You Don't Need My Opinion

You don’t need my opinion, but how about a testimony?

Nowadays it is suggested to use the phrase “in my personal opinion” before or after any extreme statement. In this season of life, I feel like I am asked often to share my opinion on many different issues. With young adults living in my house, I really struggle with how and when to share my personal opinions. As I read our text for this week, I’m reminded of the power of testimony from Jesus’ followers and how the charge of His words has had such powerful effects on my life today. This reminds me of the urgent need to also share my testimony about following Jesus and living by His word. There really is a big difference between spouting opinions versus actually testifying to Jesus’ work in my life.

In our text, the women find Jesus is no longer in the tomb. An angel proclaims to them the amazing message that JESUS HAS RISEN! They are invited to see for themselves the truth of that proclamation. Then these same women are told to go and share the message with others. As they go, Jesus meets them on the way and also tells them to go and share the same message. These women had a powerful testimony to share – one that would transform their world then and now. When the disciples responded to their testimony, they also met Jesus just as He had promised and received His great commission as the Risen Savior and Eternal King.

On the other hand, there were some in our text this week that could not accept the testimony of Jesus’ followers and instead they weighed in heavily with another opinion on what might have happened to Jesus’ body. Over the 2000 years since Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, there have been too many choosing to reject the gospel truth about Jesus and the testimony of His followers in favor of some other opinion about Him and His work. But God who is rich in mercy, has transformed my life through His Spirit’s continuing presence to save me from my sin and work in me to bear good spiritual fruit that leads me to eternal security in His Son. That is my testimony of what God has done for me in Christ Jesus!

The testimony of Jesus’ followers then and the testimony of His followers now can still have a life-changing eternal impact on people like me and you. May we be a people that rejoice in the gospel truth about the Risen Christ! And may we be intentional to share sincere testimony about all that we have experienced in Him and because Jesus lives!

Happy Easter,
Jon