5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. Mark 16:5-6
Some of my most favorite words in the Bible are, “Do not be afraid,” translated here as “do not be alarmed”. We are still looking at Mark’s report of Easter morning events when three women returned to the tomb of Jesus expecting to have to deal with a large stone in front of the grave and then the task of anointing the body of Jesus who had been beaten and crucified. It is hard to imagine the kind of love and commitment of those women who were willing to do this task. They were not singing songs of praise on Easter morning like we do I would imagine. As they arrive they see that the stone has been rolled away. They came with questions and now I’m guessing those questions were replaced with other questions. They enter the tomb and encounter a young man whom other writers identify as an angel. His first words to reach their ears, “Do not be alarmed.”
We might proceed an alarming announcement with, “Are you sitting down?” If we open our door to a police person, there might be a chaplain sort of person or a neighbor with them, our heart would sink. If we open the door to a military officer we would expect bad news. We proceed bad news with words like, “Do not be alarmed.” But the angel did not give bad news. The angel acknowledged supernatural awareness of their quest to see Jesus and then he tells them Jesus has been raised and the body is not there.
The women’s eyes have seen and their ears have heard the news of the resurrection. That must have been a moment that needed a cup of coffee afterwards! What words comfort you?
I love 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Jesus cares about me and about you. This week I reflected on Jesus’ words to his disciples, “Let the children come to me and forbid them not.” I do not need to understand everything and be knowledgeable about faith but can climb into Jesus’ lap like a child snuggles up. I looked up Biblegateway.com and “Do not be afraid” is quoted 58 times in the Old Testment and 25 times in the New Testament. God promised his people to hear them when they prayed, to protect them from enemies, and to be present with them. That was just the start. Let’s think of something that alarms us and thank God that he knows, cares, hears, protects and is present with us. Blessings.
On the Way to Wonder 