The Stone of Love…
Prayer
It was dark as they arose that Sunday morning... The two got up and put on their garments, grabbed their spices and headed out on the dirt road that led out of the city.
As they headed out on the road and as the sun began to rise, the path was lined with dark shadows... but no shadow or darkness could compare with the darkness that covered their souls.
As they walked up the path towards the tomb, thoughts and sights of the last week were going through their minds.
They had been there when Jesus rode in on the colt before thousands shouting his praises, what an incredible moment that was.
Try as they might, they couldn’t stop those other thoughts, those terrible scenes from playing out repeatedly in their minds.
As they recalled the beatings, the cruel mocking and the crown of thorns, the tears began to flow again.
They had seen it all, they had seen Jesus, their teacher, their friend, their Lord, they had witnessed everything that Jesus went through.
And these 2 women, these two Mary’s (Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of James) were there.
They were there when Jesus cried out, "MY GOD MY GOD WHY HAS THOUGH FORSAKEN ME" -- and they saw his head fall as he cried, "IT IS FINISHED."
Their Lord was dead, and their hope was gone.
But now someone had to prepare the body for burial. They would be the ones, who would wipe the blood from the brow, from the legs, from the sides, They would be the ones, to clean the blood from the body of Jesus... they would be the ones, to remove the blood that had matted in his beard, They would be the last ones, to touch his face and close His eyes.
And as they were nearing the tomb -- suddenly a problem -- something they hadn’t thought of until now.
"WHO IS GOING TO REMOVE THE STONE?”.
But as the women approached the tomb, they found that the stone had already been rolled away by the Angel.
What started out as a terrible day, had suddenly been changed into a day filled with inexpressible joy. The contrast between the journey to and from the tomb is overwhelming. Now they are full of hope, something they didn’t have when they had gotten up that morning.
So, Mary and Mary hurried to tell the others the great news, that Jesus is Alive!
The angel says to the ladies...... “Go!”, it is a call for action.
Are we living as though our Lord is risen and living within our hearts? Are we sharing the message that “He lives” with others? We are not to linger near the tomb, but we are to take the good news that the tomb is empty and that Jesus lives, into the entire world. The message of the resurrection calls us to action! It calls us to engage in the work of the risen Lord!
A Command to Deliver - “go quickly, and tell …” The word “quickly” means “without delay”! These women were commanded to go with a sense of urgency spreading the good news that Jesus Christ was risen from the dead!
Why so? Because everyday people are dying, people are being deceived. The message of the tomb is still the message for today, “Come, see … go quickly and tell.” The message that we have been given is an urgent message. It is an urgent message because ...
The women were to go and share the good news that Jesus was risen from the dead. Those disciples who were cowering in fear that the next cross might be their own were to receive the glorious news that Jesus had conquered death and was alive forevermore! What a glorious message those women were given that day! It was a message of hope. A message of life. A message of victory. It was a message that everyone needed to hear. And it still is! May we never forget that the message of that tomb is as fresh today as it was then! Jesus is still alive and men and women trapped in the bondage of fear and sin still need to hear about it. May we do as they did and carry the message with swift feet and joyful hearts to a world that desperately needs to hear about the risen Lord!
The empty tomb was the time of first belief. It is from here that the news spread that the prophecy of the resurrection had indeed occurred. This was a real event, that all that was foretold was being fulfilled. The news could not be contained.
Have you experienced the good news from that empty tomb 2,000 years ago? Is Jesus your Savior today? Are you ready to meet him? Does the risen Lord live in your heart? You can be saved today! If He is calling you to come to Him, you need to come to Him today.
The stone was rolled away for you. The stone speaks. It speaks to us of death, victory over death, and hope for the future through Christ. The stone was rolled away so we could encounter the risen Lord. He is risen! He is alive today. He calls you to live for Him. What is your response to the risen Lord, the empty tomb, as the stone is rolled away?
Will you be faithful? Being full of faith will make you faithful. And faithfulness in your relationship with Jesus is essential to following him.
Just as faithfulness in any relationship is vital, so it is with our walk with God. If we consistently and faithfully meet with the Lord daily in prayer, in meditating on his Word, in listening for his still small voice - daily surrendering our lives to him - we will begin to be changed into his likeness in terms of our character and nature. But if we do not make following the Lord our first priority, we will not do it. Other things will crowd it out. He desires a life laid down, a heart that is His, a Christian who is living out what he or she is professing to believe, giving Him not just their spare evenings but the whole of their lives.
So, let’s ask ourselves this morning "FOR WHO WAS THE STONE ROLLED AWAY FOR?"
Was it rolled away for Jesus? No, he was already gone. And besides the risen Son of God didn’t need anyone to do that for Him. So, who was the stone rolled away for, what does the open tomb represent and what does this mean for us today?
Jesus didn’t have to have the stone rolled back. It was rolled back for us.
Without it being rolled back, we could easily deny the resurrection. We could pretend that the resurrection didn’t happen.
Peter Rollins, a progressive philosopher and theologian who grew up in Northern Ireland. He recounted a time when he was invited to a conservative Christian college to be a part of a panel discussion. Near the end of that conversation a student came up to the microphone and said to him, “Pete, just admit it. You deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” He described how he could feel every eye in that gathering focused squarely on him, including from the other panelists.
He responded, “You got me. I fully and completely admit that I deny the resurrection of Christ.” He said you could hear a pin drop in that room. Then he continued, “I deny the resurrection of Christ every time I do not serve at the feet of the oppressed, each day that I turn my back on the poor; I deny the resurrection when I close my ears to the cries of the downtrodden and lend my support to an unjust and corrupt system.” But Pete wasn’t finished yet. “However,” he said, “there are moments when I affirm that resurrection.
I affirm it when I stand up for those who are forced to live on their knees, when I speak for those who have had their tongues torn out, when I cry for those who have no more tears left to shed.”
If it hadn’t been for that rolled back stone, it would be far easier for us to deny the resurrection and all that it means. Without that stone, we would be hard pressed to affirm the power of Jesus’ resurrection.
Because of the seemingly minor detail of that rolled back stone, Prof. Murchinson says “we are confronted with God’s possibilities and not our own.” Possibilities of hope and love which stand in contrast to the ways of fear and desolation that often pervade our culture. No longer under the power of death, Jesus abandons that tomb in order to establish a kingdom that brings healing and wholeness and unspeakable joy to the world. Jesus’ way of love is proclaimed to all of us when that angel rolled back the stone.
POEM: Philip Brooks once said it well... “Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer; Death is strong, but Life is stronger. Stronger than the dark, the Light; Stronger than the wrong, the right. Faith and Hope triumphant say, Christ rose victorious on Easter Day.”
And now we are called to affirm Jesus’ resurrection through the ways in which we bring life to those who are oppressed, in offering a healing hand to those in need, and when we stand up with those who have been marginalized by the powers of evil in our world. We are called to look into that empty tomb and see the possibilities God has for this tired old world of ours. Possibilities of so much goodness and grace and joy and hope and love that we cannot even fully imagine it. Possibilities of life when far too often all we see is death. So let us heed the words of that angel swinging his feet on top of that enormous stone: “Do not be afraid, for Jesus who was crucified has been raised.” And his love does indeed change the world.
What we need is the resurrection power manifested by the stone rolled away. You see, the stone was rolled away because Jesus could not be held by death. He said about Himself, in John 11: 25, "I am the resurrection and the life." In other words, resurrection power centers in Jesus. And in Him we can tap into that resurrection power. Paul knew the vital importance of walking in that power and revealed it when he said, "I want to know Christ, and the power of His resurrection" (Philippians 3: 10). The power of His resurrection must become the power of our lives.
It can only become so when we surrender to the one who rose from the dead. And He calls to us today, Christian and non-Christian alike. He calls to us, not from the grave, for He is not there. He calls to us from the right hand of the throne of Almighty God. For He is the resurrected Lord. He calls out to us, "Look at what I did for you. Come and follow me."
THE TOMB IS STILL EMPTY, LOOK INSIDE, JESUS IS NOT THERE. JESUS IS ALIVE. WE CAN HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, JOY, AND PEACE THAT PASSES UNDERSTANDING.
CHRIST FOUGHT AND WON THE BATTLE TO GIVE US HOPE AND LIFE. THE STONE OF LOVE WAS ROLLED AWAY, NOT FOR JESUS, BUT FOR YOU AND ME!
Dr. James Dobson’s magazine, Focus on the Family, had a fascinating story about a young boy named Jeremy. Jeremy was not an ordinary child. His body was twisted and his mind was slow. He was 12-years-old, but still in the second grade. The teacher often found it difficult to teach him, or even have him in the class. He was often a distraction to the other 18 students who were five years younger than he. But his parents wanted him in the school because he liked it and the nearest school for the disabled was several miles away where they would not be able to be with him. The teacher decided to let him stay, out of consideration for the parents and the fact that Jeremy was terminally ill. One day, near Easter, the teacher handed out large plastic yellow eggs to everyone. She asked them to bring the eggs back to class the following week with something inside that showed new life. Jeremy could talk well at times, the clouds seemed to occasionally clear from his mind.
But today he just stared into space as the teacher explained the assignment. The next week all 19 students came laughing to school and put their eggs in the large wicker basket the teacher had placed on her desk. In the first egg, there was a flower. The teacher explained that a flower was certainly a sign of new life since it grew from the ground in the spring. In the next egg was a plastic butterfly which was very lifelike. The teacher talked about how butterflies changed from caterpillars to a new life as a butterfly. Finally, she came to Jeremy’s egg which had nothing in it. She carefully put it aside, realizing Jeremy had not understood the lesson. But as she picked up the next egg, Jeremy said, “Teacher, aren’t you going to talk about my egg?” “But Jeremy,” she said, “your egg is empty!” He looked into her eyes and said, “Yes, but Jesus’ tomb was empty, too!” The teacher was struck for a moment, and then said, “Do you know why the tomb was empty?” “Oh yes!” Jeremy said, “Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up!” The recess bell rang and the children ran out to play, but the teacher was forever affected. Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who came to the funeral home were surprised to see 19 plastic eggs on top of his casket, all of them empty.
MAYBE WHEN YOU GOT UP THIS MORNING, LIKE THE 2 MARYS YOU WERE JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS OF LIVING... DARK SHADOWS MARKED YOUR PATH, LITTLE PASSION AND HOPE.... YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO HOME THE SAME WAY --- THE STONE IS ROLLED AWAY.
THE TOMB IS STILL EMPTY, LOOK INSIDE, JESUS IS NOT THERE. JESUS IS ALIVE. WE CAN HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, JOY, AND PEACE THAT PASSES UNDERSTANDING.
CHRIST FOUGHT AND WON THE BATTLE TO GIVE US HOPE AND LIFE.