Doth Such Love Bewilder Thee?

Doth such love bewilder thee?

It was finished! Was that not what he’d said? The events of that day lay dark and heavy, forever burned into the minds of each player on the stage of life who happened to catch breath in Jerusalem, from a beggar in the street to a woman preparing for Passover to a ruler sitting in an empty chamber surrounded in opulence.

And as each reflected on the events of those momentous hours, perhaps there was a sigh of relief. “Yes, it was finished.” And since such was the case—perhaps, as is the resilience of human nature, preparations for the morrow were already underway: Perhaps Pilate pondered his political agenda. Perhaps the priests had made arrangements for the torn veil to be stitched back together.

picture by Shane Holloway

And under the cover of some secrecy, others were busy at work as well—Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. And once the deed was done, the body hastily prepared and buried, the entrance sealed and guarded, it surely must have felt like it was indeed finished.

But, as his body lay cold and inert in a tomb, the spirit of Jesus was alive and active—absent from that body—free to accomplish his great plan. Where he went and what he did during the days of silence from the tomb have been the speculation of theologians for centuries and will remain so. But, by the light of Easter morning all truly had been finished—all that was required to bring redemption to you, to me, to the whole world.

Does such love bewilder you?