As I read the Easter passage today, I wonder why Christ let them come to the tomb expecting him to be dead. Granted, we can’t be sure exactly at what time he arose, but could he not have met them prior to their arrival at the grave? Why is the place of the tomb the meeting place?
I think it is because the place of a tomb is a symbol. I think the story unfolds this way because this is the place where Christ wishes to meet us–the place of our greatest fears, unease, worry, concern, disappointment, and death. He waits for us to come there and confront our brokeness with his risenness.
His disciples come with their hopes shattered. They are out of options. Who are they going to put their hope in now? They were so sure that He was the one they had been waiting for. The one who actually had solutions to their problems. The one who could deliver them from their lack of faith, form their oppression, from death itself. This is the point, Jesus meets them precisely in that place, arms open, and risen. That’s the place that he reigns. He invites Mary to place her weeping at the feet of his Victory, believing in the Resurrected Lord.
I’ve said before that the central message of the resurrection story is that Christ is King–that He has been crowned the King of the Creation. I want to take this a step further and point out that he’s not only King of the Cosmos, but He’s also the King who takes rule over our brokenness. He not only puts the stars in their place, but he generously gives grace to those believe, he casts our fear, he tells death to step away, for he’s the rightful ruler now. He stands risen in the place where we fail. Where we cannot, He can.
On Easter Sunday, when Christians say, “He is risen!”, let us remember that he’s risen in the place of our human failures–He’s the one with the answer, the one who drives out fear, concern, doubt, hate, arrogance, and jealousy. He comes with a reign of healing and love. He is a kind and gentle King.
He is risen indeed.
