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. . . . So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples….
Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb….
When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. . . . But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.
So Peter and the other disciples started for the tomb…. Then Simon Peter . . . arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying.
Suddenly Jesus met [the women at the tomb]. “Greetings,” he said. they came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Matt. 27:5-10; Mark 16:8; John 20:3-7.)
I love the human touch in this most amazing event. Sin and death have been defeated, and the time has come for Jesus’ disciples to hear the glorious news. Soon they will be commissioned to spread the gospel to all the world. But first, God comforts the faithful women who had come to annoint Jesus’ body with perfumes and spices. Imagine their confusion and fear upon finding an open tomb and angelic messengers. Imagine their dismay when the disciples would not believe their report. And imagine their joy at seeing Jesus and hearing him say “do not be afraid.”
This is the heart of God. Do not be afraid of those who oppose you, do not be afraid of the size of the task, do not be afraid of the pervasiveness of injustice, do not be afraid of the arguments of the wise or the might of the strong, do not be afraid of unseen powers, do not be afraid of death itself. Victory is already achieved. He is risen! He is risen indeed!