Greetings

“Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings”, he said.  They came to him, clasping his feet and worshiped him.”  Matthew 28:9

Greetings – Chairete!  We know that Jesus’ greeting announces a change in the entire structure of the universe.  It is not “Hello, how are you?”  It’s not “Have a nice day.”  Jesus replaces the wish for God’s blessing in life with the reality of God’s redemption of life.  Rejoice!  It is accomplished.  Let loose in praise for the Almighty God Who rules.  His purposes have been fulfilled.

So, why are we looking at this word again?  Because in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Greek word chairo is connected to the Hebrew word karar, a word that means the skipping and frisking of a lamb (like David dancing with joy before the Lord in 2 Samuel 6:14).  It is the frolic and play of a young sheep completely confident in the protection of the shepherd.  There is another level of meaning to Jesus’ choice of greeting.  “I am the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.”  “My sheep know my voice and they follow me.”  What Jesus said on that resurrection morning fulfilled this teaching.  They heard his voice.  They knew the shepherd – the Good Shepherd who died for them.

“Greetings” is not nearly enough, is it?  The word should explode our minds as the sign of the new age.  “Rejoice!”  The Good Shepherd is alive.  We are His very own.  This time when you greet someone with “Rejoice” you will know that God’s presence has come into our world and changed everything about life.  But it does even more than that.  It signals the reign of the Shepherd King.  You and I belong to the called-out flock.  And He will always be on guard, watching over us.

That is worth celebrating!