PEACE BE UNTO YOU

“…Our closest Friend and Lord is gone, how it hurts. This is what mourning feels like, tears and trouble… they killed Him. They didn’t just crucify Him, they formed a riot that mobbed Him and tortured Him… are they gonna come after us? … we need to hide…”

I meditated on the events of the crucifixion until what would have been the night before our Lord’s resurrection. What were the thoughts and sorrows of the closest friends and loved ones of Jesus? The Lord was lost, killed in a brutal way… gone. Surely this is the definition of despair, darkness and doubt. They left everything so they could follow this Teacher- Who was, dead? Oh how they miss Him!! He helped everybody and solved so many problems, in vain it seems…

Can you imagine the l-o-n-g hours of fear. They startled at every noise thinking there were guards coming for them, His followers. It seemed only safe for the women to be following afar off, ministering to Jesus in His final hours. The women were even able to watch Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus JOHN 19:39 (who seem to be the only men with boldness at this point) lay Him in a new tomb and roll the stone shut tight. The centurions and Pilate were suspicious of His disciples coming to steal the body, so they could say He was risen.

At dark thirty VERY early (the time when virtuous women get up to take care of their household! PROV 31:15) at least two female servants turn their sorrow into a selfless act of Worship. Praise the Lord for Doers, not mopers! I’ll bet their intentions were only humble and good, and alas! they are tremendously rewarded! As I read in Matthew it seems the angel or angels were just waiting for the lucky human that was gonna get the first news!! WoooHooo! He’s alive, and He’s gonna meet you later. Mary and Mary RUN… they are amazed, full of great joy and afraid. (there’s that word again) Still afraid? A political and religious Leader has been removed from the scene thanks to the existing corrupt government. I’m sure it hit the “Mary’s” that they better be careful with this information. Have you ever been excited and afraid at the same time?

Non belief; what a discouraging thing. MARK 16:11 “And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.” LUKE 24:11 “And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.” States of great depression can leave us so low that even good news is hard to believe. Oh but the women knew, the men will see for themselves! And they did! What a reunion! One record says Jesus’s first words to his disciples were “Peace be unto you”. Oh how they needed to hear that!

Oh how we need to hear that! Surely this is a time when political powers and false religions are removing Jesus Christ from the scene. The immoral governments are suspicious of His followers and ready to pounce on and imprison them. Where are we? Are we hiding? Depressed? Troubled and full of despair? Our closest Friend and Lord is not gone. Trust me friends, they can not kill Him again. As He is alive in our hearts and we have His same resurrection power. I should not live in fear and non belief! Though I can not see Him now, I will very soon. We are lucky humans, eh? He folded His linen napkin to tell me He’d be right back. WoooHooo!!