The angel's first words to the women are the same words that mark every divine encounter in Matthew's Gospel: do not be afraid. The angel says this to shepherds at the birth announcement in Luke and to the disciples at the Transfiguration — fear is always the human response to the divine breaking in, and the divine response to human fear is always reassurance. The specificity of the angel's knowledge — I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified — communicates that the resurrection is the answer to this specific search, not a general religious experience. The women came looking for the crucified Jesus, and the resurrection addresses that specific grief, that specific loss. The resurrection is the answer to the cross, not an escape from it.

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