What is the meaning of Matthew 28:4? The guards - These were Roman soldiers, hand-picked to keep Jesus’ tomb secure (Matthew 27:65-66). - Men accustomed to battle, discipline, and death now stand witness to God’s power. - Similar elite guards appear elsewhere—Herod’s quaternion in Acts 12:4 and the Philippian jailer in Acts 16:23-27—showing how God repeatedly overrules even the mightiest earthly security. trembled in fear - The angel’s arrival shakes their courage: “His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow” (Matthew 28:3). - Terror before heavenly glory is a common biblical pattern: • Shepherds at the Nativity “were terrified” when God’s glory shone (Luke 2:9). • Israel trembled at Sinai when God descended in fire (Exodus 19:16-18). • Daniel’s companions fled in trembling at a vision of an angelic being (Daniel 10:7-8). - Their fear exposes the frailty of human strength before the presence of the Lord. of him - The focus of their dread is the angel, God’s commissioned messenger. - Angels are never cute or harmless in Scripture; they carry divine authority (Psalm 103:20). - In Revelation 18:1 an angel “illuminated the earth with his glory,” underscoring why mortals recoil in awe. - The guards’ fear is ultimately fear of God, because the angel represents Him (Luke 1:19). and became like dead men - The phrase paints a picture of total paralysis—muscles locked, voices silenced, possibly fainting. - Daniel “fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground” when addressed by Gabriel (Daniel 8:17-18). - John “fell at His feet as though dead” when he saw the glorified Christ (Revelation 1:17). - A striking irony unfolds: the living guards look dead, while the One they presumed dead is about to walk out alive (Romans 6:9). - Their helpless state prevents any interference with the resurrection, underscoring that salvation is God’s work alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). summary Matthew 28:4 highlights the incomparable power of God breaking into a guarded, sealed tomb. Battle-hardened soldiers collapse under angelic glory, proving no human force can restrain the risen Christ. Their terror and paralysis spotlight the contrast between fragile earthly authority and God’s unstoppable redemption plan, setting the stage for the triumphant announcement, “He is not here; He has risen, just as He said” (Matthew 28:6). |
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