Wednesday, February 17, 2010

He is not here, he has risen


In my daily reading this morning, I came across this passage in the book of Matthew, chapter 28:
The Resurrection

1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2There 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. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7Then 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."

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

The Word of God is so rich and so full of life. This passage has so much in it. But as usual, by Chas-brain zeroed in on a tiny bit of minutiae amidst the grand scheme:

The guards fell as dead men at the sight of the angel,or at the message of the angel: Jesus rose from the dead. The women, on the other hand, ran off in joy. What was the difference? Only one of the groups wanted to see Jesus again.

Sort of like two people seeing a cop show up - one is robbing somebody and one is being robbed. Same person elicits two very different reactions. So, if Jesus walked into the room right now as you are sitting in front of the computer (or my computer), would it cause joy? Or fear? Celebration, or sorrow?

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