‘Go and tell!’
- Apr 10
- 5 min read
N.T. Wright writes: "The resurrection of Jesus doesn't leave us passive, helpless spectators. We find ourselves lifted up, set on our feet, given new breath in our lungs and commissioned to go make new creation happen in this world."
Reading Matthew 28: 5-7: "The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid... He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples...'”
Last week we noted the invitation to ‘Come and see.’ It was so graciously extended towards us so that our lives might change forever! Wow!
By the way, such an invitation doesn’t just end in simple admiration but prompts a new commissioning “go quickly and tell” (v7). Note that ‘Go’ appears in verses 7, 10 and 19 of Matthew 28!
So, what about it? We move from being spectators, to participants in God’s glorious Kingdom work. It’s life-changing and a world-changing encounter. We’re not to be still nor silent! As N.T. Wright said, we’re "lifted up, set on our feet, given new breath in our lungs and commissioned to go."
It transforms the Easter story from a personal experience of an empty tomb into a mission of spreading hope and life. Others need to know there’s life beyond the grave! Easter challenges us because it changes us.
Did you know, according to statistics, 82% of our friends and family that don’t attend church are likely to attend church if invited? Also, 70% of unchurched people have never been invited to church in their whole lives. I reckon we ought to do something about that, don’t you?
“…Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4). Paul said,“That is the gospel which we preach” (1 Cor 15:11).
Billy Graham once said, “The evangelistic harvest is always urgent. The destiny of men and of nations always is being decided. Every generation is strategic. We are not responsible for the past generation, and we cannot bear the full responsibility for the next one; but we have our generation. God will hold us responsible for how well we fulfil our responsibilities to this age and take advantage of our opportunities.”
Once you have seen the "greatest nothing" (the empty tomb), you cannot stay silent. The angels told the women to "go and tell". What a mission: to leave the place, the ‘nothing’ of victory and go into a world to declare death no longer has dominion, it has lost its power, life in all its fulness is here! Hallelujah!
The power of the glorious resurrection is about what happens now, today. The power that defeated death is the same power that’s ours today. He says, I have ultimate authority and it’s My will that you to go in My name. Don't doubt who you are – you’re Mine, so “go and make disciples in all nations, baptising them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this, I am with you” (Matt 28:19-20).
The call to 'Go' has never been withdrawn. Living out the resurrection life of Jesus outflows the truth of His Kingdom.
I love what the song we have just heard says –
'Cause I'm just a nobody; Trying to tell everybody; All about Somebody Who saved my soul; Ever since You rescued me You gave my heart a song to sing; I'm living for the world to see. Nobody but Jesus'.
It's not until we meet Him can we be consumed with passion for Him and then for the lost. If you have never had a living encounter with Jesus, I challenge you this morning - 'Come'. If you have a wonderful relationship with Jesus, I challenge you to 'Go and tell'. In obedience to Christ, we’re bearing witness to the spiritual reality of His power and presence in us.
David Bosch says, “God does not send 'ideas' or 'eternal truths' to the nations. He sends people.”
We are no longer held by our self-imposed prisons of fear, sin, darkness, and death. These have been overcome, hallelujah! The resurrection story is the beginning of our story. Life now is supposed to be lived! We can and should go and make disciples with and in the authority of Jesus, knowing that all powers, principalities, thrones, dominions are all subject to Him.
He now has the final word.
“Go” actually means, "as you are going," or "go and keep going". It implies a continuation of movement; an action on our part. In the Greek, the action of "going" is a necessary prerequisite to the command of "telling". There are times when I think we haven’t been doing a very good job as Christians at going! It’s not that we don’t understand the call to go, we have just simply quit on going and as a consequence stopped Jesus being seen and heard in our everyday life.
It’s a far cry from 1 Peter 3:15: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
It will show up in who we actually make space for, who we’re staying connected to, and who we’re creating distance from! How does it look in your life?
You see, our ‘Easter Witness’ means we have been conquered in our lives and commissioned to go to others in theirs. As followers of Jesus Christ, we’re called to be distinctive in the world, to declare our faith and demonstrate the change that Jesus has made in our lives to others. It must mean a continuous, daily pattern of sharing faith; a distinctive lifestyle in every area we’re engaged in - in our homeplace, workplace, school place and church place. So, it’s not about where you go, but as you are going, living and telling the gospel intentionally. Don’t forget, as His followers you are “the salt of the earth”, “light of the world”, “a city on a hill”, and so on.
Our motivation, vocation and location will change as we follow Jesus into new areas, telling others about Him, and to let them see Christ through us.
If the Easter message is about anything it’s this, we’re not to create monuments, but movements, going and sharing the good news of God's love and forgiveness with those who have yet to trust Christ.
The evangelist Old Gypsy Smith was still sharing the gospel into his 80's. He often sung a hymn which asked the question: 'How will the lost know Jesus, if they cannot see Jesus in me?' It's a good question, isn't it? In one of his last visits to the USA, he was asked, “Gipsy, tell me, what’s the secret?” Gipsy replied, “I have never lost the wonder of it all.”
If what we believe doesn't change how we behave, we’ve ‘lost the wonder’ and there is something tragically wrong with our Christian life. The way we live our lives is meant to be a response to God's Easter grace, not a means by which to earn it. We must live a life consistent with the gospel!
Thank you, Harry. This has really helped after a week of feeling spiritually challenged and feeling I don’t have the right words when it comes to telling other about Jesus. But the words in Ephesians 6:12 for we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, as this is how I was feeling and actually not wanting to speak or be in the presence of a friend. Today as I read a verse from Isaiah40:31 but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint. This was a re…
Thank you Harry 🙏🏼