Topic: Matthew 28:1-10
Go deeper with God
A recent Discover Channel documentary boldly proclaimed that the "Lost Tomb of Jesus" had been found, including an ossuary (bone box) which purportedly contained the remains of Jesus himself. The documentary was derided by both Christian clergy and secular scholars as being misleading and deceitful, the conclusion being that this was not, nor was it ever, Jesus' tomb, and rather another example of sensational journalism.
However, as believers in God's Word, we know that this sort of discussion is foolishness from the start. In Matthew's gospel we read:
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 ... 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. ... 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)
"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." When the women heard this, they were "afraid yet filled with joy". This is likely because, while they had knowledge of the events that had occurred, they had not yet met the risen Christ. When Jesus appeared to them for the first time in his renewed, transformed body a short time later, he said to the "Do not be afraid."
As you reflect upon Jesus' resurrection during this Easter period, consider his glorious reappearing which assures us that "By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also." (1 Corinthians 6:14) In repudiation to the "Lost Tomb of Jesus", the angel proclaims "He is not here; He is risen." Do not be afraid, as someone who does not know Jesus personally, but instead open your heart to experience the joy that flows from a fully formed relationship with the God who lives.
What would you like to say to God today? Take some time to pray and tell God what has been weighing on your heart.
