“All hail” (Matt. xxviii. 9).
It was a stirring greeting which the Lord of Life spake to His first
disciples on the morning of the resurrection. It is a bright and radiant
word which in His name we would speak to His beloved children at the
commencement of another day. It means a good deal more than appears on the
surface. It is really a prayer for our health, but which none but those
who believe in the healing of the body can fully understand. A thoughtful
friend suggested once that the word “hail” really means health, and it is
just the old Saxon form of the word. We all know that a hale person is a
healthy person. Our Lord’s message, therefore, was substantially that
greeting which from time immemorial we give to one another when we meet.
“How is your health?” “How are you?” or, better still, “I wish you
health.” Christ’s wish is tantamount to a promise and command. It is very
similar to the Apostle John’s benediction to his dear friend Gaius, and we
would re-echo it to our beloved friends according to the fulness of the
Master’s will.