The good news we proclaim this Easter morning is the truth of Jesus’s resurrection and its meaning for the world. When Jesus died on the cross, He bore our sins so that we could be restored to a right relationship with God. His sacrifice provided the final and sufficient atonement for our sins and fulfilled God’s covenant with Abraham’s descendants. This is the good news Mary and the women were called to “go and tell” (Matthew 28:1-10).

However, through His resurrection, Jesus also defeated sin and death so that neither condition can separate us from God. Jesus did what no annual sacrifice could ever completely accomplish: He reconciled us with God eternally. We understand the joy of this work as we read and study Scripture. This is the good news we are called to “remember and relate” to others from God’s Word and for His glory and timing (Luke 24:1-12).

But Jesus’s sacrificial mission was not only for the sake of our eternal lives. When the angels told Mary and the women to “go and tell,” they heralded Jesus’s fulfillment of His promise not to leave the disciples as orphans. You see, Jesus is not only the sacrificial lamb for our eternal life reconciled to God, but He is also our Good Shepherd who provides for our daily relationship with God. This is the good news that emboldens us and invites others to witness our joy because “we have seen the Lord!” (John 20:1-18).

For example, before Jesus ascended to heaven, He brought joy to the disciples by meeting with them personally. He also tasked them with the joy of sharing that gift by “going and telling” others this good news.

Even after His ascension, Jesus did not leave the disciples alone. As promised, He provided them with the ongoing gift of the Holy Spirit to support, protect, teach, and edify them every day.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit so that you and I know what it means to hear Jesus call our name at the exact point of our fear, loneliness, and desperation. This is the good news we proclaim because Jesus continually meets us at the point of our need. Therefore, we do not flee in silence and fear (Mark 16:1-8).

We testify to the good news of Jesus’s resurrection not only because we read and remember the words in our Bibles. We tell others because we have seen the Lord at work in our own hearts and lives. Mary became the “apostle to the apostles” not only because she and the women were the first to arrive at the tomb that morning but also because Jesus met with them personally. Mary’s most powerful testimony was, “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18).

Jesus ascended into heaven, but He will come again once more, just as He promised. In the meantime, Jesus calls us to share the good news with others. Your testimony of God’s goodness matters. Your story matters. Go and tell.

© 2023 Lori Myers Berry