J. A. Trench

It is clear that verse 1 (of Matt. 28) records a visit of the Marys "as it was the dusk" of the next day after the Sabbath, beginning at 6 p.m. — (Mark mentioned their purchase of spices to embalm Him, "the Sabbath being now past") — they come "to look at the sepulchre." Verse 2 would relate then to what had preceded their visit the first thing in the morning of the first day of the week. When they arrived the stone was rolled away (Mark 16:4) — how, the guard only had been witnesses. But the women, from their visit Saturday night, and now with all changed, the stone rolled away, and the tomb open and an angel to tell them He is risen, have the strongest testimony for the faith of their souls of the resurrection, and were now to announce it to the disciples, the angel already indicating Galilee, the scene of the Lord's chief labours among the despised remnant, as the rendezvous — "There ye shall see Him." As they go, Jesus Himself meets them with the positive direction that they go into Galilee. The facts of the resurrection and what followed are few in Matthew, tending the more to impress that the mind of God in this gospel is to present the renewal on resurrection ground indeed, of Christ's relations with the remnant of His people. There He takes His place as having all power given Him in heaven and earth, and hence all nations were to be the sphere of their testimony to make disciples of them and baptise them to the full name in which God was now revealed.