“Who Shall Roll Away the Stone?”
Stones were important in the life of people of the holy land, both practically and symbolically. The word, stone, in fact is mentioned 536 times in the Bible. We find also that the word, stone, is commonly used for Rock-Jesus Christ. The Holy Land, and much of the surrounding countries are very rock-filled, stony environments, as in Greece, as well. Piles of stones were very useful, however, for memorable events: Jacob and brethren ate off of tables of stones (Gen. 31:46); twelve stones were placed in the midst of the Jordan River in remembrance (Josh. 4:5-8); the Ten Commandments were written on two tables of stone (Ex. 31:18); an altar was built of stone by the Jordan (Josh. 22:10); the High Priest’s breastplate contained two stones, “urim” and “turim” on the shoulder (Ex. 28:12); Job had a heart firm as stone (Job 41:12); on one hand also stones were used to kill people (Acts 7:59; Deut. 22:24); Jesus was the tried stone–a precious cornerstone which the Jewish stone builders rejected (Isa. 28:16; Ps. 118:22); the important Stone that smote the Great Image (Dan. 2:35). In the book of Revelation, on a white stone, a new name will be written for each saint in Heaven which only we will know, and fearfully in the final destruction of the world, “stones” will be rained from Heaven weighing 100 kilos each!
But, let us return to Mark 16:3, and “Who shall roll away the stone for us from the door of the sepulcher?” “Christ rested in the tomb carved out of stone on the Sabbath day, and when holy beings of both heaven and earth were astir on the holy morning of the first day of the week, He rose from the grave to renew His work of teaching His disciples. But this fact does not consecrate the first day of the week, and make it a Sabbath.” (study Bible–EG White Comments, p. 1237). So, just after the Sabbath as it began to dawn, Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James, Salome and other women that accompanied Jesus from Galilee, bought spices and ointment for the body of Jesus. The Sabbath passed, and the shops were now open. Salves, ointments, and balms were very expensive at that time and precious. There was no soap in those days, and there was great exposure of the body to the burning sunlight. These things, therefore, were not only to freshen the body of the living but the embalm the dead. These plant ingredients were from Arabia, India, Far East, Ceylon and the Red Sea. Great effort, thereby, was used to obtain them.
Saints, in their love, sometimes prepare that for Christ which He will never need. The weaker sex, over which Satan at first triumphed sometimes appear the veriest, greatest or utmost heroes in the cause of Christ. Apprehending difficulties which they know not how to surmount, they go forward depending on God, and find them removed, and readily, amidst fear and confusion, they obey the heavenly direction.
Happy are they who have a risen Redeemer as theirs, with all mercy in His heart, and all power in His hand! How marvelous His love in appearing first to Mary Magdalene, who had been lately so notorious a sinner; and so early to the disciples, who had so shamefully deserted Him!
Joseph of Arimathea, said to be a friend of Pilate and Jesus, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Joseph then wrapped Him in linen. The tomb, carved of stone, was said to have been his. This was all done on the preparation day–Friday before the Sabbath day. The women all went home for the night, and then early in the morning after the close of the Sabbath at the early dawn hours, as the sun rose, they were walking the two miles and asked one another, “Who shall roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” The women went to the sepulcher of Jesus to anoint His body, even though they did not know how the could get into the sepulcher.
The large disc-shaped stone rolls edgeways in a gutter. Outside the rock tomb of Gordon’s Calvary in Jerusalem one can still see the gutter, but not the stone. Matthew tells us in v. 28:2, an earthquake occurred, and an angel rolled back the massive stone. When they asked, “Who shall roll away the stone?”–they thinking in terms of “earthly factors”. The question was unanswerable! The stone was too heavy. There it stood, before their eyes, immovable!
This is the type of thinking we share today. In spite of our belief in God we tend to look out on the world–in particular difficult situations as if only earthly factors were at work.
How now can the “stone” get rolled back?! NEVER by earthly powers! There was no answer to their question in terms of the Earth. But, God has an answer to immovable stones. There’s the stone we ALL come to–the grave-stone like this one–but, “Who will roll it away?!” Heavy weight of grief, sorrow, anxiety, loneliness… feeling that life is crushed… can’t be restored. It is a “universal question.” “Who will roll away the stone?”
God has rolled it away by the Truth and revealed it in His resurrection… the Power of Faith! The tomb is not merely a blind alley, but a thoroughfare, a highway or channel to Heaven.
Through the years, people, even God’s people have lost hope, and despairing of rolling away great “stones” that block the coming of Jesus. In the 19th century, Christianity was regarded by many Christians to be senile decay, and then came the “revival”! God said, “All is possible with God–not with men.” (Mark 10:27).
We are up against huge “stones”… but, God acts silently at night, even in our sleep… stones are removed by God’s messengers; telling us that Christ is not in the grave.
Yes… there is a LIVING CHRIST… God continues to roll away “stones” for us… if we let Him.
AMEN.
John Theodorou
USA/Greece