“Amazing, simply amazing”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Friday, August 2, 2024
Matthew 28: 1-10 (Forward, p. 4) CEV p. 1024
Doubters and skeptics have a veritable ‘field day’ with the accounts of Jesus’ resurrection. They like to point out all sorts of discrepancies or differences in the accounts, for instance, the time of day, the number of women that visited the tomb, the number of angels, the reaction of the women, and the first contacts people had with Jesus. And yes, these details do vary, which is only to be expected with multiple witnesses reporting on their experiences. And, not only that, with them telling their stories to the gospel writers many years after the fact, it is inevitable that the accounts got somewhat changed in the telling.
Even so, certain things can be said for sure. Number one, the stone was rolled away, and the tomb was empty. There was no getting around those indisputable facts. And number two, Jesus was alive and well, and was able to appear to several of them and speak to them. That too is indisputable, and by any estimation, is ‘amazing, simply amazing’. Never before, or since, has such a thing occurred. And not only that: Jesus continues alive, and present, even now, ever available to help us and lead us. It is on such rock-solid things that our faith is based on. Thanks be to God.
Forward notes: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me’” (verse 10).
“Today’s gospel makes many references to fear. Jesus’s resurrection is marked by a great earthquake, and an angel appears like lightning with gleaming white clothing. The events are sudden and confusing, and the two Marys are told to go quickly.
“Fear is a powerful human emotion that people have preyed upon for centuries: fear of scarcity, injustice, losing control, and the unknown. Fear grabs the headlines and drowns out rational voices. And fear often leads to violence, aggression, and even war. Sometimes, when I pause to consider my own actions, I am troubled to realize that fear motivated me, not God.
“Fleeing the empty tomb and running to tell the disciples, the women meet Jesus. After a greeting, his first words are, ‘Do not be afraid.’ What an acknowledgment of the human condition. The incarnate Jesus knows about fear, envy, and deceit. His gentle command reminds me that the way of Jesus is not the way of fear.”
Moving Forward: “When has fear spurred you to action or made you anxious? How might you respond to this fear as a follower of Christ?”
A concluding note: not only is fear part of ‘the human condition’, it is also, at times, altogether normal, natural and to be expected. Fear, when confronted with an angel and an empty tomb, is quite appropriate. There is something strange, something unnatural, taking place here. And at times, fear can also very helpful, even life preserving, as when meeting a grizzly bear. And here too, it is helpful, for the women are dealing with something quite outside of their normal range of experience. It is not something that they feel at comfortable in dealing with.