John Calvin Commentary Matthew 28:2

"And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it." — Matthew 28:2 (ASV)

And, lo, a great earthquake. By many signs the Lord showed the presence of His glory, so that He might more fully prepare the hearts of the holy women to reverence the mystery.³⁰⁴ For since it was not a matter of little consequence to know that the Son of God had obtained a victory over death (on which the principal point of our salvation is founded), it was necessary to remove all doubts, so that the divine majesty might be openly and manifestly presented to the eyes of the women.

Matthew says, therefore, that there was an earthquake, by which the divine power that I have mentioned might be perceived. And by this prodigy, it was fitting that the women should expect nothing human or earthly, but raise their minds to a work of God that was new and surpassed human expectations.

The raiment and the countenance of the angel, too, might be described as rays by which the splendor of the Godhead was diffused, enabling them to perceive that it was not a mortal man who stood near them, despite having the face of a man.

For though dazzling light, or the whiteness of snow, is nothing in comparison with the boundless glory of God (indeed, if we wish to know Him rightly, we should not imagine any color for Him), yet when He makes known by outward signs that He is present, He invites us to Himself, as far as our weakness can endure. Still, we should understand that the visible signs of His presence are shown to us so that our minds may conceive of Him as invisible; and that, under bodily forms, we obtain a taste of His spiritual essence, so that we may seek Him spiritually.

Yet it cannot be doubted that, along with outward signs, there was an inward power that engraved on the hearts of the women an impression of Deity. For though at first they were struck with amazement, yet it will become clear from what follows that they gathered courage and were gradually instructed in such a way that they perceived the hand of God to be present.

Our three Evangelists, from a desire for brevity, leave out what is more fully related by John (John 20:1–12), which, as we know, is not unusual for them.

There is also this difference: Matthew and Mark mention only one angel, while John and Luke speak of two. But this apparent contradiction is also easily resolved, for we know how frequently instances of that figure of speech occur in Scripture where a part is taken for the whole.

There were two angels, therefore, who appeared first to Mary and afterwards to her other companions. However, as the women's attention was chiefly directed to the angel who spoke, Matthew and Mark contented themselves with relating his message.

Besides, when Matthew says that the angel sat on a stone, there is in his words (ὕστερον πρότερον), an inversion of the order of events; or, at least, he disregarded that order. For the angel did not immediately appear, but rather while the women were held in suspense and anxiety by such a strange and astonishing event.

³⁰⁴ “A Une reverence du mystere.”.”