Do Not Be Afraid!

Read Matthew 28:1-10 Easter Sunday (Year A) Do Not Be Afraid! On this Easter morning, Matthew gives us a resurrection scene unlike any other—a moment of holy drama and divine power. The angel who appears at the tomb knows exactly how to make an entrance: a sudden earthquake, blazing like lightning, and a mighty flourish that rolls back the large sealed stone. This is no gentle figure from a greeting card—this is an angel with attitude. He rolls the stone away, then casually sits on it, crossing his great arms as he looks over at the guards—men who are now showing all the symptoms of sheer terror. Matthew says, “they became like dead men.” But notice—this angel says nothing to them. The message “Do not be afraid” is not for the guards, nor for Caiaphas or Pilate, nor for the powers that tried to hold the Christ in the tomb. For them, the message is on hold. Instead, this angel’s words are reserved for those who seek the Lord—those women who come in love and faith to the place where hope seemed lost. The tomb will not be a prison, and death will not be the Son of God’s final resting place. On Easter morning, God turns every fearful silence into the sound of resurrection.