It's Not Over
38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. 39 Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
(John 19:38-42)
62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, "Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64 Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception would be worse than the first." 65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can." 66 So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone. (Matthew 27:62-66)
Not only had Jesus' followers watched him die excruciatingly on the cross, but the tomb his body had been placed in had been sealed and was guarded. Things could not have seemed more devastating or more final. Three and a half years of watching Jesus heal, listening to him teach, expecting something big, had ended in this unspeakable death - which seemed like the death of everything they'd worked toward
and every dream they'd dared to dream.
We tend to think in finite terms where beginnings and endings are explicit. As painful as our endings can be, they also give us some comfort - some control over how we feel when we determine that now we must let go of something. But God rarely completely ends anything. God transforms everything continually. Every change is an ending that's also a beginning. Everything that has happened was only a precursor to what is to come - the opening act to a main event that is always still just off stage. We can mourn the loss of our expectations even as we remain alert to new hopes and dreams. Jesus' followers watched helplessly as his lifeless body was removed from the cross - never expecting that the wonder of an empty tomb awaited them.
We cannot know what God will choose to resurrect, recreate or transform, we can only keep the faith because we know God will resurrect, recreate, and transform. The next act is sure to surprise, baffle, bewilder, and encourage - as is the one after that, and the one after that...
1 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you." (Matthew 28:1-7)
