Don’t Be Afraid
Today’s passage: Matthew 28:5–7, Mark 16:5–7, and Luke 24:4–8
Focus verse: “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” (Matthew 28:6)
In Matthew’s account of what happens, the angel—the one sitting on the stone—says to the women, “Don’t be afraid.” As we read throughout Scripture, this is often the first thing angels say to the people they encounter.
“You’re looking for Jesus who was crucified,” the angel continues, “but he’s not here. He has risen from the dead, just like he told you he would.”
The angel guides the women into the tomb where Jesus’s dead body once lay, but it is no longer there.
Mark’s version is a bit different. He writes that the women enter the open tomb and see the angel inside.
He says, “Don’t be alarmed” and repeats the same message about the body of crucified Jesus no longer being in the tomb because he’s risen from the dead.
“Go and tell his disciples—and Peter—that he’s going ahead of them into Galilee,” the angel says. “They’ll find him there, just as he said.”
It’s comforting to hear the angel single out Peter. To know the angel’s message of Jesus’s resurrection also includes him must be most reassuring.
After denying that he even knew Jesus, Peter must wonder where he stands with his Rabbi. Now he knows—thanks to the angel’s message—that Jesus still wants to see him, to be with him.
For his account, Luke mentions two angels. Though we might think of these three accounts as being misaligned, even contradictory, remember where Matthew and Mark place their angels.
In Matthew’s version the angel sits outside the tomb on the stone. In Mark’s version the angel is inside the tomb. What if they are two different angels, one outside the tomb and the other inside?
For their part, Luke’s two angels give the same message as we read in Matthew and Mark’s accounts. Their message is what matters most, not if there are one or two of them or where they are.
The angels remind the women that Jesus predicted he would be crucified and three days later rise from the dead.
As soon as the women hear this, they remember what he said. But they still have trouble believing it—at least for now.
Questions:
- How should we react when Scripture seems to contradict itself, as with Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s accounts of the angels at the empty tomb?
- How content are we to accept that in this world we will never understand everything in the Bible—or about God?
Prayer: Holy Spirit, speak to us and guide our thoughts as we read, study, and meditate on the Bible.
[This devotional is taken from the Day 10 reading in The Victory of Jesus.]
Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and his return to heaven in The Victory of Jesus. The Victory of Jesus is another book in Peter DeHaan’s beloved Holiday Celebration Devotionals Series. Get your copy today.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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