and now, there was a great earthquake, for the angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, coming near, rolled the stone away from the entrance of the tomb and sat on it.
This verse describes a powerful manifestation of divine power: the earthquake is not from evil forces, but a sign of God’s presence. The angel of the Lord comes down from heaven, bearing witness that the resurrection is not a human work, but God’s action. He rolls away the stone not so that Christ might come out, but so that people may see that the tomb is empty. Sitting on the stone symbolizes complete victory: what for people was a sign of death and being shut in now becomes a symbol of life and openness. The earthquake testifies that on the same earth that shook at the moment of Christ’s death, the birth of life is now taking place. This is the moment of the Lord’s victory: death was stripped of its authority, and the tomb of its closedness.