Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Faith and Witness at the day of Victory

Mat. 28.1-10

 “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay”. (6)

Today we are celebrating Easter. The greatest day in Christian faith. Christian faith is revolves around the life of Jesus, the Saviour. Christian faith celebrates the manifestations of Christ-Event. Christ-event is not limited to the birth and death of Jesus. It is the life of Jesus in its totality. It is the expression of the whole Being of Jesus. Crucifixion, death and resurrection symbolises the victory of the Cross. The Gospel according to St Mathew gives us a descriptive report of the life of Jesus from ecclesial perspective. The gospel was written for the first century believers with a Christological motif. This gospel bears the spirit of Old Testament scriptures. In Mathew 28:1-10 the gospel writer presents the resurrection of Jesus in an artistic sense.

Vindication of the faith of the victims
At the foot of the cross, we see the presence of women. Women are often referred as the representatives of the victims and vulnerable of the society governed by the masters. The victims who followed Jesus had deep faith and conviction. They never doubted Jesus or never rejected him. Instead, they always followed him with deep devotion. For them, the resurrection of ‘son of man’ was utterly different. Jesus resurrection was about breaking into an entirely new form of life, into a life that is no longer subject to the rule of law of the masters or their sentence of death but a life that opens up new dimensions of life and faith. Jesus celebrated the life over death. Resurrection has vindicated the faith of the victims.

Resurrection transforms the victims into witness
If crucifixion enclosed the activities of the victims, resurrection empowered the victims to become witness. The events of crucifixion frightened the life of women. They feared the powerful rulers who killed Jesus. Jesus died on the cross as a ‘weak God’ who was unable to deliver himself from the clutches of the evil ones. But, resurrection presents Jesus as the God of power and might who have overcome the forces of evil and death. Presence of resurrected Jesus at the tomb transformed the identity of victims into witness. Resurrected Jesus bestowed upon them the message of resurrection, “Jesus is risen”!

Transformation of tomb into tabernacle
Tomb the site of death becomes the site of life. Death was considered the end of Jesus. Those who have crucified Jesus thought that the life of Jesus came to end by the tomb. But Jesus rose from the death thus abolishing the forces of death at tomb. Tomb becomes the meeting point of risen Lord with the faithful ones. The meeting point of the Savoir with the believers is the place of worship. Tabernacle is the symbol of worship.

Prayer: Oh Lord enable us to be the witness of your cross and resurrection in a meaningful way. Amen.

Rev. Shibi Varghese, MTT Seminary. Kottayam




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