Matthew 28:5-7

Posted by DJL on May 2, 2014 in Daily Bread | 0 comments

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.”

The resurrection scenes in all the gospels, I believe, function not so much as endings to the story as they do transitions from the story the evangelist tells to the story of our life in the world; the rest of the story, as it were. And so as we read them, we should listen carefully for the words the evangelist is directing to us, the counsel the evangelist is offering to help us think about our lives as and in Christian community.

Here, Matthew describes in the encounter between the angel and the women at the empty tomb a two-fold pattern that has animated Christian life and ministry ever since. “Come, see….” – the invitation to witness. “Then go quickly and tell…” – the command to go and share what you’ve just seen.

Except it’s not just that. The angel begins, as we noted, with a word of comfort and courage. “Do not be afraid.”  And the angel closes with a promise, “there you will see him.”

So while there is no doubt that at the heart of our Christian lives there is the invitation and command to bear witness to what we have experienced, that invitation is surrounded by words of courage and promise.

Might we do that, then? Find words to share our experiences of faith…and doubt and joy and sorrow and hope and all the rest, knowing that all of our efforts are surrounded by words of courage and promise? It is at the very least, I think, worth a try.

Prayer: Dear God, grant us the courage to share with others in word and deed the love and grace we have experienced from you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Post image: 6th century mosaic, Ravenna, Italy.