Hi everyone. Welcome back to the logical Bible study podcast. Thank you, again, for tuning in. I know there's lots of different podcasts and media Outlets out there at the moment, doing Catholic things. But this podcast is a bit unique because we really dive into the literal sense of the text of the Bible. What is going on in each phrase? What was the author? Trying to communicate to Their audience? So that's what sets this podcast apart is.
We're really looking at a proper exegesis of individual. All texts. And then we make connections to the Catholic faith by looking at what the catechism has to say about those particular texts. So today, if you go to mass, you would hear from Matthew 28:1 to 10. Although, technically today, there is no mass for Holy Saturday. There's no Mass during the day. There is one at night time. So there is a vigil mass, and we're going to look at the gospel. Text for that one. Matthew 28 1 to 10.
After the Sabbath and towards Dawn on the first day of the week, Mary of magdala and the other Mary went to visit the Sepulchre and all at once, there was a violent earthquake for the angel of the Lord descending from Heaven came, and rolled away the stone and sat on it. His face was like lightning his robe white as snow. The guards were so shaken. So, frightened of him that they were like dead men. But the angel spoke and he said to the women, there is no need
for you to be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified? He is not here for. He has risen as he said he would. Come and see the place where he lay, then go quickly and tell his disciples. He has risen from the dead. And now he was going before you to Galilee it is there, you will see him? Now, I have told you Filled with
or and great joy. The women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples And they're coming to meet them was Jesus. Greetings, he said, and the women came up to him and falling down before him clasped his feet. Then Jesus said to them do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee. They will see me there. So that's our passage for today for Holy Saturday.
And because it's year a we read the resurrection account from the gospel of Matthew. So what's the context? Jesus has died on Good Friday and he's been buried and guards have been placed in front of the Tomb. So that's the last thing that happened.
So a right up to the end of the Gospel here, verse 1, after the Sabbath. So we know that this took place after Saturday and in fact towards Dawn on the first day of the week and in that culture, the first day of the week is Sunday. So we're looking at dawn on Sunday of Holy Week and if we have our dates, correct, that would make it a or fifth 33 ad very early in the morning. So some women come to the tomb. We have Mary of magdala, which is one of Jesus closest, female companions.
And then there's another woman here listed as the other Mary. Now, it gets a bit confusing because Mary was an incredibly common name for women in that day, and there's quite a few Mary's in the gospel. So it can be hard to keep track of which mirror is being spoken about when we compare this passage with Other gospel passages the talked about the
same event. It appears that this one that Matthew calls the other Mary is Mary, the wife of clopas make the mother of James and Joseph. So that's apparently an auntie or something, similar of Jesus. So, this is Mary, the wife of clopas So these two women were Mary of magdala and the other Mary. They had been at the cross when Jesus died and they watched him being placed in the Tomb. So they've been with him for the last few days.
We also know from the other gospels that there's some other women in this group too. So we have salomi who is the mother of James and John and also Joanna and also possibly some other women as well. They're all there and they go to visit the Sepulchre. So they're going to the tomb to anoint, the body with spices out, Matthews text doesn't say that's what they're there for. But marks text in Mark, 16:1 says that they went to the tomb to anoint, the body.
And the reason they're doing that is because you wouldn't normally do that straight after the bodies placed in the Tomb, and that's what Joseph of Arimathea had started to do on Good Friday, but they ran at a time because the Sabbath was coming. So they didn't get to finish.
So the women are coming to finish the anointing job, but verse 2 all at once, there was a violent earthquake and there was also an earthquake at the time of Jesus death, as well for the angel of the Lord descending from heaven. Now, this is quite amazing. Apparently, the women are seeing this angel Lord coming down from heaven and he came and rolled
away the stone. Now, that's not an easy task because these stones are very, very heavy and then the angel sat on it, and that's kind of like a triumphal pose. He sat on the stone that has rolled away showing that he's been Victorious over the stone now, according to the Gospel of John, if you compare this, with the Gospel of John, apparently this point. Mary Magdalene sees the tomb is empty and she runs to tell Peter and John. So she leaves At this time to go and tell Peter and John.
And on the way she actually runs into Jesus at some point in this Story. 2 verse 3, the angels face was like, lightning his robe white as snow. So his whole appearance was incredibly white and that's how angels are often depicted in the Bible, you'll often in particular in the Book of Daniel, angels are depicted as pure white, and it's similar to how Jesus is depicted at the Transfiguration.
So the fact that these, we have these details that his face and his body is white indicates that Matthew got this information from eyewitnesses. So from the women themselves is probably where he found this out. Verse 4. The guards were so shaken. So frightened of him that they were like dead men. So the guards, the Roman guards, see the angel, and they freaked out and apparently, they pass out from Fear now, that's pretty significant because Roman guards were tough, and they were very
well trained. But this site was so scary to them that they just look like they're dead and because they're probably passed out at seems that they don't hear the following conversation between the women and the angels. So the angel says, Is to the women. Do not be afraid which makes sense often in the Bible, when Angels appear, God's people. Whoever the Angels appearing to will freak out, and the angel has to tell them do not be
afraid. I know why you are looking for Jesus. Who was crucified, he is not here for. He has risen as he said he would. So that's what the angel says, to the women. He pronounces the good news. Jesus is risen. In fact, he's the first person to Proclaim that in the gospels, the angel He says come and see the place where he lay. So he invites the women into the tomb to see for themselves that he's no longer there, come and
see. Verse 7. He says then go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead. So the angel wants the women to confirm, to go into the tomb and confirm for themselves. The Jesus is not there and then he wants him to go back and tell the apostles. The leaders of the Christian Community of the Apostles, they need to know that Jesus has risen So the women here are called to be Apostles to the apostles, really, they have to spread the good news to the
apostles. The angel says, now, he is going to Galilee before you, it is there that you will see him. So, the Angels, want the women to tell the disciples, to get ready to go the Galilee cuz that's where they're going to see most of Jesus appearances. Why does Jesus go to Galilee in the coming weeks? So he has about 40 days of ministry before he goes back to Heaven. Why does he spend most of it in Galilee? Well, that's the place where he did most of his ministry before
his death. And he's probably wants to go back there because it's a bit quieter. Jerusalem is too crowded. It's too public and Jesus deliberately only appears to certain people after his resurrection. And he decides the Galilee is the best place to do that. So that's the message they're tasked with, giving the women with giving the apostles verse 8, filled with or and great joy. The women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to The disciples.
Now the word here for or is probably better translated as fear at first, they're quite afraid of what's going on and in fact Mark's gospel reports that initially the women were too afraid to speak to the apostles and they don't go to the apostles straight away but later they change their minds, that's how Mark has it. So perhaps along the way on the road back to Jerusalem, they change their minds.
Now the next scene we have is the women running, they meet Jesus. This and this it's not clear when this happens, it could be that it's right now on their way to speak to the disciples other Scholars. Think that when we compare the gospels what happens now is that women go straight to the disciples and then later, the angel appears a story later in the morning. Jesus appears the women. I think it's more likely that this does happen straight away on the way to seeing the
disciples. Verse 9 and they're coming to meet them was Jesus. Now, what an amazing sight that must have been they know his resurrected, but now they see him for themselves, and he says, to them Greetings or hail. So he's giving them a friendly. Greeting. He wants to know that he comes in peace and he probably knows how shocking it must be for the women. So he gives them this gentle greeting. The women came up to him and falling down before him clasped
his feet. So other translations make it clear. Here, that the women are worshipping. Mary, they fall at his feet in worship. So the women, recognize that Jesus has the power of God, and that's why they worship him. So maybe they even recognize that he is God himself, and that's why they're worshiping. By touching him physically. Remember they clasping his feet here that helps them confirm for
themselves. That this is the real Flesh and Blood Jesus. They're Overjoyed to see him and they grabbed him and they worship him. Now, in verse 10, Jesus is going to use the phrase, my brother's to refer to the disciples. Which is interesting that implies that he has forgiven his Apostles even though they just
abandon him in his hour of need. So that's quite a gentle welcoming turn my brothers, some Scholars also, Think in this next phrase that Jesus speaks there might be a reference to Psalm 22, some 22 was the some that Jesus quoted a lot while he was on the cross. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And towards the end of that psalm The psalmist is Vindicated and he has faith that God will
heal him. And in fact, in Psalm 22 verse 22, it says, I will tell of your name to my brothers and then God comes to save the psalmist. And so some Scholars think that by Jesus calling his Apostles, my brother's, he's quoting Psalm 22 here to complete. The psalm 22 that he's been quoting since he was crucified. So this is the full quote that he says to the women do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee.
They will see me there. So, they do pass on the message to the apostles. They tell them that what Jesus and the angel have said, go to Galilee and the conversation when the women speak to the disciples, that's not recorded in Matthew. But if you go to Luke chapter 24 verses 9 to 11, it's specifically records. This conversation, where the women tell the apostles, we have seen, the Angel. And the angel has told us to grow that you need to go to Galilee.
And if you read, Luke 24, the disciples. Don't immediately believe the women. They don't believe their story. Although later that day, Jesus does appear to the apostles when Thomas isn't present. So, a whole lot happens in this one day and there's various ways of ordering the things chronologically and putting the gospels together. It's not easy because the, the gospels record different events from that day.
So, what happens from here, while the disciples, they see Jesus later that day without Thomas, and then they wait for another week in Jerusalem. They stay one more week. The following Sunday when Thomas is present, Jesus appears to them again, and that's when Thomas gets to put his fingers into Jesus wounds after they've waited that extra week in Jerusalem, they then go back to Galilee, which is a 60-mile journey. So that's how passage for today.
Quite a joyful passage where Jesus reappears after his death. Where does this show up in the catechism? How does the Catholic Church develop its teachings? Based on what we have here in Matthew 28? So in paragraph five hundred, there's a discussion about who the other Mary is and in fact that paragraph clearly says that Matthew 28 is evidence that James and Joseph are not Mary the mother of Jesus as children, they are, in fact, the children of the other Mary and that makes sense.
So there's kind of an apologetic argument there in paragraph five hundred which relies on Matthew 28. And then in paragraph 2 174, it's in the discussion about the day. Day of the Resurrection is the day of the new creation. It says, Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week because it is the first day the day of Christ's Resurrection recalls the first creation because it is the Eighth Day following the Sabbath.
It's symbolizes the new creation, I should him by Christ's Resurrection for Christians. It has become the first of all day. The first of all feasts, the Lord's Day. Sunday, We Gather on the day of the Sun for it, is the day after the Jewish sabbath. But also the first day when God is, separating matter from Darkness made the world and on this same day, Jesus Christ. Our Savior rose from the dead.
So there's a nice link there to Matthew 28, where it talks about the first day of the week and the catechism develops that is meaning that's also the eighth day of the week paragraph 641. There's a discussion about the empty tomb, it says Mary Magdalene and the holy women who came to finish, anointing. The body of Jesus, which had been buried in haste because the Sabbath began on the evening of Good Friday, were the first to
encounter the Risen one. Thus the women were the first messengers of Christ's Resurrection. Directions for the apostles themselves. And that all comes from Matthew 28 and then the paragraph goes on to talk about things that happen in the other gospels. Paragraph, 6, 5 4 is about the meaning of the Resurrection. It says justification consists in both victory, over the death caused by sin and a new participation in Grace.
It brings about filial adoption so that men become Christ's Brethren as Jesus himself called his disciples after his resurrection. Go and tell my brethren. We are Brethren not by nature but by the gift of Grace because that adoptive filiation gains us a real share in the life of the only son who was fully revealed in his resurrection. So, we'll put all those catechism references in the show notes. Thanks for listening. If you've learned something new, please share it with other
people. Continue to subscribe on YouTube. Leave a rating on iTunes and keep this ministry in your prayers. Thank you and please tune in again tomorrow for Easter Sunday.