What does Luke 24:2 mean?

Mary Magdalene, Mary the wife of Clopas, Salome, Joanna, and possibly other women walk to Jesus' tomb on Sunday morning. They are bringing spices to cover Jesus' body. Tradition gives them the right to tend to the body so long as they don't move it. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary watched Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus place Jesus in the tomb and roll a stone in place (Matthew 27:57–61; John 19:38–42). They have one question: who will roll away the stone from the entrance (Mark 16:3)?

What the women don't know is that while they were observing the Sabbath, the Pharisees placed soldiers to guard the grave (Matthew 27:62–66). Not only are the soldiers watching closely, but they also secured the tomb, possibly by wrapping a cord where the stone meets the rock and covering it in wax. Even if someone rolled the stone away and then put it back, the authorities would know.

It turns out the women don't have to worry. An angel from God came down from heaven. His appearance was so frightening the soldiers went catatonic. He easily rolled the stone away and sat on it (Matthew 28:2–4).

When the women arrive, the stone is already moved; there's no indication they saw the angel move it. That means the Gospel writers heard it either directly from one of the soldiers, from one of the priests who later trusted in Jesus, or from someone else, listening in on the guards' report (Matthew 28:11–15; Acts 6:7).