In Matthew's Gospel, the first commands Jesus gives to the first people who saw Him after His resurrection are: "Do not be afraid! Go and carry the news" of My resurrection (Mt 28:10). After His resurrection, Jesus speaks primarily through His witnesses, the members of His body. Shortly before He died, Jesus directed the Jewish leaders to listen to those who had heard Him speak (see Jn 18:21). Now Jesus speaks to the world through the witnesses He has chosen (Acts 10:41). The risen Lord backs up His witnesses with power (Mk 16:17ff) and authority (Lk 10:16). When people don't believe us, His witnesses, Jesus gets upset (Mk 16:14).
The duty of a witness is simple. A witness simply testifies to what they have "heard and seen" (Acts 4:20). The only issue for a witness is whether or not they will speak. Organized crime gets a lot of mileage out of silencing witnesses through fear of death, and so do enemies of Jesus (see Mt 28:12ff). Others sneer at news of the resurrection and insult His witnesses (see Acts 17:18, 32). Nonetheless, Jesus tells us: "Do not be afraid!" (Mt 28:10) Jesus has the ultimate "witness protection" program. He has triumphed over death! Fear and death have "no more power over" Jesus and His witnesses (Rm 6:9).
Jesus tells us: "You are to be My witnesses" (Acts 1:8). "Do not be afraid. Go on speaking and do not be silenced" (Acts 18:9). "Go and carry the news" (Mt 28:10) that Jesus is risen from the dead and all who believe in Him have eternal life (Jn 3:16).
| PRAYER: | Risen Jesus, I will abide "in confidence" (Ps 16:9) and not be afraid to tell others about the risen life You offer. |
| PROMISE: | "It was impossible that death should keep its hold on [Jesus]." –Acts 2:24 |
| PRAISE: | Praise the risen Jesus, Who always was, always is, and always will be. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College