Conversation Point

Tomb Raiders

Rumor has it that the burial tomb of Jesus has been found. They've even made a movie about the discovery. It's only a matter of time before some enterprising soul opens the Jesus Was Here Theme Park and Gift Shops. Visitors will be able to stop by and see where Jesus' final resting place is tucked into the hills of the Holy Land. They will be able to have their pictures taken outside the tomb with the angel who met the women on that first Easter morning and then purchase souvenirs as mementos of their trip back in time. Who could resist drinking their morning coffee out of a rock-shaped mug asking, " Where's Jesus?"

Crowds will gather at the park's trendy restaurants, fashionable hotels and night spots to experience life as Jesus and his disciples knew it over two thousand years ago (Realistic food interpretations from way back then will be neatly sidestepped - we hear it wasn't so tasty. No need to discourage the tourists). Historical figures from the time of Christ will mingle among the park guests to answer pertinent theological questions that may arise during their visit. Dramatic moments, like the Sermon on the Mount, will be recreated at one, three and five each afternoon, except major holidays. Ride the Jesus Was Here tram, driven by a Chief Priest, Scribe or Pharisee, robes flowing gently in the breeze, bringing you full circle on a journey back to when our Savior walked the earth. Yes, I can see it all now.

Pardon? You aren't worried about a consumer-driven theme park springing up overnight as much as that part about Jesus still being in the tomb? And you're a little concerned that there were other people discovered with him there, his parents, Mary and Joseph, and Mary Magdalene and a boy named Judah, who the archaeologists believe may be Jesus' wife and son?

Apparently you aren't alone. Clergy from a variety of denominations denounced the story as fiction as soon as it hit the internet and then again on the evening news. How could anyone of the Christian faith possibly buy into this foolishness? Of course Jesus physically rose from the dead. Without that, we don't have a leg to stand on for everything we say we believe. What happens to that new building fund drive now? We just spent half our education budget on new curriculum for the fall. What about all those Easter lilies people have already paid for?

One brave soul spoke out, raising a voice of reason and reflection up amid the knee jerk reaction of so many others. My apologies for not getting his name, but he appeared on the NBC Nightly News on Monday night. He may even have been the film producer who brought us this documentary. What he said was simply put: more information was not a bad thing and could serve to strengthen people's faith, not destroy it.

He's right.

Along these lines are some of the lyrics from a song by the late John Denver called "Perhaps Love." One of the verses tells us that, "Perhaps love is like a window, perhaps an open door. It invites you to come closer, it wants to show you more." What could be better than to love someone, know them inside and out, backwards and forwards, and still be welcomed farther into their embrace, trusted even more fully to enter their life, know them for who they truly are, warts and all? Take that thought into your being and experience it for a moment. Pretty amazing stuff, isn't it? Sometimes we catch glimpses of this deep knowing between people, but living that kind of relationship, as friends, soul mates, or life partners can only be understood by people who have opened themselves to the experience as it has come to them. Clinging to old ideas of what any type of relationship is supposed to look like means we stay stuck in old fairy tales whose lessons become rigid and brittle with time. Flexibility and open hearts are instruments God uses to share new stories and expand our knowingness of God through faith.

Not a fairy tale, but the cornerstone of the Christian faith, the resurrection of Jesus Christ settled the debate and the fear of being separated from God's love after death. Entering our second week of the Lenten wilderness journey may be a very good time to see how settled we are in our faith and particularly with how we feel about our own eventual death. Maybe not. But this archaeological revelation does give us a chance to understand how much we depend on specific facts and Biblical references to define our faith as we know it. We laugh at and scoff over the Sadducees and Pharisees, especially their need to hold Jesus to the letter of the law. But are we so different?

"On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some of the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, 'Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?' And Jesus answered, 'Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him; how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him (Luke 6:1-4)." What could be more foolish than to starve, rather than break a rule about who can eat certain foods? The Pharisees didn't think it was at all absurd because it challenged their beliefs and their personal authority in the religious community. Only a few verses later, after another confrontation with Jesus over Sabbath rules and regulations, the Pharisees began plotting to rid themselves of Jesus once and for all. Amazing what a thought-provoking nudge can cause people to do.

Whatever comes of this latest archaeological find remains to be seen. The ramifications for Christianity and its historical context will play out over time. How we use these ideas to understand our own faith underscores that what we believe is person, if not private. Last year's presumed uncovering of the Biblical Ark was a rallying cry for proof of God's existence. Perhaps we mostly need to stop looking for proof and step out into the unknown of faith.

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 4:49 PM