Sitting on the Rock of the Grave

And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.
(Matthew 28:2 NKJV)

Otis Redding wrote a song in 1967 that became a very big hit. Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. Here is a bit of the lyrics from that song.

I left my home in Georgia
Headed for the ‘Frisco bay
‘Cause I’ve had nothing to live for
And look like nothin’s gonna come my way

So I’m just gonna sit on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay
Wastin’ time

In this passage we meet an unnamed angel. Instead of sitting on the dock of the bay wasting time, the angel is sitting on the rock of the grave sharing Christ. He sits on the rock that closed the grave. Perhaps he was the angel of rock and roll. But honestly, what a job for an angel. God tells an angel to go and sit on the rock after God has rolled it away. Is This God’s Resurrection Security Officer, as if God thinks the body will be stolen? Of course not.

The angel is there for a reason. The angel is sitting of the rock of a grave sharing Christ. The angel shocked a few guards. The angel also shared Jesus with everyone who came by. The guards were shocked, and the women were relieved and excited. These two reactions represent what will happen when you share Jesus Christ.

Tonight we are here to celebrate the death of Jesus Christ, but at the same time, to remember that He is not dead forever. He is alive. The angel sitting on the rock of a grave, to basically say that Jesus is not here anymore. He is alive. He just sits there and with everyone who comes by, he shares this message.

This is what you and I can do as well. We can share this message – that Jesus is alive this Easter. You and I are like this angel. We are sitting in our homes, with our friends, even in our church, and people will come by. We can share about Jesus right where we are. You and I are sitting on the rock of the grave of a living Savior. That is good news that you can share.

Photo by Kasper Rasmussen on Unsplash

Sitting on the Rock of the Grave

Sitting on the Rock of the Grave

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