NOTES for Mat 28:1-20
1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. |
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. |
3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: |
4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. |
5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which 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, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. |
8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. |
9 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. |
10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. |
11 Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. |
12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, |
13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. |
14 And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. |
15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. |
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. |
17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. |
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. |
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: |
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. |
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The main feature of the Resurrection was its unexpectedness, and that absolutely for everyone, both for the friends and for the enemies of the Risen One. The women went to the tomb in order to complete the unfinished burial rite; the encounter with the risen Jesus was a complete surprise for them. And the apostles, even after hearing about the Resurrection, did not believe it: as we can see, they decided that the women had simply imagined something in the darkness.
A natural question arises: why? With the enemies of the Risen One everything is clear: for them His Resurrection was the most nightmarish possible end to this story. But when reading the Gospel accounts of the Resurrection, at times one begins to think that, paradoxical as it may sound, even to Jesus' disciples His Resurrection appeared strange and even unnecessary. They refuse to believe; it seems to them that all the stories about the Resurrection only trouble people. Of course, they really did not expect anything of the kind. But there may have been something else: Jesus' disciples still could not free themselves from their traditional and very human ideas about the Messiah and messiahship.
After the terrible night of Gethsemane, they understood only one thing: everything was lost; He was not the one they had taken Him to be; there would be no messianic war; the dream had to be abandoned. And at the same time there remained the sacred memory of the Teacher, whom they could no longer forget, with whom, despite failure, too much was connected to renounce the memory of Him. This, too, is a fully formed way of seeing the world, even if a tragic one, which a person can carry through a whole life and with which he can live that life. And suddenly it turns out that not everything is over, that the nightmare and horror of the paschal days already lived through were not enough, that the story has not yet ended; people say He has again been seen alive! What else now? What this time? What other hopes will He give and then destroy? Or is it not Him at all? Maybe the women simply went mad with grief? The last thing needed was for the Teacher's memory to be darkened by mad women crying out.
It is no wonder that after His Resurrection Jesus has to convince His disciples again and again that He is Himself, that He is truly alive, that the most terrible thing is really already behind them, and ahead lies a whole life with Him in His Kingdom. And that only there, in the Kingdom that has "drawn near," will history be completed. And life will begin. Life in all its fullness.
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Readings for 4 April 2026
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