Joy and Fear

from April 2021

by GoodNews Rome

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Joy and Fear

by Chad Hess

Matthew 28:8 says, “So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples.”

It seems lately that people are living with a lot of fear and very little joy. Look at the news or go on a social media platform and you will see that fear is pervasive. Our leaders seem to be using fear to further their agendas. Even our pulpits seem full of fear as many are afraid to preach the Gospel in its rawest form. The simple truth is that throughout the ages fear has been ever present. Since evil entered the garden we have been fearful, and even the advent of the Kingdom of God with the birth of Jesus seems to have done little to stop fear from holding sway in the world. If Jesus story had ended with His crucifixion that fear would forever hold sway. But thank God the resurrection of Jesus occurred three days later.

I love Matthew 28:8. The actions of the two Marys and the feeling conveyed in such a simple sentence speaks volumes about our human condition, and the hope we have as believers. They departed quickly! Do you think it was the joy or the fear that caused the rapid departure? Have you ever been afraid and joyful simultaneously? The emotions of joy and fear are not ones that we often think go hand in hand, but they do often occur at the same time. They ran! Was the running caused by fear or the joy that they felt because He had risen? I don’t think the questions are either or type questions. The questions are in fact both/and questions. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were both fearful AND filled with great joy.

Oftentimes authors, speakers, preachers and others talk of joy versus fear. “You can conquer your fear.” “Rise above your fear.” “Choose Joy over fear.” Why not choose joy and fear? In Psalm 19:9 King David sings, “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.” Now, I know believers know what the fear of the Lord is, but let me clarify in case some have forgotten. To fear the Lord is not to be afraid of Him, but to have a reverence for Him because He is holy. It is to have an awe inducing understanding of His infiniteness, and our own inability to do anything that would merit our salvation apart from His grace. It is as David says to follow His true and righteous rules because fear of Him is clean and enduring forever. Fear of the Lord, as the Anglican

prayer book says it, is “to delight in Your will and walk in Your ways.” The fear of the Lord is a good thing to have for a myriad of reasons.

Our celebration of Jesus death and resurrection has come and gone for another year. Our Lord is alive! Celebrate that fact by living in fear of the Lord. Jesus told those around Him on numerous occasions to not be afraid. Jesus also told those around Him on more than one occasion how to find and hold onto joy. Though this world may at times lead us in the direction of fear, we can have both joy and fear as the Marys did. We can have them both (not simply one or the other) if our faith is in the Lord and our fear is of the Lord. Having both faith and fear (and the accompanying joy) we are assured of an eternal future in His presence.

About The Author Chad Hess is a husband, father and Army Veteran. He is a parishioner at Saint Andrews Anglican Church in Rome, where he is involved in lay ministries.