Fraternity-Testvériség, 1983 (61. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1983-01-01 / 1. szám
“HAVE I GOT A STORY TO TELL YOU »» Most of us are familiar with the humorous story about the little boy in Sunday School who, when asked by his father about what he learned, told an up-to-date tale about Moses leading the people out of bondage from Egypt. The account was embellished with modem transportation, a pontoon bridge across the Red Sea and a demolition squad that cleverly blew up the pursuing enemy as they cross the bridge. When the father questioned whether that was the exact story told by his teacher, the boy answered, “Well not exactly, but you would never believe the story she told!” Christian friends, as we move into the Easter Season, “HAVE I GOT A STORY TO TELL YOU...! It doesn’t need embellishment; it is remarkable all on its own. On a Friday the Lord was crucified and buried in a borrowed tomb. His broken body was wrapped in a linen cloth and hastily placed in the tomb as sorrowful disciples raced to beat the deadline of a soon to begin Sabbath. There was no time to go through the whole ritual for the burying of the dead. That would have to wait until later for now the Sabbath was beginning. The first opportunity to complete the task came with the dawn of a new week. As light began to streak the horizon, and birds testing their voices in the cool foggy air, a few faithful women made their way through the narrow streets of Jerusalem, down the sandy slope outside the city, across the river Kedron and up the hill on the other side. They walked silently toward the tomb where the body of their Jesus lay. Faithful servants, bent on finishing the task of annointing his body in order to put the final period at the end of this strange story that concluded on a cross. Love and devotion moved them from their warm homes out into the chilly morning air. It is not hard to imagine their silence and their sorrow as they moved quietly toward the tomb. Finally, as they neared the place, one said to the other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” They hadn’t thought of that before! What shall they do? Return? No. They kept going and as they came closer, behold the stone was rolled back! There was no obstruction to the entrance of the cave. Afraid to enter, and yet afraid to stay out, they moved cautiously into the cave’s darkness. There they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. And He said to them, ‘Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him.’ Sure enough, the master was not there. “But go”, continued the stranger, “tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him as he told you.” It is easy to imagine how shocked the women were. “HE HAS RISEN!” A cold shiver of fright mixed with joy ran through them as they stood in the still semi-darkness. “And they went out and fled the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” Now isn’t that a great story? And that is just Mark’s account. It is the oldest and shortest account we have. Other gospels have more details, some even differ, but they all agree that He is not dead, He is risen, He lives! This is the wonderful, joyous message of Easter. This was not just the beginning of a new week, but a new life for the women, the disciples, for each of us. It was truly the Lord’s day and became so important for Christians that as time went by, Sunday became the day of worship. He lives, death has lost its sting, and because he lives, we shall live also. That is the Good News, the Gospel. A new life is ours in Christ; the greatest story ever told! There are some lessons in Mark’s account that we might profitably lift out for ourselves in addition to the glorious central theme. The first is the love and devotion of those women. It would have been easier to stay home. Dealing with the dead was not a pleasant task but they went because they wanted to fulfill their responsibility to the Rabbi they had loved and admired. Now you and I may not be called upon to annoint His body, but we are certainly called to minister in His name. It will not always be convenient or pleasant. The warmth of our homes is always more appealing than the cold of the world. Still, like the faithful women bent on serving Him, so we must serve. The task may be to share our loaf of bread or a cup of refreshing water, and as we do it in His name, we do it unto Him. In the Talmud there is a story of a rabbi who disappears from the synagogue for a few 3
