“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.’ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.” Mark 16:7-8
The last thing the angel told this group of women was, “Go, tell His (Jesus’) disciples.” But they didn’t. Three days after Jesus’ death on the cross, three women returned to the tomb. It was empty. That much was obvious, but they couldn’t believe that He had risen. They were too afraid. Eventually, they told James and John that Jesus’ body had been stolen – not risen, stolen.
It wasn’t until Jesus Himself appeared to first, Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18) and later to the other women (Matthew 28:8-10) did they believe. They had seen the risen Lord and they couldn’t contain themselves any longer! Only then did they tell the disciples what had happened.
As followers of Jesus, we have the same command: “Go and tell.” In a world full of bad news, how can we possibly keep to ourselves the greatest news a person will ever hear? That Jesus has been victorious over sin and death and offers us forgiveness and an eternal relationship with God the Father. That’s good news worth sharing.
If you are a follower of Christ, are you telling others? Ask God for both the courage and the opportunity to start a faith conversation with someone in your life. Don’t worry, you’re not called to save them (only Jesus can do that). You are simply called to share the Good News in every day conversation and let God do the rest.
If you’ve never encountered Christ in a personal way, make today that day. May today be the day you go from fear and doubt to surrender and faith. Then, just like the women when Jesus appeared, you too will be called to ‘Go and Tell.’
