28 Now after the Sabbath, towards the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.
The language, then, in 1 is highly suggestive - 'it began to dawn' - for the resurrection means the dawning of a new day for the world. And when the message of the resurrection really gets home to men, it means a new day for them. How clearly this is seen in Acts, and in the history of the Church down the ages. Every genuine conversion is the grasping of the reality and significance of the resurrection, and is the beginning of new life for those concerned. The same kind of idea is expressed in the words in 2, 'there was a great earthquake', for the resurrection was destined to turn many worlds upside down (cf Acts 17:6, 'These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also' - the word in the Greek is akin to that for 'resurrection'). Rightly understood, the message of the resurrection is dynamite, and it produced earthquakes wherever it was preached, blessed and beneficent earthquakes which left a trail of new life throughout the ancient world. The rolling back of the stone (2) was not for the purpose of letting Christ out of the tomb, but to show the world that He was already out! Being raised from the dead by the glory of the Father would have required more than a stone to hinder or prevent it! This is a point that seems to be substantiated by John's account of the grave clothes (20:6, 7): these were not taken off Jesus, rather, He miraculously passed through them, being 'extracted' from them by the power of God, as He was also from the sealed tomb. The resurrection of Jesus was a real miracle!