The Risen Christ Meets the Group of Women (Matt. 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-11)

This sermon was preached on 23/10/2011

Several female followers of Jesus had gone to the tomb with the intention of anointing the dead body of Jesus. When they arrived, they discovered that the stone had been rolled away, that the tomb was empty, and they were then instructed by an angel to go and tell the disciples that Jesus was risen. Mary Magdalene had gone quickly to tell Peter and John and had followed them back to the tomb, where shortly later Jesus appeared to her (John 20:1-18). This had occurred while the other women were still on the way to tell his remaining disciples, and it is on this journey that Jesus meets them.

We are told who some of the women were who gathered at the tomb: they included Mary the mother of James, Salome (the mother of James and John), and Joanna (the wife of Herod’s steward). Previously they had shown great devotion to Jesus throughout his life (Luke 8:1-3) and at the time of his death (Luke 23:55). Now they were gathering to perform a final act of devotion for Jesus, even if they accepted that he was now dead and their hopes concerning him had been prevented from being fulfilled.

The activity of the angels

We can first reflect on the earthquake that occurred. Matthew’s account indicates that it is likely that the women, having arrived in Joseph’s garden, had felt the earthquake, but did not observe the descent of the angel who came to roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb. They noticed that the guards had been petrified by something and were unconscious. It would have been later that the cause of their fear was revealed – they had seen the angel’s arrival. This was the second earthquake to hit Jerusalem that weekend (the other happened as Jesus was being crucified, Matt. 27:51). A commentator observed that the first earthquake indicated that the earth trembled at the way its Creator was being treated, and the second earthquake marked the joy it felt at his resurrection. From the perspective of the women, this was an answer to their concern that the stone would have prevented them from obtaining access to the tomb. The women had prayed for help in this matter, and the Lord took care of their fears.

We can also note the activities of the angels. Putting the accounts of Matthew and Mark together, we can see that there were two angels. Matthew’s angel is sitting on the stone outside the tomb and Mark’s angel is sitting inside the tomb. The presence of two angels agrees with Luke’s statement that the women saw two angels (Luke 24:4) and John’s statement that two were still there when Mary Magdalene returned later, after delivering her message to Peter and John (John 20:12). The words of the angels to the women are similar, although there is one touching difference. The angel who is outside the tomb invites the women into the tomb (‘Come, see the place where he lay’), whereas the angel inside the tomb points to a spot once they have entered (‘Behold the place where they laid him’ [Mark 16:7]). Is this not a beautiful example of the manner by which the angels minister unto the heirs of salvation? These angels had a team ministry of helping their Master’s people obtain assurance of his resurrection.

Both angels had a message of concern, comfort and challenge for the women. Their words reflect the emphases and interests of heaven because they came as emissaries of God to meet these female disciples. The concern is revealed in the words ‘Fear not’; the comfort is provided by reminding them that Jesus is risen as he had predicted; the challenge is given by telling them to go quickly to tell his disciples what had happened and that they were to go to Galilee to meet him. The challenge was increased because they were being asked to help the men who had failed Jesus. I suppose we could say that their voluntary mission to take care of the body of Jesus revealed their love for him; now they are being asked to show brotherly love to believers who had succumbed to fear and unbelief.’

Luke mentions a question that the angels asked the women: ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead?’ This was a mild rebuke, I suppose, for their failure to recall that Jesus had predicted his resurrection. It is also a reminder to us that in our thoughts about Jesus we should not leave him at Calvary but always remind ourselves that we are meditating on a risen Saviour.

The attitude of the women

Matthew informs us that the women went away quickly from the tomb, running to bring this important and comforting message to the disciples. Their obedience had two wings, as it were: fear and joy. Mark too says that they were marked by speed of response, but also comments that they were trembling and amazed at what they had seen. Luke mentions that the advice of the angels brought to their minds the words of Jesus, especially his promises concerning his resurrection.

I would suggest that these are appropriate feelings to have if we want to have a special meeting with Jesus. Of course, we cannot meet him physically as the women did, but we can still encounter him by his Spirit who brings a sense of the presence of Christ to us. What were these feelings and how do we experience them today?

First, there was apprehension because of the unknown. These ladies had not merely taken some steps into a garden; they also had crossed into another world, one in which the boundaries of their normal world were not found. What they had witnessed was not part of the everyday events of life. So it was natural for them to have fear. Similarly, when we come to deal with the risen Christ, it is not the same as speaking to another human. If we were to meet the Prime Minister in the town centre, there would be a certain amount of the unreal about it because his coming would take things that are not usually here, for example, security concerns and media interest. On a far higher scale, coming into the presence of the One who has defeated death, who commissions angels as his servants, who is not limited by time or space, should give us some apprehension. We can see an example of this fear in the response of the apostle John when he saw the glory of his exalted Master (Rev. 1:17).

Second, there was delight because Jesus was risen. At the same time as sensing fear, they also were marked by great joy. The unbelievable had happened, but it was great news. Although they had yet seen him, they had it on the highest authority that he was alive. The tomb was empty. We, too, should approach the risen Christ with great delight. His victory was marvellous beyond words. I’m sure these women at times felt like skipping down the road.

Third, there was nevertheless a sense of dread because they knew they had seen the hand of God. So along with the joy, there was a sense of dread – Mark says that they were trembling. We can imagine the feeling of seeing an angel descend from Heaven. The possession of power and the fragrance of beauty that marked the angels pointed to the power and perfection of their God. The women felt as Isaiah did (Isa. 6) when he had the vision of God high and lifted up and concluded, ‘Woe is me!’

Fourth, there was wonder at the great power of God. The women were amazed at what they had discovered, that their God could raise the dead. His display of power expressed in the earthquake was awesome, but their sense of wonder at the resurrection of Jesus is beyond words to express. And the discovery they had made was an important stage in the great endless road of wonder that they had experienced since they had met Jesus. Therefore it is not surprising that in their hearts there was not only dread, but also awe.

Fifth, there was recollection of the words of Christ. This was the crucial detail in their outlook. We can imagine these ladies marked by apprehension, joy, dread and awe as they moved quickly along the road. What would clarify matters for them as they dried to digest all they had seen and heard that morning? It was by reflecting on the words of Jesus. And we must do the same in order to bring sense and clarity to our circumstances.

The meeting with Jesus

The first detail to note is an obvious one, which is that obedience is the path to greater blessings. Because they had listened to the instructions of the angels, the women received a special blessing from Christ. It would have been easy for them to have done something else, even merely to engage in speaking about what they had seen, but they did not. They were given a blessing because they obeyed what was revealed to them.

The angels had been specific about where the women should go – to the place where the disciples were staying. It has been suggested that most of the disciples were staying at Bethany, apart from Peter and John, which was only a couple of miles from the city, but far enough away to allow Jesus sufficient time to first appear to Mary Magdalene and then appear to these women. Wherever the meeting took place, they would only have met Jesus if they had made their way to where the disciples were. If they had not followed the specific details of the angelic instruction, they would not have met their Master.

The gracious greeting by Jesus. Jesus meets them with a brief greeting, literally ‘rejoice’, but translated either as ‘Greetings’ or ‘All hail.’ At one level, it points to the normalness of Jesus after his resurrection. ‘All hail’ is not a greeting that we use often today, but basically it means ‘all is well’, which is a good rendering of what Jesus would have said. ‘Hail’ is connected to ‘hale’, which means healthy. As we think of Jesus making this pronouncement, we can imagine it to be a declaration of victory as well as a bestowing of comfort. All was well with Jesus because he had now risen in triumph from the tomb. His work of atonement had been accepted and he was taking further large steps on his return journey to heaven. All was well with the women, too. Although they had experienced great turmoil and distress, they now were on the road to heaven because the work of Jesus had paid the penalty for their sins.

This truly is a wonderful picture of Jesus, on the resurrection morning, greeting his followers with the assurance that all is well. And it is a greeting that he makes day after day to his troubled followers. Whatever their circumstances, he says to them, ‘All is well.’ And it is a greeting that he makes to sinners who draw near him for mercy. They may have apprehensions about the welcome they will get, especially if they have rejected him before. But as they draw near to him by faith, they hear his sweet voice saying, ‘All is well.’ Each one of us can hear that beautiful statement if we turn to Jesus.

Only Jesus can make this pronouncement because he alone has the authority to say it. Politicians say something similar, but have no power to secure it. In their case, such words are an assumption, but in Jesus’ case they are an affirmation of what he can do. And whatever he does, ‘all is well.’

It is clear from Jesus’ activities on the resurrection day that he was thinking about his people. Yet as far as each appearance on this first day was concerned, he sent a messenger to say that he was alive. He had sent his angels to the women, he sent the women to the disciples. The two disciples who later made their way to Emmaus knew of the women’s report (Luke 24:22-23). How much better would the meeting of his male disciples have been had they applied the messages to their hearts. Nevertheless, even although they had not prepared properly, Jesus still met with them.

The women’s devout response to Jesus. As they heard his great claim, the women came and worshipped him by falling at his feet and holding on to them. In doing this, they were recognising that he was God. But worship is more than recognition (our minds) of who Jesus is; it also involves resolve to serve (will) Jesus and affection (emotions) for Jesus. As they knelt at the feet of the risen Christ, they were rejoicing also at his triumph and resting in his love. To serve such a King was a great privilege.

And that is where we should be at this moment. We listen to his ‘all is well’, and we fall at his feet and gladly affirm that he is Lord. And it is when we are at his feet in worship that we hear his request for us to serve him.

The promised appointment with Jesus. In response, Jesus repeats the message of the angels that they should not be afraid. Then he gives them a task to do, which is the same as the one given by the angels. They are to tell his disciples to meet him in Galilee. Yet there is a difference because instead of calling them ‘disciples’ he now calls them ‘brethren’. Why does he address them in this endearing manner rather than by the term ‘disciple’? He knew that it is possible to be a false disciple of Jesus, but it is impossible to be a false brother of him in God's family. Jesus could not have called them ‘brethren’ as long as Judas was among them. But now he was gone.

We who are believers should remind ourselves of this gracious attitude of Jesus. How does he regard us at this moment? He thinks of us as his brothers and sisters. What did he want these disciples, and us, to know about this relationship?

First, Jesus wants them (and us) to know their status is unchangeable. He has removed all the barriers to it being realised, which was the dominion of sin in our lives and the penalty it incurred. His death had obtained this deliverance.

Second, Jesus wants them (and us) to know their forgiveness is sure. He is not ashamed to call them ‘brethren’ even although they had denied him and ran away in his hour of trial when he was arrested (Matt. 26:56). Why did he ask the women to bring this message to them? It has nothing to do with equality or functions of office in the church. Rather he asked the ones who had not run away to bring this message to the ones who had run away. The faithful were to comfort the faithless by assuring them that they were still his brothers. This is a reminder to us as to how we treat those who have failed in a previous task. We should assume that Jesus wants us to bring comfort to them.

Third, Jesus wants them (and us) to know their inheritance is safe. Most Jews would know the responsibilities of an elder brother towards his brethren who had lost their inheritance. Adam’s inheritance was the world, but he lost it by his sin. But Jesus, the last Adam, has recovered it and he will never lose it. Therefore, all his brothers will inherit his glorious inheritance because they are joint-heirs with him (Rom. 8:17).

Then the Saviour left the women. They continued on with their task of bringing his message to his disciples (Luke 24:9) and no doubt were disappointed by their refusal to heed the message that he was alive. Yet we can deduce that the women’s meeting with Jesus on route would not only have dealt with their fears which they had when they had left the garden but also it would have enabled them not to be discouraged when the message was ignored by the disciples.

There is a reminder here of an important key for joyful Christian service – we should have regular personal meetings with Jesus, especially before engaging in a task for him. The women, after the refusal by the disciples to believe their message about the Saviour’s resurrection, could then think to themselves: ‘It is disappointing that they have not listened to us, but we will have to let Jesus deal with them in his own way in order to restore them. We ourselves know that he is alive and we will continue to rejoice in him.’ It is the case that we cannot allow the unbelief of other believers to affect negatively our own faith in Jesus. But how do we prevent it? While we should be disappointed with their outlook, we should also ensure that we meet with the King before coming into contact with his subjects who are temporarily affected by unbelief.

The appointment Jesus was making

Both the angels and Jesus said to the women that he would see his disciples in Galilee. These meetings took place a few weeks later. We know that Jesus would meet them before then, although it may be that Jesus had in mind a gathering of all his followers and not just the eleven disciples, an event that took place in Galilee and which was attended by over 500 people (1 Cor. 15:6).

We can regard this meeting as a foretaste of another appointment that Jesus has made, this time with all his disciples when he returns. They will be gathered into his presence and what a meeting it will be. At that initial gathering, there would be a wide variety of people that Jesus had blessed. We could run our minds over all the individuals from Galilee who had been shown mercy by Jesus. Similarly, there will be a great range of individuals gathered at the marriage supper of the Lamb, and it will be wonderful to discover the many different ways the Lord met with them and blessed them in this life.

Sadly, the message of the woman was not well-received by the disciples; they regarded their message as idle tales (Luke 24:9, 22-23) and did not believe them. Fortunately, Jesus later came to meet with the disciples and we will look at the first of these meetings in the next chapter when Jesus joined two of them on the way to their home in Emmaus.