Matthew 28:5-7

Matthew 28:5-7

And while answering the angel said to the women, “Do not fear, you all!  For I have known that you all seek Jesus, the one who has been crucified.  He is not here.  For He was being raised just as He said.  Come!  See the place where He was lain.  And after going quickly, say to His disciples that He was being raised from the dead.  And behold!  He goes before you all into Galilee.  There you all will see Him.  Behold!  I spoke to you all.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Let’s look at the message from this angel.  First, the angel tells them not to be afraid.  This really makes sense.  The women are already in a place of emotional uncertainty.  Then an earthquake happens.  Then an angel appears and rolls away the stone.  Then the guards who should have authority suddenly act as though they are dead.  What’s not to fear!  But God knows this.  So His message meets the women where they are.  He comforts them before making His point.  The Lord is not just interested in proving Himself the most powerful being.  The Lord is interested in meeting us where we are before proving Himself.

Would you have been afraid if you were in the shoes of these ladies?  Would you have been able to overcome your fear just because the angel said to do so?  Where has God ever come and met you where you were before asserting His own plan for your life?

Second Thought:

The angel announces Jesus’ reaction and then invites the women to come and witness the event.  God doesn’t just ask us to believe.  God doesn’t just ask us to trust.  God asks us to believe and asks us to trust and then gives us an opportunity to witness His power!

Where have you trusted in God and then been able to witness His power?  When has God invited you into His plan?

Third Thought:

Finally, we hear the angel give a command to the women.  They are to take what they see and hear at the tomb and go to proclaim it to the disciples.  The Gospel stories are unified on this point.  The Mary’s see and witness first.  They bring it to Peter and the Twelve.  This story more than any other story tells me just how much transformation can happen when Jesus comes into our life.  The ancient Jewish culture was a culture where all leadership – especially religious leadership – came from men.  Women weren’t even allowed to be legal witnesses in many circumstances!  But in the subculture that Jesus created, the women had a place and a role.  The Twelve would hear and allow the witness of the Mary’s.  They might take a little while to believe it, but that has more to do with the incredible circumstance of the resurrection than it has to do with the women themselves.  Obviously the point of the resurrection is God’s power over death.  But the secondary point is God’s ability to bring legitimate change to community.

Where has you life been transformed by knowing Christ?  What manners of community have you given up because God has shown you a better way?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 28:8-10