Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 28:8-10

"And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word. And behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. Then saith Jesus unto them, Fear not: go tell my brethren that they depart into Galilee, and there shall they see me." — Matthew 28:8-10 (ASV)

St. Hilary of Poitiers: After being comforted by the angel, the women were immediately met by the Lord, so that when they proclaimed His resurrection to the disciples, they would be speaking from Christ's own mouth rather than from an angel's.

St. Augustine of Hippo: “They departed... out of the tomb”—that is, from that spot in the garden which was in front of the tomb carved into the rock.¹

St. Jerome: Two feelings possessed the minds of the women: fear and joy. They felt fear at the greatness of the miracle, and joy in their desire for the One who had risen. But both feelings added speed to their steps, as it follows, “And they did run to bring his disciples word.” They went to the apostles so that through them the seed of the faith might be spread. Those who so desired, and who ran in this way, deserved to have their rising Lord come to meet them, and so it follows, “And behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail.”

Rabanus Maurus: By this, He showed that He will meet with His help all those who begin on the paths of virtue and will enable them to attain everlasting salvation.

St. Jerome: The women ought to be the first to hear this “All hail,” so that the curse on the woman Eve might be removed in these women.

St. Peter Chrysologus: That these women contain a full figure of the Church is shown by this: Christ convinces His disciples when they doubt the Resurrection and confirms them when they are in fear. When He meets them, He does not terrify them with His power but anticipates them with the passion of His love. And Christ, in His Church, salutes Himself, for He has taken it into His own Body.²

St. Augustine of Hippo: We conclude that they spoke with angels twice at the sepulcher: once when they saw one angel, of whom Matthew and Mark speak, and again when they saw two angels, as Luke and John relate. And they spoke with the Lord twice as well: once when Mary supposed Him to be “the gardener” (John 20:15), and now again when He met them on the way to confirm them by this repetition and to restore them from their faintness.

St. Peter Chrysologus: Then Mary was not allowed to touch Him; now she has permission not only to touch but to hold Him completely: “they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.”

Rabanus Maurus: It was said above how He rose while the sepulcher was closed, to show that the body which had been shut up in it, dead, had now become immortal. He now offers His feet to be held by the women to show that He had real flesh, which can be touched by mortals.

St. Peter Chrysologus: Those who hold Christ's feet are those in the Church who represent the model of Gospel preaching, earning this privilege by running to Him. By faith, they hold onto the Savior's steps so that they may arrive at the honor of His perfect divinity. She who mourns her Lord on earth—seeking Him as dead in the tomb, not knowing that He reigns in heaven with the Father—is rightly told, “touch me not.”

This contrast—that the same Mary is at one moment exalted to the summit of faith, touching Christ and holding Him with complete and holy affection, and at another moment is cast down in the weakness of flesh and womanly infirmity, doubting and undeserving to touch her Lord—presents no difficulty for us.

For the first is a matter of mystery, the second of her human nature; the first is of divine grace, the second of human nature. So it is with us: when we have knowledge of divine things, we live for God; when we are wise in human things, we are blinded by ourselves.

They held His feet to show that the head of Christ is the man, but that the woman is at Christ's feet, and that it was given to them through Christ not to lead, but to follow the man. Christ also repeats what the angel had said, so that what an angel had confirmed, Christ might make even more certain.³

It follows: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Fear not.’”

St. Jerome: This can always be observed in both the Old and New Testaments: when a majestic person appears, the first thing done is to banish fear, so that the tranquil mind may receive what is said.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: The same ancient order is now followed in the reversal of our sorrow: just as death began with the female sex, so a woman should now be the first to see the glory of the Resurrection and be made its messenger.

This is why the Lord adds, “Go tell my brothers that they are to go into Galilee; there they will see me.”

St. Peter Chrysologus: He calls them “brothers” whom He has made relatives of His own body; “brothers” whom the generous Heir has made His co-heirs; “brothers” whom He has adopted as sons of His own Father.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The fact that the Lord, both by His own mouth and by the angel, directs them to look for Him in Galilee—and not in the place where He was to show Himself first—makes every believer anxious to understand the mystery of this statement. Galilee is interpreted as “transmigration” or “revelation.”ⁱ⁴

According to the first interpretation, what other meaning presents itself but this: that the grace of Christ was to pass from the people of Israel to the Gentiles? The Gentiles would not believe when the apostles preached the Gospel to them unless the Lord Himself first prepared the way in their hearts. This is the meaning of, “He will go before you into Galilee. There you will see him.” It means you will find His members there; you will perceive His living Body in those who receive you.

According to the other interpretation, “revelation,” it is to be understood that “you will see him” no longer in the form of a servant, but in the form in which He is equal with the Father. That revelation will be the true Galilee, when “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). That will be the blessed migration from this world to that eternity.

1. de Cons. Ev., iii, 23
2. Serm. 76
3. Serm. 80
4. de Cons. Ev., iii, ult