An appearance of the risen Christ
The Women Returning From the Tomb
The women hurry away from the empty tomb, told by an angel that Jesus is risen, carrying fear and great joy at once. On the road, on their way to tell the disciples, Jesus himself meets them. He greets them, they take hold of his feet and worship, and he sends them onward with a word of comfort.
“And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.”Matthew 28:9
What happened
Matthew records that as the women ran from the tomb to bring word to the disciples, Jesus met them on the way with a simple greeting, all hail. They came to him, held him by the feet, and worshipped him. This is a bodily encounter, not a fleeting glimpse, for they touch his feet and bow before him. He answers their fear directly, telling them not to be afraid, and gives them a task, to go and tell his brethren to depart into Galilee, where they will see him. He calls the disciples his brethren even after they had scattered and failed him. The women, first at the tomb and first to be sent, become the first messengers of the resurrection.
What it proves and gives
This brief account underlines that the risen Jesus could be touched, held, and worshipped, which sets him apart from any mere apparition. The women grasp his feet, a solid and physical detail. He accepts their worship, something no faithful teacher would allow if he were only a man. He steadies their fear and points them toward a promised reunion in Galilee, showing the appearances were not random but ordered toward gathering his followers again. Calling the disciples his brethren, after their desertion, shows that the resurrection comes bearing forgiveness and restored belonging, not settling of scores.
How the risen Lord meets you now
The risen Lord still meets people on the road between the empty tomb and the rest of their lives, in the ordinary space of going to tell others. He does not wait until you have arrived somewhere holy. His first words to the frightened are do not be afraid, and they are his words to you when fear and joy tangle together and you hardly know what you have seen. He lets himself be held. He is near enough to grasp. And he calls those who failed him his family, which means your worst moment does not disqualify you from belonging to him. He gives fear a direction, a place to go, and people to tell.
Questions people ask
did the women actually touch the risen Jesus
Matthew says they held him by the feet and worshipped him, which is a plain, physical detail. The risen Jesus was not a ghost or a vision they merely saw from a distance. They took hold of his body and bowed before him, and he received their worship rather than correcting it, which points to who they understood him to be.
why did Jesus tell them to go to Galilee
The appearances were ordered toward gathering the scattered followers, and Galilee was home, where the greater commission on the mountain would come. By sending the women ahead with this message, Jesus turned their fear into a mission and set in motion the reunion that Matthew records at the end of his account, where the eleven meet him again.