say:

“Jesus, I know I’ve sinned. I believe You died for me and rose again. I trust You. Forgive me. Lead my life from this point forward.”

And if you follow Him already, then this moment still presses on you.

Because the question doesn’t go away.

Are you moving with what you know to be true about Him… or are you letting it stay quiet in your life?

Closing Prayer

Jesus,

You are alive.

And because You are alive, everything we just read is true. The cross was not the end. It was the payment. And what You accomplished there was enough.

As we move into this time of communion, help us to remember what You have done. Your body given for us. Your blood poured out for us. Not as a symbol we rush through, but as something we stop and take in.

For those who need to respond to You today, give them the courage to trust You. To stop holding back and to follow You.

And for those of us who already do, bring us back to the weight of the cross and the reality of the resurrection. Let this be a moment where we don’t just remember, but respond again.

We thank You for who You are and what You’ve done.

Amen.

Communion Lead-In

As we take communion, this is a moment to remember what Jesus has done.

The bread represents His body, given for us. The cup represents His blood, poured out for us.

If you are trusting in Him, take a moment to reflect, and when you’re ready, you can take the bread and the cup.

Communion Scripture

From Luke 22:19–20:

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

Worship Transition

Take a moment right where you are.

What Jesus has done is not something we just remember and move on from. It’s something we respond to.

So as we sing, let this be your response to Him.