Life’s lemons

Kaylene Vieselmeyer
Columnist
April 15, 2004, Page 4

How big was the stone? This question came to mind this weekend as I pondered the Easter season.
It seems as though the stone that was placed in front of the tomb of Jesus was a concern and is mentioned by each Gospel writer.
Matthew talks about how an earthquake came upon the earth and an angel rolled the stone way (Matthew 28:2). In Mark when the women were going to the tomb they asked one another, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they came to the tomb it was already rolled away (Mark 16 :3). Luke and John also mention how it was rolled away from the entrance of the tomb. (Luke 24:2 & John 20:1).
It is interesting that each account of the Resurrection mentions something about how the stone was rolled away. A minor detail, but a very big significance for the story!
Try to imagine the size of the stone or the tomb itself. The best idea when I think of stones or boulders is the magnificent rocks in the “Garden of the Gods” in Colorado.
These huge rocks tower over the land.
When I look at photos that were taken of my family next to these rocks it helps me realize just how small we really are.
Imagine a huge stone in front of the tomb of Christ. Most likely it took several people to roll it over to the entrance.
It is true that many times in our own lives we have a huge stone or boulder in our life that keep us from seeing Jesus.
Maybe we know and accept the risen Lord, but there is always something that we feel we need to do first; we have to finish this project or that job and don’t seem to have the time for Jesus.
Amazingly enough Jesus is all the time we need. His death wasn’t anything fancy, in fact it was horrifying and terrible. He endured tremendous torment, beating and insulting word. But He endured it all and on the third day the stone was rolled away allowing us to see the risen Christ.
It is still true today in our own lives and the stones that we build up. Maybe the stones are things like money, greed, envy, jealously, lust, self-centeredness, anger and the list goes on.
These things block our view of Jesus. Even our own busyness can get in the way of the One who really matters.
So find the stone that is blocking the light of Christ and ask Christ to remove it. Trust Him—He has the power to move mountains!