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The Way to Pentecost: The Chief Priests

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Between the empty tomb and the appearances of Jesus among the disciples, we have this short story between the chief priests and the guard who had witnessed the events that Sunday morning. This isn’t the first time these religious leaders have made an appearance during these last days of Jesus.

It was the chief priests who gave the thirty pieces of silver to Judas in order for him to betray his friend and teacher (Matthew 26:14-16). It was the chief priests who accused Jesus before Pilate (Matthew 27:12). It was the chief priests who convinced the crowd to call for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be executed (Matthew 27:20). At every turn, they flexed their influence and power at Jesus.

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They knew about the foretelling of the resurrection because they knew the words of Jesus. That is why they went to Pilate for the guard to be placed at the tomb in the first place. They thought he had plans to have his body stolen by his followers so they could claim he had risen on the third day.

These religious leaders approached Pilate the day after Jesus’ death, during the Sabbath, to put guards in front of the tomb. The big stone had already been rolled in front of the tomb by Joseph of Arimathea. But they wanted to make sure they could use every bit of their power and connection to keep Jesus in that grave. Of course, that wasn’t enough.

And now we come to our story in Matthew where the guards return to these religious leaders with an empty tomb and quite the story.

Last week, we read about the women at the tomb and their experience. But once the angel was gone, the earth was still, and the women were on their way, the guards were left an empty tomb with no easy explanation of what had happened. So instead of going to Pilate, and possibly getting into major trouble, a few of them, probably the leaders, went to the chief priests instead.

When the soldiers showed up, they told an amazing story. But the empty tomb was the only thing that worried the religious leaders. You would think it was because they didn’t believe a body could be raised from the dead, that somehow the followers of Jesus managed to steal his body from the grave. But they knew about Lazarus.

In fact, in John, it was the act of raising Lazarus that initiated the plot to kill Jesus. All the gospels talk about these leaders being concerned, even afraid, of the influence of Jesus over the people through his signs and parables (especially the parables directed towards them). They were afraid that Jesus’ influence would lead to the Romans taking away their temple and nation.

John also includes an interesting prophecy from Caiaphas, the high priest that year. According to this prophecy, Jesus was supposed to die for the Jewish nation. His death was supposed to bring together all the scattered children of God. And they used the words of this prophecy as the reason to kill Jesus.

But make no mistake, their motivation was not to fulfill a prophecy. Their motivation was power. They were used to things the way they were. They had been in control, and Jesus was disrupting that power. Even after death. So they hatched a plan. They bribe the soldiers with a large amount of money and promise to smooth things over with Pilate.

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These leaders depended on their power, influence, wealth, even prophetic words to maintain their position in society. And it’s still happening today. This story encourages discernment in leadership. It warns leaders to hold loose the influence they have and trust in God. To hold onto the narrative based in humility and love and not in power and control, to not focus on numbers for security but on a God who provides no matter the circumstances.

We also need to be discerning about who we choose to follow. Do we follow chief priests who try to control the message with money and power, or do we follow Jesus, the one who can disrupt that power?

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The Way to Pentecost: The Empty Tomb

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Hello readers and friends. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. Today I’m going to begin a study series from the moment of resurrection to day of Pentecost. I know the stories of the empty tomb, the road to Emmaus, the doubting of Thomas, but I’ve never taken the time to just read and study what gospel has to share. I invite you to study this with me as Pentecost approaches.

But for today, let’s talk about that empty tomb.

Photo by Pisit Heng on Unsplash.com

Each of the gospels tells a different story. From which women went exactly to what they found there. But also remember that each of these gospels were written for specific groups of people and came from the oral tradition first. There are a few things they agree on.

First, the stone was rolled away. The body was not there. In some versions, there were burial shrouds present. In others, they didn’t even enter the tomb. But all accounts agree on the stone rolling away, and the tomb being empty

Second, someone always announces the fact that Jesus has risen. In Matthew it was from an angel, in Mark and Luke it was a man (or two) in white, and in John it was Jesus, himself. But this event is made very clear what has happened. If there is any confusion, it doesn’t last long.

And finally, women were the first at the tomb. Specifically, Mary Magdalene is mentioned in all four gospels. And in all four gospels, word of the missing body of Jesus is shared with the disciples from these women.

I know that Matthew’s gospel was specifically written to the Jewish community as a bridge between the old and new testament. It’s interesting that an earthquake is included only in this gospel. I wonder if the Jews who read this account thought of the Israelites in Exodus 19:18 when they approached Mount Sinai as God descended on to the mountain, how the whole mountain trembled. Was the earthquake here in Matthew also signifying the presence of God in the resurrection?

In Mark there were women who witnessed the empty tomb and the announcement that Jesus had risen who were too afraid to say anything. It was only Mary Magdalene that ends up sharing the information with the disciples after her direct encounter with Jesus. In other accounts, more women shared the news, but there were probably some women who didn’t share the news with others out of fear. It is a challenge to remind us to share what the Spirit puts on our heart, despite the fear that may hold us back.

Luke is my favorite gospel in how meticulous he seems to write each scene. I imagine the interviews he had with people who were trying to recount exactly who was at the tomb that morning. He begins to list the names of some of the women, but then adds the “others” at the end. It would make sense that this would be a good number of women coming together to take care of Jesus’ body that day, both for safety as women traveling anywhere together and power in numbers considering they would have to convince the guard to let them in.

But John has my favorite scene. The one where Peter and John race to the tomb. John gets there first, but Peter goes inside the tomb first. The funny thing about this was that this is supposed to be coming from John’s perspective, so he had to let his readers know that he won the race to the tomb before Peter. But regardless, it isn’t revealed to either of them that Jesus has risen. That message is saved for Mary Magdalene to share. And according to both John and Mark, it was she who saw Jesus first, before anyone else did. She seems to be the costar in this story. The woman of seven demons who supported Jesus financially throughout his ministry. It was she who spoke those first words to the disciples, He has risen.

Whether it was the difference of eye-witness accounts or it was the emphasis the writer wanted to make to their audience, all of the stories agree that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and would make himself known to his followers for the next 40 days in many different ways. From Jerusalem to Galilee to right outside Bethany as he makes his final farewell. The tomb was only the beginning.

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The Grieving Process

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One of the common responses I received from people in our life who have supported and loved us in this experience was “Grieve how you need to grieve.” I’m a pretty blunt person, so I didn’t think this would be a problem. However, it wasn’t the temptation to hide how I was feeling, it was a fear that I wasn’t grieving in the right way. After seeing people in similar situations on forums and talking to well meaning friends and family members, I questioned whether or not I was grieving in a way that was healthy. I wasn’t thinking the same things other women were saying, or doing the same things they were doing. I truly felt I was in some kind of denial.

However, I still miss being pregnant and feeling her move. I think about the might-have-beens especially through these months when I should still be pregnant and what I might have been doing at this point if I still was. But when I look at the whole picture, I see that what has happened has happened. Instead of focusing on my loss, I want to focus more on doing the things I need to do to heal physically and emotionally so that one day I can get pregnant again, and hopefully be able to hold that baby in my arms and watch them grow.

Even though this is how I felt on the inside, I struggled those first two weeks, trying to grieve the way others around me were grieving because I thought that was how to do it the right way. It wasn’t helping, but I was so afraid that the way I wanted to grieve wasn’t going to help me either. So, I talked to my doctor during an emotional check up (which they do at my clinic, and it’s awesome). I sat in the room and just opened up to her about the struggle I had with my grief. Turns out, I wasn’t that abnormal at all. In fact, half of the couples she had encountered dealt with their miscarriages in the same way. It was a completely healthy way to deal with it and move on from it.

The only way you can be unhealthy in your grief is if you aren’t honest about it. If you are angry at God and want to scream and yell, go for it. If you don’t feel angry at God at all, don’t try to force yourself to be. If you need to have a memorial or funeral to say goodbye, do it, but don’t put yourself through that if it doesn’t help you to move on. Just by embracing the way I grieve and being honest about what I need (or don’t need) when I need it (or don’t need it) has truly helped me move through this process, more than trying to grieve in a way that wasn’t natural or helpful to me.

There are different needs for different people, even at different times. That’s part of why grief is so uncomfortable, especially when you are walking through it with someone else. There isn’t really the right word or phrase that makes things better or makes the process faster or slower, and the same thing doesn’t always work all the time. Hugs helped a lot for me, but sometimes it can feel claustrophobic. Having someone to talk to about what has happened helps me process things, but I have also craved a lot of alone time, organizing my thoughts and my home. The best words spoken to me were “This sucks. This road is hard. But we will be with you if you need us,” but sometimes I would much rather just sit in silence with someone.

On a side note, when you sit in silence with someone, it allows God to fill the space between. Ultimately, he is working through them and you in that very moment. Perhaps talking through moments of silence really only drowns out what the Holy Spirit wants you to hear. I have found through this past experience how much comfort and strength I receive from the silence, from the moments when nothing is said at all. And I appreciate the people who are willing to be there with me in that silence.

I know I’m not alone. We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support we have received. Those who have walked this path before have been willing to walk with us and have given us hope.  You are all arms of strength to me and blessings from God. I am continually reminded that though this is a storm in our life, it is also just a moment in our eternity. I know that this story isn’t over yet, and I can’t wait to read the next chapter.