The Commands of Christ - Matthew 28:9-10

"And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feed and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me." -Matthew 28:9-10


To whom is this command spoken?


Mary and Mary Magdalene (v. 1)

What does this command require?


Rejoice! Do not be afraid. Go and tell [the disciples] to go to Galilee.

What truths do we learn here?


This is Jesus first appearance after His resurrection. Mary and Mary Magdalene came to see the tomb where Jesus was laid. There they saw an angel of the Lord and heard him declare that Jesus had risen from the dead. As they were on their way back to tell the disciples, Jesus met them and said, "Rejoice!" What a happy, joyous occasion this is! Jesus is alive. Rejoice! The women fell at His feet and worshiped Him. They were overjoyed at this awesome event.

Jesus then gives them instructions. First, He says to them, "Do not be afraid." Certainly that would have been a possibility, after all, Jesus was beaten and crucified just three days earlier. There is no reason to fear, however. Jesus is alive and in the flesh. He appeared to the women in bodily form, not as a spirit or as a ghost. The women were able to hold Him by the feet.

Secondly, Jesus says to these two women, "Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me." I find this intriguing because Jesus was there on the road to the tomb. Why couldn't the disciples have met Him on that same road? Whatever the reasoning, Jesus commands these two women to give a specific message to the disciples.

Mary and Mary Magdalene were obedient to Jesus. Later in this chapter we find the disciples gathering in Galilee on the mountain that Jesus had appointed. Tomorrow we will look at the final command in the book of Matthew, the Great Commission.

What are the blessings of obedience?


Because the women were obedient and gave the disciples the message that Jesus spoke to them, the disciples then went to Galilee where Jesus appeared to them to give them the Great Commission.