Fear Not: The Angel's Word to Seeking Hearts

And the angel answered and said unto the women, 'Fear not' (Matthew 28:5). Why should not the seekers of Jesus fear? The answer flows from four profound truths.

First, in seeking Him, they possess evidence that He has sought them, found them, and touched their hearts. Second, those who seek Christ shall certainly find Him—their search is not in vain. Third, in finding Christ, they discover everything suited to banish fear: Christ has magnified the law, sin is taken away to trouble the conscience no more, death is disarmed of its sting, the grave stripped of its terrors, and Satan's dominion destroyed. Fourth, nothing shall finally separate those who have sought and found Christ (Romans 8:38–39).

These women—naturally timid by their sex, with nothing in themselves to face such supernatural terror—received the angel's consoling word. Yet their weakness became their strength. The emphatic pronoun ye carries the instruction: "Ye are Jesus' friends; no cause for fear have ye." They stood in the power of their relationship to Christ, engaged in loving personal search, devoted entirely to One rejected by the world.

Their gloomy approach—marked by visible grief, secret hope, and timid faith—transformed into joyous return. The anticipated difficulty was removed, the unexpected vision granted, and the overpowering fear met with consolation. To every weak, frightened, sorrowful soul seeking Jesus, the angel's word still echoes: Fear not.