Passion Week: April 5, AD 33

April 5th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Matthew 28:5-8 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” 8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.

Though there had been a severe earthquake near Jesus’ tomb, and though there were Roman soldiers present, it was the angel sitting on the tombstone that was the focus of attention for both the women and the soldiers. His appearance caused everyone at the tomb to shake with fear. But the angel was not there to cause fear; he was there to announce Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and to remind the women that rising from the dead was exactly what Jesus had prophesied He would do, “just as He said.” The angel thus pointed to the empty tomb, saying, “Come, see the place where He was laying.” Mark 16:5 says that upon entering the tomb, the women saw “a young man sitting at the right wearing a white robe”—another angel (cf. Luke 24:4-5; John 20:12). They also would have seen “the linen wrappings lying there… and the face-cloth which had been on [Jesus’] head, not lying with the wrappings, but rolled up on a place by itself” (John 20:6-7). This points to a resurrection, for why would a grave robber unwrap the body entirely?

In v. 7, the angel told the women to go quickly and tell Jesus’ disciples that Jesus had risen and would meet them in Galilee. Mark 16:7 mentions Peter who was to be told, for he had denied Christ three times (Matt. 26:69-75). In God’s mercy and grace, He had not only forgiven Peter, He also wanted him to be a part of Christ’s great triumph over death. Jesus had prophesied that after His death He would rise from the grave and meet the disciples in Galilee (26:32). It would be in Galilee where Jesus would restore Peter (John 21:15-17). In Galilee Peter would be assured by Jesus that though he had denied Christ, he himself would not be denied by his Lord.

The women set out to obey the angel and tell the disciples what they had seen. They “left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy.” Their lives had changed in an instant; their sorrow had turned to joy. They had witnessed the greatest event in the history of the world and were spoken to by a holy angel. They therefore had a message for the most influential men the world has ever known—the eleven apostles. And once the women reported what they saw to them, those men later went out and changed the world. But it all started with those faithful women!

It is interesting to note that in all the Gospel accounts the women were the first witnesses to Christ’s resurrection. After all, in Jewish society the witness of women was unaccepted. Therefore, if the accounts of Jesus’ resurrection are myths concocted by charlatans (as skeptics have suggested), then the question is “Why would those concocting such a lie say that women were the first to witness it?” No one would have believed them! The early Church did suffer for this testimony since women were considered ineligible witnesses. But the fact that women were the first to witness it attests to its authenticity since anyone making up such a story would have certainly used men to witness the account. And yet it was women who attested to its truth.

Food For Thought
God revealed Jesus to the world in the resurrection in order to reveal Himself to His creation. The resurrection of Christ is the good news. Without it, Christians are just like all other religions who pay homage to some dead guy. God sent His angelic messenger to announce that Jesus had risen, and angels are “ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14). Now let us go and be a ministering spirit to the world about Christ’s resurrection.