Word@Work 210 - Mark 16:6-7
Published: Tue, 09/16/08
Word@Work from BeaconLight
Read Mark 16:6-7 "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' " (NIV)
One of the most frequent Divine instructions in the Bible is, "Do not fear"! That is so gracious. Any encounter with the Holy God is awesome and, if we are not covered with Christ's blood, we properly fear judgement. Fear is, of course, a general response to anything that threatens our life, security or friendships. But the presence of God or His special messengers will threaten all three, unless we know that we are saved from 'the wrath to come'. That was a comfort yet to come for these women.
The angel showed that he knew their intentions (even though they had not spoken), and all about Jesus' whereabouts (which was more than they knew). He invited them to see the empty burial chamber, and reminded them of Jesus' last instructions as to where He would meet them. God's messenger even knew about Peter's feelings of desperation after his spectacular failure and made sure he got a special mention in the message. The key to the future for them all did not lie in their hopes (they had none about seeing Jesus alive again), nor in their ability to 'move on and start again' (they simply did not want to do that), but in the words of Jesus.
Our feeble emotional resources are often battered - and our only hope lies in the Word of God. The God who knows us, keeps speaking to us through His Word interpreted by His Spirit. Apart from the objective reality of God's written words on physical paper (or digital marks on computer screens!), we may fear all sorts of things needlessly. Not that fear is not natural, but the peace of God is supernatural: it controls our emotions and steadies our minds. Above all, Jesus assures us that the He is alive and well able to deal with everything: and that He is our friend!
Prayer: Dear Lord. Thank You for the assurance that You will always keep Your promises, and that You will never leave us alone: so we don't need to fear. Help me to rest in Your peace today. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
You can read more of this Bible passage online - in English and other languages - share the Bible with your friends!
One of the most frequent Divine instructions in the Bible is, "Do not fear"! That is so gracious. Any encounter with the Holy God is awesome and, if we are not covered with Christ's blood, we properly fear judgement. Fear is, of course, a general response to anything that threatens our life, security or friendships. But the presence of God or His special messengers will threaten all three, unless we know that we are saved from 'the wrath to come'. That was a comfort yet to come for these women.
The angel showed that he knew their intentions (even though they had not spoken), and all about Jesus' whereabouts (which was more than they knew). He invited them to see the empty burial chamber, and reminded them of Jesus' last instructions as to where He would meet them. God's messenger even knew about Peter's feelings of desperation after his spectacular failure and made sure he got a special mention in the message. The key to the future for them all did not lie in their hopes (they had none about seeing Jesus alive again), nor in their ability to 'move on and start again' (they simply did not want to do that), but in the words of Jesus.
Our feeble emotional resources are often battered - and our only hope lies in the Word of God. The God who knows us, keeps speaking to us through His Word interpreted by His Spirit. Apart from the objective reality of God's written words on physical paper (or digital marks on computer screens!), we may fear all sorts of things needlessly. Not that fear is not natural, but the peace of God is supernatural: it controls our emotions and steadies our minds. Above all, Jesus assures us that the He is alive and well able to deal with everything: and that He is our friend!
Prayer: Dear Lord. Thank You for the assurance that You will always keep Your promises, and that You will never leave us alone: so we don't need to fear. Help me to rest in Your peace today. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
You can read more of this Bible passage online - in English and other languages - share the Bible with your friends!
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