Matthew 28:1 describes the first morning after Jesus was buried, when two women set out before sunrise to visit his tomb. The verse marks the timing carefully, placing their visit after the Sabbath and at the first light of the new week, which is why it is remembered as the start of the Easter story. It is narrated by Matthew, the Gospel writer, and it introduces the two Marys, Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary,” who had watched where Jesus was laid.
Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
Matthew 28:1 (WEB)
What Matthew 28:1 Means
The phrase “now after the Sabbath” tells you the women waited until the day of rest was over. Jewish law forbade travel and work on the Sabbath, so their visit could only happen once the sun had set on Saturday and the first day of the week had begun. Their timing is ordinary, not dramatic, which makes what follows more striking.
“As it began to dawn on the first day of the week” places the visit at first light, when it was still dim but the day was starting. Matthew is pointing to a new beginning. The verse does not promise that the women would find anything specific, and it does not explain why they came. It simply shows two grieving followers doing the faithful thing they could still do: going to the place where their teacher had been laid.
The Context of Matthew 28:1
Matthew wrote for a community that knew the Jewish scriptures well and was reflecting on Jesus’ crucifixion and burial in the chapter just before this one, Matthew 27. The Gospel was traditionally attributed to Matthew, one of the twelve disciples, though most scholars today regard its author as unknown. Its audience was likely a mixed Jewish and Gentile church, so the Gospel carefully connects Jesus’ resurrection to both the Law and the wider world.
The verses that follow in Matthew 28:2-4 describe an earthquake, an angel rolling away the stone, and guards falling into fear. Reading Matthew 28:1 alongside that scene changes its tone. The women are not coming to find a body and mourn; they are arriving just as heaven is breaking into the story. The quiet opening of the verse becomes the threshold of something God is doing.
Key Phrases in Matthew 28:1
Mark 16:2
Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
(WEB)
Mark records the same visit at sunrise and adds that the women were bringing spices to anoint Jesus’ body. Reading the two accounts together shows the depth of their devotion and gives a fuller picture of why they were going to the tomb that morning.
Psalm 30:5
For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
(WEB)
This psalm speaks of weeping lasting through the night and joy coming in the morning, which mirrors the movement from darkness to dawn in Matthew 28:1. It reminds you that sorrow is real but is not the final word.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 28:1
Lord, you know the places in my life where I have gone out in the early dark, tired and unsure of what I will find. Help me to keep showing up to you, even when my heart is heavy and my hopes feel small. Let the first light of your presence break over my worries and remind me that you are already at work before I can see it. Teach me to trust your timing, and to wait with faith for the morning you have prepared. Amen.
