WHO WILL ROLL AWAY THE STONE? (Resurrection Sunday--April 4, 2021)
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 5 viewsNotes
Transcript
The Dichotomy of the Stone
The Dichotomy of the Stone
This isn’t Business, it’s Personal!
This isn’t Business, it’s Personal!
Isn’t it interesting that, it is often the women who are present in the most difficult times – at childbirth, caring for the sick, nurturing the elderly and the dying. We notice in the Gospel text that it was three women who, after enduring the horror, agony, emotional pain and tears of Good Friday, went early to the tomb on Sunday morning. It was women who faithfully seek to discharge their solemn duty, to anoint the dead body of Jesus in the tomb. As they approached the tomb, they faced a serious problem: “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”
This isn’t Business, it’s Personal!
Isn’t it interesting that, it is often the women who are present in the most difficult times – at childbirth, caring for the sick, nurturing the elderly and the dying. We notice in the Gospel text that it was three women who, after enduring the horror, agony, emotional pain and tears of Good Friday, went early to the tomb on Sunday morning. It was women who faithfully seek to discharge their solemn duty, to anoint the dead body of Jesus in the tomb. As they approached the tomb, they faced a serious problem: “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”
This isn’t Business, it’s Personal!
If you visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (also known as the Church of the Resurrection), you can see very well what a concern this must have been for the women. In the Coptic and Syrian Orthodox areas you can see tombs which are similar to ones used in Jesus’ time. These tombs were meant for two or three persons, and the openings would have required a very large stone to close the entrance. This was exactly the worry of Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome as they approached the tomb of Jesus: “The stone is too large, and we are just a few. The stone is stamped by a military order, and we have no authority. Who will roll away the stone for us?”
If you visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (also known as the Church of the Resurrection), you can see very well what a concern this must have been for the women. In the Coptic and Syrian Orthodox areas you can see tombs which are similar to ones used in Jesus’ time. These tombs were meant for two or three persons, and the openings would have required a very large stone to close the entrance. This was exactly the worry of Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome as they approached the tomb of Jesus: “The stone is too large, and we are just a few. The stone is stamped by a military order, and we have no authority. Who will roll away the stone for us?”
This isn’t Business, it’s Personal!
This isn’t Business, it’s Personal!
The Gospel accounts show two contrasting perceptions and actions concerning the stone. First there was the human response to the death and burial of Yeshua. Secondly, there was the Divine response.
The Gospel accounts show two contrasting perceptions and actions concerning the stone. First there was the human response to the death and burial of Yeshua. Secondly, there was the Divine response.
Human response was Veneration of the Dead.
Human response was Veneration of the Dead.
The Law of Sin and Death—Limiting and Restrictive, Punitive and Stigmatizing
The Law of Nature--laws of nature
a regularly occurring or apparently inevitable phenomenon observable in human society.
The Law of the Spirit—An inevitable Remarkable manifestation observable in human society, Attraction, Rhythm (a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound), Observable effects and outcomes, Cause and Effect, Impacting our awareness and Perpetual Transmutation of Energy