Go Tell!

On Easter Sunday, I was blessed with the opportunity to share the Easter message at our Sunrise Service. As you read this, of course, you might think, “It’s after Easter!”

That’s true–but, the message of Easter is ongoing! I hope and pray that you will receive a blessing from these thoughts and that you will be encouraged to Go Tell!

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 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. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 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.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Matthew 28:1-10

I invite you to put yourself in place of those women. On this first Easter morning, they had gone to the tomb of their beloved teacher and friend. They were grieved and worried, mourning their loss, very much in the way we would if a loved one had died. And, they, perhaps even more so, because they had faith in Him, that He would make a difference in their world, in their lives. They believed Jesus was the promised one—predicted by the prophets to save the Jewish people. He was the Messiah, their Lord, but suddenly he had been taken from them, in a tragic and deadly manner. They had looked to him to save the Jewish people, but instead Jesus had been executed like a common criminal. They grieved, not only because of their lost loved one, but because they had lost their hope.

Jesus was dead.

Besides their grief at the loss of Jesus, they had to be asking themselves, “What will happen to us now? Will our people always be oppressed? Will we and the men and others who follow Jesus be imprisoned or killed?”

And, perhaps they were thinking, “What about what Jesus taught us? What about what He promised us? Was it all just a lie?”

After all, Jesus had told them that he was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah:  “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19

Jesus read these words from Isaiah early in his ministry. He promised good news to the poor, freedom from oppression, and healing for the sick. Throughout his three years of ministry, he demonstrated his commitment to fulfill this mission, both through his teaching and his miracles. The Sermon on the Mount, the Parables, the numerous incidents of his healing of those with disabilities, all illustrate how Jesus was fulfilling that promise from Isaiah’s prophecy. He showed his love and compassion for those people who lived on the margins of society, those considered unworthy or unimportant—tax collectors, the poor, the blind, those afflicted with chronic diseases, people of different ethnicities, and…women.

Jewish women in the first century, during the time of Jesus, lived an oppressed life. The way the Rabbis interpreted Jewish law guided this oppression:

• Women had to be veiled in public and were not supposed to speak to men.
• They were expected to stay home and not go out because only women of ill repute go abroad.
• They were not educated because it was considered unnecessary for girls and women.
• Women could not testify in court.
• They were limited to the women’s courtyard in the Temple.
• They were typically under the total authority of their fathers or husbands.

But, Jesus had a different perspective.

These women who had made their way to the tomb on that first Easter morning, perhaps had reason to place strong faith in Jesus. Our Lord broke away from the traditional way of treating women. Jesus had included women in his ministry. He spoke to the woman at the well when men weren’t supposed to encourage conversation with women. He interrupted the stoning of the adulterous woman and witnessed to her when men would have killed her. He welcomed both men and women as his students and as workers in his ministry. He didn’t treat women, or the poor, or the handicapped, or the mentally ill as second class citizens.

So who did God choose to be the first to witness the risen Christ? Who was charged with letting others know that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead to fulfill his promises?

Women.

God chose members of the Jewish society who weren’t considered important or worthy.

I don’t think this is a coincidence. After all, Jesus cautioned his disciples that to be his followers, they must enter through the narrow door and he said, “Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” Luke 13:30

One of the lessons this gives to me and I hope to you as well is this. No matter our situation, our physical or mental condition, our income, or our station in life—no matter who we are or what we’ve done, we are part of the chosen—no matter if we view ourselves as unimportant or unworthy—we are all part of God’s plan to share the news of the risen Lord.

When the women arrived at the tomb, they found it empty. What did the angel command them to do? What directions did Jesus give the two women?

Both the angel and Jesus gave the women the same directive—“Go tell the disciples He has risen.”

Go tell…

All of us have some affliction, some limitations that sometimes make us feel unworthy—it may or may not be visible to others such as blindness or leprosy—but we are all imperfect. But, the message is the same for us—Go tell!

So in this season of Easter, I ask you—Who can you tell the Good News of Jesus Christ? Who can you tell that He is our risen Lord?

Father, God, We come to you in thanksgiving and praise—humbled and grateful for the greatest gift of love—your Son, Jesus, who lived on Earth, who showed us how to love those who are different, those who are sick, those who are weak, those who are poor, those who have the problems we all have. We are the afflicted, but praise be to you, O God, you love us anyway. We know we are called to spread the Good News of Jesus to others, to tell of your great love, to tell of the gift of salvation that Jesus freely gave to us through His sacrifice. But, sometimes we are scared, we doubt our ability to witness, we fear failure, or being rejected. But, you Lord can show us the way and give us the courage to tell others that Jesus Christ is our Savior and He is Risen. Please give us the strength and courage to GO TELL! In His precious name, Amen