“Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.’
While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. They assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, ‘You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy [him] and keep you out of trouble.’ The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present [day].” (Matt. 28:8-15 NABRE)
We can only imagine the utter joy and overwhelming feelings of love and excitement that the women experienced when they saw their risen Lord Jesus Christ!! They had witnessed His brutal and torturous passion and death, and had been filled with pain and sadness from witnessing the suffering of their Lord. And now, Jesus is alive and well at the tomb He was buried in!! What hope and joy must have filled their souls as they embraced Jesus.
Jesus’ words to these women are significant. He commands them to tell His disciples to meet Him in Galilee. Now, Galilee is the place where Jesus’ ministry began, it was the place where He called His first disciples to follow Him. At the sea of Galilee, Jesus called Andrew and Peter to leave their old lives behind and to surrender their lives to Him. And now, after Jesus’ resurrection, He is calling His disciples back to Galilee, to the place where it all began.
In doing so, Jesus is communicating to His disciples that their time for becoming fishers of men, as Jesus had first told them in Galilee, is now.
For us today, Jesus is communicating that we can always start over in our journey of faith. When we fall away, sin, become distracted, or lose sight of God, we can always restart in our walk with the Lord. Jesus’ sacrificial death makes us new each time we turn back to Him asking for forgiveness and mercy after we’ve fallen. So may we always go “back to Galilee” and remember, like the disciples, that we have been called by God to surrender our lives to Him. And may we experience the same joy and overwhelming love for Jesus, knowing that He suffered death and has risen for each of us.
Amen! Beautiful, uplifting! Thank you!!!!