Easter - What Did God Feel

He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.....................................................

There comes a moment after every death when the body of the loved one - the deceased is left alone in the grave.

The dead remain and the living walk away.

Those who walked away that day were left with their private thoughts - their private precious memories and their private guilt that day.

For Pilate and his wife there was the disturbing thought that they had encountered someone Holy, important, amazingly disturbing and in the memory of Pilate’s wife was an incredible dream which had warned against doing the very thing that they had done.

In Peter was the memory of the moment of denial where three times he had denied Jesus until a roosters crow had bought him to his senses and to guilt and the bitterness that accompanies it. To the other disciples too was the sense that in their Masters great moment of need they had failed to stand beside him - Fear had gripped them and they had run.

To Judas faced by the torment of his deceit and corruption came his own death that would not bring release but rather eternal torment.

To the soldiers and the smug religious The Pharisees and the scribes - came a certain common smugness that both the religious and the brutal can sometimes share of a smug victory over some imaginary vanquished foe. A victory for all it’s guile or brutality is shallow and strangely unsatisfying.

For Mary and the woman who had followed Jesus so closely and dearly was the pain that accompanies deep loss and deep pain. For them the deep pain and loss that accompanies such a brutal wrench marred any deep spiritual

Or cosmic importance attached to Jesus death.

Somewhere in Jerusalem a Colt the foal of a donkey stood in it’s stall and munched hay then slept soundly forgetting the events of days before when it had carried Jesus into Jerusalem to the huge cheering crowds .

Here a former Leper and there a Man made spiritually whole and of course Lazerus if aware of Jesus death probably didn’t sleep.

As night fell over a troubled city that had just cursed itself for generations with the words:-

MT 27:25 "Let his blood be on us and on our children!"

The body of Jesus lay quietly at last in a silent grave in a cave in a hill with a sealed rock outside and a guard of honour formed by his killers.

And what of God?

Where was God in all of this.

For God the pain of this incredible day in world history is unfathomable - - -

In our human condition we suffer a limited view of things we see and feel the pain of the world in a limited way - the more sensitive among us feel the pain of suffering of the third world and we sponsor a child or support a missionary - some like Mother Teresa might even go and bathe the wounds of a particular group - in her own personal compassionate but limited way.

But what of God?

His feelings are not limited by time or space he feels the particular pain and anguishes , yes, and joys - and celebrations - of five billion people. At any moment he hears and answers prayers, is with the grieving and laughing, all at the same time, and carries their burdens and fears in his heart - How can he do this?