When I began the study of stones I had hoped to develop a comprehensive and all-inclusive idea of what all God intended with His literal and symbolic use of stones. This was perhaps a little too ambitious for my limited theological abilities. There are rock/stone verses that refer to so many different things.
In Matthew 16:18 Jesus uses the word “rock” to talk about the church. Disagreement abounds over the meaning of “on this rock I will build my church”. Some think Jesus was referring to Peter. Some think (myself included) He was referring to faith in Christ, specifically in this instance Peter’s faith. Peter had just acknowledged for the first time that Jesus was Messiah, Christ, the son of the living God. Others think that the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20, Rev. 21:14). And some believe the rock refers to Christ’s teachings.
And as discussed in previous posts stones were used in very literal ways. These included stones used as memory markers, for stoning people, to build the temple, as landmarks, to build houses, to write the law upon, to build city walls, for weighing things. And finally tombs were cut out of stones and tombs were closed by them.
After Jesus was crucified Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus body, wrapped it in linen and (verse 6, Matthew 27) “placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.”
And then the moment the stone is rolled away:
“There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said”. (Matthew 28: 2-6)
I do not know why God uses stones (literal and symbolic) in so many varied ways. His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts. I do know that for me, the stones make the story real. I can picture the rock lying near Jacob’s head while he dreamed of the great stairway. Otherwise it is just a description of a dream, abstract and unfamiliar. I can picture the rocks stacked up as memory pillars beside the Jordan. I can see and almost touch the Ebenezer stone, the stone of help. If I were a builder I could describe the physics involved in the foundation of the building and perhaps I would have set a cornerstone with my own hands.
Nothing in the description of the empty tomb mirrors anything in my own experience, I have never been in an earthquake, I have never seen an angel. I have seen stones, large and small. I have climbed on stones that were so large and heavy that I could not move them. My mother was an amateur rock collector. She picked up rocks everywhere we went, most were ordinary, some were small, others quite large. She had no knowledge of geology and had no idea what she was picking up but she knew she liked them. I like them too.
Maybe God gives us the stones in His Word to give us something tangible (and understandable) to hold onto in the midst of the miraculous and unimaginable.
Because I am so familiar with rocks and stones, I can picture myself at the tomb of Jesus. I can imagine if the stone was still in front of the tomb that I might walk up and put my hands on the rock and place the side of my face against the cool surface of the stone thinking that inside lay my Savior, the one who died for me.
The good news is that if I could go back to that tomb I would not lay my face against the stone, it was rolled away! My Savior was not and is not inside. He rose from the grave and He lives. Composer Frances Crosby says it this way:
Christ is risen! Hallelujah!
Gladness fills the world today;
From the tomb that could not hold Him,
See, the stone is rolled away!
Christ hath risen! Hallelujah!
Friends of Jesus, dry your tears;
Through the veil of gloom and darkness,
Lo, the Son of God appears!
Christ hath risen! Hallelujah!
He hath risen, as he said;
He is now the king of glory,
And our great exalted Head.
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