Mathew 28:6 - "He is not here for he is risen, as he siad. Come, see the place where the Lord lay".
If you are an avid sport fan, you know how quickly a game change. The arena is quite because the home team is losing. Fans begin to wonder if they can really win. But they mount a comeback, then pull off a win at the last second. The arena erupts with cheering.
We can only imagine what it must have been like for the women as they approach the tomb of Jesus to complete the final burial preparations. Their deep despair turned to amazement when the angel told them he had risen from the dead. All the promises he had made about his resurrection had come through.
Following Christ's death on the cross,it was important to make sure that no bodies were left hanging on the crosses during both the sabbath day and the beginning of the passover feast. There were rules of ceremonial cleansing governing the treatment of dead bodies. Any violation of the rules would render a person unclean and disqualifying him from being a part of the religious ceremonies.
Joseph of Arimathea, a religious leader in israel, a member of Sanhedrin(the ruling council of the Jews) and a secret follow of Christ went to pilate and requested for the body of Christ. Many of religious leaders were happy to get rid of Jesus because he was harsh with them(because they were hypocrites)
These same leaders gathered together because of their new concerns about Jesus and His band of followers. When He was alive, he made several statements concerning his resurrection from dead, but they did think his disciples might steal his body.
Because the sabbath day was about to begin, Jesus was prevented from being properly prepared in the traditional ritual for burial with various spices. So when the sabbath had passed, both Mary Magdalene and the other mary returned to the grave to finish the preparation.
When they arrived the scene, the stone that blocked the entrance to the tomb had been rolled away. On top of the stone sat an angel whose appearance was like lightening. The angel told the women not to be afraid, he further said to them, Jesus has risen, just as he promised he would.
For the two women, the best was yet to come. They were told Jesus had risen, they had seen the empty tomb. They left with fear and great joy. On their way back to give the news to the disciples, more drama unfolded. Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. Now they knew for sure that Jesus had risen from the dead.
The reality of Jesus resurrection is central to the christian faith. It is the proof that Jesus is who he claimed to be : the son of God. If Jesus had not risen from the dead,he could not fulfil his promises to give those who believed in him everlasting life ann to resurrect them.
The new birth was made possible through Jesus' resurrection. His death and resurrection yields to sins being forgiven and believers are justified in God's sight