The Glory of Easter: Clothed with God’s power and glory
Acts 10:34 a, 37-43; PS. 117; Col. 3:1-4; John 20:1-9
Christ is risen, alleluia, alleluia!
We celebrate today the day of the resurrection of Christ!
Christ is alive! His victory over death is our victory too! How can we understand this?
On Holy Thursday, the Lord removed his outer garment (John 13:1-5) On Good Friday, the Lord was stripped of his garment (Mt. 27:34-35). On Sunday morning, they did not find the body of the Lord in the tomb (Luke 24:3). The linen was nicely folded and the burial cloth, or the napkin or the handkerchief (John 20:7) was folded and separate from the rest of his grave clothes. This certainly suggests to us that the person who was dead on Friday afternoon is alive and he will return. What can we understand about this symbolism of the removing and stripping of the grave clothes, and the folding of the napkin? The Gospel of John tells us that, The Apostles Peter and John and entered the tomb, saw all this and they believed.
Symbolism of the linen as a clue to understand the resurrection
The risen Lord leaving his burial linen and even his face-cloth folded separate from other burial clothes could suggest at least three meanings.
The Risen Lord is the Eternal Priest who perfectly atones our sins
Centuries earlier in the Old Testament, only the high priest entered the temple, the Holy of Holies once a year to offer sacrifice in atonement for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 9:7) After the blood is poured, there is a belief that the atonement is completed. Then the priest removes his outer garment inside the temple or inside the holy of Holies. So when the risen Lord removed the burial clothes and the napkin that covered his face, he made the tomb the new temple; he made himself, the Eternal Priest, therefore, we need not offer anything else for the atonement of our sins; it has been completed. The sign of the completeness of this atonement is that, the Lord, our eternal priest, leaves behind him, all the burial clothes. The declaration: It is finished on Good Friday only refers to the completion of the Lord’s obedience to his Father, but the completeness and perfection of our salvation is the resurrection of Christ. Christ's resurrection is for my salvation!
The Linen as an evidence of the resurrection as opposed to the allegation of the stolen body
According to the Gospel of Matthew 28:12-15, the elders having received the reports of the soldiers, they concocted a lie with them
“You must say that Jesus' body was stolen by his disciples while we were asleep”.
The folded linen, and the folded face-cloth separated from other clothes are signs that the body was not stolen. The one who used the linen folded them peacefully, calmly, with confidence because he was not in a hurry. He was now living in a timeless time. He was now living eternally. Through his resurrection, you too live eternally and timelessly!
Christ now clothed with glory and power not clothes sewn by human hands
The perfection of the atonement is perfectly completed and there is no proof of the stolen body which stands. Christ is no longer going to need clothes made by human hands, he is now clothed with the glory and the power of God. He will not be naked anymore; he will not be stripped anymore. No one can strip us from the glory of God.
Yes, the resurrection is our last stage when the Lord will finalize the atonement of each and every one of our sins. Then we too will be clothed not by any human attire, not by any money, but by God himself; we will be clothed by his love and by his mercy. So my final question to you, is what are you wearing now? Is it simply clothes made by human hands? It is time to ask God to clothe you with his power and glory as he did to Jesus.
Happy Easter!
Fr. Georges Roger BIDZOGO sac.