“I Will Never
Leave You or Forsake You”
A
pastor friend of mine made a comment about the Resurrection announcement in the
Gospel of Matthew that made me think.
When the women came looking for Jesus, there was an earthquake and an
angel who told them:
…‘Do not be
afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not
here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where
he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has been raised
from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you
will see him.” This is my message for you.’ (Matthew 28:5-7)
My friend said that the good news
in that moment was that Jesus was not there, dead in the tomb, but risen from
the dead. The better news was and is
that Jesus remains with us always. His
last words in the Gospel of Matthew are “Remember, I am with you always, to the
end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b)
Jesus’ words are a different way of
saying what God says several times throughout the Bible. God promises never to leave us or forsake us,
as Moses relays the message:
It is the Lord who goes
before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not
fear or be dismayed.’ (Deuteronomy 31:8)
I am comforted by
these promises, especially when there is so much uncertainty around us. It
helps me to remember God’s everlasting presence with us, among us, in us, and
through us.
As the disciples continued trying to
understand what had happened when Jesus rose from the dead, there are quite a
few stories of Jesus’ appearances to some of the disciples and to others who
had followed him. These stories are
passed down to us in the Gospels as part of God’s reassurance not only that He
is always with us, but that He overcame death in ways that people experienced
during the forty days after the Resurrection, and that we continue to
experience as we seek to follow Jesus. Nancy
Waldo, St. Mary’s Woods
Prayer Suggestion: Ask God to
comfort you with assurance of His everlasting and pervasive presence with you,
with us, in this difficult time. And
give thanks for His promises and His presence. Amen.
