What are the first words that are actually SPOKEN in the New Testament? They are the words of the
angel Gabriel, when he appeared in the temple to announce to Zacharias that he would have a son
(John the Baptist). The words were: DON’T BE AFRAID. The same angel spoke the same greeting to
the Virgin Mary six months later: DON’T BE AFRAID.
Those words that were spoken before Jesus was born are also the first words that are spoken in the
Bible after Jesus rose from the dead:
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking
for Jesus, who was crucified” (Matthew 28:5).
But then, none less than the Lord Jesus speaks those words after he has risen:
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to
Galilee; there they will see me” (Matthew 28:10).
DO NOT BE AFRAID – you can argue that those four words are a summary of the entire Bible. On
page after page, the Lord is reminding us that in spite of all the calamities, catastrophes, and crises
that darken our days, we can face them all without fear.
And Jesus’ resurrection at Easter in particular shows why that is true:
1. Easter proves that Jesus is God. And if he is God, he certainly knows what’s going on in our life
and will take of us.
2. Easter proves that our sins have been forgiven. Jesus’ resurrection shows that God accepted
his death as the payment for our sins. So, we are his holy children and he loves us.
3. Jesus’ resurrection proves that one day we will rise from the grave just as Jesus did and hear
the blessed words Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world (Matthew 25:34).

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