Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
On the resurrection morning Jesus met Mary Magdalene and the other Mary as they hurried from the empty tomb with fear and great joy, accepted their worship as they held Him by the feet, and told them not to be afraid but to tell His brethren to go into Galilee where they would see Him. That direction repeated what He had promised before His death and what the angel had already sent by the women, that risen He would go before them into Galilee for a public meeting with them on the mountain. By calling them His brethren He showed His love was undiminished and that He had not cast them off though they had forsaken Him, but as their living Saviour who had broken the fetters of death He drew them closer with tender regard. That word of brotherhood carried special assurance to Peter that his repentance for denying his Lord was accepted and his sin forgiven. In comforting the weeping women and sending them with the glad tidings to the disciples, He made them His first messengers of the risen Saviour.
Appearance and Appointed Meeting
As Mary Magdalene and the other Mary hurried quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy to bring the disciples word that He was risen, after the angel had rolled back the stone and told them He goes before them into Galilee, Jesus met them and greeted them. They came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him, and He reassured them not to be afraid. He then sent them to tell His disciples, whom He called His brethren, to go into Galilee where they would see Him, giving them a specific place to meet the risen Christ and confirming that He had risen as He had foretold.
That direction to go into Galilee repeated what He had already told the disciples before His death that after He was risen He would go before them into Galilee. The same message was given by the angel at the tomb to the women for the disciples on the morning of the resurrection. The disciples did not leave at once but were held at Jerusalem through Passover week, because absence would have been read as disaffection and heresy. During that week they gathered evenings in the upper chamber, where Jesus twice appeared to them and told them to remain a time at Jerusalem. As soon as the Passover finished they obeyed the direction and left Jerusalem for Galilee, seven of them going together in the humble dress of fishermen.
By calling the disciples His brethren He included them all by name in the appointment for a public meeting with the risen Christ on the mountain in Galilee. The twenty-eighth chapter of Matthew gives the distinct history of that meeting appointed just before His ascension. That meeting on the mountain was a time of communion with Him before they went forth to preach on their mission. It stands, with the parting scene on Olivet and the days of prayer and communion in the upper chamber, as divine communion that must come before the power and glory of Pentecost and before acts of power.
The verse belongs to the resurrection-day events behind the women's reports that they had seen angels and met the risen Jesus. Those reports left the disciples perplexed as they tried to understand what had happened.
This appearance is part of the plain evidence that He had risen as He foretold, and part of the testimony to the resurrection that was later met by an attempt to suppress it. The chief priests and elders denied it not for lack of evidence and not from ignorance of the truth, but because they desired to keep the people from knowing the truth. They paid the soldiers large money to say His disciples stole Him while they slept, for if the truth were known they would stand forth as murderers. False teachers are ever afraid to trust the people with knowledge and ever seek to hide the facts that would show the error of their position.
Undiminished Love and Hope
Christ's first work after the resurrection was to convince His disciples of His undiminished love and tender regard for them. The appointment to meet Him in Galilee was proof that He is their living Saviour, that He has broken the fetters of the tomb and can no longer be held by the enemy Death, and that He has broken the power of death by rising alive. By calling the disciples His brethren He showed that He had not rejected them even though they had forsaken Him, including them all by name and assuring them of His continuing love and care. He still had the same heart of love as when He was with them as their beloved Teacher, and by appearing to them again and again He drew the cords of love still closer around them.
The message included Peter in that assurance, and the special concern shown for him after his denial had left him deeply remorseful assured him that his repentance was accepted and his sin forgiven. In this way the risen Jesus appeared to His sorrowing disciples and restored their hope after His death had seemed to end their expectations.
First Witnesses and Mission
After His resurrection Jesus met the women coming from the sepulchre, comforted them in their weeping, told them not to fear, and sent them to carry to the disciples the news that they would see Him in Galilee. He made those women His messengers, indeed His first messengers of the glad tidings of a risen Saviour. That choice shows His sympathy for women and His readiness to help women in their need when they trust in Him.
Meeting them thus, He bade them not be afraid, called His disciples His brethren, and sent word through them for the disciples to go into Galilee with the promise that there they should see Him. The twenty-eighth chapter of Matthew gives the distinct history of that appointed meeting of Jesus with His disciples in time and place just before His ascension. That chapter promises the ministration of the Holy Spirit, the earnest of the spirit of life through Christ that every soul needs now, and the Christian experience to be gained from it leaves no excuse for departing from the faith to seducing spirits. That same experience honors sincere belief in His unseen personality viewed by the eye of faith.
The verse belongs to the brighter resurrection chapter that follows Christ's suffering and death. It means the Lord of glory made infinite sacrifices to open a way whereby sinners might be saved unto a life that measures with the life of God. No one suffers more than Christ suffered or pays a higher price for faith than Christ paid for them, so none should feel the price for salvation is too high. Those who receive this salvation must be willing to make special sacrifices to save souls that are ready to perish in order to be counted worthy to enter into the city of God. The appointed meeting on the mountain in Galilee was such divine communion with His disciples before they went forth on their mission, standing with the parting scene on Olivet and the days of prayer and communion in the upper chamber before the power and glory of Pentecost as the communion that must come before acts of power.
On the resurrection morning Jesus met Mary Magdalene and the other Mary as they hurried from the empty tomb with fear and great joy, accepted their worship as they held Him by the feet, and told them not to be afraid but to tell His brethren to go into Galilee where they would see Him. That direction repeated what He had promised before His death and what the angel had already sent by the women, that risen He would go before them into Galilee for a public meeting with them on the mountain. By calling them His brethren He showed His love was undiminished and that He had not cast them off though they had forsaken Him, but as their living Saviour who had broken the fetters of death He drew them closer with tender regard. That word of brotherhood carried special assurance to Peter that his repentance for denying his Lord was accepted and his sin forgiven. In comforting the weeping women and sending them with the glad tidings to the disciples, He made them His first messengers of the risen Saviour.
Appearance and Appointed Meeting
As Mary Magdalene and the other Mary hurried quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy to bring the disciples word that He was risen, after the angel had rolled back the stone and told them He goes before them into Galilee, Jesus met them and greeted them. They came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him, and He reassured them not to be afraid. He then sent them to tell His disciples, whom He called His brethren, to go into Galilee where they would see Him, giving them a specific place to meet the risen Christ and confirming that He had risen as He had foretold.
That direction to go into Galilee repeated what He had already told the disciples before His death that after He was risen He would go before them into Galilee. The same message was given by the angel at the tomb to the women for the disciples on the morning of the resurrection. The disciples did not leave at once but were held at Jerusalem through Passover week, because absence would have been read as disaffection and heresy. During that week they gathered evenings in the upper chamber, where Jesus twice appeared to them and told them to remain a time at Jerusalem. As soon as the Passover finished they obeyed the direction and left Jerusalem for Galilee, seven of them going together in the humble dress of fishermen.
By calling the disciples His brethren He included them all by name in the appointment for a public meeting with the risen Christ on the mountain in Galilee. The twenty-eighth chapter of Matthew gives the distinct history of that meeting appointed just before His ascension. That meeting on the mountain was a time of communion with Him before they went forth to preach on their mission. It stands, with the parting scene on Olivet and the days of prayer and communion in the upper chamber, as divine communion that must come before the power and glory of Pentecost and before acts of power.
The verse belongs to the resurrection-day events behind the women's reports that they had seen angels and met the risen Jesus. Those reports left the disciples perplexed as they tried to understand what had happened.
This appearance is part of the plain evidence that He had risen as He foretold, and part of the testimony to the resurrection that was later met by an attempt to suppress it. The chief priests and elders denied it not for lack of evidence and not from ignorance of the truth, but because they desired to keep the people from knowing the truth. They paid the soldiers large money to say His disciples stole Him while they slept, for if the truth were known they would stand forth as murderers. False teachers are ever afraid to trust the people with knowledge and ever seek to hide the facts that would show the error of their position.
Undiminished Love and Hope
Christ's first work after the resurrection was to convince His disciples of His undiminished love and tender regard for them. The appointment to meet Him in Galilee was proof that He is their living Saviour, that He has broken the fetters of the tomb and can no longer be held by the enemy Death, and that He has broken the power of death by rising alive. By calling the disciples His brethren He showed that He had not rejected them even though they had forsaken Him, including them all by name and assuring them of His continuing love and care. He still had the same heart of love as when He was with them as their beloved Teacher, and by appearing to them again and again He drew the cords of love still closer around them.
The message included Peter in that assurance, and the special concern shown for him after his denial had left him deeply remorseful assured him that his repentance was accepted and his sin forgiven. In this way the risen Jesus appeared to His sorrowing disciples and restored their hope after His death had seemed to end their expectations.
First Witnesses and Mission
After His resurrection Jesus met the women coming from the sepulchre, comforted them in their weeping, told them not to fear, and sent them to carry to the disciples the news that they would see Him in Galilee. He made those women His messengers, indeed His first messengers of the glad tidings of a risen Saviour. That choice shows His sympathy for women and His readiness to help women in their need when they trust in Him.
Meeting them thus, He bade them not be afraid, called His disciples His brethren, and sent word through them for the disciples to go into Galilee with the promise that there they should see Him. The twenty-eighth chapter of Matthew gives the distinct history of that appointed meeting of Jesus with His disciples in time and place just before His ascension. That chapter promises the ministration of the Holy Spirit, the earnest of the spirit of life through Christ that every soul needs now, and the Christian experience to be gained from it leaves no excuse for departing from the faith to seducing spirits. That same experience honors sincere belief in His unseen personality viewed by the eye of faith.
The verse belongs to the brighter resurrection chapter that follows Christ's suffering and death. It means the Lord of glory made infinite sacrifices to open a way whereby sinners might be saved unto a life that measures with the life of God. No one suffers more than Christ suffered or pays a higher price for faith than Christ paid for them, so none should feel the price for salvation is too high. Those who receive this salvation must be willing to make special sacrifices to save souls that are ready to perish in order to be counted worthy to enter into the city of God. The appointed meeting on the mountain in Galilee was such divine communion with His disciples before they went forth on their mission, standing with the parting scene on Olivet and the days of prayer and communion in the upper chamber before the power and glory of Pentecost as the communion that must come before acts of power.