Matthew 28:5 “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here…’”

The first words these women who came to Jesus’ tomb heard in their Easter sermon is “Do not be afraid.” Shall we list some of the things that might have contributed to feelings of fear?

One, they were coming to a grave, and places with dead bodies like funeral homes and cemeteries have a tendency to make people feel a little uneasy to begin with.

Two, the grave was open and empty. They saw the very-dead body go in. Now it’s gone. I’ll let your own imaginations run with that one for a few moments.

Three, they are immediately confronted by a white, shiny being from another world. The first thing they see in the tomb is a spirit. That’s what an angel is. Whether a ghost or an alien, I am guessing that if you came face to face with a spirit creature from another world, you might not act exactly cool, calm, and collected at first.

There is more to that last reason for their fear. Nothing in the four Bible accounts of Jesus’ resurrection suggests these women thought they were seeing a ghost. Aliens and extra-terrestrials were a completely foreign concept to First Century Jews. But angels, spirit-messengers from God, were a part of their history and their faith. It didn’t happen often, but when God sent angels to deliver a message like this, people were afraid. God sends an angel to Mary to announce the coming birth of Jesus, and the angel has to settle her first: “Do not be afraid.” God sends an angel to shepherds near Bethlehem to announce that Jesus has been born, and the first words he says? “Fear not,” “Do not be afraid.”

Angels are the good guys. Why the fear? It’s not about them. It’s about us. Contact with angels confronts us with the “holy.” They bring us face to face with absolute sinlessness, goodness, and love. When we are standing face to face with such a creature, all our sin and failure, all of our spiritual inadequacy, suddenly become impossible to deny.

If a woman were standing next to a supermodel, she might suddenly become more self-conscious of some of the flaws in her figure or face. If a man were standing next to some finely chiseled athlete a head taller than him, someone who has lived his life in the weight room, he might lose a bit of his swagger.

How we look on the outside is superficial, practically meaningless. Who we are on the inside, sinful or holy, makes all the difference in the world if someday we want to hang out with God and his angels instead of the devil and his demons.

Our lives don’t measure up. Mine doesn’t. I know that yours don’t either. But that is exactly why we need to go looking for Jesus. That is the point. He hasn’t put together a club for people like Mary Poppins–practically perfect in every way. He has come to be the friend of sinners– not to approve of them, but to love and rescue them. He has the medicine our souls need. It’s why we celebrate this day he rose! So as you look for Jesus, look without fear in your hearts.