Power of life embedded in the life-preserving practices

A Study on Exodus 1:15-22

Pharaoh’s desperate policy of Genocide against the Hebrew Slaves

King’s anxiety is intensified seeing the increase of the slave population. He is not satisfied by the imposition of forced labor, which was his plan A, on the slave community, but now, he brings out his plan B to eliminate them through a programmatic genocide. The term Hebrews in the historical context of this text does not generate a sense of national identity, but a general reference to people who lead a marginal existence without any rights to land or social status in any of the west Asian societies of that time. They are “low-class folks” who are feared, excluded and despised.^[1] Biblical Scholars see a correspondence between the Hebrews and hapiru of the contemporary non-biblical texts. Hapiru was a reference for the lower social class of the times. King speaks three times in this passage. The first time to the Hebrew midwives who help with birthing among the slave community. The command is that all boy babies newly born in the slave community should be stealthily eliminated.

Hebrew midwives counteract the genocide by their habitual compassion for life

It is interesting to note that in this narrative the name of the king is not mentioned and on the contrary, the names of the seemingly insignificant midwives are mentioned. They are Shiphrah (the fair one) and Puah (fragrant one). Their fairness and fragrance are derived from their obedience to the will of God. This distinction may be a deliberate effort from the biblical narrator’s part to highlight the obedience of midwives in comparison with the hubris of the king. The king tries to deal with death to the poor slaves and the midwives try to preserve life that is a gift from the Almighty God. The midwives are putting themselves in great risk by deliberately disobeying the royal order. They are counteracting the genocide by their habitual compassion for life. They have allowed the male children of the Hebrews to live (v.17). The reason for their disobedience of the king’s decree is mentioned as their fear of God. Their disobedience further annoys and frustrates the king. He does an inquiry to find out the reason for their disobedience. The midwives are not speaking to the king about their fear of God but speak about the vigorous power of life present among the Hebrew slaves. Hebrew babies, they say, are born with such vigor and at such a rate that the midwives simply cannot be present in time for each birth.^[2] They only asserted their innocence and never accused the Hebrew mothers of any wrongdoing. The miracle of such unmanageable births is not the fault of any human agencies but the doing of a mighty God who is the source of the power of life in Hebrew people’s life. A power that cannot simply be deterred by the decree of the king. The king appears to be desperately fearful and on the other hand the midwives unafraid. The king’s fear shoots up from his dependence on his own resources, whereas the midwives' courage derives from their dependence on the life-giving power of God. The midwives and Hebrew mothers are depicted by the text as “carriers of liberation” for the Hebrews and through whom, God’s liberative life-giving power is operative.

Despite all his shrewd and stealthy policies the people kept on multiplying. Verse 22 picturizes an arrogant king who goes crazy in knowing that his plans A and B are been defeated by the power of life vigorously present in the slave community’s life. Now he resorts to plan C, the intention is more vocal and universal here that “Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live.”^[3] It is doubtful how much this policy is going to help the empire with its ambitious building projects. The empire will lose its labor force if this programmatic genocide becomes a reality. The rage and hubris drive the king into insanity.

Around the world, we hear about socio-economic nobodies are being perceived as a threat by established governments. We hear about such people being eliminated through wars, pogroms, hate campaigns, or stamping as an illegal presence to deny them their rights to live. In all these incidents we can see little people like Shiphrah and Puah acting as the carriers of God’s liberation for the people. Church’s responsibility is to partner with them to strengthen such acts of defiance against the forces of death.

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^[1] Brueggemann, W. (1994–2004). The Book of Exodus. In L. E. Keck (Ed.), New Interpreter’s Bible (Vol. 1, p. 695). Nashville: Abingdon Press.

^[2] Brueggemann, W. (1994–2004). The Book of Exodus. In L. E. Keck (Ed.), New Interpreter’s Bible (Vol. 1, p. 696). Nashville: Abingdon Press.

^[3] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (Ex 1:22). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Responding to a call to be a young Christian leader during the time of quarantine

1 Timothy 4:6–16 (NRSV)

A Good Minister of Jesus Christ

⁶ If you put these instructions before the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching that you have followed. ⁷ Have nothing to do with profane myths and old wives’ tales. Train yourself in godliness, ⁸ for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ⁹ The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. ¹⁰ For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

¹¹ These are the things you must insist on and teach. ¹² Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. ¹³ Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. ¹⁵ Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. ¹⁶ Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Responding to a call to be a young Christian leader during the time of quarantine

This book is Paul’s instruction to Timothy a young minister of the church by St Paul the seasoned apostle of the church. As a young man he is told that he has two paths to choose, the wrong one that will make him ineffective as a Christin leader and a right one that will keep on increase his effectiveness as a Christian minister in the changing circumstances of the life of his church members. One of these paths will become a reality in his life depending on his response.

The instructions that Timothy gets from Paul are many and loaded with a lot of meaning. Let us consider some of those instructions for our consideration in today’s study of the text. Let me pick up the following instructions for a brief detailing to build our devotion. They are namely, 1. Depart from (4:1), 2. Follow (4:6), 3. Train yourself (4:7-8), 4. Strive and hope (4:10), and 5. Progress

     1. Depart from

Paul advises Timothy to depart from deceitful spirits and demons. The deceitful spirits and demons are not a reference to the otherworldly beings, but a symbolic expression of the daily temptations that keep us away from a close relationship with God and a knowledge of His ways. He is also to be aware of the hypocrisy of liars and a seared conscience. Don’t be naïve to take all the truth claims around us as it is not the truth that is propagated by the people who attract our attention through different means. Be alert in your conscience to identify the self-interests and profit motives of people who try to waver our attention from growing up as faithful servants of God. Also, beware of the false teachings, false prophesies, false spiritualities that blur the focus of a strenuous and disciplined Christian living, and lead us astray to justify the pleasure-oriented life. In Timothy’s time-teachings forbidding marriage and encouraging abstinence were in popularity. Even in our times, we see such fashionable versions of Christianity that advocate life-negating social practices. But Paul’s thesis is that enjoying the gifts in thankfulness to God is more important and necessary than practices of abstinence. There are controversies among us about accepting a new lifestyle by the youth. What should be measuring rod that we apply in legitimizing a lifestyle? Acceptability of a lifestyle to God rather than a church tradition should be the criteria for that. Paul says that anything that edifies the Christian community living, or that nourishes our feeling of thankfulness to God or that affirms the sanctity of life can be accepted and others rejected. The measuring rods should be the ethos and values that the Bible upholds. The kingdom values the Christians as a community is upholding. Individual freedom or liberty of opinion should not be the sole criteria to choose a lifestyle as the contemporary culture teaches us. We may be free to choose, but not free to choose the consequences of choices that we make. Whether it be our experiments with drugs, sex, or technology, we cannot have the freedom to choose the consequences of those experiments. Those choices will be our character-shaping choices and to escape from the consequences of those choices will be the hardest way forward.

2. Follow

You should not forget the fact that you are a person nourished in the house of the Lord (v.6). “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. ⁶ For this reason, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; ⁷ for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and self-discipline (2 Ti 1:5–7).”^[1] We all need to look back into our days of early development in our homes and churches to realize the sense of the presence of God that surrounded us from the very time of our formation in our mother’s womb. Do not ignore or waste the advantages of your upbringing in a Temple of God, in a Christian home. Words of faith and sound teachings that were echoed in our churches and homes are to be held on to forever. Let us inscribe in our hearts the Word of God being read and explained and prayers faithfully uttered by our parents and grandparents. Clinging on to the right way, right faith, and right spirituality as a continuity with the faith of our older generations and building on them in accordance with the gifts and blessings we receive from God will grant a sharper sense of our Christian identity while living in the wider society. That will further help us to be mindful of the boundary that we need to respect being the disciples of Christ in the larger society. The Christian life involves movement, a movement to realize the meaningfulness of living in a changing world as Christians.

     3. Train yourself

Another important instruction by Paul to Timothy is to train in Godliness. Whatever be the situations of life the young minister of God should not feel a slackness in exercising Godliness in his life. Paul uses the imagery of an athlete’s preparation for a race to teach his hearers about the spiritual preparedness in many places in his letters. “While physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come (v.8).” Slackness and lack of discipline is a dangerous possibility of a lapse in any disciple’s life. The time of quarantine is a very tempting time to be slack in our disciplines as it tempts us to sleep more, eat unnecessarily, spend more time browsing idly on computers and smartphones, etc. It can also affect our spiritual discipline as there is no compulsion from anywhere to read the Bible, do personal and family prayers. Paul advises Timothy to keep us with the godly practices of thanksgiving, believing and knowing the truth, loving, nourishing faith, and living in purity. This training in Godliness is not merely aimed at attaining a mere victor’s wreath, a perishable wreath. But life both now and in the age to come. Therefore, the training in godliness helps us live meaningfully in the present age as well as in the age to come. Let not this time frustrate us because of the lack of our godly disciplines.

4. Strive and Hope

Timothy has to strive hard to maintain hope in his life. The striving involves reading the scripture, studying it, encouraging others through the explication of it, and teaching the fellow church members in ways of God (4:13). Training in Godliness should be put in the context of long-term benefits. It points our attention to the hope of salvation beyond the current experiences of life. “For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe (v.10).” 1 Cor 9:24–25 we read; “Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one.” Hope is not a mere aspiration of good times to come, but a concrete assurance we experience because of our intimate relationship with a living God. Hope arises out of Christian conviction that God is our Savior and he is the guarantor of our hope too. Hope is the confidence of sharing in God’s salvation in the present and now.

 5.  Progress

Paul warns Timothy not to neglect the gifts that are in him (4:14).  The gifts are permanent deposits in our person invested by God. But they can be either neglected or rekindled (2 Timothy 1:6). Timothy is asked to rekindle his gifts bestowed on him by the presbyter’s hands. We too have our own experiences of assurance of reception of gifts through the laying on of hands by the ministers of the church. Or through be a prayer done for us by a parent, grandparent or a friend. Timothy is to provide exemplary leadership to the church through the proper nourishing of those gifts “in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity,”^[2] Timothy has to present himself as a model to be copied. Authority of status he is holding in the church must be matched by the quality of life that he leads. A development towards maturity that imitates Christ in everything is a necessity in our Christian life. A choice once made to follow Jesus has to be repeatedly reaffirmed and lived out.^[3] Each gift and the commission associated with it in the church has to be carefully thought about, patiently cultivated, and humbly practiced. We all are gifted in different ways; some can sing, some teach, some speak well, some paint well and some write cogently. Every gift should be thought about, nurtured, and practiced. The gifts that are not practiced will wither. And let us not despise the gifts in us at a time like this. Let us do something to cheer the world and give it hope. May the good Lord bless us all!

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^[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (2 Ti 1:5–7). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

^[2] Dunn, J. D. G. (1994–2004). The First and Second Letters to Timothy and the Letter to Titus. In L. E. Keck (Ed.), New Interpreter’s Bible (Vol. 11, p. 814). Nashville: Abingdon Press.

^[3] Dunn, J. D. G. (1994–2004). The First and Second Letters to Timothy and the Letter to Titus. In L. E. Keck (Ed.), New Interpreter’s Bible (Vol. 11, p. 816). Nashville: Abingdon Press.

A Study on Exodus chapter 1: 1-14

Hubris of Human Vs the Power of God’s Blessing

A Study on Exodus chapter 1: 1-14

Memory and Genealogy: Markers of God’s faithful presence

The book of Exodus opens its narratives with a report of the memory and genealogy of the community. Who are the ancestors of these people, who claim themselves to be the people of God? To whom should they ascribe the glory for the blessings and sustenance of the community through centuries into the present? It’s interesting to note that the people of Israel are genuine to mark the origin of their community from slavery in Egypt. Their honesty in depicting this past in the most truthful way is an attempt to give God the glory for all the happenings in their nation's history. What guided history for the benefit of the Israelites and for the whole creation is God’s faithfulness in remembering His promises to the people’s forefathers and foremothers time and again.

Trust in Human Vs Trust in God

Exodus narratives begin by remembering Jacob’s and his extended family's journey to Egypt. Jacob journeys with his large entourage which consists of 70 members and wealth in terms of cattle and sheep. He is described by the biblical narrator as affluent, dignified, and even as someone honoured by Pharaoh. Joseph is deliberately not listed along with his brothers. He is mentioned separately from other brothers. This may be an attempt to signify the vulnerability and fragility of the migrants. Joseph unlike the fragile brothers bespeaks power. His name derives from the Hebrew word “yasap” means “one who adds. Thus Joseph represents the Egyptian royal power. The power of surplus that shrewdly and coercively accumulates.

But the book tells us about the mortal reality of Joseph not lasting longer (v.6). He dies like all other powerful people in history. Thereby the favoured status of Hebrews in Egypt, which was derived from the special royal status of Joseph in Egypt is seen collapsing. An abrupt change of fortunes happens for the Hebrews in the empire of Egypt. A new king arose, who is said to be not knowing Joseph and his contributions to the empire (v.9). The ignorance may not be a chance incident but deliberate dementia. That will help the new emperor to deal shrewdly and oppressively with the Hebrews (v.10). A memory that inspires gratitude is not helpful in dealing oppressively with the people. The ritual separation (they were assigned Goshen as their land to keep them separate and away from polluting the ritual life of the Egyptians-Refer Gen. 46:34) that was in place from the very time of the immigration of the Hebrews now crystalizes into racial discrimination.

God’s blessing Vs Empire’s ruthless dealings

But the book tells us about the continuing faithfulness of God in their lives through the narration of the increase of the people in number. The Bible once again affirms the truth that God’s faithfulness to His people is transgenerational or that transcends time and also space. “Fruitful,” “multiply,” and “prolific” are the words the text uses to describe the blessedness of the Hebrew community because of this blessing of God on them (v.7). The blessing of God on people is characterized by the teeming life-the power of blessing expressed in creation through their power to multiply (Gen. 1:28). But the new king tries to counteract the power of blessing that comes from God with his death-dealing interventions in their life.

Slavery as a means to defy people the right to imagination

King is worried about the increasing strength of the slaves in his kingdom. He anticipates an exodus of the slaves from his kingdom as they may one day defy his orders and overcome his oppressive state machinery (v.10). His reaction to this fear is to impose more severe oppression on people. Therefore, now there is a new policy of forced labour that will help the king to oppress them more ruthlessly. Slavery was the strategy many imperial forces in history had used against people and communities to control, oppress, and manipulate them for the economic and political advantage of the former. Pharaoh had brought necessary changes in the structure of his bureaucracy to have continuous monitoring of the Hebrew slaves. Continuous surveillance and monitoring are to deny freedom that promotes creativity. The labour should only be directed to increase the pomp of the kingdom. The forceful labour and the ruthless dealings will steal them of their physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Bible tells us that the emperor made their life in Egypt bitter.

Empire's programs to have a monopoly over food production and distribution

The text speaks about the state initiating new building programs to keep the people continuously at work. The king wants to build gigantic storehouses in Pithom and Rameses. It is nothing but a programmatic strategy to keep the slaves oppressed forever. There are archaeological pieces of evidence of such humongous constructions from the 19^th Egyptian dynasty, especially during the reign of Ramses II and Ramses III. The storehouses are not simply provisions for the storage of grains for people. But they are symbols of the state policy of coercion and accumulation. These are also shreds of evidence of elitist control of economic surplus in the empire. The surplus is not to be distributed among the subjects of the kingdom but to be used as a reserve to maintain the luxury of the palace and its paraphernalia. There are many pieces of evidence in Genesis about a monopoly of food grains by Egypt in the ancient West Asian territories. But the question that the narrator of the book of Exodus poses here is, can such hubris of a man even though he is an emperor challenge the power of blessing that comes into the lives of Hebrews?

Psalm 22

Praise of the Afflicted

This Psalm is at the same time a complaint about the silence of God and an affirmation of the trust in God during a life-threatening affliction. Very sharp complaints of being forsaken by God is wrapped up at the end by the deep trust in the redeeming presence of God. Though the complaints are presented in a very emotional manner, God is addressed as “my God” and it shows the fact that trust

is still remaining very strongly. Jesus quotes this Psalm while he suffers at the cross; "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Psalm 22 has three parts that can be very well distinguished from each other. Verses 1-11 is an expression of trust in a God who was faithful in manifold ways in Psalmist’s past life. Verses 12-21 is a terrifying description of the trouble that bothers the Psalmist in the present. Verses 22-31 is the praise of the afflicted. Let us meditate each section separately to see how all these are connected to each other and how they will be useful for us in developing a theological perspective that helps ourselves be sustained in these troubled times.

An Alteration of complaint and trust is the character of a prayer of help

vv. 1-11

In this part, we see an alteration of complaint and trust and it points to the reality of current distress that the Psalmist and his community are going through. But the personal and intimate form of addressing God as my God worth special notice. It is this personal and intimate relationship with God that helps the Psalmist to wade through this current crisis in life. The primary complaint is not about the affliction itself, but the “distance of God” and of course the “silence of God” in troubled times. “Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest.” (v.1&2). God who was experienced so closely and intimately seems to be too far now. This pain of God forsakenness is further intensified by the scorn of the people who are around him. It is too dehumanizing that the psalmist does not feel the worth of being a human. His painful words express this feeling of worthlessness, “But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people.” (v.6). Past experiences of blessedness and wellness are contradicted by the current experience of brokenness. The commonsense theology of the community is very much in jeopardy here. The logical cause causality connection of trust and deliverance is challenged here. The forefathers trusted and they were delivered by God (v.4). But here though the Psalmist had his trust in God the deliverance seems to be too far an experience. Verses 9-11 is a recollection of the all-encompassing presence of God in Psalmist’s life. It was this God who kept the Psalmist safe from the very time of his formation in his mother’s womb. It was his care that kept him live fearlessly through different stages of his growth. It is most beautiful when it says that “I was cast on you from my very birth.” The reasons for trust ultimately outweighs the complaints that Psalmist has.

Finding the life-redeeming presence of God at the core of the terrifying trouble

Vv. 12-21

The ferocity of the trouble is expressed by the use of animal imageries. The encircling bulls and roaring lions represent the nearness of death in Psalmist’s life. The fragility and transience of life are represented by expressions like, “I am poured out like water^”, “all my bones are out of joint” and “my heart is like melting wax”. It becomes clearer when the Psalmist talks about the “dust of death.” Though he is not dead yet, he can watch his tormentors casting lots to divide his clothes. All consider him nothing more, but as a mere dead body. He has almost closed in on the “returning to dust” experience mentioned in Psalm 90. His prayer even in such a situation, where he smells death is nothing but “O Lord, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid!” (v.19). At last, the Psalmist feels that he is getting an answer from God for the prayer of help he made to God. The most interesting thing is that the help comes not beyond the suffering but precisely from the midst of and even from the depth of suffering. The answer is mentioned as coming from the horns of the wild oxen. very many times God is not found as he is participating in our sufferings. His bruised and stricken appearance mistake us to feel that he is absent in our sufferings (Is. 53:4-5). It is a universal question we all raise in the midst of our afflictions, where is God in my suffering? Psalmist has no doubt about the fact that God descends into his afflictions and rescues him. An answer is no longer awaited but it is already attained when he is still in his afflictions.

Praise of the afflicted

Vv. 22-31

This is the praise section in the Psalm. The psalmist changes from his role of a complainer to that of a witness to the redeeming nearness of God. Now he says that “I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:” v. 22. He goes even further in inviting the whole congregation to come and glorify God for His gracious condescension. But we need to focus on the reason for this praise mentioned in verse 24. “For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me but heard when I cried to him.” The reason for praise very clearly is the knowledge that God did not abhor or despise the affliction of the psalmist and his community. Verses 22-26 includes the word “praise” many times. Affliction is still a reality in psalmist’s life, but the affliction itself has become somehow the answer for his prayer of help. Praise of the afflicted is a praise that comes from very deep in the midst of suffering. The afflicted can only bring out the real praise in life. God is enthroned on such praises. V.3 speaks about this praise on which God is enthroned, "Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.”

It is pretty clear now for the psalmist that God is not hiding in his suffering, but he is in the midst of it. God hasn’t despised the suffering but instead shared in it. Verse 25 says that to praise God is to live; “The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever!” The contexts of suffering make us feel that death is conquering life. But the psalmist through his experiences witnesses that the reverse is the truth that it is the life that always conquering death. It is with this confidence that St Paul challenges death and its sting in the open; ““Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:55-56). The remedy for the fear of death is nothing but praise. Praise to God because the life that comes from God defies death. Those who have praise in their lips will enjoy satisfaction and wellbeing. Psalmist towards the end of this psalm brings out a universal perspective on this praise. He says that there is a universal impact on the praise of the afflicted. Because this praise will create ripples to the ends of the earth and in all families of the nations. (v.27). “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.” (Ps. 34:1-2). Praise of the afflicted will always impact his surroundings to initiate more praises. The impact of the praise is not only geographical in its expanse, but also generational. Its impact transcends the limits of time to inspire “future generations”, the “people yet unborn.” (v.30-31).

We are passing a very difficult time in our life now. But what memory we are going to leave about us as people who had navigated ourselves through this time. Is it a legacy of our trust in God? Is it a legacy of the praise that is drenched in our tears of prayer? May the Almighty bless us.

Empty Tomb: Fulfilling and Re-membering Encounters

Luke 24:1-12

The central theme of the passage is the discovery of the “empty tomb” by the women who loved Jesus and followed him all the way from Galilee. They were so pious and compassionate. They were also heavy hearted as their Lord departed them prematurely. The violent torture inflicted on their Lord and the horrific death that he endured had really pained the women very deeply. Now they know that their Lord is no more and are concerned more about a proper burial they had failed to accord him as they were not willing to violate the Sabbath Law. Joseph of Arimathea, being a reputed Jew and extremely religious man, would not have wanted to prolong with the burial rites on a Friday evening, when the preparatory hours for the sabbath start. But the women did what they could in their limitations to comfort themselves and continue in their devotion to their Lord. It is part of all grieving experiences. An abrupt closure of a loving relationship in which they continued for long in a meaningful and fulfilling way was not that easy. It is normal that the women did prefer to explore the possibility of an imaginary continuation of an already departed life in some ways. They prepared the spices and ointments on Friday with a plan to visit Jesus’ tomb in a next possible opportunity.

The women too are seen not violating the sabbath. They waited patiently through the whole Saturday, the Sabbath day, to do something on Sunday. They got up early in the morning on Sunday-the first day of the week and went to the tomb with spices and ointments.

The gospel tells us about the certain things that the women had found at the tomb and certain things they did not find as they expected.

They found the stone rolled away and they did not find the body of Jesus as they expected. Their embarrassment was intensified by the presence of two heavenly figures in dazzling clothes. Their dazzling appearance made them bow their faces down to the ground. The presence of heavenly figures in Luke’s gospel indicates heaven’s decisive interventions in Jesus’s ministry. We see the presence of these two heavenly figures at the transfiguration event in 17:24 and ascension narrative in Acts 1:10. The resurrection is also that momentous occasion where the heavenly Father of Jesus responds to his vicarious suffering and death by raising him up from the tomb.

The narrative also tells us about what they have heard from the heavenly figures at Jesus’ tomb.

The words uttered by the heavenly figures become the very foundation of the resurrection of faith and hope for the women and other disciples, who had almost given up following Jesus. “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. ⁶ Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷ that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.”^[1]

Let me pick up two experiences that the women encountered at the tomb site on Easter day and make it the basis of our devotion today. Those two experiences are “empty tomb” and the exhortation of the heavenly figures to “remember.”

Empty tomb fills the discipleship community with hope, meaning and purpose

The encounter of emptiness needs to be deliberated at many planes. St Paul speaks about this emptiness and its inverse impact on our life in the letter written to the Corinthians (1 Cori 15:14). St Paul says, let me paraphrase that verse in the Bible in the perspective of our devotion today; “If Christ has not been emptied his tomb by his resurrection our preaching would have been empty, your faith empty.” The empty tomb is an experience that filled their empty lives with the power of God and hope. The emptiness at the tomb was an experience that thought of emptied the disciples and women of all possibilities of life now turns things upside down. In clearer terms it is nothing but a reversal of emptiness that was scary and destructive to a feeling of fullness that filled their life with meaning and purpose. The empty tomb fills the fearful hearts of the disciples, who were closed down to the world in a cloistered room, were filled with indomitable hope and courage to go out to the world. We see this feeling of fullness spreading contagiously along with the preaching of good news about resurrection. The scripture records about many experiencing this fullness in the course of spread of good news. Not only Peter’s empty boat was filled with 153 big fish but also his heart with unfading love for the Lord as he along with the disciples encountered the resurrected Lord. The resurrected Lord had filled the hate-stricken heart of Paul with loving passion for God’s kingdom. Resurrection displaces all doubts, fears and evil from our hearts and displace them with the peace and love of God.

The empty tomb on another plane powerfully exposes and empties the places that were presumed to be full. One such place that was ripped off the self-aggrandizing pride is the religious establishment in Jerusalem – As the gospels witness to it, it was very ritualistic and lacked any relevance for the life of its people. Jesus warned this religious leadership about their emptiness and ineffectiveness many times. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth (Matthew 27:23).” The religion of Jerusalem was playing the game of ritualism within the parameters of safety and profit making.  It was also promoting mediocre religiosity that was distasteful for the struggling common folk of Galilee and Judaea. The spices and ointments represent the dead traditions of that religion. Jesus can’t wait for the homage of the dead tradition, but he had to resurrect and move forward to be present in the struggles of the ordinary folk in Galilee as he had promised. “But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee (Matthew 26:32).” He will continually be found among the suffering humanity. He will be found in Galilee, the place of sufferings and brokenness.

 Resurrection re-members the discipleship community

Yes, if you have to understand the empty tomb you have to also remember his promises to be present in Galilee among the suffering multitude in Galilee. Yes, the heavenly figures exhort the women and through them the other disciples to re-member what he had told you. Remembering is not simply a going back into a linear understanding of time. As if it is a walk back to reach a point of glory in the past. It is not all about relishing the forgone good old times. But it is more about a spiraling forward of our life’s journey with Christ. Taking into serious consideration the experiences of his presence in our human life situations in the past. Reading of the gospel and the expositions in a daily manner help us reenact those experiences in the present. The stories of healing of the blind, lame, leper, woman with bleeding, exorcism of fears from people all have very inspirational impact on this spiraling forward experience. An experience where the memories of close association with Jesus become strong and indelible reference points for the disciples in their journey forward. It is more about “re-membering” all the scattered experiences of the community for a new journey with Christ. Those who are severed from the fellowship are again made members through this act of re-membering. Resurrection “re-members” the scattered community of disciples. Resurrection mandates us to gather together all those broken and scattered experiences of life together to move forward. The remembering is nothing but an act of holding on to the promises of God revealed in Jesus all through the manifold crises in life. Jesus foretold about this crisis of scattering we all as faith communities have to go through, but on the other side his promises of regathering stands stronger and taller. We see him telling his disciples that the shepherd will be struck and the sheep will be scattered (Matthew 26:31).

Remembering God’s presence in the past experiences of life can give us resources for dealing with the present. Who among hasn’t gone through an experience of sickness and recovery, who among us hasn’t gone through a road block in life that drained us of all hope and found new openings to move forward and who among us has not gone through paralyzing fears that crippled us of all our abilities and yet found the strength to push our life forward. We know that when our earthly resources depleted completely it was the plenty of heavenly resources that we never imagined as useful in our journeys helped us conquer our crises and fears in life. But we need to remember that the gospels do not ground our faith on stone or linen shroud but on the presence of risen Lord in Human experience. Tomb like experiences are a reality in life, the dark scary experiences of life as the one that we go through these days. But remember that we are not going to remain here forever. We have to empty these scary days in our life and move on to walk with the resurrected Jesus. The scattered community of believers has to re-member around the resurrected one. Remembering is gathering together of all aspects of being the discipleship community and more that had got dismembered because of the crucifixion. May the knowledge of resurrection instill undefeatable hope and strength of life in us. Amen

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^[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (Lk 24:5–7). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.