JOYFUL TREMBLING
But the angel said to the women,
“Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay.
Then go quickly and tell His disciples,
‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’
See, I have told you.” So they hurried away from the tomb in fear and great joyG5479,
and ran to tell His disciples.
Matthew 28:5-8
Fear and joy going on at the same time seems contradictory. To have the two emotions simultaneously may seem impossible. However, remembering that the women who had gone to Jesus’s tomb to anoint His body and prepare Him for burial had just had an encounter with a celestial being rightly accounts for the fear, and the joy was their reaction to the angel’s message that Jesus was risen from the dead. They were filled with exuberance at the reality of Jesus’s resurrection and at the fact that they were given the privilege to announce this miracle to their brethren, the disciples. They were also filled with joy that they were soon to see Jesus in Galilee as the angel had said. Then they were surprised at Jesus standing before them! He repeated the instruction the angel had given them to tell the disciples to meet Him in Galilee.
I (Susan) know from experience that fear and joy can be present simultaneously. Parked in front of the lights and cameras, I experienced stage fright. This was my first time on national television. I was being interviewed by James Robison on his program “Life Today.” The first few minutes of speaking in public always feel awkward to me because I do not know the people in the audience, and they do not know me. About three minutes into this interview, I was calm; and speech was flowing due to the presence of the Lord. After a few more moments, I noticed studio personnel being moved to the point of tears. The Lord replaced my trepidation with overflowing joy in the presence of His Holy Spirit.
The women at the tomb knew the panic of being startled by an angel coinciding with the joy of realizing Jesus was alive! Let us not be calloused to the wonderment of the empty tomb just because we have heard the story every Resurrection Sunday since we were children. Let us never lose the awe we experienced the first time were heard about Jesus rising from the dead. Does the power of God demonstrated in the resurrection of our Lord fill you with joyful amazement?
Father, may we never forget the wonder of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Fill us with trembling joy as we meditate on Your awesome power!