Matthew 28. 1-10
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven & came & rolled back the stone & sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Sermon Quotes & References
“I had, at times, the greatest delight in the holy scriptures, for oftentimes in reading it every word seemed to touch my heart. I felt a harmony between something in my heart & those sweet and powerful words. I seemed often to see so much light exhibited by every sentence, and such a refreshing food communicated, that I would dwell long on just one passage, just to see the glory contained in it. For every sentence seemed to be full of wonders.” – Jonathan Edwards, Personal Narrative, Part XIII
“There is something deeply touching in those simple words, ‘my brothers.’ They deserve a thousand thoughts. Weak, frail, erring as the disciples were, Jesus still calls them His ‘brothers.’ Much as they had come short of their profession, sadly as they had yielded to the fear of man, they are still His ‘brothers.’ Glorious as He was in Himself, a conqueror over death & hell & the grave, the Son of God is still calls His disciples ‘brothers.’
Let us turn from this passage with thoughts of courage & comfort. Let us see in these words of Christ an encouragement to trust and not be afraid. Our Savior is One who never forgets His people. He pities their
infirmities. He does not despise them. He knows their weakness, and yet does not cast them away. Our great High Priest is also & always our older brother.” – JC Ryle, Notes on Matthew