Why the Angel Sat on the Stone

The resurrection of Jesus deserves our constant attention. It is a marvel, a joy-igniting truth that Jesus is alive. My soul is strengthened every time I read the end of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And in a recent reading of Matthew, I was gripped by something I hadn’t seen before.

At the beginning of Matthew 28, he tells us about an angel’s actions:

“There was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it.” Matthew 28:2

An angel rips into our dimension with a sonic boom, rattles the earth, and hovers in front of the tomb where Christ was laid. The angel rolls up his sleeves and rolls back the stone. Then, the angel’s supernatural action is followed by a casual one.

The angel sat on the stone.

He turned the stone into a stool. The rock became a recliner for this heavenly being. Lean into the oddity of this detail with me. Why did the angel do this? And why include this in the account?

For o…