WATCHWORD:
2 Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. 2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. 5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” 8 The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. 9 And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”
11 As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. 12 A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. 13 They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ 14 If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” 15 So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today. Matthew 28:1-15
Meditation:
The Fix Was in, or Was It?
Matthew 28:11-15 reads like notes for a cheap crime novel. The mob bosses bribe the guards with money and death threats, forcing them to tell a lie about what they had seen. The story now set, the cover-up is in place, proving the lie and eliminating the threat that the man posed to their life of crime. The guards take the money and disappear, and with smugness, that belies their motives, they smile and recline on their comfortable couches, safe from the threat.
Yes, those guards were no longer a problem. But, as the day’s pass, other witnesses come forth. First, just a few, then more and more. Soon there are more than five hundred witnesses, throughout the country, testify to the truth, and the threat returns. What will they do? The plan of the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin: Stick with the story and never waiver. And they do, and yet…
But wait. What about those guards? Had they seen what Mary Magdalene saw? Of course, they saw that the stone was rolled away. Had they heard what the angel said? They had seen Jesus, alive! After their anxiety and fear of a death penalty had calmed, did they consider what they had indeed witnessed? What must have gone through their minds? Once a person has been in the presence of Jesus they can never be the same. Their old life would have no appeal. How would the guards deal with the truth, their eyes had seen Him, how could they deny it?
If we look at this scene from our standpoint, what role do we play? Are we Mary Magdalene, totally committed to Jesus as her Lord and Savior? Or do we play the role of the guards, bribed by our own sinful nature to moderate the power of the Resurrection? To deny Him and take the truth of a blessing and fashion it into a lie? How hard must that have been?
How do we moderate the power of the Resurrection, anyway? That takes us back to denying Christ. How do we do that? We know the answer to that question — We deny Christ when we fail to love others as He loves us. We deny Christ when we pass by on the other side rather than do “likewise”. We deny Christ when we step back from our mission of sharing Christ, in the way we live our lives, the way we talk and walk our faith.
I don’t want to be a guard! Do you? Jesus has appeared in our lives, suddenly, almost at every turn. Tiny things, giant things, and if you have the eyes to see or the ears to hear, you may have exclaimed, “Now I see Him!” But, know this, no one can see Jesus with your eyes, He must appear to each one individually, maybe through you. You do know that once you have seen Jesus, you can never be the same.
Chambers, in My Utmost for His Highest, makes this final statement in his April 9 devotional: “When you see Jesus, you must tell, even if they don’t believe.
O could I tell, you surely would believe it!
O could I only say what I have seen!
How should I tell or how can you receive it,
How, till He bringeth you Where I have been.
Bulletin Board:
Mea culpa. So very sorry for my senior moments of this week. Dates got scrambled. I have straightened out the tangle, learned a little more about this Watchword system, and we go on. You just never know what you will see on this site. Thank you for your patience. God Bless.
Closing Prayer:
Dear Lord, I don’t know who or what will cross my path today. But I do know that You are my rock and my fortress. You are my shield and my strong tower. Help me to anchor myself to You today. Teach me how to stand strong in You and choose only Your way today. Help me walk by Your truth and not my feelings. Help me to embrace anything that comes my way as an opportunity to see You at work and as opportunity to point others to You. Amen.
