Magyar Egyház, 1983 (62. évfolyam, 1-5. szám)
1983-03-01 / 2. szám
VAGYAK eGyfiflZ 8. oldal MAGYAR CHURCH THE STONE SPEAKS “And behold, there was a great earthquake: for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and rolled back the stone.” (Mt. 28:2) Everyone, who gathered together in the holy city for the Passover holiday, was under the influence of the events, that started to take place on Palm Sunday. The triumphant entry of Jesus into the city shook many citizens, thousands of followers cried: Hosannah, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Then the disciples had the Last Supper with the Lord in an Upper Room, after which, they went out into the Garden of Gethsemanee where the soldiers captured the Lord: The trials in front of the high priest and Pontius Pilate, the crucifixion on Golgotha, and many many details of the events were alive, yea burning in the hearts of the disciples: the shouts of the angry crowd: “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.” The Lord died in agony, saying His seven last words from the cross. THE LAST SUPPER Perhaps at first they talked of little things At supper-time that evening in the spring - The Upper Room was dim with candle-shine As Jesus sat with twelve, remembering. Then quietly He said, “There is one here Whose kiss will bring betrayal by and by. ” They did not look at Judas curiously, But each man murmured, “Master, is it I?” Each one looked inward, frightened lest he find A shoddy place where he had dreamed of steel. None placed the guilt on any other guest Who had partaken of that gracious meal.... So when I come unto Thy table, Lord And I see tears or hear a heart’s hurt cry When someone’s failed to keep high faith, May I, too, murmur, “Master, is it I?” - Heten Weishimer Some may even have thought that after the burial everything was over, and this was the end of a blessed life. But, something unusual happened. On the third day, early in the morning, the faithful women went out to the cemetery to embalm the body of their Master, which was a custom. As they were walking in the twilight, they asked one another: who is going to roll away the stone from before the grave? When they reached the sepulchre all their worries disappeared in a moment: the stone was rolled away, and they could see into the empty cavelike tomb: the linen was there, but their Lord was nowhere. And the voice of an angel comforted them announcing the glorious news: “I know, that ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, but He is not here, for He is risen!” The stone in this Easter narrative spoke eloquently to the women and disciples, that their Lord is indeed the Son of God, He is the Lord of life, and ruler of the universe. I. Let the stone, which was rolled away from before the sepulchre send its message to all the people of the world: Jesus Christ is not among the dead, for He is Risen! The Lord is Risen indeed! The stone in our scripture today declares the victory of Christ and life over death. We read in the Bible, that the stone was not only moved from the opening of the grave but completely and totally rolled away. So, that the women, had no more questions. Death, where is thy sting grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be unto God, who giveth us the victory, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, said the apostle Paul. Men and women of our modern age, when there are so many unexplainable wonders all around us, look to the grave on Easter morning and see the stone as it speaks to you the very same message it did that first Easter “Christ is not here, for He is risen ...” He gave us the example, that as He suffered so must we endure trials and tribulations ... And as He rose from the dead, so shall we rise one day, when all shall appear before the judgement seat of our Heavenly Father. Indeed, we have reason to be glad, although trials and sorrows and sickness may surround us, Easter indicates the victory of Christ. The stone which was rolled away from the tomb, speaks to us about our Lord’s glorious victory. There is no reason to be afraid, for those who trust God and have faith in Christ.
