One of the greatest events of history (if not the greatest) is the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the grave. When the two women called Mary came to the tomb on the morning after Christ rose, they were greeted by an angel of the Lord with these words,“ (Matthew 28:6-7)…..He is not here; for He is risen as He said, Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
In this passage, we find four imperatives of the resurrection which still speak to us today:
1) “Come” — The resurrection offers us a great invitation (Matthew 11:28). The Lord does not force us to serve Him, but lovingly invites us to do so. Initially, we come through obedience to the gospel of Christ. We must be willing to do what (Colossians 3:1) tells us to do, “seek those things which are above.”
2) “See” — The resurrection urges investigation and verification, weighing the overwhelming evidence. Paul tells us in (1 Corinthians 15:1-8) that the resurrected Christ was physically seen by more than 514 eye-witnesses. The blood of martyrs speaks eloquently of the reality of the empty tomb, Christ has indeed risen! (Matthew 28:6) (1 Corinthians 28:6) (1 Corinthians 15:20).
3) “Go” — The resurrected Christ places us under an obligation — to undertake a mission (Matthew 28:19-20) (Mark 16:15-16). The empty tomb still demands our mobility to take the saving gospel of Christ to a world of folks lost in sin. As faithful disciples of our Lord, we must be willing to “Go.” We are not to rest on our laurels, but are to go “everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4) to teach and preach Jesus in every house (Acts 5:42).
4) “Tell” — The resurrection demands proclamation! It is not a secret to be kept or knowledge to be hoarded. Rather, it is “good news” to be shared with the world (Acts 13:32). The “good news” that Jesus is risen! Men are in need of a Savior, and Jesus is that Savior (John 4:42) (1 John 4:14) “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Every day in word and deed, we must proclaim the living Savior to a dying world lost in sin (Matthew 5:14-16) (Acts 8:34-35) (Acts 18:24-28).