Matthew 28:5-10

Matthew records a double commission for the women at the tomb. First, the angel commands them: "Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead" (v. 7). Then Jesus himself meets them on the way and personally commissions them: "Go and take word to My brethren" (v. 10). This double commissioning — by an angel and by the risen Lord — elevates women's witness to the highest possible authority. The women obeyed immediately, running with "fear and great joy" to report to the disciples. Jesus' act of personally commissioning women to deliver the most important message in human history — the gospel of the resurrection — demonstrates that God does not restrict the proclamation of his truth by gender.

Greek Analysis — Matthew 28:5-10

Key Terms

• πορευθεῖσαι...ἀπαγγείλατε (poreutheisai...apangeilate) — "go...announce/report" (v.10). The risen Jesus gives the women a direct commission using two imperatives: poreutheisai (aorist passive participle of poreuomai, functioning as an imperative — "go!") and apangeilate (aorist active imperative of apangellō — "announce!"). The verb apangellō means to report, announce, or declare — it is the language of authoritative proclamation. Jesus commissions women to deliver the resurrection announcement to the male disciples.

• μὴ φοβεῖσθε (mē phobeisthe) — "do not be afraid" (vv.5, 10). Both the angel (v.5) and Jesus (v.10) address the women with this reassurance. The fear being dispelled is not the "fear of the Lord" but human terror at the supernatural event. The women are calmed and then commissioned — their fear does not disqualify them from the task.

• τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου (tois adelphois mou) — "my brothers" (v.10). Jesus refers to the male disciples as his "brothers" and sends the women to deliver the message to them. The women serve as authoritative intermediaries between the risen Christ and the male apostles. The relational term adelphoi ("brothers") underscores the familial nature of the community — and the women are trusted members of that family, entrusted with its most important news.

• ἐκράτησαν αὐτοῦ τοὺς πόδας (ekratēsan autou tous podas) — "they grasped his feet" (v.9). The women's physical embrace of Jesus' feet is an act of worship (prosekunēsan — "they worshiped"). They are the first post-resurrection worshipers of the risen Christ, and immediately after worship they are sent to proclaim.

WIM Significance

Matthew's resurrection narrative shows Jesus deliberately commissioning women as the first proclaimers of the resurrection — the foundational event of Christian faith (1 Cor 15:14). The imperative apangeilate ("announce!") is an authoritative command to proclaim truth to men. If the risen Christ commissions women to deliver authoritative truth to his male apostles, the complementarian claim that women cannot teach or exercise authority over men is contradicted by Christ's own practice at the most critical moment in redemptive history.

For the full argument analysis, see the Argument Library entry.

Summary: Matthew 28:5-10 records women as the first commissioned proclaimers of the resurrection, personally validated by both the angel and the risen Jesus. The commission follows the same go-and-tell structure used for apostolic sending. The women are models of faithful discipleship and proclamation.