But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”
Matthew 28:5-7 (ESV)
Matthew tells us that after the Sabbath, as dawn approached, two women went to see Jesus’ tomb. The other gospels tell us that they went to anoint his body but could not figure out how to roll back the stone that blocked the entrance to the tomb. The other potential problem they faced was the guard on the tomb, placed there to ensure that the tomb remained closed.
But as they arrived, their problems were solved. An angel descended from heaven and rolled back the stone for them. The guards were so frightened that they passed out. However, the angel assured the women that they had nothing to fear.
The Greatest Message
Then the angel passed on to the women the greatest message ever delivered. “You came to see Jesus’ body. But it’s no longer here. He has risen from the dead. Just like he told you he would.” They were then invited to see the empty tomb for themselves and then go and deliver a message to the disciples.
As the women left the tomb to deliver their message, Jesus himself greeted them, and they fell at his feet in worship. It is hard for me to imagine the emotion of that experience for these women. To watch a loved one die and be placed into the ground, only to find him alive three days later. It turned their world upside down.
And it was not just these women. Today, nearly 2000 years later, we still remember that day and their experience. The tomb was empty. Death was defeated. Jesus had risen from the dead and is alive forevermore. And, because he defeated death, all who look into the empty tomb for themselves and fall at the feet of the resurrected Jesus in worship will also rise to life eternal when he returns and calls us out of our graves.
