Matthew 28:2 (ASV)

Passage

And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it.

Nearby Context

Matthew 28:1 Now late on the sabbath day, as it began to dawn toward the first [day] of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

Matthew 28:2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it.

Matthew 28:3 His appearance was as lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

Matthew 28:4 and for fear of him the watchers did quake, and became as dead men.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "great", "earthquake", "angel", "lord", "descended", "heaven", and "came". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "great", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "Now late on the sabbath day as..." into verse 3's "His appearance was as lightning and his...", so "behold" and "great" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "behold" and "great" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.