Courier

 In the days before all our modern communications, if we needed to send a message we sent for a courier, whose job it was to carry the communication from the sender to the receiver.  For example, in the days of battles, one would send out a courier under a white flag to politely ask if the other side wished to concede before the battle commenced, as the sender felt that they had overwhelming odds in their favor.  Perhaps the most famous was Mountjoy, who came to Henry V from the French King asking for Henry to withdraw his weakly forces before the Battle of Agincourt.  In Shakespeare’s play he comes a second time to say that the French had surrendered. The day was won by the English.  

 We tend to forget how much we owe to modern communications and how the telephone and wireless has made it so much easier to communicate with each other and to send out words getting an almost instant reply.  In the days of Jesus, the fastest way to send out commands or messages was to employ a courier with a fast horse to deliver the sealed scroll containing the message.  Only in this way could Caesar have any say in the governing of his provinces.  He had to rely on sending men with commands and to receive news in the same way.  Loyalty of his soldiers and their commanders was imperative to the smooth running of the Roman Empire.

 After the crucifixion it took time for the news and death of Jesus to be relayed through the word of mouth of those who carried the news.  Three days later, when it was proved that the heavy stone at the entrance of his tomb had been rolled back and the posted guards were nowhere to be found, Jesus had truly risen from the dead as he had said that he would.  It was not until he showed himself to his wife Mary Magdalene and told her to go to the disciples and to tell them what she had seen that the realization stated to emerge.  The disciples didn’t believe her.  She was not liked because she was a woman and Jesus loved her more than them.  Peter and John ran to the tomb and found it empty.

 When they returned, they had to grudgingly admit that Mary was right.  They had been in hiding not knowing what to do.  She told them that they must go out into the streets and proclaim the Good News to the people They were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues, so that all people, no matter what their nationality or upbringing, could understand every word that they said.  Jesus came to them is time and taught them how to become couriers and spread the Good News across the then known world and centers of understanding were developed and what became to be called Christianity became established in secret to avoid the Roman soldiers, who were sent to eradicate anything to do with The King of the Jews.

Sunday, 25^th April 2021