Easter is the most celebrated event in the Christian faith – the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the day that gives us the power to live the Christian life.
For years I’ve studied the Easter story: Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Resurrection Day, and I've meditated on certain aspects that intrigue me: Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane literally sweating drops of blood before being crucified on the cross while the disciples sat nearby taking a nap, or considered what Cleopas and his friend thought when the resurrected Christ carried on a conversation with them and then just vanished from their sight. (Can you imagine their shock?)
Easter is a miracle panorama, but nothing more intriguing to me than the stone (likely weighing TWO tons) that covered the entry to the tomb where Jesus lay. And why was it rolled away by the angel when Jesus was resurrected? Was it to let Jesus out of the tomb? No, Jesus didn’t need an open door to escape. His new glorified body allowed Him to exit right through the tomb wall. The stone was rolled away so that all could see and believe for themselves that Jesus was risen, alive, and able to master death, the physical elements of this world, and the evil forces against Him. I love the “roll away stone part” of the story. The one thing that had the ability to keep the Messiah trapped inside the tomb was that 2000 pound stone. But Christ conquered what seemed IMPOSSIBLE.
How about in our own lives? Does God still move stones?
- Is He still able to overpower with victory what seems bigger than our circumstances – a pending divorce, an angry heart, or crippling loneliness?
- Is He still able to take the edge off the pain of rejection, death of a spouse, or financial stress?
- Is He still able to give strength over the disability of emotional and physical exhaustion?
- Is He still able to make good out of a life with disheartening regrets?
- Does the Almighty still move stones? My stones/your stones? YES! He does.
We all have potential stones or hardships that seek to keep our negative emotions and dissatisfactions trapped inside our own strongholds. But that’s the beauty of Easter. When Jesus rose from the grave, He not only physically left this earth, but He took WITH Him the proclamation of triumph over all that overthrows our peace. Easter is about Jesus rising above our entrapments and taking WITH Him our heavy loads so that we don’t have to be controlled by them. Easter declares, “You’re an overcomer!” And just like the grave could not pin down or destroy Christ, our weightiest sorrows cannot pin down or destroy us either.
So, hallelujah for the gift of the cross. Our hope for victory lies in the reality of the resurrection and that no stone is more powerful than Christ’s ability to overcome it.
