Monday in the Octave of Easter, April 10, 2023

Matthew 28, 8–15

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce the news to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”  While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.

“And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.”  We might wonder why Jesus appeared to them as the women were hurrying to the Apostles.  They had already received their instructions and were making haste.  It is perhaps a reward for their faithfulness, for they did as the angel told them although they were fearful.  Perhaps also his appearance to them was meant to strengthen them at this time.  When we set forth to bring the Gospel to others, in whatever way, the Lord strengthens us with grace for the task.  “They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.”  They drew near him slowly and uncertainly, then they recognized him, knew him, and cast themselves at his feet out of joy and also showing their belief in him.  “They did him homage”, adoring him who conquered death.

“Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee.”  To this point on Matthew’s Gospel the Lord had not referred to his disciples as his brothers, but he does so now in order to convey to them that he had forgiven their dereliction and denials.  While the Hebrew understanding of “brother” and “sister” had a certain broadness to it, for a non-relative to be called such amounted to a great honor.  

“Some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened.”  That is, not all of the guards went.  Others simply disappeared, which speaks to the shock they had all received in seeing the angel come down from heaven.  The angel himself had not deigned to notice them and yet his very appearance caused them to panic and faint.  The guards who went to the chief priests feared that they would be arrested and punished for failing in their duty to guard the tomb.  This kind of failure usually resulted in the execution of the guard and so heading off trouble before the chief priests learned of what had happened from someone else seemed their best bet.  “The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel.”  It is almost as though the chief priests expected something like this and that the main consideration was what to do with the guards.  That they might have expected the Lord’s rising would explain what we read in in John 8, 28: “When you shall have lifted up, the Son of man, then shall you know that I am.”  That is, at the time of the the Lord’s Death on the Cross the chief priests had a sudden realization that Jesus was indeed God’s Son.  This might have come as an interior intuition or from the various signs attending his Death, such as the tearing of the veil in the Temple.  This would make their sin far worse, for they would have known that they were fighting God.  

“His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.”  This line would have fooled no one as opening the tomb would have attracted the attention of those in the city who would have alerted the chief priests.  Such is their desperation.  “And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”  This was a thinly veiled lie.  They would have done no such thing, nor would it have been in their interest to save the guards.  Such is their shamelessness.  “The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.”  The soldiers had little alternative.  Matthew notes the persistence of this lie without saying whether the chief priests spread it or the guards.  Certainly, the tomb would have remained open and anyone who knew of the burial could have easily discovered that something unexplained had happened.

We see the women bearing true witness to the Lord’s Resurrection and the guards bearing false witness.  The women who listened to the angel, the guards who fainted at the sight of him.  The women who met the Risen Christ, and the guards who went on to live a lie.  Let us persevere in our faith so that one day we shall see the Lord Jesus from our place among the angels.