November 28, 2023
Fear Strikes The Best Of Us
(Some information may be too graphic for small children)
“So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.’” John 20:2 (NASB)
Fear strikes us. When fear sets in, it makes the person freeze, flee, or fight. In Mary Magdelene’s case, she fled. We all react differently. It doesn’t even matter who you are. You can’t gauge it by size or age. We all react differently. Mary just watched the grueling ordeal of watching Jesus die on the cross. She watched them finish as they pierced His side. She watched the blood and water flow from His side. He was dead already. Now she hoped for some time to be alone with Jesus to say goodbye. She wanted to show her last respects. Now His body was missing… She had no idea what happened, and fear gripped her soul.
“So she ran…” “What Mary Magdalene saw all the rest saw too and with the same dismay. Frightened exclamations must have been exchanged, perhaps in the same words that come to Mary Magdalene’s lips when she found Peter and John. The women were convinced that the body of Jesus had been stolen by the Jews. Now Mary Magdalene turns and runs for help. She may have shouted, ‘I am going for help!’ Perhaps she was the youngest and fleetest in the group. No reason appeared why all should run back for help. Some at least felt that they should investigate and see just what had been done in the tomb. Mary Magdalene’s quick thought and her instantly acting on that thought prevented any one of the other women from joining her in running back. At least no one did. Some have said that fear numbs the limbs, but sometimes exactly the reverse is true—fear is the most potent power to incite speed.”[1] Mary’s mind consumed her actions. Did thieves take the body by robbing anything worthy of selling? Did the Pharisees decide they once and for all would dispose of Jesus’ body to finally rid themselves of Him? Was the nightmare ever going to end? “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” I can hear the men saying to Mary, “Mary, what do you mean ‘they?’” “Who are they?” But she didn’t have an answer. In fact, she hadn’t even looked into the tomb to confirm her fear. She just ran. She hadn’t considered the one possibility; Jesus had resurrected as He said He would. This is what fear does. It robs reality.
Years ago, a friend of mine was riding with me during a patrol shift. He bragged about being the biggest-baddest person on earth (his emphasis added). He told me stories about how he had done this and that and always came out on top. Until he had a chance to spring into action. As I got out of the car during a bar fight, I ran into the bar to find out who incited the fight. As I finally went through all the people who finally stopped fighting (I think they were all out of breath and couldn’t fight anymore), I located the suspect who started it all. He decided that a bi-racial couple didn’t belong in the bar. He didn’t realize the couple’s husband was an Army Ranger. He lost against the Ranger; badly. As I brought the suspect back to the car to arrest him, I found my friend still sitting in the car. He was shaking. Fear locked him down. He later asked me not to share it with anyone. Although it was many years ago, I still remember how fear locked a person down and made them act outside reality. It hits us all differently…
[1] Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). (p. 1336). Augsburg Publishing House.