Matthew 28:1-8

 ¹ 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. ² 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. ³ His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. ⁴ And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. ⁵ But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. ⁷ 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.” ⁸ So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.


Commentary
Vs. 1-4 ¹ 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. ² 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. ³ His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. ⁴ And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

On the first day of the week (that is Sunday, the day after the Jews Sabbath), Mary Magdalene and the other Mary come to the tomb at the rise of dawn; their faithfulness during this time then is unmatched by any other disciple. And having arrived there a great earthquake happened; “for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the door and sat on it” (vs. 2). For if this was small thing for him to defeat the councils of men, how much more for the Lord Jesus Christ to Rise from dead. Now the angel’s countenance was like lightening (meaning gripping, intense, blinding) and his clothing as white as snow. Now when the guards saw him they shook with fear and became like dead men, and not just because they had been overwhelmed with fear, but the angel’s holy presence literally caused them (and them only) to fall into such a state.

Vs. 5-8 ⁵ But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. ⁷ 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.” ⁸ So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

With the guards being incapacitated, the angel now speaks to the women, telling them that Jesus is not dead, that He is not in the Tomb, rather He is Risen from the dead just as He said He would do, having then said as much to them the angel invites them to come and see for themselves (vs. 5-6). Having done so the angel now tells the Mary’s to go and tell the rest of the disciples that Jesus is Risen from dead, indeed the angel tells them that Jesus is going before them into Galilee, and they will see Him there. Therefore, having heard that, the Mary’s being filled with fear and great joy, run to tell the disciples.

Scripture Quotations: 

The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson