“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 he lay.” (Matthew 28:1-6 ESV)
“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.” (Mark 16:1–6 (ESV)
“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” (Luke 24:1–7 ESV)
All three Synoptic Gospels parallel each other concerning the events on Resurrection Sunday. While each writer provides selective, insightful information, they do not contradict each other in telling the wonderful news that Jesus Christ is alive. What are some key truths contained in today’s texts?
First, all three Gospel texts state it was the first day of week. It was a Sunday. It was early morning at dawn and the sun had risen; as had the Son.
Second, the women who came to the tomb brought spices so they might anoint Jesus’ body for burial. They did not expect Him to be alive, in spite of His many declarations He would rise from the dead (Matt. 16:21; 27:63; John 2:18-19).
Third, the great stone sealing the tomb was rolled sway from its original placement. The stone was quite large and the women wondered how, or who, would roll away the stone so they could enter the tomb and anoint Jesus’ body. When they arrived at the scene, they saw the stone was already moved.
Fourth, Matthew alone records the stone was moved due to a great earthquake. This was done by an angel from heaven. He appeared like lightening and was dressed in dazzling white as he sat upon the throne. Mark records that upon entering the tomb the women saw another angel. He was sitting on the right side of the empty tomb. These two accounts are in harmony with Luke’s who stated there were two angels.
Fifth, the women were alarmed and afraid. This was a common reaction when humans encountered angels; not only when angels announced the Lord’s conception and birth but also His resurrection (Luke 1:13, 30; 2:8-10). In both instances, the angels commanded people to not be afraid.
Sixth, the angels announced Jesus was alive. He was no longer dead but risen.
“When they arrived, the women found an unexpected sight—the stone was already gone (v. 4). Mark’s brief description invites us to conclude that God rolled the stone away, and Matthew’s gospel makes it clear that our Creator sent an angel to remove the stone and give the women access to Jesus’ grave (Matt. 28:2). Jesus’ prediction that He would rise from the dead after three days had been fulfilled, as the women would soon find out (Mark 10:34; 16:5–8),” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“The women went to the tomb while not expecting anything out of the ordinary. Often, we also go about our days the same way. Yet, as we serve a God who loves to delight us by surprising us with good things, we sometimes find good from His hand that we have not expected. The women experienced this at the tomb, and they feared God. Let us honor and fear the Lord when He intervenes in an unexpected and powerful way.”
Soli deo Gloria!
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