Guarding our Tomb

Psalm [70], 71 • Psalm 74
Judges 4:4-23 • Acts 1:15-26 • Matt. 27:55-66

In our gospel reading from Matthew today we see the preparation of Jesus’ tomb. There was a rich man who was able to afford a brand new custom tomb. This was the place he was preparing for his own death, with the hopes of making it as significant as possible. As a follower of Jesus, he offered that tomb for his resting place, and obviously had enough sway to get permission. For fear of Jesus’ prophecy, they sealed the tomb and placed a guard on it to ensure no one would try to steal Jesus’ body.

This led me to my reflection: we all have tombs prepared one way or another. The place that we have hidden to put our grief, our sadness, our pain, our fear. The place we keep our regrets, our mistakes, our shame, our hate. We are far-too-often inclined to roll a stone in front of it, seal it, and guard it. It is ironic, as it is the place we hope will someday provide us peace, but in reality is the place that holds the things that decay.

Then we can offer Jesus that place. God’s unconditional love, forgiveness, grace, and peace can fill the space. Not only does it fill the space, but it fills the darkness with light, breaks the seal and scatters the guards we put around it. It can make the place a symbol of victory instead of death, a place of hope instead of hopelessness, a place of forgiveness instead of regret. Finding our way to that tomb that we have prepared and offering it to Jesus can be the first step in truly experiencing the resurrection.

Written by Dan Robinson

Dan Robinson is St. Paul’s Media Specialist, streaming the services online.