The women came near to the dark opened tomb, and entered it from its door fearfully, expecting to see the dead body beginning to rot inside the hot tomb.
Yet, when they left the dazzling sunshine and came into the dark tomb, they did not see the wrapped body of Jesus, but instead they saw a living young man in bright white sitting in the corner of the tomb, and looking at them, with light and power emitted from him. They were greatly frightened, for they thought it was a ghost.
That messenger was the angel of God, who did not only appear, but also spoke understandable words, and spread the heavenly good news into the ears of the distressed and terrified women.
Little by little, their fear was cleared away, exactly as the herald angel silenced the great fear of the shepherds, who lived out in the fields of Bethlehem, the night before Jesus was born.
It appears from the calming words of the angel that he knew exactly what the women had in their minds. He assured them that Jesus of Nazareth truly died on the cross, but was risen. The angel here that proclaims his resurrection calls him Jesus that was crucified.
He who was crucified was he who triumphed, for he extinguished the complete wrath of God through the cross, atoned for all sins of men, and overcame the temptations of the devil. Therefore, Christ is the divine triumphant who prevailed over death.
Jesus’ victory is not only an ideological subject relating to faith. It appeared and became perfected in overcoming death. The universal death could not hold the Living One, and the evil devil had no power over the Holy One, for he rose by himself.
Thus, he passed silently from the midst of the rocks, and then came without a sound into the closed room where his disciples sat. Jesus overcame time and place, matter and gravity. He moved away from the possession of death, leaving all things which perish and entering into eternity.
Jesus did not commit any sin or wrongdoing, and therefore death could not hold him. All prophets died because they sinned. But Jesus rose from the dead, for he was holy. He truly died on the cross not because of his own sins, but because of ours. In fact, he died our death and not his own death. He died that we might live. The angel in the empty tomb was the first witness of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
This clarified to the women the tangible, uncovered truth that Jesus was not in the tomb any further. He did not disappear as a spirit, nor did he appear as if he were coming from space, but he went away, and his tomb was empty. Then the angel led the astonished women to the place where Jesus was laid, and there they saw his grave clothes folded neatly and placed beside the tomb in a very good order, while the napkin which had already been wrapping his head was folded up deliberately as a sign that the resurrection of Jesus did not happen hastily and disorderly, but orderly and deliberately.
Thereafter the angel told them that the Lord Jesus did not immediately ascend to his heavenly Father, but was still on earth, and that he should go before them to Galilee, the place of his blessed services. Thus, he asked his companions to follow their living Lord from the beginning to the end, not only before the resurrection, but particularly thereafter. He would never leave them, for he was the Good Shepherd who went ahead of them.
Thus, the women were the first who brought the good tidings of the resurrection. The angel sent them to the disciples and Peter to melt the pride of men who supposed themselves to be able to recognize everything with their own minds. It was as if the angel of God had entrusted them with spreading the truth of the glorious resurrection.
Yet, all these words, insight, and new thoughts were beyond the women’s understanding, for they saw that the body of Jesus was not there, but instead there was a young man speaking. He who was crucified rose from the dead, and the tomb was empty. He went away. He would go ahead of us as he promised.
It was all like a mental explosion to the women who began to draw back. They turned and hurried back trembling without saying anything, for they were afraid.