Go and Show - Easter
April 20, 2025

Easter 2025

Go and Show
Matthew 28:1-20

Bottom line: Jesus is too good to keep to ourselves!


Some things demand a response -

A guy predicting his death and resurrection and then showing up alive after many, many people witnessed his death demands some kind of a response

Pay attention to the responses on the day Jesus came back from the dead -

1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 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.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,”he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” —Matthew 28:1-20


Disbelief (nowhere in this account) - reserved for those who didn’t see anything (yet)

For those who saw, what did they do?

  • Guarded the tomb (Guards) from the outside and sealed it from the inside…you only do that if you have reason to believe someone is trying to get out
  • Cover-up - pharisees and chief priests
  • Go and tell - Mary and the other Mary, and eventually the disciples

The angel tells the women to


Jesus tells the women to go
And, Jesus tells the women to tell the disciples to


At the time, people had to be paid off to deny the resurrection.
Today, many people are simply inclined to disbelieve the resurrection because it’s extraordinary.
For many of us it’s easier to just passively acknowledge.
But, if we were to believe it happened, it demands a response from us.

It’s Easter. How are you responding?
Have you wrestled with the evidence? Have you grounded your faith in the resurrection or passively accepted it as true?


Fear keeps us still
Denial gives us an excuse
Faith demands action - Jesus has all of the authority, and the command to go is clear

***Here’s the thing: Mary, and the other Mary, and the disciples, and so many others who saw Jesus that day got to go and tell what they

People still need to see something to believe, which is why the command is still the same for us to go, but more than “Go and tell,” I believe our unbelieving world needs us to “Go and show

Our faith demands a response that can be heard, but mostly seen in how we live and how we love -
- Showing up inconveniently and unusually (don’t send the text, show your face)
- Showing sacrifice that says my hope is in so much more than anyone can see
- Showing love when people act unlovable

Faith demands action - Jesus is too good to keep to ourselves!

The story of Easter is that Jesus got up (this is extraordinary) and tells us to go -
We don’t go alone - Jesus says he is with us always
We don’t stay alone - this news is too good, we have to go and show