Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” Jesus’ female disciples ask themselves as they approach his tomb to embalm his hastily interred body. Their query hangs mid-air — unanswered and answered — as the gospels say: “The stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.” These women become the first messengers of Christ’s resurrection.
Stones are not just minerals but Biblical symbols too. The Biblical “God is our Rock” imagery reveals that one who roots one’s hope in God will never be disappointed. Thus, Jesus teaches: “S/he who hears my words and acts upon them is like a wise wo/man who builds her/his house upon rock” (Matthew 7:24).
Central in Jesus’ post-resurrection narratives is Simon Peter: Poor fisherman, impulsive, desirous of doing good, but often failing to do so. Simon is among Jesus’ first followers but never fully comprehends him. Sensing the potential within Simon, Jesus renames him Peter — from the Greek petros and Aramaic kephas meaning “rock” or “stone”— and declares: “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church.”
Soon after Jesus renames Simon “rock” and predicts that he must proceed to Jerusalem to be crucified, Peter says, “This (suffering-death) must never happen to you!” Hearing this, Jesus harshly rebukes Peter: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are focussing not on divine things but on human things.” Here Peter the “rock” — supposed to be firm in faith —becomes a stumbling block: chicken-hearted and fearful of pain and death.
In Jerusalem, Peter denies friendship with Jesus and flees the scenes of his trial, torture and death. But later he repents and tells the Risen Christ: “Lord, I love you!” This repentant Peter later writes: “Come to Jesus, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living-stones let yourselves be built into a spiritual house.”
Life’s pilgrim path is strewn with stones, rocks, stumbling blocks. So, first, let’s root our routine upon God, the Rock, with faith-hope-trust. Second, in our quest for happiness, we’ll inevitably encounter stumbling blocks: failure, sickness, pain, addiction, rejection, death and so on. We needn’t shun suffering, negativities and death, for these could be stepping stones to success and a new life. Third, we’re “living stones” with enormous capacity to construct community. Are we ready to be cemented together with love and peace — ever seeking the common good?
Peter’s transformation was total. Fearless, faithful and free, he was later crucified upside down, signifying the U-turn his life took. Why ask: “Who will roll away these stones?” With God’s grace and human collaboration, we could build houses upon rock and roll back all stones, no matter how daunting.
Francis Gonsalves is a professor of theology.
He can be contacted at fragons@gmail.com
