Matthew 27:50-52 & 54: “And Jesus again cried out with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit…and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent (split). The graves were opened and many bodies of the saints which slept arose…. Now when the Centurion and they that were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and those things that were done, they feared greatly (vehemently terrified) and said, ‘Truly (as in a fact), this was the Son of God.’”
Matthew 28:1-4 & 11-15: “At the end of the Sabbath, towards the dawn of the first day of the week (Sunday), came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Jesus’s mother) to see the tomb, and behold, there was a great earthquake…. And the stone (sealing the tomb) was rolled away, and an angel sat upon it. His countenance was like lighting, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him, the soldiers did shake (tremble for fear) and became as dead (corpse) men. Later that morning (after the event, they revived), some of the soldiers returned and told the Pharisees what had occurred. They (the Pharisees) gave a large sum of money to the soldiers and said, ‘Tell people, His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep,’ and the soldiers took the money and did as they were directed.” (somewhat paraphrased)
This study is unavoidably personal to me, so please forgive my emotions. This story can be entitled, “The tale of two hearts.” The soldiers, whose hearts were harded and calloused by war, yet acknowledged Christ as the Son of God, and the Pharisees, who were supposed to be God’s representatives—leading the people in ways of truth and faith—fully knowing the occurrences at the Cross and in addition hearing the report of the soldiers from the tomb, refused to believe in Christ as their Messiah. Rather, they paid off the soldiers so that they would lie—a lie that would surely cost the soldiers their life for falling asleep at their post. Also disappointing is that truth could be bought. How hard can the human heart become—like cement: that all truth, as water, just rolls off of it; that for the love and praise of the people, the Pharisees held on tenaciously to their positions of power. Engulfed in pride, and so in love with themselves, they failed to lead the people in paths of righteousness, and utterly and shamefully missed their most important calling—to point the people to their Messiah.
To live in such times and to not believe that which one can see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears is astounding to me, but what about today? Does time change truth? Just because these things occurred approximately two thousand years ago, does it make it less factual or does it erase these occurrences and their significance from history? Gravity is as old as the world, and yet it is just as relevant today as it was then. The tides of the oceans are equally as old, and we believe in them. Why then is the question of faith different? Just as in the days of Christ, the Pharisees had a choice, and they chose not to believe. We have the same choice and are faced with the same question, “Do we believe?” With gravity, there is no choice; if you chose not to believe, the consequences are immediate and painful. With the tides, it is the same thing. I enjoy running on the beach near a bed and breakfast we go to from time to time. When the tide is in, most of the beach is underwater. If I was not mindful of the tide, I could potentially become trapped or end up swimming.
So, why is faith different? Is it because the “consequences” are delayed? To think of faith in terms of “consequences,” as one would with gravity and ocean tides, is an incorrect understanding of faith. Faith is likened more to our relationships. We seek to be in relationships, because we enjoy having companionship. They add to our life, because we like to do things with our spouse, etc. It is not fundamentally based on “consequences,” but on a desire to have companionship with others and to love and be loved. Faith is the same. Factually, all the evidence of Christ existence—his miracles, the crucifixion, his appearances afterwards, including his resurrection—is all there, recorded for us and verified in other historical books such as with the historian, Josephus. So, evidence is there, yet even with evidence, the Pharisees refused to believe, as many of us do today. Our sense of pride and our unwillingness to seek forgiveness and to forsake the passions (idols) of this world, is that which separates us from the Creator and Savior of our soul.
Jesus said in John 14:6: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This statement alone has angered many, but what religion or prophet has ever made the claim to redeem man from his sins by his own blood? What prophet has done the miracles, risen from the dead, appeared to many afterwards, ascended unto heaven and then infused his believers with the Holy Spirit? There is none. Christ alone has redeemed man. Our choice is to believe or not to believe. To believe because we fear the consequences is the wrong motive, but to believe because we seek to be in a relationship with our Heavenly Father is the correct and only motive. God help us to see clearly, understanding that though the Cross speaks of our need to repent, it shouts out of the LOVE that put Jesus there for our redemption.
Father God,
I do not want a calloused heart—a heart that only thinks of its temporal good. Grant me a noble heart—one that seeks truth, even if it means sacrificing my pride and the castles and idols I have built for myself. To really live life in fellowship with the God who created life and who loves me is, and will always be, the right choice. Thank you and Amen.