Earthquake
“We
went into the tomb with him.” So says Paul. But does it mean anything to you
and me? The earliest creeds insist, “He was buried.” Jesus’ body lay in the
depth of the earth. This is an expression of God’s utter identification with
his creation and with us. Going into the depths of the earth like miners is not
the point. The expression refers to God’s power to uncover aspects of our humanity
which otherwise lie hidden and unused.
John
of the Cross speaks of the “deep caverns of the soul. … The caverns are deep,
because that which they can hold is deep and infinite; and that is God.” We
know the Chinhoyi caves are deep and spread huge distances underground. They are
an image of the human soul and its capacity for God. God has entered the depths
of the earth as a sign that He has opened the way to enter the depths of our humanity.
Paul
continues, “If in union with him we
have imitated his death, we shall also imitate him in his resurrections.” Jesus
opens a way for us. Whoever we are we are restless. We are never satisfied.
Even the rich and powerful want more. We are born, we run around and then we
die. Is that all there is? We know deeply that cannot be enough. Whatever this
earth gives us it is not enough. To say otherwise would be a lie and we know
it.
Caro cardo salutis, the flesh is the hinge of
salvation. The flesh is the way God opens doors for us. The life of Jesus, who
took a body like ours, including the climax in his death, is the way he
transforms us. He has given us a body, and through that body we grow and become
transformed into his likeness and become one with him.
The
news reader on ZBC, on Independence night, mentioned, “Christians are
celebrating Easter” as a dry fact somehow similar to celebrating Independence.
But Independence is a step on a journey not yet complete, whereas Easter is a
definitive event once and for all. Independence and freedom can be lost, as
many countries and individuals have painfully discovered. But baptism and the
transformation it brings can never be lost. It is definitive for eternity.
Easter
is the breaking forth – Matthew mentions an earthquake twice (27:51and 28:2) –
of divine power in the body. This “breaking forth”, this earthquake, is a sign
of the new energy Jesus now shares with his people. It is energy to transform
the earth, one life at a time.
Easter Night, 19
April 2014
Romans 6:3-11 Matt 28:1-10
