The Resurrection: Matthew Chapter 28
Imaginative Contemplation
Enter into the scene
The memory of those weeks after Jesus died are as vivid to me now as when I was living through them. Jesus died on the Friday, and we could not do anything until after the Sabbath. Mary Magdalene begged me to go with her as she visited the grave.
We set out very early; the sun was just rising and there was expectancy in the air. We neared the grave, wondering how we would be able to remove the heavy stone guarding the entrance. Suddenly we felt the earth moving beneath us, and the tremors became stronger. Then there was a loud noise like a large stone moving down the hill. We heard people running, and recognised the terrified guards trying to escape as fast as they could. What was going on here?
What happened next was hard to believe. We saw an angel from heaven, shining like lightening, sitting on the stone. Did we see with our physical eyes, or was this beyond human vision? The heavenly vision reassured us, telling us not to be afraid like the fleeing guards, because we had come to seek Jesus. He said, ‘Jesus is not here. He has been raised as he foretold. Come and see the place where his body had been laid.’ We looked into the darkened cave. There was nothing there! But a strange aura, frightening, yet reassuring, pervaded the place. ‘Now go back and tell his disciples that Jesus has been raised from the dead and he is going to Galilee ahead of you. There you will see him.’
We left the grave in a hurry, afraid and yet filled with joy, and ran to tell the disciples.
As we came around a corner in the road we were confronted with the familiar, yet different, Jesus, offering us the gift of peace. We fell at his feet, worshipping him, but he laughingly told us to get up and persuade the disciples to go to Galilee where they would all see him.
At first the apostles would not believe us, discarding our story as women’s hysteria. But eventually they agreed to go to Galilee a few weeks later. Sure enough, Jesus appeared again, and the astonished disciples worshipped him. A few had some doubts about the apparition and took some time to be convinced. Jesus had a final message for them and for us. ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go then to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, to the end of the ages.’
This was a turning point for us women and for the disciples. Jesus, no longer physically with us, would nevertheless be with us spiritually, working through us to the glory of God. What a privilege, what a blessed calling!
For further reflection
Discuss with Jesus the following points:
· Do I spend time with people who are grieving the loss of a loved one?
· It seems that the natural world was quicker to respond to the resurrection than human beings. Earthquakes occurred on Golgotha and at the grave of Jesus. Can we recognise the signs of the times in the way our climate is changing? What actions can we take to lessen the dangers of climate change?
· Am I slow to believe God’s message?
· Do I witness to the message of Jesus particularly in the way I live my daily life?
Prayer
Lord, help me to listen deeply to your message of love and to live it out each day. Amen.