My house is out in the country, and my mailbox is about three-hundred yards away at the road. Today, I walked up to the mailbox around 10:00 AM to see if the mail had come. It had not. I went again around noon. The mail had not come. At 3:00, I walked up there again. No mail. Finally, when I went back around 4:30, I found the box packed with magazines and bills and advertisements. It took four trips, but I got what I was looking for. I knew what I would eventually find.
Not so at that first Easter. The women had not kept making trips to the tomb, each time looking for a resurrected Jesus. They did not anticipate that eventually one of their trips would be rewarded with the news that the tomb was empty, just as they expected. No! They went once and did not find at all what they expected. There was no body. Instead, there was an angel, some terrified guards, and the surprising news that Jesus was not there. He had risen from the dead! It was not what they had gone looking for. There was Good News when they did not expect any.
Jesus had two instructions for the women (Matthew 28:10) and I believe they are also instructions for us. (1) The first is (as Weymouth translates it) “Dismiss all fear.” (2) The second is “Let others know about this.” Which of these is more difficult for you to do? Letting go of our fears and anxieties is not easy. Finding ways to let others know that Jesus is alive is not automatic.
The New Testament word for “fear” carries with it the implication of something that is done to you. The thing that frigthens you may not even be intended to be frightening. Or, it may be frightful in one context and not in another; a campfire flame cooking a meal is wonderful; an out-of-control burst of forest fire is frightening. The women were overwhelmed by the unexpected news of Jesus’ resurrection, so our Lord tells them that fear is not needed.
How do we do what Jesus has asked the women to do---go tell others? My actions often speak louder than my words. Do I live in a way that shows that I believe that Jesus is alive? Do I live in a way that shows that I accept Jesus’ presence in my life today? Do I live in such a way that Jesus gets the credit?
What Someone Else Has Said: In his book The Joy of the Gospel (Image), Pope Francis wrote: “Christ’s resurrection everywhere calls forth seeds of that new world; even if they are cut back, they grow again, for the resurrection is already secretly woven into the fabric of this history, for Jesus did not rise in vain.”
Prayer: As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: “Hallelujah! You are alive!...”
