“And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 28:5 Mean?
"Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified." The angel at the tomb addresses the women — not the men, who aren't there. The first witnesses to the resurrection are women, and the angel's first words to them are: don't be afraid. I know who you're looking for. He's not here.
The phrase "I know that ye seek Jesus" is personally attuned — the angel acknowledges their specific errand. They came looking for a dead body. They brought spices for burial. Their intention was to care for a corpse. The angel sees their grief-driven mission and addresses it directly before redirecting it entirely.
The descriptor "which was crucified" doesn't soften the death. The angel doesn't say "the risen Lord" first. He says "Jesus, which was crucified" — the crucified one. He acknowledges the reality they lived through before announcing the reality they can't yet imagine. The crucifixion is real. The resurrection is also real. Both are held in the same sentence.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Why were the women at the tomb when nobody else was?
- 2.What does it mean that God chose women as the first witnesses in a culture that dismissed their testimony?
- 3.How does the angel acknowledging the crucifixion before announcing the resurrection affect the message?
- 4.What has God entrusted to you because you showed up when others didn't?
Devotional
Fear not. I know who you're looking for. The crucified one. He's not here.
The angel meets the women in their grief before redirecting it. He doesn't say "why are you looking for the living among the dead?" (that's Luke's version). Matthew's angel says: I know what you came for. I know you brought burial spices. I know you expected a body. Fear not.
The women are at the tomb because nobody else is. The men are hiding. Peter is nursing his denial. The twelve are scattered. And the women — who followed Jesus from Galilee, who stood at the cross when everyone else fled, who watched where the body was laid — are the ones who show up at first light with spices and tears.
God chose women as the first witnesses to the resurrection. In a culture where women's testimony was legally inadmissible, the most important event in human history is first announced to women. If the resurrection were fabricated, no first-century author would invent female witnesses. The detail proves authenticity through its cultural inconvenience.
The angel says "which was crucified" before saying "he is risen" (verse 6). The crucifixion isn't erased by the resurrection. It's acknowledged alongside it. The risen Christ is still the crucified Christ. The scars are part of the glory. The death is part of the story.
Fear not. He's not here. He is risen. And the first people trusted with that news are the ones who showed up.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And the angel answered and said unto the women,.... Who being come up, were also affrighted at the sight of the angel.…
And the angel answered and said ... - This was not on the outside of the tomb, for Matthew does not say that the angel…
Fear not ye The pronoun "ye" is emphatic in the original. A contrast with the alarm of the soldiers is implied.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture