I am often asked if I have ever visited the Holy Land. The answer is “No.” The year I planned to go coincided with the Israeli-Egyptian war in the 1960s, so I settled for a trip to seven countries in Europe. I’m not sure I would enjoy a trip to Israel. From what I gather from many who have gone, there is a lot of commercialism and considerable skepticism regarding what some guides claim for popular tourist sites.
For example, visitors to the Holy Land are shown the “traditional” burial tomb of Jesus. It’s called “traditional” because we really don’t know where Jesus was buried. More than likely this “traditional” tomb gained its reputation as Jesus’ burial site centuries after his crucifixion. There is no evidence that the early church immediately after the death and resurrection of our Lord honored his burial place in their memories and with pilgrimages. In fact, we have the impression from the New Testament that the early church simply forgot about the place of Jesus’ burial as it focused on the work of God’s Spirit in its fellowship and in the world. The truth is that we do not know where Jesus was buried. And if I were a betting man (which I’m not), I would bet the farm that the “traditional” burial site is not the place where his body was put. It would appear that that place simply did not matter to the early church.
It’s also interesting to note that we have no idea what Jesus looked like. The first paintings and sketches of Jesus came many years after his death and resurrection. He may have been tall or short, handsome or plain, trim or pudgy. One thing is for sure—as a Jew from the Near East he would have looked nothing like the blond, blue-eyed, pale Jesus found in so many church paintings.
We are even further surprised to find that the early church kept no “souvenirs” or physical reminders of Jesus’ life on earth. (The only possible exception may be the Shroud of Turin. Scientists still cannot come with a definitive date for the shroud. The carbon-dating done in 1988 which dated the shroud between 1260-1390 B.C.E has been challenged by some scientists. So the verdict on the shroud is still up in the air.) As a poor, itinerant peasant Jesus would have had very little to leave behind. With all respect to “the Robe” and “the Holy Grail,” there is no evidence that the early church concerned itself with keeping relics from its Lord’s life.
The obsession with relics came during the medieval period. These relics (which historians know were not authentic) were used by the church to encourage pilgrimages and to entice offerings from gullible pilgrims. Extravagant claims were made regarding the healing power of such supposed items from Jesus’ life and the lives of the saints of the church. Some cathedrals claimed to have pieces of wood from the cross, sweat from Jesus’ brow, vials of blood which dripped from the cross, fingernails and toenails from great saints, etc. A couple of churches actually claimed to have the foreskin of Jesus. Many Christians believed that being close to these relics would ensure holiness, protection, and healing.
We might wonder why the early church had no interest in remembering Jesus’ burial site, in preserving an image of what Jesus looked like, and treasuring whatever few relics his family and friends might have had for a his thirty-something years on earth. I believe this quote from Clarence Jordan tells us why those early believers had no such concern.
The proof that God raised Jesus from the dead is not the empty tomb, but the full hearts of his transformed disciples. The crowning evidence that he lives is not a vacant grave, but a spirit-filled fellowship. Not a rolled-away stone, but a carried away church.
To the early church Jesus was not a treasured memory but an energizing Presence, not an honored relic but a transforming Power. For the beginning church the most compelling evidence of his resurrection was the changed and redeemed fellowship through which Christ continued to speak, love, and call to conversion and abundance of life.
William Quick in a sermon entitled “Good News from the Graveyard” tells of a moving episode from the life of Puccini, the master who wrote such works as “Madame Butterfly” and “La Tosca.” In 1922 Puccini, stricken with cancer, decided to write one more opera. “But suppose you die?” asked one of his students. “Oh,” Puccini responded, “my disciples will finish it.”
In 1924, Puccini died and his disciples did indeed finish his opera. The premiere took place at the opera house in Milan, Italy under the baton of Puccini’s best student, Toscanini. The performance abruptly stopped at one point at which Toscanini said to the audience, “Thus far, the master wrote and then the master died.” Toscanini then picked up the baton and shouted out to the audience, “But his disciples finished his music.” Quick concluded his sermon with the question, “Who will carry on the work of the Savior?”
This is a wonderful illustration, and believe me, wonderful illustrations are hard to find when it comes to preaching. But I have a problem with this illustration. Puccini died. His music lives on, but we know where he is buried. We can lay flowers at his tomb. But Jesus who died was raised by God to continue his own work in this world through his Spirit. We are not left with just memories, much less relics. We encounter a Risen Lord—a Living Savior who is in our midst and who will not rest until his work is done in us and through us.
The question facing us this Easter and every time the sun rises to gift us with a new day is whether we know anything about the power of the resurrection. Is he present in our midst? Does the Spirit of God which burned like a fire in the hearts of those first believers still kindle within our fellowship the flames of truth, courage, and love? Or must we settle for distant memories, dusty relics, and commercialized pilgrimages?
The meaning of Easter is that “He is alive.” And if he is alive, then we should be alive—alive to the transforming, comforting, challenging presence of Christ. Anything less constitutes a denial of the Easter faith.
So have I been to the Holy Land? Yes. Every day I feel his presence—every time I hear his call—every person in need who confronts me with his compassion—every place I sense his restless Spirit seeking God’s will becomes sacred ground and Holy Land. And with that Presence I need no relics. I need only follow him.
