Easter Monday, April 13, 2020

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.

The following is taken from my translation of St. Thomas Aquinas’s Commentary of the Gospel of Matthew, in which the saint talks of the angels who assisted at the Resurrection:

The Evangelist speaks of the angel’s work: And coming,  rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.  According to the literal meaning, he did this in order to throw open the way for the women, for, in truth, Christ had already risen.  For, just as he went out from an intact womb, so from a sealed tomb.  This was done to make plain the Resurrection to the women.  Thus, the angel “rolled back” the stone, that is, he rolled it again, to signify the glory of the One who rose.  This “rolling back” signified the manifestation of the law, which was written on stone tablets.  Next, the Evangelist describes his position: first, as to his posture; second, as to his appearance; third, as to his clothing.  As to his posture, he was sitting, though not as fatigued, to signify that he was the teacher of the divine Resurrection.  Also, sitting is for those who rest, and this signifies the rest Christ had in glory from the Resurrection.  Romans 6, 9: Christ, rising again from the dead, dies now no more. Death shall no more have dominion over him.  Likewise, sitting is for one who rules.  Psalm 109, 1: The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my tight hand.  The angel “sat” upon the stone, that is, the devil, to signify that Christ already ruled over both death and the devil.  And his countenance was as lightning.  Here, the Evangelist describes the angel in terms of his appearance, and on this occasion he makes clear that he appeared in an assumed body.  But why “as lightning”?  Because angels have knowledge just as lightning has brightness.  Daniel 10, 6: His face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as a burning lamp.  But Christ is he who enlightens every one coming into the world (John 1, 9).  Lightning causes terror, too, as does the face of an angel.  Thus, in Luke 1, 9, it is written that Zechariah was terrified at the voice of the angel.  In addition, the angel is described in terms of his clothing: Hs raiment white as snow, which denotes the brilliance of the just.  Mystically, it signifies the glory of resurrection.  Revelation 3, 5: He who conquers shall be clad thus in white garments.  Also, purity of life.  Ecclesiastes 9, 8: At all times let your garments be always white.  Also note that he says that, “His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow” because The Lord shall be terrifying to the wicked, and he shall soothe the good.  John 16, 22: I shall see you, and your heart shall rejoice.  The Evangelist continues, And for fear of him the guards trembled.  Here he presents the effect of the appearance: it brought forth fear in their hearts, and deservedly so, for they observed him with their wicked conscience.  Wisdom 17, 10:  For wickedness is a cowardly thing . . . distressed by conscience, it has always exaggerated the difficulties.  The Evangelist says, They became like dead men, who wanted to keep him back as much as was in their power.  Isaiah 33, 3: At the voice of the angel, the people fled.  The Evangelist continues: But the angel said to the women: Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here.  

     Here follows the announcement of the Resurrection.  First, the angel comforts the women.  Second, he commends their zeal.  Third, he gives them joy.  Fourth, he enjoins on the women the office of announcing the Resurrection.  The Evangelist says, And the angel, answering, said to the women.  But to what is he answering?  To the thoughts of the women.  We do not hear that they said anything, for they were afraid.  It is ever thus, that a human is thrown into turmoil by the appearance of an angel, no matter whether it is a good or wicked angel who appears, for human nature is fragile.  But just as St. Antony says, if the angel is good, he always sends a person away consoled, as is clear in the angelic appearances to Zechariah and the Virgin Mary, to each of whom it was said, Do not fear (cf. Luke 1, 30).  And in the same way this angel comforted these women.  But if an angel should send a man away forsaken, it stands that this was not a good angel.  Therefore, he says here, Do not be afraid, as if to say, You do not have to fear, for you love Christ.  Romans 8, 15: For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.  The angel did not comfort the guards because they were not worthy.  

     Next, he commends their zeal: I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  Did the angel know their thoughts?  It seems that he did not.  Jeremiah 17, 9: The heart is perverse above all things, and unsearchable, who can know it?  I am the Lord who search the mind, and prove the heart.  The angel did not know their thoughts unless by a divine revelation, or through a sign, for evidence of the will is frequently found in the gestures of the body.  

     You seek Jesus.  He names him in order to show that it is the same man.  Likewise, crucified, and in this he notes their little faith, for they sought him in the place of the dead, and they believed that he could be held by death.  

     Then he announces the Resurrection: He is risen, namely, by his own power.  Psalm 3, 5: I have slept and have taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord has protected me.  And he proves this by appealing to their memory of the word of God: As he said, for he had said, in Matthew 20, 19: And on the third day he will rise again, for the word of The Lord cannot fail.  He also proves it to them through their vision: Come, and see the place where The Lord was laid.  Thus, they saw the stone rolled back but they did not seek Christ, for he had risen from the closed tomb.  And then the angel appointed them to the office of announcing the Resurrection: And going quickly, tell his disciples that he is risen.  He gives them three duties: to announce the Resurrection, to name the location, and to promise the disciples that they would see him again.  And just as the first woman spoke in the beginning to the devil, so here the first woman spoke with the good angel, that all things might be restored.  He tells the women the place they are to tell the disciples: He will go before you into Galilee.  

     Why first in Galilee?  The Lord was not seen in Galilee before he was seen in Jerusalem.  So why does the angel rather name Galilee?  To signify that he was the same One who had formerly lived in Galilee.  Likewise, to free them from fear, for they lived more securely in Galilee than in Judea.  Or, mystically, “Galilee” is interpreted “passing over”, and this can signify the passing of the Gospel to the Gentiles.  Thus, There you shall see him, that is, You shall announce my name to the nations.  But they would not do this unless he should precede them.  

     There you shall see him.  Lo, I have foretold it to you.  Thus, the word of The Lord is so powerful that it could not be otherwise.