"Stones"

Note: We are part of a group the holds Sunday evening worship during the Lenten season. We rotate between a number of churches each year, with one of our pastors offering a reflection each evening. This year, we decided to reflect on several "Symbols of Easter" for our worship - this is the one that I was asked to offer this evening.


Scripture: Matthew 27:57-60

When Pastor Mary Jean suggested that we use the “symbols of Easter” for our preaching theme this year, everyone enthusiastically agreed. But I wasn’t at breakfast the day the theme assignments were handed out, and when I heard that I would be preaching on “Stones”, I began to scratch my head – Stones? What did Easter have to say about rocks? I remembered other examples of stones in scripture, but Easter?

It wasn’t more than a few minutes, though, before it became an “a-ha!” moment – of course there was a Stone at Easter! It had been rolled away from in front of the tomb!

But then I began to think about all of the other references to stones throughout the word.

There were the stone tablets that God wrote his commandments on for Israel – twice! (Exodus 19-20:21, 32,34:1-28) The Word of God couldn’t just be written on Parchment – it would have been too fragile – his word was eternal, and stone was the most permanent way they had to preserve that precious way.

There were the stones that Jacob rested his head on the night he dreamt of angels ascending and descending on a ladder that reached from heaven to the earth. In the dream, the Lord God Jehovah confirmed the covenant that he had made with Abraham, and when Jacob woke up, he set his “stone pillow” up as a pillar, and because he sensed the presence of God there, named the place Bethel – “the House of God”. (Genesis 28:10-22)

After Israel crossed the Jordan on dry land, Joshua was told to send 12 elders, one from each tribe, back to the middle of the dry river bed, where each was to pick up a stone which would be laid together to form a memorial on the west side of the river. And they were told to teach their children that this was the place where the Lord halted the flow of the Jordan when the people entered the land of covenant. (Joshua 4:1-7)

On one occasion when the Philistines came against Israel at Mizpah, Samuel was offering up a sacrifice to the Lord before the army went into battle. And while he was still sacrificing, the enemy attacked, but the Lord God “thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites.” Samuel set a stone up as a memorial, naming it Ebenezer- “the stone of help” - with these words – “Thus far has the Lord helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:5-12)

These stones were used as memorials to God’s presence and work and word for Israel. But there are also many instances where stones represent worldly obstacles to our walk in faith.

During Jesus’ time in the wilderness, Satan challenged him to jump off the top of the temple, because scripture said that the angels would protect him, and would keep him from dashing his foot against a stone – that he wouldn’t stumble, or be injured. (Luke 4:9-13)

Stones were used to create walls to keep enemies out of their cities.

Being “stoned” to death was the punishment for murder or for blasphemy (for using the Lord’s name in vain or for intentionally going against God’s word). (Leviticus 24:21-23)

And the examples go on.

And on Good Friday, when Jesus was laid in the garden tomb, a stone was rolled in front of his resting place. (Matthew 27:57-66) But what was the significance of this stone? Was it to be an obstacle? Or was it to work to the glory of God? Or was it to convey some important message?

That stone was intended to keep animals and the public out of the tomb, and to keep odors inside and away from the public. And the Jewish leaders and the Romans were so concerned about the security that this Stone would provide, that a guard of soldiers was placed in front of it, and Pilate’s seal was placed on that stone. No one was to ever see inside of that tomb again.

But on the third day, after Sabbath was over, the women came to finish caring for the body of their Master, and were wondering kust how they would ever get inside to do their work! But as we all know, the obstacle had been removed for all to see that the Lord Jesus Christ was no longer imprisoned by the powers of earth.

The stone at Jesus’ tomb was intended to be an obstacle to the faithful, a symbol of the finality that death held. But Almighty God’s plan was to use that same stone as a memorial to the power of the Resurrection, and as a symbol of the eternal life that, first, belonged to Jesus, and later to all who believed in him.

When I was attending Licensing School about 15 years ago, our small group would meet every morning for a time of devotions and reflection before we began the day’s classes. The last morning that we were there, I arrived at our study area early, not sure if the others would come or not. I started to read from the book of Joshua, and as I considered the story of the stones being taken out of the Jordan, to become memorials to the Lord God Jehovah, it struck me that I was to become one of those very stones.
The Lord had rolled back the chaotic waters of earth from my life, and lifted me up so that I would never be inundated by their confusion again, and he set me on high ground to be a memorial to the grace he had filled me with.

And today, I tell you that we all must be memorials to all that the Lord has done in our lives, and to never squirm back into that ugly river bed that we know as the ways of the world, again.

When the stone was rolled in front of Jesus’ tomb, it was the world’s response to the Message of Hope that Jesus offers to everyone. For the world, it was no better than a message of death.

That same stone, when it was rolled away from the tomb, became the Lord’s sign that the world has no power to contain, or even minimize, the promise of heaven. For those who believe, it is the hope of life.

The stone that continues to stand as an open door, and not a closed one, symbolizes the promise of scripture – that the Word of God and the Church of Jesus Christ will never submit, will never be overcome, will never be bound by the “gates of hell”! (Matthew 16:15-19)

The Stone of Easter is our reminder that the promise of God is for all who believe in Jesus Christ as the Redeemer, and as the Risen and Living Savior of their lives, and that promise will stand forever.

Amen!