Posts Tagged: the cross and the resurrection
“Just Like He Said”
“Mateo 28:5-6
El ángel dijo a las mujeres: “Ustedes no teman. Sé que buscan a Jesús, el crucificado. No está aquí; ha resucitado como había dicho.”
Matthew 28:5-6
“The angel said to the women, ‘Don’t be afraid. I know that you are seeking Jesus, the crucified one. He isn’t here; he has been raised—just like he said.”
According to the Gospels, Jesus had spoken to his disciples several times about his death and resurrection. Unfortunately, the comforting words about Jesus’ resurrection fell on deaf ears. The disciples didn’t understand, didn’t believe. That is, they didn’t believe until the resurrection forced them to do so. Even then, it wasn’t easy.
Why were the disciples so blind? Well, to be perfectly frank, the Gospels portray the disciples as (how can I put this delicately?) not the sharpest tools in the shed. There was a lot of what Jesus said that they simply didn’t understand. We tend to put the first disciples (except for poor Judas) on a pedestal. The Gospels themselves don’t do that. In fact, the disciples are pretty much portrayed as stumble-bums. I take great comfort in their portrayal. At least, they were trying to stumble in the general direction of Jesus. Maybe you and I are too.
But there is another thing: Perhaps they didn’t, and maybe couldn’t, hear the words about resurrection because they could not fathom Jesus’ words about the cross. Apparently, Jesus’ first disciples wanted a king who would set things to right—right now! And, of course, that might involve some violence. If there were to be any crucifixions, it would be the Roman occupiers and their “Jewish” (??) collaborators who would be the ones hung up to die. Certainly, the Messiah wouldn’t be the one to die! Right?
Wrong. If Jesus was the Messiah—and this is widely debated and denied by many—Jesus wasn’t your garden-variety king. The kind of king that we long for is one who will destroy our enemies. Instead, Jesus died for his enemies.
So, it may be that the disciples couldn’t hear the blessed word of resurrection because they couldn’t understand the hard word of the cross. In any case, they didn’t understand and believe. Even the courageous women who came to the tomb did not make that journey to see a risen Lord. They came to anoint the hastily buried body of their teacher and friend. Everybody seems to have been blindsided by the resurrection.
The angel who spoke to the women told them not to be afraid. The Greek verb for the command “Don’t be afraid” is in the present tense. This suggests ongoing, persistent action. The angel was telling the women, “Now and always, there is no need for fear.”
Then the angel gave them the reason for not being afraid. “He is risen.” It is a wonder that the shock of this didn’t simply kill the women outright. You go to take care of the dead body of a dear friend, and discover that there isn’t a body!
But then, the angel can’t resist saying that Jesus was risen, “just as he said”. It would seem that even angels cannot resist the urge to say, “Told you so!”
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
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- “Searching for the Noble One” December 26, 2023My wife and I were reading Luke, chapter 2 on Christmas Day. Luke 2 talks about the shepherds being told to look for this very special child—in fact, this King—in a stable. I prefer the word “barn”. I grew up on a farm. I know what a barn is. A stable is entirely too biblical […]
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