Matthew 28:8
“They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word.”
What does Matthew 28:8 mean?
The women who witnessed Jesus's resurrection experienced something almost impossibly complex in that moment: terror and delight mixed together. Fear made sense, because they'd encountered an angel and witnessed something that shattered their understanding of how the world works. Joy made sense too, because the angel had told them Jesus was alive, overturning the devastation of his death. What's striking is that these conflicting emotions didn't paralyze them, they energized them. Their fear and joy together sent them running to tell the disciples. Sometimes our strongest moments of faith aren't calm or certain, but turbulent and even frightening, yet they propel us toward others anyway. The women couldn't keep quiet about what they'd encountered, even in their confusion and awe.