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9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” ~ Matthew 28:9-10
Today, we return to our study of Matthew 28 where the resurrection of the Lord Jesus has taken place. Mary Magdalene, according to John's gospel, arrived at the tomb ahead of the other women. After seeing two angels at the tomb, Mary stood weeping in the garden. It was then that she saw what she thought was the gardener whom she asked where they had laid the body of the Lord Jesus. This supposed gardener spoke Mary's name and at that point she knew it was the Lord. This was the first appearance of the Lord Jesus to anyone after His resurrection. Imagine being the very first to see Him after His resurrection.
In v.9 of today's passage we read, "And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, 'Rejoice!' So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him."
After Mary saw the Lord she and the other woman ran to tell the disciples, especially Peter and John. While on their way, the Lord Jesus appeared to them again and they fell at His feet and worshipped Him. Earlier when Mary Magdalene reached out to touch the Lord, He said to her, "Do not touch me for I have not yet ascended to my Father." But, at this point when the women were en route to the disciples He allowed them to grasp His feet. He had obviously ascended to His Father and was glorified at that point. The joy they experienced once they realized He had risen drove these ladies to the lowest point before Him. It was out of that posture that they worshipped Him. Worship granted them an adjusted. Their life of sin had so bent them out of shape, once they recognized Him as the Risen Lord they were granted an adjustment. This is what worship does for us, it raises our chins and it lifts our eyes and sets them on the Victorious Savior.
With a new hop in their step, the ladies ran to tell the disciples their good news. After Mary told the disciples that the Lord Jesus was alive, some of them chose rather not to believe that He was risen. They could not fathom such a story, even though He had told them it would happen. It was Andrew Murray who once said, “A dead Christ I must do everything for; a living Christ does everything for me.” This was the dilemma for the disciples: a dead Christ who did them no good or an alive Christ who wins all battles. This is why Peter and John ran to the tomb for they wanted to believe it was so. When they arrived at His tomb, Peter went inside and saw the grave clothes lying there still wrapped. This convinced Peter and John that the Lord Jesus had risen. But they still had not seen Him for themselves.
After this, He appeared to others. In fact, He met two of His followers as they walked on the road out of Jerusalem toward Emmaus. These two who didn't believe He had risen were met up by a stranger. As the stranger walked along with them He began with Moses and the prophets and showed them all the things that referred to Messiah in the Old Testament. According to Luke, later, as they sat at their dining room table with Him and they saw His hands as He broke the bread. It was then that they recognized Him. Then, all of a sudden, He disappeared. So, when these two disciples came running back to Jerusalem, they immediately told the eleven what they had seen.
Life is full of great perplexities and undeniable doubts. But, like those first century believers, our questions are useful to the restoration of our hope. It is our questions that created seeking within our souls. For those who seek the Lord promises we will find. The two Emmaus bound disciples recognized the Lord Jesus by the nail prints in His hands. When we get to heaven, we will recognize that there will only be one man-made thing there: His nail prints. Although the gospels writers do not explain His nails, the Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:14 informs us that His nails canceled the debt that every one of our sins created between us and God. It was at the cross that God took all of our sins and nailed them in His Son. It was then that God judged our sin in the body of the Lord Jesus.
In v.10 of today's passage we read, "Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.'"
When the disciples heard of Mary's experience with the Lord Jesus, they, initially, did not believe. They did not even believe the testimony of the two Emmaus disciples. For the moment, their theology failed them, leading them to believe it was just too good to be true. Of course, in time the disciples believed, even doubting Thomas. But, before they believed they had to wrestle with the questions created by their doubts. And then, having been convinced, they believed in the purpose of the conquering nature of the nails that were driving into the Lord Jesus.
Doubt is a normal part of a life of faith because the development of our faith or our heart's ability to see God must involve our emotions and our minds. Faith that allows no room for doubt is ultimately too frail and limited. Biblical faith honestly wrestles with the parts that cannot be reduced to simplicity. Biblical faith, in the end, endures and leads us to an assured hope that does not crumble under pressure. Wrestling with the questions created by our doubts is essential to the birth and the strengthening of our faith. In addition, it is through this process that we become intimate with the Lord whom we find it easy to tell others about. Intimacy with God causes us to only value His opinion which is what frees us to tell others without reservation the Good News of the Gospel.
