The Resurrection of Jesus & The Report of the Guard (Mt. 28:1-20)

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. 3 His appearance was like lightning and his clothing was white as snow. 4 The guards were shaken with fear of him and became like dead men. 5 Then the angel said to the women in reply, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.” 8 Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”  11 While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. 12 They assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy [him] and keep you out of trouble.” 15 The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present [day]. 16 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. 18 Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

At daybreak on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James (Lk. 24:10) went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body (Lk. 24:1). The reference to the "first day of the week" is significant as it marks Sunday as the day of Jesus' resurrection which became the Christian day of worship, replacing the Jewish Sabbath.  There was an earthquake and an angel descended and rolled back the stone at the entrance to the tomb.  The earthquake and the appearance of an angel alert the reader that it was a visible manifestation of divine intervention (Ex. 19:16), and something special was about to be revealed by God.  Those who experience a theophany are usually gripped with fear just as the guards were.  The purpose was to confirm the physical resurrection of Christ.  The stone was not rolled away to allow the Risen Christ to escape as if he was confined (Jn. 20:19, 26), but to reveal to the women and to others that Jesus has been raised.  He has conquered death.

The angel encouraged the women to not be afraid because he brought them tidings of great joy.  They were not gripped with terror like the guards but were fearful (v. 8).  Jesus had been raised as he promised them on three occasions (Mt. 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:19) and the angel showed them the empty tomb and told them to spread the news to the disciples.  The angel told them that they would see the risen Christ in Galilee and they quickly left to tell his disciples.  On the way, Jesus appeared to them and after they did him homage, he, like the angel, reassured the women and sent them to tell the disciples of his resurrection.  Some of the guards who were posted at the tomb went into the city to report what had happened directly to the Chief Priests.  The chief priests and elders devised a plan to cover up the resurrection and bribed the guards to say that the disciples came at night and stole the body.  

There were now 11 apostles since Judas betrayed Jesus and hanged himself (Mt. 27:5).  The disciples were told to go to Galilee (Mt. 28:10), but some scholars believe that Matthew placed them on the mountain where the transfiguration took place (Mt. 17:1).  That established continuity between the instructions Jesus gave the disciples before the resurrection and his post-resurrection appearance.  Although the disciples saw the risen Jesus, they still doubted the reality of the resurrection.  They had faith in Jesus because they worshipped him but coming to full faith in the resurrected Lord is a gradual process.  

The divine authority of the kingdom of God over all creation in heaven and on earth was bestowed upon Jesus in power at the resurrection.  Jesus has now taken possession of his throne (Dan. 7:14) and asserts his authority.  The risen Christ commissioned his disciples to baptize all peoples, including the Jewish people, in the name of the Trinity.  The disciples were to continue the teaching ministry of Jesus spreading the Gospel message to all nations instructing all peoples to believe in Jesus and obey the commandments.  

Almighty God, grant us the faith to embrace the resurrection of Jesus as the foundation of our hope and the source of our salvation.  May we be filled with awe and joy at the reality of Jesus' triumph over sin and death.  Guide us so that we may faithfully proclaim the good news of your kingdom and teach others to observe all that Jesus has commanded.  This we pray through Christ our risen Lord.  Amen!

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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.

                Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.