Don't Be Afraid of the Change
The angel’s power and brilliant appearance caused the tough, disciplined Roman guards to shake with fear, and they became like dead men. They may have fainted from the shock. Or their intense fear may have caused them to fall to the ground paralyzed with terror.
The guards probably got up and fled as soon as they collected their wits. They did not seem to be present when the angel or Jesus spoke to the women (28:5–10), and they “went into the city” of Jerusalem some time that morning (28:11).
28:5–7. When the two women arrived, they were also terrified by the appearance of the brilliant being sitting on the stone. The angel said, Do not be afraid. Matthew used a construction that usually implies a command to stop doing something that was already being done. The women were to stop being afraid.
The angel next gave the reason they need not fear: I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. Jesus will forever be known as the crucified one (cf. 1 Cor. 1:23; 2:2; Gal. 3:1). The salvation he wrought through his death, the victory he won, and the obedience he displayed will stand for eternity.
The news the angel brought them was also reason to stop fearing and start rejoicing: He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.
As proof of the angel’s startling announcement, he invited them to look into the open, empty tomb: Come and see the place where he lay. Matthew used the Greek imperfect tense to show that he had been lying there for some time. In Matthew’s abbreviated account, he did not record whether the women actually looked into the tomb, but we can be sure they did. This strengthened their faith and prepared them to serve as eyewitnesses to the disciples.
Once they had become convinced by their own observation that Jesus was gone, the angel gave them these instructions: Go quickly and tell his disciples: He has risen from the dead. These two women were given the honor of taking the news to the disciples. As it turned out, this was a difficult job. Some of the disciples doubted (28:17).
Jesus had gone elsewhere and would be waiting for them. He had gone ahead into Galilee. There you will see him. This was God’s gentle reminder of the instructions Jesus had given the disciples less than three days before (26:32). They would not find Jesus lingering around the place of his burial. There was no use looking for him in Judea. The king was in sovereign control as he had always been.
B. The King Appears (28:8–10)
SUPPORTING IDEA: We serve a Messiah who deals with each of us personally.
28:8–9. The women didn’t need to be told twice to go quickly (28:7). They were compelled to leave the tomb, afraid of what they had just experienced, and drawn on by great joy at the unbelievable news they had heard. They ran to tell his disciples.
But along the way they stopped short. Suddenly Jesus, the risen king himself, met them and said, Greetings. The greeting Jesus used was typical, similar to our hello.
Imagine the women’s awe as they approached him, fell to the ground, clasped and held his feet (note he was tangible), and worshiped him. The picture is one of speechless wonder, mixed with overwhelming adoration.
28:10. Fear was still mixed in with their other emotions. Jesus repeated verbatim the first words of the angel (28:5), Do not be afraid. His tone was authoritative and comforting, conveying the strength of security. Jesus then gave essentially the same instructions that the angel had given: Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. He also repeated the same promise the angel had given: There they will see me.
Now the women went on their way with even more to tell. Not only had a heavenly visitor reported Jesus’ resurrection and shown them proof, but the king himself had appeared to them!
(3) The visit of the angel unleashes a powerful earthquake. Like the previous earthquake at the crucifixion (cf. 27:51–54), this one confirms that an old order is breaking up and a new one dawning. The earthquake is not itself what frees Jesus from the tomb, but rather serves as a sign that God has raised Jesus (cf. 12:38–40).
(4) The guards introduced in the prior episode witness the signlike events along with the women (neither group sees the resurrection itself). Unlike the women, the guards remain terrified, reluctant witnesses.
(5) When the women leave the sepulcher, they do so not only with fear, but with great joy. Moreover, they do not keep silent, as is the case in Mark’s account (Mark 16:8), but instead carry out the command to tell the good news to the disciples.
(6) Before the women find the disciples, Jesus himself appears to the women (vv. 9–10). Only Matthew records this appearance, although the Fourth Gospel reports a private reunion between Jesus and Mary Magdalene (John 20:1–18). The upshot of this addition to the story is that the women are not only the first to hear that Jesus is raised, but also the first to see the risen Lord.
Brief as it is, the report of Jesus’ appearance to the women makes several important points (cf. Meier, 1980:364). First, the resurrection of Jesus has a bodily dimension. The women are able to take hold of Jesus’ feet. Second, the resurrection renews the family relationship of Jesus and his disciples. Jesus speaks of a reunion with my brothers. Third, Galilee is named again as the place where this reunion will occur. The reason Jesus chooses Galilee will become apparent shortly (cf. 28:16–20; 26:32). Finally, the One who names us his sisters and brothers is also our Lord. He is One whom the women worship when he meets and greets them.
Throughout the trials and crucifixion of Jesus, God stood aside and allowed wicked people to plot, seize, and kill Jesus. Where was God? Worse still, was God unable to “do anything”? These are the kinds of questions that surface any time there is great tragedy. During the Holocaust, where was God? During the horror of Stalingrad, where was God? During the genocide in Yugoslavia, where was God? And sometimes in ways too personal to recite, our dear ones suffer and slip away, and where is God?
I can’t answer all the questions life presents, but I can lift high our text to say that God is alive and aware. The God who stood aside during those agonizing hours on the cross is the same God who stepped up on Easter.
God led the early church by the torch that was the Holy Spirit. It was the Spirit that took control at Pentecost. The Spirit is another face for God. Today, the same Spirit that gave Pentecost gives light and life to my church and yours. For over 2,000 years that flame has brightened the darkest night. God has been inside the church directing, reforming, redeeming, and refreshing. God continues to act, and it all began on Easter morning.
III. Understandings Changed
This idea is implied in our text, but there is no shortage of New Testament base for it. Jesus would often give a teaching that the disciples would not understand. Matthew 16 illustrates the point. On a retreat when Jesus and the disciples were apart from the pressure of the crowds, Jesus asks the Twelve: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They gave several answers. Then Jesus became more direct: “ ‘But who do you say that I am?’ You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah!’ ” (16:13–17). Then Jesus began to tell them that he would go to Jerusalem, suffer, and die. At that point Simon Peter, the same man who had such insight just moments before, said, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you” (16:22b). Truly, Simon Peter did not really understand until after Easter. The disciples did not take in the messianic and salvation parts of the Gospels until after Easter. They had seen enough and comprehended enough to stay with him during his life, but the real plot line of Scripture would not come clear to them until after Easter. Sometimes I question the insights of the disciples. Why didn’t they “get it”? But in more tolerant and rational moments I realize that I’m more like them than I like to admit.
Easter was a watershed for the church. We don’t know all the mind of God. Like Paul, we still “see through a glass darkly” (1 Cor 13:12 KJV). But now we understand more than before. Easter made clear the plan of God.
IV. The Identity of Jesus Changed
When the disciples saw the resurrected Christ, they acted differently. “Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him” (28:9). I think this is a critical moment in the Christian religion. In a sense the resurrected Jesus was the same person he had been before. In a deeper sense he was profoundly changed in the eyes of the church. Two quotations help to make my point:
The resurrection is not merely the happy ending of an almost-tragic story of Jesus, a postscript at the end. The resurrection perspective permeates the story throughout, so that all of Matthew’s story is testimony to the risen Lord of the church. The resurrection is thus to be preached from all twenty-eight chapters, not only from the last.… Without the resurrection, the whole story evaporates. (Eugene Boring, The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 8 [Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995], 505)
Before Easter Jesus was “prophet” or “Messiah.” … After Easter all the old titles became too small—tiny nets that could not sweep an ocean. After Easter Jesus was “Lord,” “the Word,” “our Savior.” That event turned their blindness into piercing sight, their earthly ambition into love of the brotherhood, their cowardice into courage that feared no persecution or death. The Resurrection is the great divide in human history. (George Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 7 [New York: Abingdon Press, 1951], 619)
Our theme has been raising the question “Who Is This Jesus?” The truth is that you can’t get a grip on this question apart from Easter and resurrection. To answer the Jesus question, you have to get on the Christian side of Easter. Jesus is our friend, indeed, but that’s not all there is to it. We worship the Christ we see in Easter glory. We gather on Sunday, the first day of the week, the day Jesus was resurrected—an Easter people in worship around a resurrected Christ.
V. After Easter We Became a People on Mission
Our session would end with parts dangling if we did not sneak a peek at the end of the chapter. Much Jesus had said to his disciples before, they now understand. Resurrection took their blinders off. Four things take place so quickly we can miss them:
(1) Worship. “When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted” (28:17). This repeats what happened on Easter morning (see 28:9b). Jesus is friendly, but he is also awesome, glorious, the aura of heaven surrounding him. He is worthy of worship.
(2) Empowered. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (28:18). Some of that authority was given to the disciples being sent on mission. Mission work is hard. If there is none of the Lord, if some of that resurrection energy is not given, then mission work is too hard. Jesus knew that and equipped his people for mission.
(3) Commissioned. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (28:19a). When first these fisherman followed Jesus there was a promise: “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people” (Mt 4:19). Now that promise was being kept. They had a new job. The Gospel writers tell of the commissioning in different ways (Mk 16:15; Lk 24:45–49; Jn 20:21–23), but none omits when Jesus set them to task.
(4) Presence. “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (28:20b). Jesus gave power and promised that we would not be alone when we do his work.
Jesus came to this earth on mission. When he left this earth he set his own on mission. We are successors to the apostles. We have not had all the experiences of the apostles, but we are in a line that extends from those apostles. Their work is ours to do. If we catch the vision of Easter, if we can truly see the resurrected Christ, then we will be fit to see the job through. More than any other session, this one answers the theme question: “Who Is This Jesus?”
They Thought He Was Dead (Matt. 28:1)
The women who had lingered at the cross came early to the tomb, bringing spices that they might anoint His body. They thought He was dead. In fact, they wondered how they would move the huge stone that blocked the entrance to the tomb (Mark 16:3). It is remarkable that they did not believe in His resurrection when He had taught this truth repeatedly (Matt. 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 26:32).
We must never underestimate the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The world believes that Jesus died, but the world does not believe that He arose from the dead. Peter’s message at Pentecost emphasized the Resurrection. In fact, it is emphasized throughout the Book of Acts. What is the significance of the Resurrection?
It proves that Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus stated that He had authority to lay down His life and to take it up again (John 10:17–18).
It verifies the truth of Scripture. Both in the Old Testament and in the teaching of Jesus, His resurrection is clearly taught (see Pss. 16:10; 110:1). If Jesus had not come out of the tomb, then these Scriptures would not be true.
It assures our own future resurrection. Because Jesus died and rose again, we shall one day be raised to be like Him (1 Thes. 4:13–18). In fact, the entire structure of the Christian faith rests on the foundation of the Resurrection. If we do away with His resurrection, we have no hope.
It is the proof of a future judgment. “Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man who He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).
It is the basis for Christ’s heavenly priesthood. Because He lives by the power of an endless life, He is able to save us “to the uttermost” (Heb. 7:23–28). He lives to intercede for us.
It gives power for Christian living. We cannot live for God by our own strength. It is only as His resurrection power works in and through us that we can do His will and glorify His name (see Rom. 6:4).
It assures our future inheritance. Because we have a living hope, we can experience hopeful living. A dead hope grows weaker and weaker before it eventually dies. But because Jesus Christ is alive, we have a glorious future (see 1 Peter 1:3–5).
Whenever God’s people gather on the Lord’s Day they bear witness that Jesus is alive and that the church has received spiritual blessings. When the followers of the Lord gathered that first Lord’s Day, they were discouraged and defeated.
They Heard He Was Alive (Matt. 28:2–8)
“And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred” (Matt. 28:2, NASB). Two angels had appeared (Luke 24:4) and one of them had rolled the stone away from the door. Of course, the soldiers on duty were greatly frightened by this sudden demonstration of supernatural power. The stone was not rolled away to permit Jesus to come out, for He had already left the tomb. It was rolled back so that the people could see for themselves that the tomb was empty.
One of the angels spoke to the women and calmed their fears. “He is not here! Come, and see!” Keep in mind that these women, as well as the disciples, did not expect Jesus to be alive.
What did they see in the tomb? The graveclothes lying on the stone shelf, still wrapped in the shape of the body (John 20:5–7). Jesus had passed through the graveclothes and left them behind as evidence that He was alive. They lay there like an empty cocoon. There was no sign of struggle, the graveclothes were not in disarray. Even the napkin (which had been wrapped around His face) was folded carefully in a place by itself.
We cannot examine this evidence in the same way the believers did that first Easter Sunday. But we do have the evidence of the Word of God. Jesus was not held by the bonds of death (Acts 2:24). He had promised to arise from the dead, and His Word was never broken.
The remarkable change in the early believers is another proof of His resurrection. One day they were discouraged and hiding in defeat. The next day they were declaring His resurrection and walking in joyful victory. In fact, they were willing to die for the truth of the Resurrection. If all of this were a manufactured tale, it could never have changed their lives or enabled them to lay down their lives as martyrs.
There were over 500 witnesses who saw Jesus alive at one time (1 Cor. 15:3–8). These appearances of the risen Christ were of such a nature that they could not be explained as hallucinations or self-deception. The people who saw Him were surprised. It would have been impossible for over 500 people to suffer hallucinations at the same time. Even the Apostle Paul, who was an enemy of the church, saw the risen Christ; that experience transformed his life (Acts 9).
The existence of the church, the New Testament, and the Lord’s Day add further proof that Jesus is alive. For centuries, the Jews had been God’s people, and they had honored the seventh day, the Sabbath. Then a change took place: Jews and Gentiles united in the church and became God’s people; they met on the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day. The New Testament is a lie if Jesus is dead, for every part of it points to a risen Christ.
Of course, Christians have experienced His resurrection power in their own lives. While the inward, subjective experience alone would not prove our Lord’s historic resurrection, when combined with the other evidences, it adds great weight to the case. Still it is possible for people to be self-deluded. “Believers” in all kinds of cults will claim their way is true because of what they have experienced. But Christians have the weight of church history, Scripture, and dependable witnesses to back up their own personal experiences of faith.
“Come and see!” was followed by “Go and tell!” We must not keep the Resurrection news to ourselves. The angel sent the women to tell (of all people) Christ’s own disciples. They should have been expecting the news, but instead, they questioned it even when they heard it.
They Met the Living Christ Personally (Matt. 28:9–15)
It is when we are obeying God’s Word that He comes to us. Jesus had already appeared to Mary Magdalene in the garden (John 20:11–18; Mark 16:9). Notice that our Lord’s first two Resurrection appearances were to believing women. These faithful women were not only the last to leave Calvary, but they were also the first to come to the tomb. Their devotion to Jesus was rewarded.
“All hail!” can be translated, Grace. What a marvelous greeting for the Resurrection Day! The women fell at His feet, took hold of Him, and worshiped Him. There must have been some fear in their hearts, for He immediately assured them with His typical, “Be not afraid!”
Not only had the angel commissioned them, but the Lord also commissioned them. The phrase “My brethren” revealed the intimate relationship between Christ and His followers. Jesus had spoken similar words to Mary Magdalene earlier that morning (John 20:17). Jesus reinforced the instructions of the angel that the disciples meet Him in Galilee (see Matt. 28:7). In the Garden, Jesus had told His disciples that He would rise from the dead and meet them in Galilee; but they had forgotten (Matt. 26:31–32).
While the believers were worshiping the living Christ, the unbelievers were plotting to destroy the witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. By now, some of the soldiers had realized that they were in a desperate plight. The Roman seal had been broken, the stone had been rolled away, and the body was not in the tomb. For a Roman soldier to fail in his duty was an offense punishable by death (Acts 12:19; 16:27–28). But the soldiers were shrewd: They did not report to Pilate or to their superior officers; they reported to the Jewish chief priests. They knew that these men were as anxious to cover up the miracle as were the soldiers themselves! Between the chief priests, the elders, and the soldiers, they put together a story that would explain the empty tomb: The body was stolen.
By examining this story, we see that it actually proves the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Jesus’ body was stolen, then it was taken either by His friends or His enemies. His friends could not have done it since they had left the scene and were convinced that Jesus was dead. His enemies would not steal His body because belief in His resurrection was what they were trying to prevent. They would have defeated their own purposes if they had removed His body. And, if they had taken it, why did they not produce it and silence the witness of the early church?
Ver. 4. And for fear of him the keepers did shake, &c.] Though they were soldiers, Roman soldiers and veterans, who had been used to terrible sights in the field of battle; were men of courage, and fearless of danger; and yet were seized with a panic, and every limb of them shook and trembled at the sight of the angel, for fear he was come as an executioner of divine vengeance upon them; who had been concerned in the crucifixion of Christ, had watched him as he hung upon the cross, and now his body in the sepulchre: and even supposing no consciousness of guilt in them, or dread of punishment from him; yet such was the glory and majesty in which he appeared, of which they had never seen the like before, that it had this effect upon them: and became as dead men: they turned pale, as dead men, and had scarce any life, or spirit, left in them.
Ver. 5. And the angel answered and said unto the women, &c.] Who being come up, were also affrighted at the sight of the angel. The Arabic version leaves out the first part, and the angel answered; which is a Jewish way of speaking, when nothing goes before, to which it is a reply; and renders the other part thus, and said to the two women: but from the other evangelists it appears, that there were more women than two; see Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10 fear not ye; some put an emphasis upon the word ye, as if used in opposition to the keepers, who had reason to be afraid, but not these good women. It was very common with gracious persons to be filled with fear at the sight of an angel, as Zacharias, and the shepherds; but without reason; they are their friends, their fellow-servants, and ministering spirits to them. The Persic version adds, but come near before, for ye are his familiars: the reason alleged, by the angel, why they had no reason to fear, is, for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified: the knowledge which angels have of saints is very considerable, and which arises from their frequent embassies to them, care and guardianship of them, the good offices they perform, and their several ministrations to them; and the knowledge which the angel had of these good women, might not be from immediate revelation, but from the observations he had made of them: they had followed Jesus from Galilee, they had attended him all the while he was on the cross, and were now come to his grave to anoint him; and from their words and gestures, the angel might know that they were the disciples of Christ, and now sought him; and therefore had no reason to fear, as those who were his adversaries: and indeed, such as seek a crucified Christ, and life and salvation by him, have no reason to be afraid of any thing; not of sin, and its damning power, since Christ saves, his blood cleanses, and his righteousness justifies from all sin; nor of the law, its menaces, curses, and condemnation, for Christ has redeemed them from it; nor of Satan, and his principalities and powers, who are spoiled by Christ, and out of whose hands he has ransomed his people; nor of the world, since Christ has overcome it, and delivered his people from it; nor of death, whose sting is taken away, and that abolished as a penal evil; nor of hell, and wrath to come, from which he has saved them; and much less of good angels, who are kindly disposed to them: and such are they that seek a crucified Christ, whom Christ has first sought, and looked up, and found in redemption and effectual vocation; who are made sensible of their lost and dangerous state by nature, to whom Christ has been manifested; and who see both their need of him, and his worth and value: these seek to him in the first place, and with all their hearts, for cleansing, pardon, righteousness, rest, food, salvation, and eternal life: they seek for him where he is, and is revealed, in the Scriptures, in the Gospel, in the ordinances, and at the father’s right hand.
The Majestic Angel (28:2–4)
‘And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, came [to the tomb], rolled the stone away and took his seat upon it’ (28:2). As often before, this opening—kai idou—prefaces the extraordinary and momentous. In 2:9 it pointed to ‘the star’ (ho astēr), the miraculous sign at the time of Jesus’ birth; here, to a corresponding sign at the scene of his resurrection, ‘a great earthquake’ (seismos … megas). It is noteworthy that kai idou last appeared in 27:51, which reports the tearing of the temple curtain and the shaking of the earth (with the verb seiō, a cognate of the noun seismos). Matthew elsewhere speaks of ‘an angel of the Lord’ (angelos kyriou) only in chapters 1 and 2; and in each case (1:20; 2:13, 19) an idou (‘Behold!’) marks his appearing. It is probably the same angel who now descends (katabas) from heaven (ex ouranou)—that is, from the presence of the Lord—and comes to (proselthōn) the tomb. Those two movements prepare for the angel’s decisive action—his removal of the stone. The large stone (lithos megas) that had been rolled to the entrance (the verb proskyliō, 27:60), this mighty angel now singlehandedly rolls away (the verb apokyliō). He then further evidences his mastery of the stone by sitting upon it (the verb kathēmai). It is the angel that explains the earthquake: note the conjunction ‘for’ (gar). Did the earthquake announce his coming? Or did he, as agent of the sovereign God’s power, cause the earth to shake as he rolled away the stone and opened the tomb?
‘And for fear of him those keeping guard were shaken, and they became as dead men’ (28:4). At the cross too there were ‘those keeping guard’ (hoi tērountes, 27:54). Although accustomed to danger, they all became afraid: the noun phobos (28:4) matches the verb phobeomai (27:54). One cause of fear at the crucifixion was the earthquake (seismos, 27:54, cf. v. 51). The soldiers at the tomb ‘were shaken’: the verb is eseisthēsan, a form of seiō, a cognate of seismos (‘earthquake,’ 28:2). Yet it was not because of the earthquake that they trembled, but ‘for fear of him’ (apo … tou phobou autou). No wonder, given the angel’s power (28:2) and dazzling presence (28:3). So shaken were the soldiers, that they became ‘as dead men’ (hōs nekroi), a simile of a very different character from those of verse 3! ‘In an ironic reversal, Jesus is alive and the guards seem dead.’
The Messenger from God (28:5–7)
‘But the angel answered and said to the women: “Stop being afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified” ’ (28:5). 1. The time. The women did not arrive at the tomb until after the earthquake (cf. NASB at v. 2: ‘a severe earthquake had occurred’), and after the angel had rolled the stone away; Mark 16:4, Luke 24:2 and John 20:1 all state that the women found the stone removed. The guards are conspicuous by their absence from 28:5–10 (and are mentioned in no other gospel); we may infer that they have already fled the scene. 2. The sight. Were Matthew’s our only account, we might also infer that the women first saw the angel sitting on the stone outside the tomb (28:2). Yet details absent from Matthew are supplied by Mark 16:5, ‘And having entered the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe; and they were alarmed.’ That this ‘young man’ (neaniskos) is an angel in human form is evident from his posture, his attire and especially from the women’s reaction (the verb ekthambeomai, ‘be alarmed’). We may further conclude that this is the very angel of Matthew 28: like Matthew, Mark refers to only one angel (whereas Luke and John speak of two); each figure is clad in white (leukē or leukon), and in a sitting position; each figure frightens human witnesses; and the angel’s words in 28:5–7 are very close to those of Mark 16:6–7. Moreover, the details supplied in Mark 16:5 make the statement of Matthew 28:5–6 yet more understandable. 3. The words. The angel has left the stone and is now seated on the right side of the tomb’s interior (Mark 16:5, with kathēmai, ‘sit,’ as in Matt. 28:2). Now, in face of the women’s manifest alarm (16:5 again), he first says: Mē phobeisthe hymeis (28:5). The two opening words are an imperative of prohibition using the verb phobeomai in the present tense: thus ‘Stop being afraid.’ The personal pronoun hymeis (‘you’) adds emphasis to the command, and suggests that the angel is contrasting the women with the soldiers (of 28:4): their ongoing fear is quite understandable; but you need not continue being afraid. He then begins to explain why: ‘for I know [oida gar] that you seek Jesus who was crucified [ton estaurōmenon].’ His knowledge was granted by God or by Jesus himself. This use of a perfect passive participle of the verb stauroō, instead of the aorist passive staurōthenta, is noteworthy: the resurrection of Jesus does not mean that his death is relegated to the past; on the contrary, precisely because he has been raised, his cross exerts saving power.
Then says the angel: ‘He is not here, for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay’ (28:6). 1. The fact of the empty tomb. ‘He is not here [ouk estin hōde].… Come, see the place where he lay [deute idete ton topon hopou ekeito].’ The angel speaks in the simplest terms (only nine words in Greek). He first declares the fact; then, to prove his words, he invites the women to see where Jesus’ body had lain. It was for this purpose that the angel removed the stone from the entrance: not so that Jesus could leave (see 3. below), but that his followers could enter and see that his grave was empty. 2. The explanation for the empty tomb. The middle clause of the verse explains the other two: ‘for [gar] he has been raised [ēgerthē], as he said [kathōs eipen].’ The angel again speaks in the briefest terms (only four words in Greek). The reason for the empty tomb is not that Jesus’ disciples have stolen his body (cf. 27:64; 28:13), but that he has been raised from the dead: ēgerthē, the verb egeirō in the passive voice. It has happened just ‘as he said’ it would: see 16:21; 17:9, 23; 20:19; and 26:32, all of which include egeirō in the passive voice. But this event does more than certify the truth of Jesus’ prophecies. For ēgerthē is a ‘divine passive’: God the Father raised Jesus from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit, thereby honoring his beloved Son; lauding his obedience unto death; and ratifying the new covenant established by his atoning sacrifice. 3. The resurrected body of Jesus. The NT contains no account of Jesus’ actual resurrection; instead, following this angel’s example, it bears united witness to an accomplished fact. Already stated (under 1.) is my belief that Jesus’ emergence from the tomb did not require the removal of the stone. That does not mean his resurrected body was less substantial than his crucified body: he made it clear in Luke 24:38–43 that he had not become a pneuma (v. 39), a pure spirit or ghost (cf. 1 Cor. 15:1–58). There are suggestions, on the contrary, that Jesus’ body had become (if one may put it so) more substantial than before. John 20:19 and 26 appear to say that Jesus came into his disciples’ presence by passing through locked doors. That suggests in turn that he did not require the removal of his graveclothes, but that instead he passed through the clothes, leaving them neatly in place (John 20:5–7; contrast 11:44); and that he likewise passed through the stone, or the wall of the tomb. In that case, the heavier or denser matter passed through the lighter, as when water passes through air, or a steel pipe through water.
Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has been raised from the dead, and behold, he is going before you into Galilee; there you will see him. Behold, I have told you’ (28:7). 1. Victory accomplished. What the angel told the women (28:6), they are to announce to the disciples: ēgerthē, ‘he has been raised.’ Here he adds the phrase apo tōn nekrōn (‘from the dead’). Not only did the Father loose Jesus from the pangs of death (thanatos, Acts 2:24). He also raised him from among the vast company of the dead (nekroi), and made him ‘the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep’ (1 Cor. 15:20), the first of those to win a lasting triumph over death (Rev. 1:18). Such news cannot wait: ‘Then go quickly [kai tachy poreutheisai] and tell [eipate].…’ The truth of the angel’s verbal witness will be confirmed for disciples by the forthcoming visible witness: ‘there you will see him’ (ekei auton opsesthe). 2. Renewal anticipated. ‘And behold, he is going before you into Galilee [proagei hymas eis tēn Galilaian].’ This opening (kai idou again) signals the statement’s great significance. Disciples are thus reminded of Jesus’ prophecy in 26:32, ‘But after I have been raised [meta de to egerthēnai me], I will go before you [proaxō hymas] into Galilee [eis tēn Galilaian].’ The last five Greek words of 26:32 (as here noted) all have matching terms in 28:7; and the opening clause of 26:32, with the infinitive of egeirō, corresponds to ēgerthē (‘he has been raised’) in 28:7. The verb proagō in these two texts means not ‘lead’ (despite the reference to sheep in 26:31) but ‘precede,’ as is clear from the following words in 28:7, ‘There you will see him,’ and from Jesus’ repetition of this promise in 28:10. Jesus the Good Shepherd will surely gather his scattered sheep (cf. 26:31, 56) and renew his fellowship with them—essential preparation for their mission (28:18–20). The angel’s closing words in 28:7, ‘Behold, I have told you [idou eipon hymin],’ underscore the importance both of Jesus’ words in 26:32 (the parallel to 28:7 in Mark 16:7b reads kathōs eipen hymin, ‘just as he told you’) and of the present instructions (this idou echoes kai idou earlier in the verse). Perhaps one reason for the angel’s emphasis is the belief that male disciples may be skeptical of a report from women: cf. Luke 24:11 (and Mark 16:11).
B. The Women and Jesus (28:8–10)
Here, as in verses 1–7, the women are silent. Whereas the actions and the appearance of the angel were described in some detail (vv. 2–3), the figure who now meets the women is simply identified by name (v. 9); and he addresses them (vv. 9–10), with one-third the number of the angel’s words (16 as compared to 48). Given this figure’s identity and authority, nothing more is needed.
The Women’s Departure (28:8)
‘And departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell his disciples.’ In exact obedience to the angel, the women left ‘quickly’ (tachy, as in v. 7) and ‘ran [edramon] to tell [apangeilai] his disciples [tois mathētais autou, as in v. 7].’ They did so, moreover, ‘with fear and great joy [meta phobou kai char as megalēs].’ Despite the angel’s command—‘Stop being afraid’ (Mē phobeisthe, 28:5)—their fear lingers. Considering the wonders being disclosed to them by sight and sound, it is understandable that the phobos of verse 8 is sometimes rendered ‘awe’ (NJB, REB). Yet it is preferable to retain the word ‘fear.’ For the command from the angel (v. 5) and again from Jesus (v. 10) indicates that the women’s fear ought to be dispelled; otherwise it might engulf them and prevent their witness (cf. Mark 16:8). Yet their fear is mingled with ‘great joy,’ which is their prime motivation: the adjective megalē (‘great’) is joined not to phobos but to chara. It is not just their obedience but also, and especially, their great joy that explains why they leave the tomb quickly and run with the news to the disciples. When the magi saw the king’s star, ‘they rejoiced with very great joy [echaresan charan megalēn sphodra]’ (2:10), the only other place Matthew uses this expression. Like the magi, the women are about to enter Jesus’ presence.
Jesus’ Appearance (28:9)
‘And behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Greetings!” And coming to him, they grasped his feet and worshiped him.’ 1. The encounter. This verse begins, as did 28:2, with kai idou; yet the earthquake and the descent of the angel were but preparation for this far more momentous event. Here, as elsewhere, the risen Jesus takes the initiative: he is the subject of the verb hypantaō (‘meet’). Cf. Luke 24:15 (Jesus ‘drew near and walked with’ the Emmaus disciples), 34 (‘the Lord has risen … and has appeared to Simon!’), 36 (‘Jesus himself stood among them, and said …’); John 20:19 (‘Jesus came and stood among them and said …’), 26 (as in 19); 21:1 (‘Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples’); 1 Corinthians 15:5 (‘he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve’), 6 (‘Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time’), 7 (‘Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles’), 8 (‘he appeared also to me’). 2. Ways of recognition. In this verse Jesus utters only one word—Chairete (‘Greetings!’). Even though he does not identify himself by name, it is clear from the women’s response (28:9b) that they recognize him. To be sure, his body now possesses qualities that it formerly lacked (see comments on v. 6); but it is he whose body has been transformed, he has not become a different person. It is Jesus, the crucified one, the master these two women knew before, who has been raised from the dead; cf. Luke 24:39 (‘See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself [egō eimi autos]’); and 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (the very Christ who died and was buried, was raised). In some instances the risen Jesus is bodily present but not at first recognized: cf. John 20:14 (Mary ‘saw Jesus standing but did not know that it was Jesus’); 21:4 (‘Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus’); and Luke 24:15–16 (‘Jesus drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him’). Jesus is identified by Mary Magdalene when he calls her by name (John 20:16); by John when he accomplishes a miracle (21:6–7); and by the Emmaus disciples when he gives thanks for bread and breaks it (Luke 24:30–31, 35). Whereas we ‘recognize character throughbody,’ on these occasions Jesus’ followers came to recognize his body through his ‘acts-in-character.’ 3. The worship. The women remain fearful (28:10); but here, as before (v. 8), their joy overrules their fear. So having come to Jesus (the participle proselthousai), they grasped his feet (the indicative ekratēsen)—further evidence of his bodily resurrection. (Jesus’ words to Mary Magdalene in John 20:17 should be rendered ‘Do not cling to me,’ ESV, instead of ‘Touch me not,’ KJV.) Then they worshiped him (the indicative prosekynēsan). This same verb was used in 2:11, where the magi ‘paid homage’ to Jesus. But given (a) the disclosures of Jesus since his birth, (b) these women’s proven commitment to him, and now (c) his resurrection from the dead, in this instance, ‘worshiped’ is certainly the better translation. The women’s worship witnesses to Jesus’ deity and anticipates the closing five verses of Matthew.
Jesus’ Instructions (28:10)
‘Then Jesus said to them, “Stop being afraid. Go, tell my brothers so that they may go into Galilee; and there they will see me.” ’ 1. Repetitions. Jesus opens with the very command—Mē phobeisthe—the angel addressed to the women (28:5). Now that they have actually seen Jesus, there is yet greater joy to conquer their fears (cf. v. 8). Jesus also underscores the angel’s directive: ‘and there they will see me’ (kakei me opsontai, 28:10) matches ‘there you will see him’ (ekei auton opsesthe, 28:7); and these two verses have the phrase ‘into Galilee’ (eis tēn Galilaian) in common. Moreover, Jesus confirms the women in the mission on which they have embarked: the verb apangellō (‘tell’) appears in both verse 10 (as an aorist imperative) and verse 8 (as an aorist infinitive). These repetitions together stress the great import of the forthcoming reunion in Galilee; momentum is building for the gospel’s closing. 2. Contrast. In view of those repetitions, a contrast stands out all the more vividly. The phrase tois mathētais autou (‘his disciples’) occurs in both 28:7 (the angel’s instructions) and verse 8 (the women’s response). But Jesus says, ‘Go, tell my brothers [tois adelphois mou] so that they may go.…’ This recalls Jesus’ teaching in 12:48–50 (he identifies his mathētai as his adelphoi), in 23:8 (he says his mathētai [23:1] are all adelphoi), and in 25:40 (these adelphoi of Jesus are his disciples). Now in 28:10 this term occurs for the first time since 23:8 and 25:40, and for the last time in Matthew. These same persons will soon be called ‘the eleven disciples [mathētai]’ (28:16). That Jesus here speaks of them instead as adelphoi shows (a) that his church (16:18) is indeed a family (12:48–50); (b) that Jesus by his death accomplished redemption for ‘the many,’ including these eleven disciples (20:28; 26:28; Rom. 8:29–30; Isa. 53:10–12; Heb. 2:10–12, with a quotation from Ps. 22:22); and (c) that the Redeemer now purposes to forgive his brothers’ sins and restore them to fellowship with himself.
Matthew 28:1–10. Ere the sun had risen and while the glory of the dawn was faint in the Eastern sky, the women were well on their way. But he whom they sought had gone. How often we look down into the grave of the dead past, and into the vault where we have buried twin-souls; or we peer for help into the diaries, prayers and rites of departed saints or a moribund church—but we do not find the Lord. The divine Leader of souls is not behind us, but before; not in the grave of the dead past, but in the van of the world’s march. Lo, he beckons us on to follow the Ascension mountain and the opened heaven!
The Lord engaged women as messengers of his resurrection. See Ps. 68:11. How eagerly they caught his idea, and with what alacrity they endeavored to fulfil it. And as they went he, for whom they went, met them! It is ever thus. We go on his errands, but we do not leave him as we go. On the contrary, he meets us. See Isa. 64:5.
Death was being upheaved, and all the bars of the sepulchre were beginning to burst. When the King awoke from the sleep of death, he shook the world; the bed-chamber in which he rested for a little while trembled as the heavenly Hero arose from his couch: Behold, there was a great earthquake. Nor was the King unattended in his rising: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven. It was not merely one of the angelic host, but some mighty presence-angel, “the angel of the Lord”, who came to minister to him on that resurrection morn. Jesus was put in the prison of the tomb as a hostage for his people; therefore he must not break out by himself, but the angelic sheriff’s officer must bring the warrant for his deliverance, and set the captive at liberty. When the angel had rolled back the stone from the door, he sat upon it, as if to defy earth and hell ever to roll it back again. That great stone seems to represent the sin of all Christ’s people, which shut them up in prison; it can never be laid again over the mouth of the sepulchre of any child of God. Christ has risen, and all his saints must rise, too.
3, 4. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
It took a great deal to alarm Roman soldiers; they were inured to all manner of terrors, but this angel’s flashing countenance and snow-white raiment paralyzed them with fright, until they swooned away, and became as dead men. He does not appear to have drawn a flaming sword, nor even to have spoken to the keepers; but the presence of perfect purity overawed these rough legionaries. What terror will strike through the ungodly when all the hosts of angels shall descend, and surround the throne of the reigning Christ on the last great day!
5. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
Let the soldiers tremble, let them lie as if dead through fright, but, “Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.” Those who seek Jesus need not fear. These women were mistaken in seeking the living among the dead, yet their seeking ended in finding. They did fear, although the angel said, “Fear not.” Only Jesus can silence the fears of trembling hearts.
6, 7. 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, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
Jesus always keeps his word: “He is risen, as he said.” He said he would rise from the dead, and he did; he says that his people also shall rise, and they shall. “Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly,” the angel would not let the women stay long looking into the sepulchre, for there was work for them to do. In this world, we cannot afford to spend all our time in contemplation, however heavenly it may be. Notice the angel’s words: first “See,” and then “Go.” Make sure about the fact for yourselves, and then let others know of it. What you know, tell; and do it “quickly.” Swift be your feet; such good news as you have to carry should not be long on the road. “The King’s business required haste.”
“Tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him.” Matthew wrote THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM, yet in his writings there is much about that despised region called “Galilee of the Gentiles”, that border-land which touches us as well as the chosen seed of Abraham. There, in Galilee, is the place where Jesus will hold the first general assembly of his church after his resurrection.
CHAPTER 28:8–10
[THE RISEN KING]
8. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
That seems a strange mixture, fear and great joy, awe and delight, doubt and faith; yet the joy was greater than the fear. It was not joy and great fear, but “fear and great joy.” Have we never had that mixture—drops of grief, like April showers, and peace and joy, like sunlight from heaven, making a glorious rainbow reminding us of God’s covenant of peace? A holy fear, mingled with great joy, is one of the sweetest compounds we can bring to God’s altar; such were the spices these holy women took away from Christ’s sepulchre. Fear and joy would both make them run to bring his disciples word. Either of these emotions gives speed to the feet; but when “fear and great joy” are combined, running is the only pace that accords with the messengers’ feelings.
9, 10. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
Saints running in the way of obedience are likely to be met by Jesus. Some Christians travel to heaven so slowly that they are overtaken by follies or by faults, by slumber or by Satan; but he who is Christ’s running footman shall meet his Master while he is speeding on his way.
And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. These holy women were not Unitarians; knowing that Jesus was the Son of God, they had no hesitation in worshipping him. There must have been a new attraction about Christ after he had risen from the dead, something more sweet about the tones of his voice, something more charming about the countenance that had been so marred, at Gethsemane, and Gabbatha, and Golgotha. Perhaps these timid souls clung to their Lord through fear that he might be again taken for them, so “they held him by the feet, and worshipped him,” fear and faith striving within them for the mastery.
Jesus perceived the palpitation of these poor women’s hearts, so he repeated the angel’s message, “Be not afraid.” He also confirmed the angel’s information about “Galilee”, only he spoke of his disciples as “My brethren.” When Christ’s servants, angelic or human, speak what he has bidden them, he will endorse what they say.