Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.” [Matthew 28:1-10 NASB]
I visited Jerusalem once. While there I went with a tour group to visit the garden tomb from which you can look up and see Golgotha. The tomb was carved out of the rock of the mountain. I had to stoop to enter. Inside was a small room, and to the side was a shelf, also cut out of the rock, where the body would be laid. One of the women on the tour group stepped out of the tomb and began to complain loudly, "There's nothing in there! It's empty!"
We had to explain to her that that was the point. The tomb is empty because Jesus is risen. Understanding slowly dawned on her face. I imagine that an angel with a shining face might have sped along her understanding.
The problem was that she was expecting to see some kind of sign that Jesus had been there, such as an altar or shrine.
So many historical sites in Israel have been enshrined. The place where they suppose Jesus was born has had a cathedral built around it. On the spot where they think He was born, the floor is overlaid with an intricate tile mosaic in the form of a starburst. Any actual understanding of Jesus' birthplace is obscured.
Another possible location of Jesus' tomb is in Jerusalem, enclosed within a shrine. The shrine is then enclosed within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Again, it is completely obscured.
It seems to me that is what religion does. It obscures the truth. Here are some examples.
Jesus said,
“But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. “And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. [Matthew 23:8-10 NKJV]
By this He means that God is our Father, our priest, our leader, our teacher. He has all authority, and all the rest of us are equal under Him. We are not to claim titles of authority. Yet religion has given us an intricate clergy with priests, fathers, reverends, bishops and so on, all claiming authority over their own flock of sheep. The Pope is considered a world leader of great power. This usurps God's authority, and obscures the unity that should exist among all believers.
Jesus also said,
“In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,Hallowed be Your name. [Matthew 6:9 NKJV]
and,
“In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; “for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. [John 16:26-27 NKJV]
also,
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. [Hebrews 4:16 NKJV]
Because of Jesus' redemptive work on the cross, we have the authority to pray directly to God the Father in Jesus' name. But religion gives us priests to intercede to the saints, who in turn will intercede for us. This all confuses and obscures the simplicity and purity of our relationship with God.
I love that the garden tomb has been left empty and unadorned - in its natural state. Whether it is the actual burial tomb is irrelevant, because Jesus isn't found in the tomb. He isn't found in religion. He isn't found in churches, cathedrals or shrines. Jesus said,
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” [John 4:24 NKJV]
Religion obscures faith. If we rely on ritual, we have no need for faith. If we rely on doing penance for our sins, then where is the grace?
Salvation is simple. "Confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." [Romans 10:9 NKJV] We are save by the grace of God through faith.
Living for God should be just as simple. We live by faith and by the grace of God. I pray for a church that will learn to worship God in spirit and in truth, and set aside the rituals, rules and bondage of religion.
No comments:
Post a Comment