JESUS HIMSELF

As the women hurried from the tomb, perhaps filled with equal parts fear and joy at the incredible news they had to share, Jesus interrupted them.

Their unprompted response was to worship, but Jesus seemed to sense their lingering fear and uncertainty. He repeated the angel’s “Do not be afraid” with a particular focus on the message they were to deliver, as He repeated the specific message the angel had given them to deliver to the rest of the disciples. It was one thing for an angel to say to the women, “Do not be afraid,” as incredible and world-shaking as that was.

But their moment with the resurrected Jesus, still early on that Sunday morning, was on another order of magnitude. And the core of His simple statement to them was this: “Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid of this new and disrupting reality that His resurrection signified. Do not be afraid of their own fears and doubts as they try to make sense of this remarkable thing to which they were now witnesses. Do not be afraid to deliver the message that the angel and Jesus had entrusted to them. Do not be afraid of those who would doubt and scoff in response to that message. Do not be afraid of death because it is now defeated.

Do not be afraid of God, who was continuing to work out His plan for relationships, restoration, and re-creation in the world. As startling and disruptive as His appearances were in themselves, the “Do not be afraid” messages after His resurrection were so much more powerful. The world was changed; the stakes were higher, and the reassurance was all the more certain. Jesus truly was now “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).

His resurrection changes everything—so do not be afraid.