Jesus' tomb stands empty. As an especial aside -- its the women disciples -- those barely mentioned in the narrative of Jesus' life and teachings who are first witnesses of both the empty tomb and later of the risen Christ.
New light:
I have for some time noticed in the gospel of Mark -- a strong sense of the ironic. I am suddenly come to see in John a strong sense of the dramatic. He plays this scene out further than the other three and for dramatic effect I think.
Truth:
Nope. No living tombs in my lived experience.
Even in a metaphorical sense. My resurrections have all been qualified ones. More like Lazarus still entangled in his burial clothes than Jesus with them lying neatly at the side. Resurrection on this side of eternity contains the promises of future deaths.
Implications:
For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:21-23
Problems:
Not really. One of the few passages in the scriptures I basically read literally.
3 comments:
David, you make me smile. You write, with such honesty, "My resurrections have all been qualified ones. More like Lazarus still entangled in his burial clothes than Jesus with them lying neatly at the side."
"Resurrection on this side of eternity contains the promises of future deaths," which implies a kind of physical death, yes? Or perhaps it is a death of intentions, such as when you/we fail to meet our own best intentions, and die to them, only to be reborn/refreshed each new morning?
Death and rebirth are such ubiquitous metaphors; Paul said "I die daily". It would be interesting to consider how death/resurrection and death/rebirth might be related-- synomyms or differentiated?
Hi David. You said ... My resurrections have all been qualified ones. More like Lazarus still entangled in his burial clothes than Jesus with them lying neatly at the side.
Nicely put. That seems to be my experience too.
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