“It is Finished and Now It Begins”
Our author Matthew lays before us two reports, forcing his audience to declare their choice. We will hear and believe with the evidence or we will deny and lose all. And it all began with God dispelling darkness and welcoming the Light of the World accompanied by an earthquake to signify it is finished and it is the earth leaping for joy at the moving of a tombstone as if a pebble; Jesus has triumphed over sin and death. The risen Lord did not need the tombstone moved to allow him to leave as Lazarus but to open the way for all to enter and see that what He said is true.
The messengers of the Lord who were markedly absent at the cross are not only present but just as at the beginning they announced the coming Messiah in his incarnation, they come now to announce His resurrection.
“On the first day of the first week God commanded the light to shine out of darkness. On this day did He who is the Light of the world, shine out of the darkness of the grave.” [M. Henry]
The angel bids them go and tell: “Come and see…go quickly and tell” Again Jesus reiterates: ““Do not be afraid. Go and tell” The resurrection is our evidence to the truth of who Jesus was and is, the Messiah, ” the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”.[ John 1:29]