28 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went 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 and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel 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 has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he1 lay. 7 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.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.
Section Overview
The resurrection of Jesus brings Matthew’s narrative to its blessed conclusion. Everything has aimed at the crucifixion and resurrection. Long before, Jesus identified himself as master of a kingdom (Matthew 13). Even on the cross, people recognized Jesus as King of Israel (27:37). Since the King has all authority, no enemy can defeat him, not even death (1 Cor. 15:26). Fittingly, the proclamations of Acts almost always mention Jesus’ death and resurrection.
The resurrection narratives are shorter than the passion narratives, and the Evangelists do not long consider its implications. That task goes to the Epistles. The Gospel accounts diverge widely, varying in length, focus, and details, but the principal events and emotional tone align. Of the Synoptics, none describes the resurrection itself. All have an empty tomb and a messenger from God who says, “He is not here.” The women are the first witnesses, and they tell the disciples. In all Gospels, the witnesses show fear and joy, a flurry of activity, and some level of incomprehension. The pattern of agreement with variation is what one might expect from multiple independent eyewitness accounts. E. P. Sanders, a notable scholar and skeptic, has trouble discounting the resurrection narratives:
I do not regard deliberate fraud as a worthwhile explanation [of the resurrection accounts]. Many of the people in these lists were to spend the rest of their lives proclaiming that they had seen the risen Lord, and several of them would die for their cause. . . . That Jesus’ followers (and later Paul) had resurrection experiences is, in my judgement, a fact. What the reality was that gave rise to the experiences I do not know.494
Critics often join evangelical and orthodox scholars in admitting that something happened to cause the formation of the church, since a great effect demands a great cause. Greg Boyd has argued that the main attack on the historicity of the resurrection comes from critics for whom nothing counts as evidence due to antisupernatural presuppositions.495 The magisterial orthodox defense of the physical resurrection is The Resurrection of the Son of God by N. T. Wright.
Section Outline
IX. Death, and Resurrection (26:1–28:20) . . .
Q. The Resurrection of Jesus (28:1–10)
R. The False Report about Jesus (28:11–15)
The passage comprises two sections. In 28:1–10, Jesus rises outside the narrative, and much activity occurs within it: the women come and see, the earth shakes, and an angel descends, rolls back the stone, and sits on it. The guards quake in fear, and the angel tells the women, “Do not be afraid,” implying that the guards should fear. The angel invites the women to examine the empty tomb and to go quickly to tell the disciples that Jesus has risen. They do go, in fear and joy, only to be intercepted by Jesus himself. They worship and hear everything again: “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers . . . they will see me.”
The second section, the official attempt to cover up the resurrection (vv. 11–15), contrasts sharply with the first. It also has close links to 27:62–66, where authorities set a guard at the tomb.
Response
The resurrection shows that Jesus is all that he claims to be. During his gospel ministry, Jesus takes up the roles of prophet, priest, king, judge, healer, savior, and sage. Above all, as prophet Jesus rightly foretells his death and resurrection; as priest he offers an acceptable sacrifice for sin; and as king he defeats all the enemies of his people. Even if many refuse him, Matthew demonstrates that he deserves our faith.
Matthew 28:11–15 is a portrait of depravity and abuse of power. The actions of the authorities would be laughable if they were not so wicked. If the soldiers were asleep, how could they know who stole the body? We see abuse of funds, lying, manipulation of the legal system, and more. The authorities called Jesus “that imposter” (27:63), but who is posing now? The story reminds readers that a veil lies over the eyes of unbelievers. Some refuse to repent and believe. But the women show the way of faith. Their faith and love move them to stay with Jesus, to visit the tomb, to overcome their fears, to testify to Jesus, and to do it all with joy.