The Gospel passage Matthew 28:1–20, read at Vespers and at the Divine Liturgy of St Basil the Great that are usually celebrated on Holy Saturday morning (the Vespers of Pascha Sunday), places the Church before the event that grounds her entire faith: the Resurrection of Christ. This reading, within the liturgical setting of the day, illumines the mystery of the “new creation” and presents the Resurrection as victory over death, as the revelation of the truth of Christ, and as the starting point of the Church’s mission.
The narrative begins with “Now after the Sabbath” (“Ὀψὲ δὲ σαββάτων”); the transition from the Sabbath to “the first day of the week” (“μίαν σαββάτων”) is not only chronological but also theological. The Sabbath is linked with the old creation and rest, while the first day of the week becomes the sign of a new beginning: the risen Christ inaugurates a life that does not end. In Orthodox consciousness, Sunday is the “eighth day,” that is, the day of the Kingdom, which surpasses the measure of time.
The myrrh-bearing women come “to see the tomb” (“θεωρῆσαι τὸν τάφον”), with a mourning heart, yet also with a love that does not calculate fear. The Church sees in the Myrrhbearers an image of the faithful soul that seeks Christ even within the silence of death. And yet what they encounter is not a sealed tomb, but an event for the salvation of the whole world: “a great earthquake occurred” (“σεισμὸς ἐγένετο μέγας”), and an angel of the Lord rolled back the stone. The earthquake shows that the Resurrection is not a private miracle, but an act that shakes creation itself. The stone is not moved so that Christ may come out—the Risen One is not constrained by material barriers—but so that human beings may enter into the witness of the empty tomb and be called to faith.
The angel’s message is the core of evangelical joy: “Do not be afraid… for He has risen” (“Μὴ φοβεῖσθε… ἠγέρθη γὰρ”). The Resurrection reveals that fear, as the shadow of death, no longer has the last word. The Orthodox Church does not view the Resurrection chiefly as the “return to life” of one person, but as the trampling down of death and the beginning of the renewal of the human race. The invitation “Come, see the place” (“Δεῦτε ἴδετε τὸν τόπον”) also bears a spiritual meaning: the human person is called to behold “the place” where the old self—sin and corruption—lies, and to accept the emptiness of the tomb as the promise of one’s own resurrection.
As the women run “with fear and great joy” (“μετὰ φόβου καὶ χαρᾶς μεγάλης”), the double experience of theophany is revealed: fear as awe before the divine, and joy as the gift of God’s presence. Christ meets them and says, “Rejoice” (“Χαίρετε”). Joy is not a simple emotion; it is the energy of life that has conquered death. They “took hold of His feet” (“ἐκράτησαν αὐτοῦ τοὺς πόδας”) and worshiped Him, a detail that highlights the reality of the risen body. Orthodoxy insists that the Resurrection is real and bodily, while at the same time transfigured: it is the same Jesus, now free from the laws of corruption.
The passage also includes a darker aspect: the attempt by the chief priests and the elders to cover up the event with lies and money. Thus it is shown that the human person can resist the light—not because the light is weak, but because the heart prefers self-centered self-sufficiency and self-interest. Even so, the truth of the Resurrection does not depend on human acceptance; it is manifested as a witness that changes history.
The climax comes with the sending of the disciples: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… baptizing… teaching.” In the Orthodox Church, mission is not propaganda, but an invitation to participation in the life of the Holy Trinity. Baptism “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” is entry into ecclesial existence, where salvation is lived as communion and theosis. And the promise “I am with you always” (“Ἐγὼ μεθ’ ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας”) grounds hope: the Risen One does not belong only to the past, but is present in His Body, the Church, until the end of the age.
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