Every holy day season I find something in the scriptural account that causes me some questions. Last Christmas it was, "Why didn't God let Herod kill Jesus? If all he needed to do to save humanity was die, why not die young?" It led to some interesting conclusions.
This Easter, the stone is bothering me. Jesus shows up a little while after the resurrection in the middle of a room with locked doors. So according to the gospels Jesus can move through sealed and locked areas post-resurrection. Why couldn't he move through a sealed and locked stone? Wouldn't that have been more impressive? Wouldn't that have cleared the disciples of the grave robbing charge?
Do you have any ideas why it is important to the resurrection that the stone be moved?
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my question is, why didn't Jesus go back and say "Hey, what's up Pilate? What's the truth now punk? How do you like me now?" Or something to that effect.
ReplyDeleteGood question on the stone. Thinking theologically... it was the earth giving up the body, it was the acts of death/burial very literally being undone, it was the defeat of the grave, a display of the power and glory of God Almighty, creator of Heaven and Earth. The rock stepped aside out of humble obedience and respect for the Eternal Word of God through whom all things (that rock included) came into being - it's like the account of the water turned into wine, someone said the water recognized it's creator and blushed. In Matthew's account I note the irony surrounding the whole thing - the guy in the grave (dead) became alive by the power of God yet the soldiers outside the grave (alive) became as dead men after witnessing the power of God. This makes me think of Romans 8, for creation itself groans in anticipation for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God... This has the makings of a sermon, I need to write some notes down. Good question, it got me thinking. I'm going to stop thinking now.
Did you blog on the Herod killing babies thing?
I found this interesting: http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html
ReplyDeleteThey indicate that the tomb was sealed with a Roman seal and that the resurrection broke the seal and moved the 1-2 ton rock UPHILL and away from the the tomb. A more thorough exegesis would be needed, of course, but it is interesting.
Oh, and Jesus needed to give up his life, not just die, thus dieing as an infant would not have fulfilled the prophecies.
ReplyDeleteAndy....The first made me laugh as always. The rest, much more profound than i even expected. I am still not settled on this one, but I like your literary reflections on this as well as your theological (connected I know). Symbolic of victory over the grave. Hmm.
ReplyDeleteMaria, well thanks for dropping by! Uphill away from the tomb...and two tons. Well that is new fodder for thought. In other words it was an act of power, miraculous display of God's power in the face of the grave in general and the Roman rule represented by the guard I suppose. Thanks for this interesting reflection. I still want to think on this one a bit.