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1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

 

He is RISEN!

He is RISEN, INDEED!

 

I am positive that if I had been amongst the women at the tomb that Sunday morning, I would have been shaking like a leaf. Fear, joy, confusion, and wonder would have overwhelmed me in the rapid succession of events that occurred outside the tomb. Jesus’ body is gone. A lightning clad messenger tells be Jesus is alive. Then Jesus suddenly appears. What a rollercoaster of emotion!

 

And Jesus’s first response is to comfort them. “Do not be afraid” he tells them. I know we talk so much more about how Jesus loves us, but I really think that if Jesus has a sign on his wall it would read “Do not be afraid, for I am with you”. The disciples were probably tired of Jesus throwing in the words Do Not Be Afraid again and again. But isn’t fear what drives so much of our lives? We are afraid of so much – shame, loneliness, scarcity, failure, and even death. It often drives us more than the positive motivators in our lives.

 

But the message of Easter is "Do Not Be Afraid”. In the wake of the cross, Christ shows us life without fear of sin and death. Shame holds no claim on us for we are made perfect in the eyes of our Creator. Jesus is risen and therefore we are no longer alone. Sin no longer has a stranglehold on our lives and death has been defeated. We have nothing left to fear. We need only embrace the life that Christ has revealed for us. This is the beauty of Easter.

 

He is RISEN!

He is RISEN, INDEED!

Alleluia!

 

Chad Ryberg Cryberg@livinglord.org

 

Prayer Concern: That all may hear the Good News this day.