Understanding The Context: The Morning of Resurrection in Matthew 28
If you want to feel the real weight of the words “He is risen”, you need to step back and see the bigger picture of the Gospel of Matthew. This is a carefully built story, a story about promises made, promises kept, and a hope bigger than death itself.
Matthew’s Gospel was written with a clear purpose: to show that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah promised throughout the Old Testament. From the very first line, Matthew ties Jesus directly to the great story of Israel:
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:” (Matthew 1:1, NKJV)
Every page echoes ancient promises: the covenant with Abraham, the royal line of David, the hope for a Savior who would rescue not just Israel, but the whole world.
Throughout the book, Matthew carefully shows how Jesus fulfills prophecy after prophecy. Born of a virgin (Matthew 1:23). Preaching in Galilee (Matthew 4:14-16). Healing the sick, teaching with authority, proclaiming the arrival of God’s Kingdom.
Every miracle, every parable, every encounter builds toward something greater. But not everyone recognized Him. The religious leaders opposed Him, and by chapter 26, the story takes a dark turn. Jesus is betrayed by Judas, arrested, tried in a sham court, and condemned to death.
Matthew 27 paints the agonizing picture of the crucifixion. Jesus is mocked, tortured, nailed to a cross, and abandoned. Darkness falls over the land. With His last breath, Jesus cries out:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
He dies, and it feels, for a moment, like all hope has died with Him.
And then comes Matthew 28. The chapter opens:
“after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week” (Matthew 28:1).
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary go to the tomb. They aren’t expecting a miracle. They are grieving. But suddenly, there’s a violent earthquake.
An angel of the Lord descends from heaven, rolls back the stone, and sits on it, like death itself has been thrown aside and defeated.
The guards shake with fear and faint. But the angel speaks to the women: “
Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen, as He said” (Matthew 28:5-6, NKJV).
And that sentence changes everything.
In just a few words, the angel announces the greatest victory the world has ever known. Jesus’ resurrection is the proof that everything He said about Himself, about God, and about eternal life was all true. “He is risen” means death is broken. Sin is defeated. Hope is alive.
The women, filled with both fear and great joy, run to tell the disciples. Along the way, Jesus Himself meets them, alive, real, and glorified. He greets them simply: “Rejoice!” (Matthew 28:9). They fall at His feet, worshiping Him, overwhelmed by the reality of resurrection.
Matthew doesn’t stop there. Jesus sends out His followers with a mission:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
His resurrection wasn’t just for them, but for the whole world.
When you hear “He is risen”, think about the fulfillment of the entire sweep of Scripture. It’s the moment God’s promises explode into the world with unstoppable force. And it’s a personal invitation: to believe, to rejoice, and to live a life anchored in the unshakable hope that Jesus is alive.
In the context of Matthew’s Gospel, “He is risen” is the beginning of the Christian world, since the entire faith is based upon Jesus’ resurrection as an act that proved the validity of his declarations as Son of God.
The empty tomb at sunrise, the stone rolled away, symbolizing the resurrection of Jesus (image generated with Midjourney)
What Does "He is Risen" Mean?
When we say, “He is risen”, we’re speaking words that are packed with centuries of theological meaning, layers of deep hope, and a connection to the very heart of Easter itself. The phrase is a declaration that stands at the center of everything Christians believe.
At its most basic, the meaning of “He is risen” is that Jesus Christ, who was crucified, truly came back to life. As Matthew 28:6 says, the angel at the tomb told the women, “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said”. And this was exactly what Jesus had promised all along (Matthew 16:21).
Theologically, the resurrection is proof of Jesus’ divine identity. As Paul wrote, Jesus
“declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4, NKJV).
Without His resurrection, Christianity collapses. As Paul also said in 1 Corinthians 15:17:
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile”.
Resurrection is not an optional add-on to the Gospel, but the Gospel itself.
In hermeneutics (the study of how we interpret Scripture), the phrase “He is risen” carries an important emphasis. Notice it doesn’t just say, “He resurrected” or “He rose”.
In Greek, the phrase uses a perfect tense form, which highlights an action completed with continuing effects. In other words, Jesus rose, and He remains risen today. The resurrection isn’t a past event locked away in history, but a present, living reality.
This is why the phrase is so important, especially for Easter, which is a celebration that Jesus is alive now. And because He lives, everything is different. Death doesn’t have the last word anymore. Sin doesn’t hold ultimate power. Brokenness isn’t the end of the story.
When Christians gather on Easter morning and greet each other with “He is risen!” and respond, “He is risen indeed!”, they’re not just quoting tradition.
They are standing inside the very center of Christian hope. They are echoing the words that first rang out from an empty tomb in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, words that still shatter darkness with light.
Easter, at its core, is about resurrection, life breaking into a dying world. It’s about a new creation already beginning. And it all hinges on this simple, powerful truth: Jesus is risen from the dead. And this gives him eternal power and presence.
To recap, here are the main takeaways from the phrase “He is risen”:
- Victory over Death: Jesus' resurrection means that death does not have the final word (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
- Proof of Divinity: Only God could conquer death.
- Fulfillment of Prophecy: Jesus' resurrection fulfills Old Testament prophecies like Isaiah 53 and Psalm 16:10.
- Hope for Eternal Life: "Because I live, you also will live" (John 14:19).
When you say it, and when you believe it, you are stepping into the story of redemption. You are claiming the hope that death is defeated, that love wins, and that one day, everything broken will be made whole again.
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Why Do We Say “He Is Risen” Instead Of “He Has Risen”?
If you’ve ever listened closely to an Easter service or read different translations of the Bible, you might have noticed something curious. Some versions say, “He is risen”, while others say, “He has risen”. This is a window into something deeper about how language shapes our faith.
First, let’s talk about the original language.
The Greek phrase used in Matthew 28:6 is ēgerthē, which simply means “He was raised” or “He has been raised”. In pure grammar terms, it’s a passive verb describing an action completed by God: Jesus was raised from the dead.
But when the early English translators worked with this text, they thought about theology. And that’s where the magic happened.
When the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible was translated in 1611, the phrase became, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.” (Matthew 28:6, KJV).
The translators chose “is risen” to capture the idea that Jesus’ resurrection isn’t something that happened once, but an ongoing, present reality.
Now, if you open more modern translations like the New International Version (NIV), you’ll often find it worded slightly differently:
“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” (Matthew 28:6, NIV).
Other versions like the English Standard Version (ESV) and the New Living Translation (NLT) also use “has risen”. These translations are aiming for a more direct rendering of the Greek, focusing on the completed action.
Why does it matter?
Because words shape how we experience truth. Saying “He has risen” rightly points to the historical fact that Jesus rose from the grave.
But saying “He is risen” invites us to experience His living presence right now. It reminds us that resurrection isn’t locked in history, but it’s a living, breathing reality that continues to change the world even today.
The early English translators of the KJV were making a theological point: Christ’s resurrection was a present truth to be lived.
A group of believers today celebrating the Resurrection (image generated with Midjourney)
How the Resurrection Changes Everything for You Today
Here’s what the resurrection means for your real, everyday life:
- Forgiveness is real: Your past mistakes don’t define you anymore. You can walk in freedom because Jesus paid it all (Romans 4:25).
- Fear of death is broken: You don’t have to live under the shadow of fear; eternal life is your reality (John 11:25-26).
- Purpose is renewed: Every act of love, every moment of faithfulness matters forever (1 Corinthians 15:58).
- Hope is unshakable: Even when life feels heavy, you can hold onto a living hope that won’t disappoint (1 Peter 1:3).
The resurrection is more than a doctrine to believe. It is the living truth of the Scripture and an event meant to be lived in everyday life. It is supposed to give you the strength to face whatever comes and know deep down that you can deal with it.
Final Thoughts: Jesus Has Risen, and That Changes Everything
When we say “He is risen,” we are standing on the very foundation of Christian faith. It’s the truth that breathes life into every promise Jesus ever made. From the opening lines of Matthew’s Gospel to the empty tomb in chapter 28, every detail points here:
Jesus, the promised Messiah, conquered death, and He is alive today.
Throughout this article, we saw how Matthew built the story of Jesus as the fulfillment of every ancient hope. We uncovered how “He is risen” isn’t simply a historical claim but a living reality meant to reshape our everyday lives.
We explored why it matters that we say “He is risen” instead of “He has risen”, because Jesus’ resurrection is something still happening.
If this truth stirs something deep in you: questions, hope, or maybe just a hunger to understand more, the Bible Chat App is here for you. Whether you're wrestling with what the resurrection means or just want to explore your faith more deeply, Bible Chat offers thoughtful, Bible-based answers whenever you need them.
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References
The Holy Bible, New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.
The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). Zondervan, 2011.
N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope, HarperOne, 2008
GotQuestions.org, "Where does the saying ‘He is risen; He is risen, indeed' come from?", https://www.gotquestions.org/He-is-risen.html
