The heavenly messenger tells the women that Jesus is not in the tomb because He has risen. Matthew adds the reminder 'as he said,' while Matthew and Mark direct attention to the place where His body had lain.
Jesus in Context
He Is Risen: Come See the Place Where He Lay
The resurrection announcement is joined to an invitation to inspect the place where Jesus' body had been laid.
Introduction
Historical and Cultural Context
Jesus' burial had placed His body in an identifiable tomb, and the resurrection proclamation is therefore connected with a specific burial location. The invitation to look at the place where He had been laid joins proclamation with the women's direct observation that the tomb no longer contains His body.
The phrase 'as he said' also directs readers backward to Jesus' repeated predictions of His death and resurrection.
Why It Matters
The Gospel claim is not merely that Jesus' influence continued after His death. The announcement concerns the Jesus who had been crucified and buried, and the empty burial place becomes part of the narrative evidence surrounding the proclamation that He has risen.