He is not here; He is risen. Matthew 28:6 KJV
He is not here, for He has risen. Matthew 28:6 NASB
The angel told the women that the One Whom they were looking for “was crucified” but had been raised. The tense which the angels used is significant. Grammarians call it the perfect participle, which suggests a continuing condition or state. So this literally means, “He was and is.”
In other words, the angel said that a crucified man is alive. There is a living Man in heaven who bears mortal wounds in His body! The message to the women was not only a revelation of a risen Savior, but of an entirely new basis for life, resurrection life.
His resurrection is also the confirmation of all He had said while with them. “He is risen, as He said.” It was the assurance of the fulfillment of all of His promises to them. The ultimate apologetic, which assures the veracity of the Word of God and Christianity, is a resurrected Christ.
The women were sent to spread the message to the disciples and to direct them into Galilee where they, as well, would see the risen Lord.
Questions to Consider:
- Why do you think the Lord appeared first to women (v 9) rather than to His disciples?
- It is difficult to reconcile all the resurrection appearances. Mark tells us that Mary Magdalene was the first to whom He appeared. The appearance here in v 9-10 may have been just after that. Look at how the Lord Jesus revealed Himself and what the result of each of His appearances was on those who saw Him.
- Matthew is the “Jewish” Gospel. Does this give us any help in understanding why His appearance to His disciples is in Galilee of the Gentiles (vv 7, 16)?
