Go and Tell!

GO AND TELL!

Easter morning a young man, in a white robe, said to the women that had come to embalm Jesus, “But go, tell his disciples and Peter” (Mark 16:1-7). What were they to tell and who needed to know? How could it be that the disciples that were to tell had to be told?

First, note the emphasis on the, “go and tell.” We ought to be grateful that the Lord used women to revive the devastated disciples and their leader, Peter. Three years they spent with their Teacher and still they misinterpreted the reason for His Coming. They had hoped that He would free Israel from Rome and place them in charge over the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 24:21; Matthew 19:28). A similar conception is prevalent among us today. We want to be a Christian nation, rather than a nation of Christians. Our leaders and people need to be told that Jesus does not belong to us alone, but to the world. We are not big enough to house Him.

Second, the message the women were to pass on was threefold. One, He is risen. Two, He is not here. And three, He went to Galilee. It was the end for the disciples and Peter’s kingdom, but not for Jesus’ Reign. He had just begun to reach all men and women for His Kingdom. In the flesh, Jesus was only good for the Jews, but the Risen Jesus was now good for the whole world. The same message that was being silenced by the enemies of Christ then is even more so in our time. All the countries, where Christ once was at home in the hearts of the people, and no longer is are doing poorly. He has not left us on His own. We have allowed our progressive secular politicians and religious leaders to drive Him out. The message to us appears to be, “He is not here. He has gone to Galilee.” He has made His presence felt in another country.

Third, the disciples and Peter were told that they would see Jesus again in Galilee. He was no longer available physically in Jerusalem or Judea. These men had to return home and find Jesus again. What must have shocked these dear souls was that Jesus had not come back to their Temple, but He went home Himself. Let us carefully consider what this message may say to us. We do tend to think that Christ can be found only in our nation or in our churches and nowhere else. Now, on Easter, we are told that we too must go back to Galilee or back home and start from the beginning. We too must start approaching the Risen Lord at the place where we live. In fact, the disciples and Peter met Jesus again where they once fished at the Lake of Galilee (John 21). Unless Jesus burns in our hearts, as He did in the hearts of the two on the road to Emmaus or on their way home, we too may misinterpret the resurrection (Luke 24:32). It is up to us to tell each other that Jesus lives and He cannot be held captive anywhere but in our hearts.