“Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” – Matthew 28:7 NIV

On Easter Sunday, I pointed out that the first 10 verses of Matthew 28 include the words “see” or “look” several times. Matthew does this intentionally to get the idea of sight in our minds. Then, Matthew surprises us by saying that Jesus met Mary and Mary. The big takeaway is that Jesus’ resurrection makes it possible for us to encounter God, not just “see” (or comprehend) that God exists.

What I didn’t have time to point out is that Matthew repeats another word several times in this passage. That word is in Matthew 28:7 twice. Did you notice the awkward way that the angel ends its instructions to Mary and Mary? The angel says, “Now I have told you.” If I was one of the Mary’s, I would be thinking, “Yeah… We just heard you. You don’t need to tell us that you told us…” That said, like everything Matthew says, this is with intention. It’s to emphasize the word, “tell” or “told”.

The call to action from Matthew 28:1-10 is to tell about Jesus’ resurrection. The instructions are specifically given to Mary and Mary in the text. However, the implication is that we, the readers, would also tell others about Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection is absolutely, undoubtedly, concretely, and indubitably the most significant event in the history of the universe. This is news that’s worth sharing! In fact, it’s worth sharing, not just because a person rose from the dead, but also because Jesus’ resurrection makes resurrection and everlasting life possible for all people. Which, of course, includes you. Me. And all the other people in our lives.

So, find someone with whom you can tell the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection. There, now I have told you.