He Rolled the Stone Away

Symbolism saturates the Bible, from the waters of baptism that wash away our sins to the Holy Communion that represents Christ’s body. God loves symbols. He put the rainbow in the sky to symbolize his promise and instructed his people to erect stones to remind them of HIS promises. The tribes of Israel were even arranged as they are in heaven! It is no surprise, then, that even the resurrection contains a symbol. You see, in the Old Testament people were sometimes sentenced to death for their sins. It was the worst sins that evoked this sentence. And it’s method? The culprit was put in the middle of a circle and stoned to death. It should come as no surprise, then, that when Jesus resurrected from the dead, He rolled the stone away. Not just the large stone in front of his grave, but every stone of death. The stone of adultery, the stone of drunkenness, the stone of murder – all were rolled away by Jesus. He took the burden and the shame and the sting away, deflecting every stone destined and intended for us – saving us from eternal death. Yes, he rolled the stone away. Every single one.