A NEW CHAPTER
Easter Sunday
Read Matthew 28:1-20.
As you read the story of the resurrection, what emotions
stir in your heart? What questions come
to your mind?
What does the message of the empty tomb mean to you?
Notes on the text:
Although not stated explicitly, the women went to the tomb
to anoint Jesus’ body for burial. A body
was prepared for burial by being anointed with fragrant spices and then wrapped
in linen cloths. Preparing a body for
burial was an act of love usually performed by closest relatives and
friends. However, this was considered
work, and no work could be done on the Sabbath.
Since Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross close to sundown and the
beginning of the Sabbath, there had been no time to properly prepare his body
for burial. Therefore, the women came to
the tomb to finish the burial rites at their first opportunity, sunrise the day
after the Sabbath.
Mary Magdalene alone is named in all four gospel accounts as
the disciple who discovered the empty tomb.
She is often called the “Apostle of the Apostles” because she is the one
who is first charged with spreading the good news of the resurrection.
Matthew’s sequence of events varies from the other gospel
accounts because of his emphasis on the resurrection being the beginning of a
new era.
The angel acts as an interpreter, like the angel in the
infancy narrative, explaining the event the women are witnessing and commanding
them to share the news with Jesus’ other disciples.
Verses 19-20 are referred to as the Great Commission. The Church is now to take the message of
Christ to all peoples. Notice our
baptismal formula comes from this passage.
In Hebrew usage, “in the name of” means “in the possession or under the
protection of.”
