I am with you always.
Perhaps the greatest news of Easter is found in Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV):
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Five highly significant words that give me great comfort, great joy, and great peace.
James Tissot, Meal of our Lord and the Disciples, Brooklyn Museum of Art
I find incredible comfort in Tissot’s Meal of our Lord and the Disciples. The disciples made so many mistakes. Peter at the head of the class. Yet, Jesus loves them through it all.
We can’t be perfect. It is a futile effort to try.
As we shut our eyes this Easter Sunday, let us remember that Jesus loves us—all of us—our mistakes, our imperfections, and our weak spots. In spite of everything, he promises, “I am with you always.”
Isn’t that great news?
Yes! That is great news indeed.